Which bots should I take all the way to the top?

1-Keep the Plasmahad - forget the Orkans on a Gal.

The Plasmahad can take down the Orkan/Piñata Galahad, the DB Rhino, and the Orkan/Thunder Lancelot in a 1-vs-1.

You need to just keep your 200 distance and have your shield down when against the splash Gal or Rhino --- and then just backpedal while firing at them. You'll break their shield and kill them.

The splash Lance with Thunder is much harder as you must have your shield up. The safe backpedaling distance for those Orkans also increases to 250m since you are 5KPH slower with shield up. The trick with the Thunder/Orkan Lance is that you can't be over 300m away or that Lance won't engage you --- and you want this fight. If you hover between 250-299m (which renders the Thunders basically ineffective, but allows them to think an Orkan shot might work) the Lance will engage you. If you maintain that distance while jinking and firing precisely at the center shield (target reticle dead on the center shield - NO general firing as this just spreads the damage over 3 shields), you will kill the Lance's center shield before your shield is gone. After that, continue to fire through the keyhole you created and kill that Lancelot. This tactic ensures at the least that you'll destroy the Lance's center shield AND engaged that target long enough that your fellow blues can form a double team (you must disengage and run if you can if you see the blues try to double team you).  Please note that I am not saying this tactic us easy or that Thunder/Orkan Lancelots are easy to kill with a Plasmahad.

To tell you the truth the hardest splash knifer is the Ork/Piñata Gareth, as that setup should have your Plasmahad DEAD. However, I've not seen too many pilots in the top ranks that use a splash Gareth AND run them aggressively enough to know that it's an easy kill.


2-Hands down it's the DB Griff over the DB Rhino. The L12 DB is 136K damage ---- not enough to blow off half the weapons on any L12 heavy, so you need whatever bot the DB is on to survive WITH its Orkans firing or you'll be killed before your Pinatas reload - but you can't do that in a Rhino if it's shield is up. You also can't jump-fire in a Rhino and the jump-fire attack is one of the only LOS weapon attack against an opponent that has LOS where you can end up with damage dealt and zero damage returned (assuming that both of you are loaded and LOS if each other).

3-I and many other TT pilots use the OrkAphid Griffin. Aphids still work on slow heavies and 2 if them really erode even a shield bot's shield if you can get 3-4 unanswered firings at them. The dual Orks just seal the kill if you play this setup with patience and have some skill with the across target jump-fire Orkan attack.

You know that having your shield up vs splash is pointless right? I mean sure, you'll block some of a thunder, but otherwise a pointless endeavor. 

Blocking the Thunder at 250m to 300m with the shield is a must, as you don't have the HP to spare when fighting the Thunder/Orkan Lancelot.  The Orkans will still miss if you maintain 250m between you while backpedaling with the shield up.   If it was a Ancil/Orkan Lance, then the shield is pointless and I'll rack up a fairly easy kill against the Lance.

I take on Thunder/Orkan Lancelots without hesitation in my Plasmahad if the Lance is isolated and I'll usually win ---- but I want to win with the bulk of my HP intact and my shield not blown off.   If I can't win or have no chance of at least crippling the Lance then I have to withdraw and be useful somewhere else.

I agree with this.  I actually have been nodding to virtually everything mentioned in this thread.
Very similar lineup to my current top 5 bots.  Don't have a trident fury but play either RDB or Trident carnage.

I am in the process of taking 8 bots to 9/9 (currently mostly 8/9) and then to 9/10 I have got everything needed, just needs leveling.

2 Galahads.  Gary.  Chubbs.  2 Griffins, Carnage, Leo (tempted to do Natasha as well....)
4 orkans, 3 (soon to be 4) aphids, 4 tarans, 5 magnums, 2 thunders, RDB, 2 tridents.
I also have, but am not sure of leveling.  2 pinatas (have aphids), 2 hydra, 2 spirals.

I am not in a rush to get to 12/12.  It may well take me 8 or 9 months I think.  I currently have only enough silver to get three bots to 10/10.