Magus on the left Sandman on the right:
Tradition Knight (by Morris) VS Invicta (by Thorne)
Arena:
The Knight came quickly with its back load swarming the arena with missiles. The FLEETed Invicta was a pretty capable dodger and pulled some nice stop and pops with the GNL. Invicta quickly deployed the 15 rounds of the GNL and the Knight did well in taking damage. Scattered MG500 and laser bolts seemed to hold Invicta at bay, yet he was truly trying to weather the storm, while waiting for the juice to refresh. A nice OB to blade strike pulled Invicta ahead, but the Knight was now pressing hard with MG closing the gap quickly. Down the stretch a few RF/220H pellets gave the quad the nod in a nail bitter.
Invicta: 0146 AP
Military District:
The Knight again took early control with mixed salvos of supported and un-supported missiles. Invicta worked the 008 hard to press close for GNL work, yet the GROA was up to task and the Knight did very well in using long OB burns to the corners of buildings to keep his flanks covered. Down the stretch the Knight stood solid the weary Invicta tried some heat and run tactics. It would be to no avail as the Knight made him pay with proper use of the MG and XCWL.
T.Knight: 3379 AP
Underground Factory:
Invicta did not feel comfortable facing the MG500 with the low ceiling of the Parking lot and took early control of the match in the UF with good GNL work. The Knight was not far behind as he ditched his entire missile ordinance to get mobile and stop the GNL onslaught. The lowly defended quad was now straining under the constant pressure of the MG and XCWL. Invicta rallied with TWO hard blade strikes. Yet somehow the Knight’s AP was still looking solid as he pressed in for the finish.
T.Knight: 2250 AP
Sandman about Invicta: I personally hate the defensive cut of the ROD arms on the Knot frame. For the already high drain of the AC I’d use the EAS or at least lower the drain with the defense by using the REX. Still I felt this was a pretty sound AC that just met up with a frame that handled shell and heat well.
Requiem (by Delvennerim) VS MTCD01 (by MTCD01)
Arena:
The Quad took early command of the match using long OB drift and decoys to minimize missile damage while sniping home a few rounds from the LQ. Requiem danced in the distance trying to make the most of his missile load before flanking the Quad with Shotgun and HZL. The quad was up to task however, and the mighty GNL rang out. In the end the quad stripped it’s back units and put the ever versatile RF150 and HZL50 to use. The lightly defended Requiem simply could not keep pace under such heavy and constant firepower.
MTCD01: 4135 AP
Aerial Ruins:
With room to breath and changing elevations Requiem dazzled the quad. Supported salvo’s came from odd angles and the nifty RJ stayed out of harms way for the majority of the match. Some good LQ work kept the quad in the hunt, before a nifty OB move left the radar less unit searching for his foe. Requiem however came back for the kill and good RF150 & HZL work made the match a bit closer than it actually was; but the quad still fell.
Requiem: 2976 AP
Abandoned Factory:
Early on Requiem used nifty OB moves to keep the match very close as he worked hard to avoid the mighty GNL and LQ. Yet the better-defended quad reverted to RF150 and HZL to combat the RJ every time his hand combo was brought to bear. Down the stretch the CQ arena selection did the RJ in as a GNL rounded bounced him off a pillar only to be caught by another. Two large a gap and the RF and HZL closed out the deal for Requiem.
MTCD01: 3019 AP
Magus about Requiem: TBA
Rodent (by Comotosis) VS Misfit (By Emerica)
Military District:
The tow quick quads started out slowly trying to fell each other out. OB moves sliding into LQ shots provided decent damage for each and things were very even. Rodent stepped up the Pace hooking in with the MG and HZL. Misfit pushed away hard, taking to the air with the SRF. The two traded AP leads back and forth until Rodent was able to finally take command, following Misfit into the air out of an OB move with the MG on full auto. Misfit would not rebound and later fell to scattered MG rounds.
Rodent: 1971 AP
Aerial Ruins:
Using the long duration OB and efficient boosters Misfit held control of the match, keeping his distance with the sniper rifle. Rodent worked the LQ early and attempted to pressure Misfit hard after dumping the energy-sucking weapon. Misfit dumped his LQ as well and the game of cat and mouse was on. As time ticked away Misfit was able to weather the MG fire and maintain a very slim margin of victory.
Misfit: 1195AP Rodent: 1117AP
Underground factory:
Again the two quads started the match with drop and pop LQ fire. Misfit seemed to gain a quick upper hand and Rodent wasted no time switching gears and jumping all over Misfit with MG and HZL. Misfit was not game to be a sitting target and used a great deal of OB and quick LQ shots to hurt the hard charging Rodent. Down the stretch the two frames were both smoking as Rodent worked hard to break the window of the SRF and end the show with MG fire. It would not be as Misfit was able to keep him at bay and finally close it out by the hair of his ass.
Misfit: 0403 AP
Magus about Rodent: TBA
Player X (By King James) VS Violent Soul (By Ben)
Arena: The two well defended units started with the back loads and Player X took early control, as he used the 20 decoys well and showed what true defense can mitigate even hard ordinance too. Violent Soul stayed calm and used the GROA OB to stay out of the orbit nets and keep the match close. Down the stretch it was a flanking match and each took turn pressing the other trying to find a weakness. VS found an advantage with a nifty OB to hovering move. The MG1000 and HZL rang out bringing the two AC’s about even. In the end Player X would pull a nifty OB hook move of his own, but ammo issue did not allow him to follow up as he would have liked. Vs would put him down in another nail bitter.
V.S.: 0181 AP
Parking lot:
Taking out the back unit of V.S. was an awesome move as Player X’s hide would be hard for just the MG and HZL to crack. V.S. launched the Multi’s anyway, getting a tad bit of help from the supports. Down the stretch it was a big bad flesh pounding session and each of the frames took a good amount of damage in quick fashion. V.S. surprised Player X with the amount of work he put in, but that’s all it would be. Player X put most of his hand combo to use and sent this one for a tiebreaker.
Player X: 1789 AP
Military District: Player X took control early and let the orbits loose. V.S. would take minimal damage and keep the match well within reach with the multi’s. A long war of attrition had begun and Player X would play his cards well, using the hand combo for assured damage. Down the stretch he would be too hard a nut for V.S. to crack and the RF150 and HZL were just enough to close out the show.
Player X: 2547 AP
Sandman about Violent Soul:
A hardcore design that met a very well defended frame. Awesome energy management, which provided for some great flight times. Could probably have netted some more defense by going with a different set of arms, but that’s nit picking. I just lost.
Plated Black (By Victim-O-Fate) VS BEN (By Kishin)
Arena:
The well defended yet agile Plated Black danced well in the distance to end any hopes of BEN’s landing sniper style SAWA rounds. The OB equip quad used flanking techniques to try and pound on PB, but the turn-boosters were put to good use. The waked heavy danced hard to shake SAWA after SAWA round, while scattering MG and GSL about. The match was looking to be in the book for PB until BEN found enough juice in the energy bar to pull off a nice blade poke. With the lead in hand he fell back to rely on the SAWA. In the end BEN ran the juice meter low and could not fire off what would have been the game ending SAWA round… He fell to MG fire in another on for the record books.
Plated Black: 0489AP
Underground Factory:
In a dance similar to the first PB amazed, as he was able to keep pace with the SAWA due to stellar defense and steady MG fire. The quad would again struggle to keep pace due to energy refresh issues. With about half of PB’s AP gone BEN made a play for all the marbles. The SAWA hit the floor to gain speed and refresh as he flew in with the blade. WHACK! It would not be enough however as PB corrected himself via turn-boosters to finish the quad off.
Plated Black: 1626 AP
Sandman about BEN: The drop it and loose it feature hurt this design as I would have gladly helped myself in the drain dept by dropping the Moonlight or SAWA early, for retrieval later in the match. I think you should ditch the CND. It didn’t do nearly enough for the SAWA and if you ever get near the warning claxon coming back is pure hell. Take off the ECMP increase the poke damage and increase the rate of SAWA fire. My two cents.
Scission (By Motofox) VS Desert Fox (By Kuroi Kenshin)
Arena:
The ECMP of the Fox quickly made itself an issue for Scission. Meanwhile Fox used his superior mobility to sit back and spam off the verts and supports. The heavy heavier Scission did well in avoiding big damage from the verts, but was very hard pressed to find damage of his own at range. He pumped the XCW for what it was worth, but FOX was an agile foe. After dumping the missiles FOX pressed hard and used his mobility and the twins to put on major pain. Scission fought back hard, but the fight was extremely up hill.
Fox: 4135 AP
Military District:
Scission used the cover and space of the yard to manipulate long OB moves and make the best of his missile load. XCW fire was mixed in to try and fluster the Fox. It would not be for the RJ as FOX again spammed his supported verts and used his speed to stay out of harms way before going all out, flanking with the twins. Scission again fought hard, but fell in one of the unfortunate mismatches during the day.
FOX: 6196 AP
Magus about Scission: TBA
Go Unbroken (By BigPhil) VS Reaver (By Ghost)
Arena:
The nimble Reaver played the outside boundaries of the arena and tried hard to avoid heavy ordinance. Unbroken would use nifty OB maneuvers and lateral movement to cut the lightly defended AC off. I nifty turn-boosted attack by the tank landed a GNL knocking the light off pace and forcing home another. The damage done would be far to great to overcome and Reaver would have to try his hand in another venue.
Go-Unbroken: 6793 AP
Snowfield:
Reaver was more at home with space to run and gun. In a long battle he worked in and out of range coming close to emptying the laser rifle as Go unbroken kept pace with good OB and use of the RF150 SRFL combination. It was a war of attrition and the RF150 stole the AP lead as Reavers ammo ran low. Reaver was not to go out without a bang and swung in for a blade swipe, which he hoped would end the deal. WHACK! 789 AP remained as the tank corrected itself and found home with an LQ round.
Go-Unbroken: 0789 AP
Sandman about Reaver: Low defensive levels against a tank are just a tall task. I had high hopes for this AC, but just couldn’t stay steady enough to work it out. If you could get something like the SOL arms on this frame it would round it out a bit better in the sniper department. Yet, I’m not sure you should base anything on fighting such a beast.
Brian Xfighter (Brian X) VS Typhoeus (By Puppydog)
Arena:
In the arena Typhoeus was able to start the match by getting high early and bombarding with multi’s. Xfighter countered well sending up high-acts from ground zero. Xfighter used some nifty OB maneuvers to try and flank the RJ, but Typhoeus handles extremely well and seemed able to turn and face well. In a very close match a perfectly placed HZL shell set Xfighter to blaze at the start of an OB burn and gave the RJ a lead he would not surrender.
Typhoeus: 1690 AP
Parking Lot:
Xfighter let the Hi-Acts loose as the arena selection nerf’d the RJ’s missile attack. The two danced hard under the low ceiling and neither would gain an upper hand. Xfighter jousted around the pillars well with the GSL72. Luckily for Typhoeus the MG500 and ORCA core kept a solid pace over the XCMK/70… Down the stretch no one had gained an upper hand and the two AC’s brought each other to death, and each pilot jumped up claiming victory. Yet only one would net the win. Xfighter.
Double kill: Xfighter
Military District:
The two AC’s again danced around trying to make use of the back units, before Xfighter lit the burners to start flanking with the hands. Typhoeus was again able to answer and always seemed capable of getting air born and raining the MG on target, with some ORCA bullets mixed in. Finding the sweet spot of the HZL every now and again as well. In mid match Xfighter made a sweet hook move and the RJ turned just in time to see a fully supported volley of hi-acts coming his way. FLEETed movement kept damage from being critical, but Xfighter was now in full control. With careful use of his hands he put a final rest to the RJ.
Xfighter: 2096AP
Sandman about Typhoues: Most awesome energy management of any FLEET using AC I’ve ever run. For some odd reason it just feels in perfect harmony. The one issue I had with the AC was the left hand weapon. The MG helps it out, but the HZL50 sadly outclass the NHZL30 by leaps and bounds. Unless you really have an entire AC set-up to just burn the snot out of someone, more damage in the left hand would seem a better bet. The stun would have helped the EO’s land and the higher damage rate would have definitely helped out (GRSL20 stuns as well and gives you the heat your looking for as a compromise). I used the XSP only once. It’s kind of cool, but supporting the multi’s may be a better deal. All and all a nice AC, which could come out on top if played again.
Toxin (By Thirteen) VS Angsty Girl (by Crimson Fury)
Military District:
A good overweight and dump technique allowed Toxin to find some damage with his quick deploying back unit and supports before dumping it. He managed and early lead, but Angsty Girl was stepping up the pace and using elevated angles to fire supported multi’s. Toxin was an agile dodger and did not take major damage, but AG’s ECMP made toxins missile attack pretty standard to dodge as well. Toxin turns well and flanking was not an easy task as AG pulled drive by attacks with the MG and HZL. The heated and energy hands of Toxin did fairly well in keeping pace, but the tried and true MG HZL combo would not be denied.
Angsty Girl: 1542 AP (and burning)
Structure:
Toxin played some good cat and mouse around the pillars to perform heat and run tactics. AG’s frame spent a great deal of time in flame, as she worked hard to get at Toxins side and avoid the steady stream of ORCA bullets. The HZL would ring out as AG came around corners, but was met by dual beams of laser. Down the stretch it was yet another nail bitter, as each frame cried out in pain. It was close, but Toxin would be put to a stop.
Angsty Girl: 0237 AP
Magus about Toxin: TBA
Colorless (By Mayhem) VS Micro-tank (By Duneman)
Arena:
The OB savvy tank immediately attempted to up the pace of the match by driving GNL’s into the heavy frame. It’s would take two to burn Colorless, who was sending mixed volleys of missiles to keep the tank honest. Ditching the quick deployment missiles and going to Hi-acts allowed the heavy frame to better keep pace. The more lightly defended tank was now seeing that it would take a great deal of ordinance to bring this beast down. Colorless was savvy with the MG and found the tank a big target and ripped through AP. It was anyone’s match. Micro-tank would hold on down the stretch and stopped colorless with strafing MG fire just before his own hull let go.
Micro-tank: 0567 AP
Military District:
With more room to boogie and a good deal of building to put in the way of the tanks OB runs, Colorless did well in launching supported Hi-act volleys from above. Micro-tank pressed the pace misjudged an OB move and ate a large volley during an OB run. Dumping all but the MG to be as agile as possible Colorless pressed through GNL fire for the kill, and he would have his way.
Colorless: 6075 AP
Underground factory:
The tank thought the GNL would save the day in such a place, but he was again forced to raise an eyebrow at the damage the heavy frame seemed to be able to soak. GNL for MG exchanges saw the tank getting the bum end of the deal. He strafed with the CNG, but colorless was again prepared and sent volleys of hi-acts to push him away. Down the stretch the heavy target again dumped all but his hand unit and used good lateral movement to box the OB happy tank in and finish him.
Colorless: 4036 AP
Sandman about Micro-tank: I would have liked TB’s rather than the malum, but that’s probably because of the arena’s I selected. In hindsight I probably should have selected a more wide-open stage for the last match. Nothing at all wrong with the design, I was just stunned at how well the other frame handled the damage that was being put down. The RF150 was like tossing pebbles at a brick wall.
Vaygr (By Soyaabi) VS Cobalt Falcon (By Corsair)
Arena:
Vaygr immediately started by unloading the OC’s and they found some damage while the Falcon worked the skies OBing multi’s from above. Vaygr took moderate damage as Falcon now started to OB dive out of the air with the BZ and HZL. Vaygr was quick to catch his rhythm after ditching the OC’s and steady fire from the RF160 was paired with a good deal of bulldogging with the GSL. Down the stretch the connection rate of the BZ and HZL would not hold up and Vaygr put the issue to rest.
Vaygr: 3682 AP
Ruins: Frustrated at the way Vaygr was getting away from his primary attack, Cobalt falcon attempted to corner his foes and put a damage race on the table. Vaygr was no easy target and used nifty OB moves to manipulate around the pillars and make BZ tracking a task. The two AC’s played close and Falcon was even able to put the multi’s to use. Yet it would not be enough. He ran dry well short of the kill, behind in AP, and was forced to call no joy.
Vaygr: 3169 AP Cobalt Falcon: 2952 AP (out of ammo)
Sandman about Cobalt Falcon: The frame was sound and moved well. It was extremely hard to bring the BZ to bear. Back peddling and real “jinksy” dodging made the tracking hell. It was even harder to find that “max damage max burn” sweet spot of the HZL30S. Being peppered with an RF while trying to place or joust shots was just flat out hard. If you must go BZ I’d say the BZ25 as it’s slightly faster and more accurate and the HZL to use is the HZL50. Much more consistent damage count. The missile defense was dumped, as it was a non-issue.
Faith (By Dragon2K2) VS Lone Gunman (By D2Gundam)
Arena:
The two energy-slinging titans wasted no time in sparking the OB and taking it to point blank range. Lone gunman took an early lead, but Faith let the mighty SAWA ring out and was right back on top of things. Faith took the pace down a notch and began baiting jousting runs from the Gunman. Gunman adjusted well and used the malum to OB dive on his foe hovering overhead while targeting with the left hand. It’s was Faiths turn to adjust and he did so well, cutting long OB burn to correct himself and fire with both hand while Gunman tried to place his shots. In a close fight the SAWA would ring out last and the Gunman fell.
Faith: 0995 AP
Structure:
Gunman was again quick on the attack used the Malum and enclosed space to stick on his foe like glue. Without the open angles to manipulate the OB Faith hunkered down and tried to throw off the Gunman’s rounds while responding with SAWA and SRF. In this house it would not be enough and the higher damaging rounds of the gunman would find their mark.
Lone Gunman: 3280 AP
Military District:
Faith stretched his legs and used a good deal of the SRF while the Gunman worked his way in. Drifting OB moves by Faith followed the short CQ confrontations. He would take burn damage, but also found his mark with his own rounds. The Gunman jousted hard, but found Faith a hard target. Down the stretch Faith would outlast his foe and put him down.
Faith: 2267 AP
Sandman about Lone Gunman: Sweet design that met a similar attack style with more free shooting ability. Still he was in the matches and I found the malum a very nice touch for stretching out an OB or keeping up the pressure… Still it was a SAWA I was pressuring. I could talk about ammo, but it’s just a known factor with this type of design. Played again, it could go the other way.
Gargoyle (By The Watcher) VS D.Thunder (By Timerlane)
Arena:
Thunder started the match by jousting forward with the GNL and trying to keep the RJ on the defensive. Gargoyle was an agile fellow for his size and was able to slow the rushing tank with alternating missile attacks. Thunder adapted using the shield and decoys to minimize damage while going on quick and short strafe runs with the chain. Gargoyle answered with effective jousting, but Thunder made good use of the TB’s and seemed able to put a great deal of damage on the shield. In the end the tank showed it had just too much staying power.
D.Thunder: 2576 AP
Military District:
Gargoyle used the cover of building to his benefit, hooking around corners and dropping over rooftops for surprise attacks. The tank however remained savvy and again found a lot of damage on the shield. He spammed the RJ with CNG fire every chance he got. When the buildings were lesser the tank was able to answer the RJ’s jousting attempts. Gargoyle fought back hard and used the energy riffle to dent the tanks hide, but the GNL would ring out in return.
D.Thunder: 1734 AP
Magus about Gargoyle: TBA
Bumble Bee (By Lord Myth.) VS Tetsujin (By Ky Kiske)
Military District:
Bumble Bee started the match be elevating and circling the outer boundaries while letting the orbits and relations loose. Tetsujin ducked from cover to cover in a lateral manner, minimizing OC damage and trying to cut off his foe. The EO’s broke down cover and made for a level playing field as Tetsujin elevated to launch his matched missile set-up. The Bee was fast and performed a number of jousting moves with the twins, but was often thwarted off by the 24/24 combo. Without the lead the bee pressed harder around the missiles and brought the mighty twins to bear. The GS & HZL combo was also up to task and two brought serious pain to each other. Down the stretch it was again an extremely tight match, but Tetsujin fell the hover as they exchanged shotgun scatter.
Tetsujin: 0312 AP
Wasteland:
Again the Hover started with the OC’s and Tetsujin tried to launch 24/24’s just in harmony with the long reload of the orbits. No major damage was found, but enough to keep the bi-ped well within the match. Dumping the back unit the Bee came forward this time using nice elevated angles to drop down on the bi-ped with the twins. Major pain was caused, but again the HZL found the hover frame and stunned it for EO’s to hit home. It was another close battle, but the stocky mid-weight would not be denied.
Tetsujin: 0447 AP
Magus about Bumble Bee: TBA
Styx (By S.O.D.) VS Red Dragon (By Adamantrue)
Arena:
Styx proved exceptionally agile and quick even without the use of OB. The Dragon was hard pressed to flank him, but worked his missile game for all it was worth. Using OB to work the laser rifle at the outer edges of the arena the Dragon found himself being cut off by the 24/24 and streams of ORCA fire. Each ac was stingy in giving up armor and Styx pressed in to try and put the MG to use. The Dragon tried to out flank him and put the GS and laser rifle to solid use. As time ticked away each frame looked weary, but is was the Dragon who finally fell to pressure.
Styx: 0735AP
Crest Base: Using the awesome leaping ability of the RJ frame the Dragon took control of the high ground and bombarded his foe. Again Styx was agile and the same game of cat and mouse began. Swooping downward with the laser rifle gave the Dragon a slight edge, but Styx was quick on the return. Down the stretch it was gain anyone’s call, but this time the laser from the Dragon spoke first.
Red Dragon: 0558 AP
Cross Arena: The more confined space allowed Styx to put his CQ attack to better use, but the Dragon would be no pushover. He used the upper and lower elevation to play cat and mouse, OBing around the perimeter to let missiles fly. Styx was hard in pursuit and hard damage from the missiles was countered by a nice stream of ORCA core as the Dragon shot for the lower level. It would be too tall a task for the Dragon to come back from and Styx would move on.
Styx: 1285 AP
Sandman about Red Dragon: I don’t personally like overloading, but this is a very sound AC in its overloading approach. “I” lost the match, not the design. It moves well and the energy was not even a true issue while pumping the 90 shot. The GS backs it up in close very well. The entire package is a bit heavy for my taste, but that is nothing but pure personal preference. Played again it could have easily walked away a winner.
Dragon Rage (By Darksword) VS Parralex (By Havoc)
Arena:
Supported Multi’s were answered by OC30 volleys as the two AC’s felt each other out. The multi’s found damage, but surprisingly the CAMS only Non-OB-hover was well up to snuff in dodging the volleys. The sliding hover was hard target for the PK to track. Dragon Rage did well in moving through the obit nets, but found it hard to keep pace with the circling Parralax. With nifty use of OB Rage finally caught his rythem and found home with the GSL. Parralax would fight back hard with the AXE, but couldn’t make up the gap.
Dragon Rage: 2307 AP
Cross Arena: Seeing the success of the AXE the hover again started by shooting of the orbits as he weaved through multi salvo’s. Was quick to circle and again Dragon found landing the right hand difficult. Shotgun spreads rang out from the hover along with ARLF and AXE fire. Again it seemed to be the left hand of the Dragon which helped him keep pace as he danced with the quirky hover frame. Down the stretch Parralax would find breathing room and brought the Dragon down.
Parralax: 1408 AP
Military District: Using elevated angles the RJ put the multi’s too good use. Still he would take his damage as well as Parralax worked the outer arena with the orbits. Once again a close fight ensued and each took turn taking to the air and raining down pellets. The hover would eventually hang himself up for a minute on a building and Rage was quick to punish with PK fire. Rage came closer trying to hook the constantly sliding Parralax. Both would go with all guns blazing and it was anyone’s call. A few solid connects from the AXE with ARFL set Rage to flame and the damage would amount to critical before he could stop the hover.
Parralax: 0560 AP
Magus about Dragon Rage: TBA