67 replies to this topic

[Dagon]

I took a break from the tech and picked up my berserker and pred again. I got my MMR back up towards 1900- 2000+, but as soon as I start getting into those stretches I start getting wrecked, hard. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I need some help getting better.

The majority of mechs I play against now are scouts, with some grenadiers, or G2s in the mix. They simply blow me up. They dodge every TOW, land every grenade, seem to know exactly where mines are (doesn't matter if they are in a group, a line, ceiling, walls, grass). I just feel completely out of my league now and getting repeatedly crushed isn't helping.

With the Berserker, I can't seem to land a TOW anymore. With Pred, no matter where I lay my mines, they are found. I've tried picking up the scout and some of the other popular picks again, but I need a lot more practice with them to be any good and still feel like I get crushed.

SO. From 1900+, what makes the huge jump in skill_ What can I do better to compete at this level_ Also, shoutout to Atem_ and crew. If he or his friends are my lobby I can expect to see 10 kdrs, 10+ kill streaks, and enjoy an agonizing defeat, whether with or against.

[Desert_Fox2]

Dagon, on May 10 2014 - 09:59 AM, said:

I took a break from the tech and picked up my berserker and pred again. I got my MMR back up towards 1900- 2000+, but as soon as I start getting into those stretches I start getting wrecked, hard. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I need some help getting better.

The majority of mechs I play against now are scouts, with some grenadiers, or G2s in the mix. They simply blow me up. They dodge every TOW, land every grenade, seem to know exactly where mines are (doesn't matter if they are in a group, a line, ceiling, walls, grass). I just feel completely out of my league now and getting repeatedly crushed isn't helping.

With the Berserker, I can't seem to land a TOW anymore. With Pred, no matter where I lay my mines, they are found. I've tried picking up the scout and some of the other popular picks again, but I need a lot more practice with them to be any good and still feel like I get crushed.

SO. From 1900+, what makes the huge jump in skill_ What can I do better to compete at this level_ Also, shoutout to Atem_ and crew. If he or his friends are my lobby I can expect to see 10 kdrs, 10+ kill streaks, and enjoy an agonizing defeat, whether with or against.

I would recommend playing quite a bit of DM. When you hit 2k you will be able to really begin playing against the really good players. That is what makes the jump inn skill. You will begin to see 2.3ks and some even better players. Those that stick around and fight will learn from their beatings. They will become faster. They will learn the tricks, the moves, the random smashing of buttons that keeps you alive with 20 health. You might also find a mentor. 2ks watch their radars like a Transformers movie. They watch who is behind them. They don't boost everywhere. They walk and stalk. They have learned to manipulate DM to win. If you are engaged and get sandwiched get outta there. Let them begin to fight then double back, or heal as the case may be.

The Zerker is very formidable. There is one Zerker who gives me lots of trouble. His name is VisionCloud. He is very fast. I main a Scout and should be able to track and fight him, but I die more often than I win.

You are talking about mines. Are you using the Pred_ If you place them in a common walkway the chances are that they will be avoided increase. The better player you face the more unpredictable they will become. Now if you place them in the middle of battle to block off a retreat you will do better.

[RyanGo]

1700 mmr reporting in. I'm scared.

Good thing I will never reach 2000 o.o

[Desert_Fox2]

RyanGo, on May 10 2014 - 10:26 AM, said:

1700 mmr reporting in. I'm scared.

Good thing I will never reach 2000 o.o

Play long enough and you will! Or kill me a bunch and boost your mmr. lol

[Dagon]

Desert_Fox2, on May 10 2014 - 10:26 AM, said:

Play long enough and you will! Or kill me a bunch and boost your mmr. lol

Haha, you and Linear are on the list of "hard to kill".

[Desert_Fox2]

Dagon, on May 10 2014 - 10:40 AM, said:

Desert_Fox2, on May 10 2014 - 10:26 AM, said:

Play long enough and you will! Or kill me a bunch and boost your mmr. lol

Haha, you and Linear are on the list of "hard to kill".

I try to be. Though I think I may be getting worse. Trying to figure that out.

[nokari]

To me, one of the greatest ways to learn is to fight someone higher level than you when you both use cover. In those cases it's all about choosing when to peak out, how you peak out (left_ right_ up_), and the difference between having burst, sustained, and aoe weapons. As a Scout player, working on pillar tactics also really helps with learning how to better predict player movements for any situation.

You also need to be aware of your positioning and overall situation. Choose when to go all in and don't charge after everyone you see all gung ho like.

[Leonhardt]

I don't know what kind of mechs you are using Dagon, but I suggest you take a look at my guide for the Vanguard linked here.

Even if you are not using the Vanguard you can watch the clips in the guide and see what I am doing and apply it to yourself. For those that don't I am a ~2600 mmr player (not that MMR is a great indicator of skill, but people seem to need some credentials these days...).

Also I know the guide is long, but the important stuff is in the middle so watch the videos and keep up with the mistakes outlined in the post.

[EliteShooter]

Desert_Fox2, on May 10 2014 - 10:26 AM, said:

RyanGo, on May 10 2014 - 10:26 AM, said:

1700 mmr reporting in. I'm scared.

Good thing I will never reach 2000 o.o

Play long enough and you will! Or kill me a bunch and boost your mmr. lol

I've been playing since Feb 2013, still 1900 MMR, we'll meet in a DM server and I'll [font=play, helvetica, arial, sans-serif]kill you a bunch.[/font]

[Desert_Fox2]

EliteShooter, on May 10 2014 - 11:19 AM, said:

I've been playing since Feb 2013, still 1900 MMR, we'll meet in a DM server and I'll kill you a bunch.

I would be interested to see how that turns out. We haven't had a 1v1 in a while. I have only been seriously playing since the middle of January. Otherwise, it has been on and off.

Edited by Desert_Fox2, May 10 2014 - 11:25 AM.

[Call_Me_Ishmael]

As others have said, play at this level for a while, you improve.

I agree it's a shift from 1900+ play.  You need map knowledge, situational awareness, good knowledge of your weapons, mech placement (conceal/cover but not where splash will get you or constrain your dodge), and use every little advantage.  Knowing what the other guy can do to dodge/bring weapons to bear helps a TON.

If you can't charge into a 5+ mech deathball at this level (doesn't happen that often, actually) with a scout (any class) and make kills and a getaway, then you have to play more defensively.

It's a weird mix of cerebral and aggression, defensive flight, and outthinking your opponent/keeping pressure on until he/she makes a mistake.

I think it's an intensely personal thing, the shift up to 2100+.  Your experience will differ from mine in finding the 'secret sauce'.

Hope it helps.

Edited by Call_Me_Ishmael, May 10 2014 - 11:43 AM.

[Desert_Fox2]

EliteShooter, on May 10 2014 - 11:19 AM, said:

Desert_Fox2, on May 10 2014 - 10:26 AM, said:

RyanGo, on May 10 2014 - 10:26 AM, said:

1700 mmr reporting in. I'm scared.

Good thing I will never reach 2000 o.o

Play long enough and you will! Or kill me a bunch and boost your mmr. lol

I've been playing since Feb 2013, still 1900 MMR, we'll meet in a DM server and I'll kill you a bunch.

Is that a call out_ If so I would have to call you out for making a call out in a thread not about call outs.

[Krellus]

At higher MMR the players are friends on teamspeak etc. Just check out their videos, they are in constant communication with their teammates. They are co-ordinating. If you are soloing,   you are doomed. join a clan and get on comms.

[Aims]

Play against better players.

Get comfortable using a wide range of mechs. This is important - too many players are good at only one thing and rely on it heavily.

Never chase kills. You will always die against a team who is working properly.

[Lightangel112]

If your in Pred and you are dying to scouts, the best advice I can give you is, fire your puck + flak shot + det after they have dodged. That is an instant 264 dmg right in their face. Just be patient, and be ready to fire after they dodge if they are in close range. If this is mid range, then still do the same, even with charged breacher but the pucks have to be fired prematurely at the ground, where they "will be" or where they were last can be just as good, as they will most times dodge right back to that place. Just don't fire behind them, as they usually tend to march towards you to close the gap and deal dmg by out maneuvering you. So you need to be walking away from them if they are trying to move in towards you. You can fire pucks on the floor in between both of you, to stop them from coming in close and if they try to air dodge over them, detonate them. Some damage to your opponent, even with 1 good charged breacher hit is a good start before the fight.

Edited by Lightangel112, May 11 2014 - 02:30 PM.

[JeffMagnum]

Krellus, on May 11 2014 - 04:07 AM, said:

At higher MMR the players are friends on teamspeak etc. Just check out their videos, they are in constant communication with their teammates. They are co-ordinating. If you are soloing,   you are doomed. join a clan and get on comms.

Not really. If you're scrimming or in TPG then yeah, people are definitely on voice com, but not many good players like to get a party together and absolutely wreck random players in pubs. To be fair, I'm talking about 2300+ or so; I don't really know what people do below that.

Edited by JeffMagnum, May 11 2014 - 03:30 PM.

[SkyeBeats]

Desert_Fox2, on May 10 2014 - 10:16 AM, said:

I would recommend playing quite a bit of DM.

As Desert has said, DM is a good place to practice and learn. DM is a mode which forces you to be aware of your surroundings and make good decisions. That being said, it may be rough at first facing the good people in DM, but you learn eventually.

As a side note, try messaging OmegaNull. He's always down to teach people how to improve.

[DaPheel]

Desert fox's advice is sound. I play with a lot of 2000+ mmr players, recently I have been going into deathmatch games and it really helps. Don't try to top the board, because you won't be able to (at first, anyway ). The aim is to try and stay alive as long as possible, learn when to pick your fights, and when to run like heck.

It's helping me.

[Dagon]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to plug away some DM this week and see how it goes, also have to pickup a few other mechs and see which feel right.

[OmegaNull]

The struggle is real. Follow them.