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Most of the time, especially evenings, I'm in a full pug vs a premade and it becomes a perfunctory stomp. The MM leaves open the possibility to have pug+premade as it is but in the ~100 matches I've played since starting in CB I've only ever had a single premade self-identify in team chat and they weren't a particularly stellar bunch. So if I've rolled with premades they sure havne't bothered to tell us little people. A match tonight l was a bit different, though. We started off 7 v 8, which has been happening a lot lately so I didn't have a lot of hope for the round. Oh well, at least I can do a bunch of damage before going down like Leonidas--living the pug life has gotten me rather experienced in that regard. But about a minute into the match, something interesting came in over team chat:"5 of us are a group, follow our lead"
Bam, just like that a sense of direction and purpose. These guys clearly have a plan afoot. They posted a clan URL but I honestly don't remember what it was, since like any good antisocial mercenary I'm here for the credits and couldn't care less who's fighting whom over what (plus, as has been said, I might have had a wee dram or two). As a proud Lone Wolf I've got no problem backing up an organized lance if only someone says as much. So consider me your huckleberry, lads. Being in a Wang I tagged along with what seemed to be one of their leaders, throwing AC2 at the obvious targets and keeping their heads down while the missiles and lasers found their marks. It's hard to compete with coordinated fire but I feel I made a difference nonetheless. Eventually it came down to around 4 v 3, with the 3 doing a fighting retreat raining down scouted LRMs on anything that challenged them. Then came another team message:
"hit the LRM boats"
Sounds reasonable, and presumably a plan is in the works. Being a medium I make full speed for the boats, past their scout who's occupied with the premade's brawlers, and do my best undead Wang. I died after a minute or two of weaving between the two enemy cats putting occasional pulse bursts on target, but it kept them occupied long enough for the remainder of the team to get in firing range and do their thang. Round over, we win something like 8-6.
My point here is this. Faced with their own <8 premade augmented by some pugs, and less than favorable odds, these guys made the best of the situation instead of ******** to themselves and on the forums about the diirrrrty pugger scabs who won't join Voice Union. Simple, high level, easy to understand suggestions in team chat, not imperious commands to OBEY OR DAI, snarky allchat comments about how everyone else sucks, or the usual cone of silence. And for their ability to not be raging xenophobes like so many in MWO appear to be, the team won what would have otherwise probably have been a disorganized rout. That's all it takes, folks. Like it nor not, Phase 1 is going to force premades to fight alongside pugs. Are you able to effectively co-opt pugs in your lance or will you go down like the Tokugawa Shogunate, so recalcitrant and unwilling to budge from tradition that someone more flexible simply buries you in the sand?
tl, dr: Pugs and premades can live together and sing Kumbaya over the campfire if only more premades would stop acting like the Illuminati
Edited by Bogus, 04 November 2012 - 11:59 PM.
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