Fwiw I believe the reason the snake is fluffed as a BA killer is because at the time it was designed, the rules were such that Streak-2 launchers could load inferno rounds. This is also why the comstar shawk from the Tukkayid book is a 'battle armor hunter' that boats a bunch of them
@@TrailblazerBT it was mentioned, it was one of the OG clan busters. The shadowhawk C was updated in one of the recognition guides because its original stats from the battle of.Twycross books was incorrect to modern building standards. The Shadowhawk 3H was the one updated recently in shrapnel that was a battle droids variant that had never had an official record sheet.
Big agree on the Charger. A buddy of mine and I were playing lance vs lance 3025 all mechs. He knows what I like to run. I have a Warhammer 6D, Marauder 3D, Archer 2R, Phoenix Hawk PXH-1. He knows I like to run a heavy lance with 1 mech that's maneuverable. He surprised me with a charger to counter it. It was tougher to take out then I thought it would be. The Pixy couldn't get into his rear arcs without facing a Charger's physicals and I kept having to withdraw the Mad to protect it. In the end we damaged each other so badly I couldn't call it a win. It was a fun game.
The Charger is infamous as an assault mech where every day is leg day and only popguns for firepower. People hate that, even though its a good value. But what if it made poor life choices IN THE MIRRORVERSE? Take an Annihilator, the crappy AC/10 one, and make it SLOWER. 1/2/0 speed. Ditch the Medium lasers. Just four AC10s and only TEN shots for each of them. To get it to the same price point as the charger you have to drop the armor to slightly LESS than the Charger! (144 armor) And its still slightly more expensive! (1002 BV) That just goes to show just how good of a buy the Charger is. Good choice Trailblazer!
I already discovered that the Charger is a really good bodyguard for long range units, especially vehicles. Getting kicked isn't a risk normally associated with diving on LRM carriers but when they're shepherded by a Charger you've got to think twice about it.
@@TrailblazerBT It's the jets, innit? 4/6/0 is sluggish for a medium even in 3025. Even so, the AH is also only 945 BV and it works as a bodyguard for units which focus more on LRMs. There are actually very few canon AC/20-equipped 'Mechs in this era.
You know the Locust 1E, like you said is a very good design especially for the time. It brings the firepower of a 35 or 40 ton neck all the way down to the 20-ton bracket.
This is my chance promote the Steiner LCT-1S..... Dance in and out at the 9-6 range area. If you can keep add two one with infernos one without.... Watch as people stop firing er-ppcs at your incoming main force because you shut down a mech that fired a bunch of them ... Everyone has multiple LCT figs..... It's just irritating to have to shoot the thing and it has enough range to ignore IS pulse. . . It does fear clan pulse but so does every other mech in the game.
I love the Snake. Its a great mech for light mech hunting. Just remember about the fluff for the Snake, its a Cappie mech. They had never faced battle armor before when they designed it. The 2B is really good despite being 82 over in BV.
Great video! Another thing about that Phantom E, all those micro pulse lasers will obliterate conventional infantry with the bonus damage the weapon gets vs them
I've casually messed around with that Venom in MegaMek and was genuinely startled to realize it was under 1k BV. It's so nasty. And I really gotta check out that Snake, that is not a mech I have considered before.
The Charger is the same cost as a Demolisher, trading 3 speed for 6 range. And that range 9 means it might not be forever kited by an IntroTech light trying to kill it with a single medium laser.
@@TheManyVoicesVA The problem is that it is in the (BV) price range of lights and mediums, so if you are taking one it is because that is the budget of your game or you overspent on your other units. The Charger is always 'if you have nothing better' but most players these days aren't rolling random tables, they are building lists to a budget, so you will always have something better.
The demolisher can be immobilized by artillery, indirect LRMs, or even just long range weapons making it useless during an assault. Its an excellent vehicle but fulfills an entirely different roll and only works on defense. The Charger is entirely offensive.
@@samuelbaldwin2184 The same sort of terrain people talk about the Charger needing to work also works for the Demolisher though, sometimes better. Yes, the Demolisher can't Koolaid Man through buildings as well, but that is a very risky strategy in and of itself.
Hello TR. Yeah, the Charger is often overlooked as useful in combat. But I don't see it that way. As said, charging up and soaking up damage is a good tactic, to get into range to run up and bash an Enemy Mech. 'Smack 'em up side the head' and punch and kick 'em into submission. If your opponent is focusing fire upon the Charger, it is NOT shooting at your other Mechs and vehicles. This allows you, in turn, to focus fire upon targets. Doing damage to his unit(s) that is not responded to, and thus giving you an advantage in further attacks upon that target. As for the Locust example. I tend to like to remove the Small Lasers in favor of more armor, and mitigate the chances of a 'legging'. It does not do much against being hit in the first place, but if you're being hit, you are NOT running all the time with the Locust, and THAT is tactically not something you ever want to do. Speed is armor on such a light Mech. I prefer the other Venom variant (SDR-10K-UK). It dispenses with the C3 Master unit and has a 4th Medium Pulse Laser, and the heat sinks to keep it mobile. My biased preference is for the added firepower at close range, and the mobility of the unit overall. The placement of weapons and jump jets is such that losing a leg does nothing to reduce the jumping distance it can cover, nor does losing an arm reduce firepower. The arms are more 'sacrificial' in nature, and can be looked at as 'extra armor' for incoming fire from the flank. I am NOT discounting punching attacks, if the target's torsos have been compromised, but one can live without a punching attack if both arms are lost getting into the preferred 'back stabbing' attack position. Yes, I know, I know... the SDR-10K-UK is 1,056 BV! But for that extra tiny amount of BV, one gets a much better back stabbing Mech, that is highly mobile, and resistant to being 'mission killed' quickly due to limb loss. I have never used a Phantom Mech in battle. But if allowed to, I would yank that ATM-3 in favor of a pair of Clan AMS systems and a ton of ammo. This would mitigate incoming missile damage as the unit closed on its target to do all that small laser damage. The final half ton would go into 9 points of armor, further strengthening the Mech for its run into close ranged attack. The proposed changes only increase the BV by 7 points, from 975, to 982, so still under 1K points. A good video my friend, and one I felt compelled to offer my own suggestions and reasoning as responses. speaking Frank-ly, I always do... I have to be 'frank' since I can't be anyone else! :)
I have an interesting video idea. What are some great mechs that have high battle values? Like what makes a high BV mech worth it as opposed to just wasting points that could be better spent elsewhere?
The Charger is more like a forward observer that can take counter battery fire then a scout, but if you've ever been charged by one you wouldn't count it out.
Although it's not super cheap, I'm starting to like the Rifleman RFL-7G for a cheap crit seaking mech. 1302 BV for 2 Silver Bullet Gauss Shotguns seems like such a great value.
This is gonna sound like a hot take, but I liek the Spider 8X as a sub 1k BV, let me explain why by first saying i play FWL. It jumps 10 and has 2 mpls, not the most fire power but the thing I use it for is BA transport. As FWL i get access to Mag clamp Longinus BA infantry that can be attached to the spider allowing for a nastry surprise for an unwitting foe
@@TrailblazerBT I've found it a good way to cause a foe to enter panic mode myself if he doesn't have a good way to avoid BA like jumpjets or high speeds, the fact both units are cheap to take also means I get two units for iniative and still have a lot to play around with for the rest of my lance. Valkyries are another sub 1k mech I like to field, C, QT2 basically all the 7 jump light mechs as they're great for being pests at a cheap price, and since I play FWL or Taurians they either carry anti mek infantry BA if FWL or are TAG BA in the case of the Taurians for semi guided LRM memes
The snake WAS good against battle armor until they changed infernos. When they murdered all infantry in one shot and streak srm 2s could fire them it could kill 3 points a turn. Same thing happened to the fireball.
Old school infernos were so broken, I never actually played with them back in the day. That said, they strongly implied in the TRO that the LB10 is a good anti-BA weapon, and that was pretty silly.
@@TrailblazerBT 3055 is full of broken mechs. Half the clan section is Pulse TC boats. If you DID want the Snake to do it's original job though you could swap the Streaks for an SRM 6 to get your now much better balanced infernos and a use the battle armor Crit rules so the LB-10X does something useful. Maybe use the extra tonnage for an active probe to spot ambushes.
Great options and good insight! Though I'm wishing you didn't do the Venom...I really don't want to see even more of those monsters across the table...
I hate that Snake varient. IMO there is no such thing as a good Mech with nothing but ammo dependent weapons. The Venom is my favorite Light Mech though.
I hate it too *as a 45 ton mech,* but for a *mech that costs 980 BV* it's great. It's a crit seeker, and there's no way to do crit seeking with energy weapons. (This is the main way the game keeps all-energy lances from being a no-brainer.)
If you ever run the SRM bins of a snake dry with those streaks while the Mech is still functional you're having an amazing game. It takes 17 rounds to do it, if you hit with all 3 every round. Not going to comment on the sensibility of a 45 ton mech, because it's a weight that is hard to make sensible. The snake however is a better than average example of a 45 ton mech
6:27 meh if they shoot the arms off your 1E just run right past them and give them a charge from 10 or 11 hexes away in later turns , your 1E will pay for itself in thumps that way
6:20 if your locust gets its arm ripped off, you run away. You found the enemy and it is likely chasing you. I would be concerned about ppc 10 points and LRM clusters to follow. To finish a leg or torso. Pulse lasers definitely a threat. Do you keep it in the open hexes? Or do forests and uphill runs help? Do opponents say locust moved 3 hexes fire everything?
If you're a clan player with 1,000 BV to blow, really consider using two squads of Elementals instead of a mech.
100%
Fwiw I believe the reason the snake is fluffed as a BA killer is because at the time it was designed, the rules were such that Streak-2 launchers could load inferno rounds. This is also why the comstar shawk from the Tukkayid book is a 'battle armor hunter' that boats a bunch of them
That Chaos Campaign Tukayyid book is pretty recent, though?
I don't think that SHD was in the original Tukayyid scenario book
@@TrailblazerBT it was mentioned, it was one of the OG clan busters. The shadowhawk C was updated in one of the recognition guides because its original stats from the battle of.Twycross books was incorrect to modern building standards. The Shadowhawk 3H was the one updated recently in shrapnel that was a battle droids variant that had never had an official record sheet.
Big agree on the Charger.
A buddy of mine and I were playing lance vs lance 3025 all mechs.
He knows what I like to run. I have a Warhammer 6D, Marauder 3D, Archer 2R, Phoenix Hawk PXH-1.
He knows I like to run a heavy lance with 1 mech that's maneuverable.
He surprised me with a charger to counter it. It was tougher to take out then I thought it would be.
The Pixy couldn't get into his rear arcs without facing a Charger's physicals and I kept having to
withdraw the Mad to protect it. In the end we damaged each other so badly I couldn't call
it a win. It was a fun game.
The Charger is infamous as an assault mech where every day is leg day and only popguns for firepower. People hate that, even though its a good value. But what if it made poor life choices IN THE MIRRORVERSE? Take an Annihilator, the crappy AC/10 one, and make it SLOWER. 1/2/0 speed. Ditch the Medium lasers. Just four AC10s and only TEN shots for each of them. To get it to the same price point as the charger you have to drop the armor to slightly LESS than the Charger! (144 armor) And its still slightly more expensive! (1002 BV)
That just goes to show just how good of a buy the Charger is. Good choice Trailblazer!
Great video, and I 1000% agree on the Charger. It is criminally underrated in my opinion.
I already discovered that the Charger is a really good bodyguard for long range units, especially vehicles. Getting kicked isn't a risk normally associated with diving on LRM carriers but when they're shepherded by a Charger you've got to think twice about it.
another good one, the centurion CN9-a. it's basic, but it's something you can stuff into a formation.
I'd usually want to shell out just a bit more for a Vindicator or a CN9-AL though
Those are over 1,000, but I tried to pick mechs that aren't noticeably worse than 'Mechs that just cost slightly more
@@TrailblazerBT It's the jets, innit? 4/6/0 is sluggish for a medium even in 3025. Even so, the AH is also only 945 BV and it works as a bodyguard for units which focus more on LRMs. There are actually very few canon AC/20-equipped 'Mechs in this era.
All good choices. Love the Venom, i ran it in CC2 and it was nasty
You know the Locust 1E, like you said is a very good design especially for the time. It brings the firepower of a 35 or 40 ton neck all the way down to the 20-ton bracket.
Even better along similar lines is the Mongoose, of course!
This is my chance promote the Steiner LCT-1S..... Dance in and out at the 9-6 range area. If you can keep add two one with infernos one without.... Watch as people stop firing er-ppcs at your incoming main force because you shut down a mech that fired a bunch of them ... Everyone has multiple LCT figs..... It's just irritating to have to shoot the thing and it has enough range to ignore IS pulse. . . It does fear clan pulse but so does every other mech in the game.
I love the Snake. Its a great mech for light mech hunting. Just remember about the fluff for the Snake, its a Cappie mech. They had never faced battle armor before when they designed it. The 2B is really good despite being 82 over in BV.
Light mech hunting huh? Interesting! Never used it for that
It's a Liao mech not FWL.
@@jamesoliver2542 Your right. I guess I got the Alexi version stuck in my head. I edited it.
Great video! Another thing about that Phantom E, all those micro pulse lasers will obliterate conventional infantry with the bonus damage the weapon gets vs them
Been a big fan of the Charger since the early 90's!
Good picks. Need to remember those Venoms, might grab a pair for my ilClan Canopians.
Good cheep mech series is good. I hope you keep it up. I agree with your selections and there alternatives. Keep it up.
I enjoy all of Trailblazer videos 🎉🎉😊
I've casually messed around with that Venom in MegaMek and was genuinely startled to realize it was under 1k BV. It's so nasty.
And I really gotta check out that Snake, that is not a mech I have considered before.
I've never played the Snake. Now i want to. For the chancellor!
Great video. Looking forward to more videos.
The Charger is the same cost as a Demolisher, trading 3 speed for 6 range. And that range 9 means it might not be forever kited by an IntroTech light trying to kill it with a single medium laser.
You dont chase lights with the charger. It isnt a phoenix hawk. You charge it into the enemy battleline and kick the shit out of them
@@TheManyVoicesVA The problem is that it is in the (BV) price range of lights and mediums, so if you are taking one it is because that is the budget of your game or you overspent on your other units.
The Charger is always 'if you have nothing better' but most players these days aren't rolling random tables, they are building lists to a budget, so you will always have something better.
@@135forte true. It is a distraction unit primarily.
The demolisher can be immobilized by artillery, indirect LRMs, or even just long range weapons making it useless during an assault. Its an excellent vehicle but fulfills an entirely different roll and only works on defense. The Charger is entirely offensive.
@@samuelbaldwin2184 The same sort of terrain people talk about the Charger needing to work also works for the Demolisher though, sometimes better. Yes, the Demolisher can't Koolaid Man through buildings as well, but that is a very risky strategy in and of itself.
Hello TR.
Yeah, the Charger is often overlooked as useful in combat. But I don't see it that way. As said, charging up and soaking up damage is a good tactic, to get into range to run up and bash an Enemy Mech. 'Smack 'em up side the head' and punch and kick 'em into submission. If your opponent is focusing fire upon the Charger, it is NOT shooting at your other Mechs and vehicles. This allows you, in turn, to focus fire upon targets. Doing damage to his unit(s) that is not responded to, and thus giving you an advantage in further attacks upon that target.
As for the Locust example. I tend to like to remove the Small Lasers in favor of more armor, and mitigate the chances of a 'legging'. It does not do much against being hit in the first place, but if you're being hit, you are NOT running all the time with the Locust, and THAT is tactically not something you ever want to do. Speed is armor on such a light Mech.
I prefer the other Venom variant (SDR-10K-UK). It dispenses with the C3 Master unit and has a 4th Medium Pulse Laser, and the heat sinks to keep it mobile. My biased preference is for the added firepower at close range, and the mobility of the unit overall. The placement of weapons and jump jets is such that losing a leg does nothing to reduce the jumping distance it can cover, nor does losing an arm reduce firepower. The arms are more 'sacrificial' in nature, and can be looked at as 'extra armor' for incoming fire from the flank. I am NOT discounting punching attacks, if the target's torsos have been compromised, but one can live without a punching attack if both arms are lost getting into the preferred 'back stabbing' attack position.
Yes, I know, I know... the SDR-10K-UK is 1,056 BV! But for that extra tiny amount of BV, one gets a much better back stabbing Mech, that is highly mobile, and resistant to being 'mission killed' quickly due to limb loss.
I have never used a Phantom Mech in battle. But if allowed to, I would yank that ATM-3 in favor of a pair of Clan AMS systems and a ton of ammo. This would mitigate incoming missile damage as the unit closed on its target to do all that small laser damage. The final half ton would go into 9 points of armor, further strengthening the Mech for its run into close ranged attack. The proposed changes only increase the BV by 7 points, from 975, to 982, so still under 1K points.
A good video my friend, and one I felt compelled to offer my own suggestions and reasoning as responses.
speaking Frank-ly, I always do... I have to be 'frank' since I can't be anyone else! :)
@@franksmedley8619 I agree that the 10K UK is even better, but alas it's unofficial and not legal in ordinary competitive games!
Best cheap Clan mech that everyone forgets........ the Locust C
I have an interesting video idea. What are some great mechs that have high battle values? Like what makes a high BV mech worth it as opposed to just wasting points that could be better spent elsewhere?
Praise the Chancellor , the Snake is a great mech , although I normally take the -2Br ......... but you pay BV for the Stealth Armour and Plasma Rifle
The Charger is more like a forward observer that can take counter battery fire then a scout, but if you've ever been charged by one you wouldn't count it out.
Although it's not super cheap, I'm starting to like the Rifleman RFL-7G for a cheap crit seaking mech. 1302 BV for 2 Silver Bullet Gauss Shotguns seems like such a great value.
This is gonna sound like a hot take, but I liek the Spider 8X as a sub 1k BV, let me explain why by first saying i play FWL. It jumps 10 and has 2 mpls, not the most fire power but the thing I use it for is BA transport. As FWL i get access to Mag clamp Longinus BA infantry that can be attached to the spider allowing for a nastry surprise for an unwitting foe
That sounds like it would work really well!
@@TrailblazerBT I've found it a good way to cause a foe to enter panic mode myself if he doesn't have a good way to avoid BA like jumpjets or high speeds, the fact both units are cheap to take also means I get two units for iniative and still have a lot to play around with for the rest of my lance. Valkyries are another sub 1k mech I like to field, C, QT2 basically all the 7 jump light mechs as they're great for being pests at a cheap price, and since I play FWL or Taurians they either carry anti mek infantry BA if FWL or are TAG BA in the case of the Taurians for semi guided LRM memes
If this is a follow up put the original playlist in the description
Good call, I will!
Woohoo! Love me some cheap tonnage.
Ah, the Snake. "It's definitely better than the Vindicator in literally one role. Please believe us."
The snake WAS good against battle armor until they changed infernos. When they murdered all infantry in one shot and streak srm 2s could fire them it could kill 3 points a turn. Same thing happened to the fireball.
Old school infernos were so broken, I never actually played with them back in the day.
That said, they strongly implied in the TRO that the LB10 is a good anti-BA weapon, and that was pretty silly.
@@TrailblazerBT 3055 is full of broken mechs. Half the clan section is Pulse TC boats. If you DID want the Snake to do it's original job though you could swap the Streaks for an SRM 6 to get your now much better balanced infernos and a use the battle armor Crit rules so the LB-10X does something useful. Maybe use the extra tonnage for an active probe to spot ambushes.
Great options and good insight! Though I'm wishing you didn't do the Venom...I really don't want to see even more of those monsters across the table...
Ah the Vemon , the better Wraith
I hate that Snake varient. IMO there is no such thing as a good Mech with nothing but ammo dependent weapons. The Venom is my favorite Light Mech though.
I hate it too *as a 45 ton mech,* but for a *mech that costs 980 BV* it's great. It's a crit seeker, and there's no way to do crit seeking with energy weapons. (This is the main way the game keeps all-energy lances from being a no-brainer.)
If you ever run the SRM bins of a snake dry with those streaks while the Mech is still functional you're having an amazing game. It takes 17 rounds to do it, if you hit with all 3 every round. Not going to comment on the sensibility of a 45 ton mech, because it's a weight that is hard to make sensible. The snake however is a better than average example of a 45 ton mech
Think there is a Locust iic and Incubus under 1k. Solid mechs for Clans.
Shadow hawk at 3025 is pretty good all rounder. It is 64 point over 1000.
I can never justify a 3025 shadow hawk
@@Funkin_Disher Every single time I have a stock Shadow Hawk I find myself wishing I had a stock Wolverine instead.
@@agentoranj5858 it all comes down to taste. But I tend to field both a wolverine and shadow hawk in the same lance. They work well together.
6:27 meh if they shoot the arms off your 1E just run right past them and give them a charge from 10 or 11 hexes away in later turns , your 1E will pay for itself in thumps that way
6:20 if your locust gets its arm ripped off, you run away. You found the enemy and it is likely chasing you. I would be concerned about ppc 10 points and LRM clusters to follow. To finish a leg or torso. Pulse lasers definitely a threat. Do you keep it in the open hexes? Or do forests and uphill runs help? Do opponents say locust moved 3 hexes fire everything?