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[Alistair Winter]

One thing I've really come to appreciate over weeks of exclusively playing with PUGs (pick up groups - as opposed to playing with a clan) is that the most important key to success is the ability to find yourself in the right place at the right time.

I think a lot of people are underestimating the importance of positioning and timing in this game, and place a lot of importance on clever builds with the maximum amount of DPS for their playing style. I also see a lot of people underestimating certain builds or weapons, or even weight classes.

Anyway, this should be old news to any experienced player, but consider this a public service announcement to new players. Spend less time worrying about how to fit that extra ton of ammo, that extra heatsink or how to get an AC20 on all your mechs. Instead, consider getting a bigger engine.

Playing in a PUG, you can almost never depend on your team mates. In the middle of an attack, your team mates might suddenly pull back, leaving you alone against a lance of enemy mechs. And of course, one or two guys on your team will always charge in and die alone. Not to mention that a lot of PUGs don't really have a plan, they just either go with the flow or ignore what everyone else is doing, like trying to win by cap even when hopelessly outnumbered. If you're in a slow mech, you're more vulnerable to unpredictable team mates.

At this point of the game, I've had success with a number of different builds, everything from catapult LRM boats to cataphract brawlers or Raven ER LL snipers, Awesome PPC gunslingers... A lot of people are complaining about how this and that build doesn't work, or this or that weapon isn't worth the tonnage. As I see it, it's all very insignificant next to the importance of speed and positioning.

Right now, the times I get killed without scoring any kills, it's usually my own fault for putting myself in a bad position. And now that I'm using faster mechs, I'm more adaptable and so tend to die less than I did before. In conclusion:

[Insert Sun Tzu quote]