MA - Guardian Brawling tips
Apr 20, 2021 11:46:47 GMT -5
ⓣⓡⓘⓒⓚⓨ48, Danny Linguini, and 3 more like this
Post by Deadeye on Apr 20, 2021 11:46:47 GMT -5
I'm aiming this for the Dannys of the world that want to get better at using their Guardian for brawling. With his slow speed, some tricks are necessary to get him into position safely and keep him there. I'm gearing this mostly towards end game Carbine usage, but it can be tweaked for MR8 or even Pulse Cannon use at lower levels.
1. Plan every encounter you can - Whether your dropping him at a contested beacon (not my favorite use because it can be harder to plan) or sneaking up on your next victim, you need to control the engagement and execute a plan. His speed is a curse, but it can be turned into a blessing when you realize it's harder to rush into a bad spot (I do this all the time with my KS). It forces you to become patient an make use of your down time. Gather all information you can from your area map or who's visible on radar and when you've got that, engage accordingly. Eventually, this becomes second nature, especially with AI. Hoomans are a little more challenging, but it keeps you on your toes and forces you to anticipate what they are going to do. It can suck when someone out thinks you, but it makes you better over time. Also, control your reloads. Always be ready for that next encounter. Only used 10-20% of your magazine to kill that mech and no one else is around? Reload and while you move to the next spot! I reload almost reflexively.
2. Leave yourself an escape where possible - This has to be part of the plan for step 1, but because Guardian is slow, you have to know when to back up and regroup. I almost always retreat to a safe space to reload and re-evaluate my surroundings. I use reload time to plan my next engagement to, but sometime the plan goes to 「dookie」 and you need to escape sooner than you thought. Also, I like to save the ability as part of my escape plan if possible. Is an enemy almost dead and I can just step out and finish it off without using the ability? If the answer is yes, save it.
3. Know your enemy - This also goes along with step 1, but knowing where they are is only half the battle. Know what mech and setup you're going up against. Use cover to get a peek on what's coming. Also, watch for other cues (there are plenty that some don't even realize). Did you see an enemy speed across the screen? KS or Surge. Did you see the orange Zephyr blast (and manage to avoid it)? Did you see another Guardian wave or Panther shield? Now you know.
4. Use walls and ramps - Ramps and walls are great cover. Ramps are especially good against AI because if positioned just so, you can shoot at an enemy without them realizing what going on. This doesn't work for RL players, but there aren't that many of them right now anyways. Also, corner shooting. Still works. Ramp shooting is more offensive and dangerous and corner shooting is safer, but only allows 1 weapon to be fired (brawling only, remember). Ramps and corners are also especially good for scouting! Use them to benefit you with tip 3. Corner peeking is best because you can spin your torso away and even see units that can't see you and you'll stay off their radar while they get on yours.
5. Become a ninja - Keep an eye on that red eye icon on your screen that indicates when someone sees you. If they see you and you don't see them, you are likely to die. Flip the script and make sure you see them first. The ninja only reveals himself when he has the upper hand. Lay the ambush. Wait for them to come to you, watching them the whole time while corner peeking. "Sure, this beacon is totally undefended and ripe for the taking! Come and get it!"...BOOM! Dead sucka!
There are probably more, but these are how I manage to get close and destroy errbody. I solo dropped into a tourney match that ended up being all RL players on both sides. The enemy was a full squad of NM I think and I was certain it was going to be a massacre. I was fortunate to have RL players on my team that were pretty good. Using almost exclusively my CB12 Guardian, I manage to take top mech and first place on my team to defeat the bad guys. I got an invite from the other team afterward and in chat before the next game, the leader was like, "you freaking carried that team". I couldn't have done that without the Guardian and the above tips. I used all of them in that match.
Edit correction: The team mentioned above was not a No Mercy team. It was mostly AO. Though I am well acquainted with the AO guys on that team and they are fantastic players. Just checked and it was Steve0666 and Cerberus.
1. Plan every encounter you can - Whether your dropping him at a contested beacon (not my favorite use because it can be harder to plan) or sneaking up on your next victim, you need to control the engagement and execute a plan. His speed is a curse, but it can be turned into a blessing when you realize it's harder to rush into a bad spot (I do this all the time with my KS). It forces you to become patient an make use of your down time. Gather all information you can from your area map or who's visible on radar and when you've got that, engage accordingly. Eventually, this becomes second nature, especially with AI. Hoomans are a little more challenging, but it keeps you on your toes and forces you to anticipate what they are going to do. It can suck when someone out thinks you, but it makes you better over time. Also, control your reloads. Always be ready for that next encounter. Only used 10-20% of your magazine to kill that mech and no one else is around? Reload and while you move to the next spot! I reload almost reflexively.
2. Leave yourself an escape where possible - This has to be part of the plan for step 1, but because Guardian is slow, you have to know when to back up and regroup. I almost always retreat to a safe space to reload and re-evaluate my surroundings. I use reload time to plan my next engagement to, but sometime the plan goes to 「dookie」 and you need to escape sooner than you thought. Also, I like to save the ability as part of my escape plan if possible. Is an enemy almost dead and I can just step out and finish it off without using the ability? If the answer is yes, save it.
3. Know your enemy - This also goes along with step 1, but knowing where they are is only half the battle. Know what mech and setup you're going up against. Use cover to get a peek on what's coming. Also, watch for other cues (there are plenty that some don't even realize). Did you see an enemy speed across the screen? KS or Surge. Did you see the orange Zephyr blast (and manage to avoid it)? Did you see another Guardian wave or Panther shield? Now you know.
4. Use walls and ramps - Ramps and walls are great cover. Ramps are especially good against AI because if positioned just so, you can shoot at an enemy without them realizing what going on. This doesn't work for RL players, but there aren't that many of them right now anyways. Also, corner shooting. Still works. Ramp shooting is more offensive and dangerous and corner shooting is safer, but only allows 1 weapon to be fired (brawling only, remember). Ramps and corners are also especially good for scouting! Use them to benefit you with tip 3. Corner peeking is best because you can spin your torso away and even see units that can't see you and you'll stay off their radar while they get on yours.
5. Become a ninja - Keep an eye on that red eye icon on your screen that indicates when someone sees you. If they see you and you don't see them, you are likely to die. Flip the script and make sure you see them first. The ninja only reveals himself when he has the upper hand. Lay the ambush. Wait for them to come to you, watching them the whole time while corner peeking. "Sure, this beacon is totally undefended and ripe for the taking! Come and get it!"...BOOM! Dead sucka!
There are probably more, but these are how I manage to get close and destroy errbody. I solo dropped into a tourney match that ended up being all RL players on both sides. The enemy was a full squad of NM I think and I was certain it was going to be a massacre. I was fortunate to have RL players on my team that were pretty good. Using almost exclusively my CB12 Guardian, I manage to take top mech and first place on my team to defeat the bad guys. I got an invite from the other team afterward and in chat before the next game, the leader was like, "you freaking carried that team". I couldn't have done that without the Guardian and the above tips. I used all of them in that match.
Edit correction: The team mentioned above was not a No Mercy team. It was mostly AO. Though I am well acquainted with the AO guys on that team and they are fantastic players. Just checked and it was Steve0666 and Cerberus.
