Is spawn camping a good tactic at higher levels?
Jan 23, 2017 18:14:26 GMT -5
Pilot Moby_dic likes this
Post by Team Alpha Strike on Jan 23, 2017 18:14:26 GMT -5
Story about spawn camping on both sides first ------
I played a game today against one of the AS clans on Shentzen and we were on the spawn with the low buildings. We were 6 randoms, but all in higher ranked clans - so it still was a fair match.
The reds sent 4 brawlers (looked like 2 Gals and 2 Rhinos to our right and left a TT Fury and Stalker (who took their right and the center beacon) to defend their side.
Our right had a DB Griffin and plasma Gal. Our left had me in plasma Gal and a PDB Rhino going for the red left beacon. On our middle was a TT Fury and off to its left was a Tasha with some kind of cannons and CRVs.
I saw the 4 reds moving fast on the back and by the time I got our left beacon and got a free kill on their Stalker on the middle beacon, I noticed that the 4 reds hand just turned the corner to the long run towards ----- a spawn camp raid. I saw the Fury was hiding due to our 2 mid-rangers outnumbering him so I took the center and then could not decide whether to go back towards our right home beacon to support the 2 blue bots and the TT Fury (essentially to make it a 4-vs-4 instead of 3-vs-4) or join the 1 blue Rhino that had kept moving towards the red's right home beacon (which was only covered by their TT Fury and a Thunder Plasma Golem (which was the Stalker that I just killed) - which would give us an opportunity to flip their right home beacon and perhaps more.
What would you have done? I actually danced in a circle at the middle beacon because I could not decide immediately.
My choice was to assist the 1 blue Rhino and control their home beacon. I figured that we'd get a 3-2 beacon control by killing their 2 defenders (the TT Fury and Thunder/Plasma Golem) at the least and at best get a spawn camp of at least 2-3 of their reds. I calculated that the 3 blues defenders would get killed and maybe 1-2 of our blues ---- but all 4 reds would die too ---- a fair exchange if we got beacon dominance and superior position if we could maintain blues in their home area. I was also betting that it would take the 4 reds longer to assault out spawn than it would take me and the blue Rhino to eliminate their defenders - so we'd have time to reposition for defense or even take their 2nd home beacon (giving us 4-1 beacon advantage).
As it turned out I was right about the time it took them to reach our spawn. By the time they took our right beacon (the reds got stalled by the TT Furies cover and the returning blues), the blue rhino and I had taken their right home beacon, killed their defenders, and killed them on the return (4 bots destroyed). I was even able to cripple 1 more bot when I died (and then the blue rhino died shortly after-as they next bots coming back where all rocket bots). After this I came back to blue spawn and it was already clear (I checked before I dropped back in) and we just retook our right home beacon (getting 4-1 beacon advantage). All 4 blues where that defended our spawn were out into firing positions and even moving towards the Shentzen middle plaza. All 6 reds where in their spawn from their spawn defense and all of them were in brawlers - putting them a disadvantage due to us having more time to assess them and come back with some mid-rangers. I came back in another Plasma Gal since I had to catch up with the blue brawlers already getting to Shentzen center ----- and by time I got to center the reds where fighting for their lives just to maintain 2 of their home beacon (as they were under attack by our brawlers already and our TT Fury). I took this time to get cheap kills on occupied bots and then run towards the red left beacon and flip it blue, again giving us 4-1 on beacons before I ejected out nearly dead galahad (only 1 weapon left - a mag).
The game ended on beacons in the 5th minute on beacons.
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So 2 spawn camp raids occurred in this game and I'd say that both of where only marginally successful. I think that the red team made an error in using 4 bots in the raid, as this left their home virtually undefended ---- and they paid for it since it was basically an all-or-nothing effort. Further, I think that they needed to spawn camp with much heavier bots (i.e., just Rhinos and Lancelots - rather than Rhinos and Galahads), as they simply did not have the firepower to continue killing respawned blues. Our mini-raid was only by necessity, as I believe both of us saw that we had no choice but to delay them as long as possible; so on those terms it succeeded.
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Overall though, I believe that spawn raiding is not a good idea in the higher ranked matches, as logistically it should only work with a full commitment of heavy brawlers that pull the raid off and pull off at least a 2:1 kill ratio before the raid is over. This amounts to an "all eggs in one basket" approach and IMO that might work if you were in a squad (but it didn't work with match I just mentioned) or in lower MM.
So what's you opinion, is spawn camping a good tactic in the upper MM ranks and if so, what's the "winning" strategy? If you think it doesn't work, then why?
I played a game today against one of the AS clans on Shentzen and we were on the spawn with the low buildings. We were 6 randoms, but all in higher ranked clans - so it still was a fair match.
The reds sent 4 brawlers (looked like 2 Gals and 2 Rhinos to our right and left a TT Fury and Stalker (who took their right and the center beacon) to defend their side.
Our right had a DB Griffin and plasma Gal. Our left had me in plasma Gal and a PDB Rhino going for the red left beacon. On our middle was a TT Fury and off to its left was a Tasha with some kind of cannons and CRVs.
I saw the 4 reds moving fast on the back and by the time I got our left beacon and got a free kill on their Stalker on the middle beacon, I noticed that the 4 reds hand just turned the corner to the long run towards ----- a spawn camp raid. I saw the Fury was hiding due to our 2 mid-rangers outnumbering him so I took the center and then could not decide whether to go back towards our right home beacon to support the 2 blue bots and the TT Fury (essentially to make it a 4-vs-4 instead of 3-vs-4) or join the 1 blue Rhino that had kept moving towards the red's right home beacon (which was only covered by their TT Fury and a Thunder Plasma Golem (which was the Stalker that I just killed) - which would give us an opportunity to flip their right home beacon and perhaps more.
What would you have done? I actually danced in a circle at the middle beacon because I could not decide immediately.
My choice was to assist the 1 blue Rhino and control their home beacon. I figured that we'd get a 3-2 beacon control by killing their 2 defenders (the TT Fury and Thunder/Plasma Golem) at the least and at best get a spawn camp of at least 2-3 of their reds. I calculated that the 3 blues defenders would get killed and maybe 1-2 of our blues ---- but all 4 reds would die too ---- a fair exchange if we got beacon dominance and superior position if we could maintain blues in their home area. I was also betting that it would take the 4 reds longer to assault out spawn than it would take me and the blue Rhino to eliminate their defenders - so we'd have time to reposition for defense or even take their 2nd home beacon (giving us 4-1 beacon advantage).
As it turned out I was right about the time it took them to reach our spawn. By the time they took our right beacon (the reds got stalled by the TT Furies cover and the returning blues), the blue rhino and I had taken their right home beacon, killed their defenders, and killed them on the return (4 bots destroyed). I was even able to cripple 1 more bot when I died (and then the blue rhino died shortly after-as they next bots coming back where all rocket bots). After this I came back to blue spawn and it was already clear (I checked before I dropped back in) and we just retook our right home beacon (getting 4-1 beacon advantage). All 4 blues where that defended our spawn were out into firing positions and even moving towards the Shentzen middle plaza. All 6 reds where in their spawn from their spawn defense and all of them were in brawlers - putting them a disadvantage due to us having more time to assess them and come back with some mid-rangers. I came back in another Plasma Gal since I had to catch up with the blue brawlers already getting to Shentzen center ----- and by time I got to center the reds where fighting for their lives just to maintain 2 of their home beacon (as they were under attack by our brawlers already and our TT Fury). I took this time to get cheap kills on occupied bots and then run towards the red left beacon and flip it blue, again giving us 4-1 on beacons before I ejected out nearly dead galahad (only 1 weapon left - a mag).
The game ended on beacons in the 5th minute on beacons.
------------------------------------------------------
So 2 spawn camp raids occurred in this game and I'd say that both of where only marginally successful. I think that the red team made an error in using 4 bots in the raid, as this left their home virtually undefended ---- and they paid for it since it was basically an all-or-nothing effort. Further, I think that they needed to spawn camp with much heavier bots (i.e., just Rhinos and Lancelots - rather than Rhinos and Galahads), as they simply did not have the firepower to continue killing respawned blues. Our mini-raid was only by necessity, as I believe both of us saw that we had no choice but to delay them as long as possible; so on those terms it succeeded.
-------------------------------------------------------
Overall though, I believe that spawn raiding is not a good idea in the higher ranked matches, as logistically it should only work with a full commitment of heavy brawlers that pull the raid off and pull off at least a 2:1 kill ratio before the raid is over. This amounts to an "all eggs in one basket" approach and IMO that might work if you were in a squad (but it didn't work with match I just mentioned) or in lower MM.
So what's you opinion, is spawn camping a good tactic in the upper MM ranks and if so, what's the "winning" strategy? If you think it doesn't work, then why?
