Guide [Issue 67] Pillar of Success: Practical Support

[Flexoo 6,980]

 

Supporters are the driving force behind a successful team. The majority of hard-fought team battles are won by these underestimated players who impact the team by the seemingly small actions they do. They may not be as high on the leaderboards as others, but let’s face it - without them, your team would not stand a chance.

 

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- CTF -

 

Large Maps

 

Assisting the Flag-Bearer - A Necessary Sacrifice:
We’ve all been in the situation; you’re making your way from the enemy base - flag in hand - swerving past corners whilst avoiding the crisscross of Raligun fire. Then, out of the blue, a roaming red laser targets your hull and seconds later, a shell is all that remains of your Hornet.

It often takes a supporter to break through a stubborn defense especially when Shafts are involved. An extra hand can take the blast meant for the flag-bearer, allowing him to hasten towards friendly territory unharmed. Always put yourself in between the carrier and incoming enemy fire. This may ruin your D/L, but your sacrifice will keep the opponents at bay.

If you're lucky enough to still be alive after the barrage of bullets your tank has absorbed, your next task is to get in the way of oncoming enemies. Typically, opponents armed with short-range turrets will chase the retreating flag-bearer, ignoring nearly everything else in their path -- eyes set on the ever-withdrawing flag. Rather than letting them chase the flag-bearer unchallenged, try to impede their progress as much as possible. Ram them with your tank, cut off their advance by driving in front of them; anything to halt their advance. At this point, any extra health you were able to retain after the Railgun and Shaft shots will be sapped by the annoyed tanker you're blocking, but the flag will be safe. Even with a Speed Boost, your opponent likely won't be able to make up the lost distance between him and the flag-bearer.

Light hulls, however, may be able to skid or maneuver past you while you're busy holding the other tanks. So, If you're unable to block them racing towards the flag-bearer, you need to make sure they don't return the flag when they inevitably destroy the carrier. Use a Double Damage if necessary and target the opponent racing to the flag. Once you kill 'em, grab the flag and capture.

Best Combination:

Viking-Smoky is actually a really suitable combination for this role - as Viking can take enemy fire and still have enough health-points left to occupy the enemies chasing the flag; while Smoky's rapid firing and critical shots can take out anyone left.

Small Maps

 

Clearing Paths - Ram & Run:
When defenders camp, not even supply-spamming can turn the tide of the battle in favor of your team. In this situation, the attackers throw themselves at the defenders -- spamming their supplies, driving, dying, repeat. This method is hopeless and merely sinks your D/L.

Rather than approaching the enemy base directly and be targeted by the full force of their strength, come up through an alternate route with a heavy hull. When the opportunity arrives, make a rush for their flag. The enemies, not expecting the attack from a new route, will turn all their attention on you, which will obviously kill you. Although this may seem like a waste of drugs and time, your assault will ideally draw the opponents away from their base, giving your teammates a clear path to and from the flag. You've just indirectly won the match for your team.

If you're seen before you make it to the flag, it's best to not even try. Only charge in when you know the enemy's attention is on something else.

Best Combination:

At one time, Twins ruled this position. With Twins and supplies, you could often get out without dying and capture the flag yourself. The new splash damage feature has lessened its effect as a rammer, however. You'll self-destruct before you make any good progress, even if you're a heavy hull.

If you have the Twins alteration, use Twins-Titan. If not, use another turret with rapid firing (and preferably no splash damage) set on a heavy hull, along the likes of Hammer, Smoky, Ricochet or Vulcan. However, let me add that both Firebird and Freeze and Striker and Magnum can be effectively used here, because all of these turrets literally chunk away thousands of healthpoints from a group of tankers in seconds! 
 

- CP -

 

Large Maps

On a large map with three or more points to control, supporting closer ranged turrets is essential. While they run to the points and begin taking them, you should be staying alert to any enemies closing in on them. Never remain in the same area for too long, as you should be constantly changing positions to support teammates at any point that enemies command. Be aware of enemy movements and keep an eye out for any tankers attempting to get behind your team.

Best Combination:

A longer ranged turret with quick reloading will work a treat here. Thunder and Smoky are ideal, but Railgun and Magnum work too. A light hull is often needed to move between points effectively.

Small Maps

Maps such as Polygon which have just one point require an entirely different strategy for supporters. Much like the rammers in CTF, the goal is to absorb as much enemy fire as possible before dying. The problem is getting to the point in time to help teammates. Supplies help immensely when supporting this way - as a quick Speed Boost and Double Armor can take you to the point and allow you to dominate the battlefield for a few short moments before you die.

Best Combination:

Since this role is about taking as much damage as possible, I'd suggest a heavy hull (preferably Titan, because of its pushing power and overall health) and high-damage turrets such as Vulcan, Ricochet, Twins, Hammer or Smoky. Freeze and Firebird will work too.

 

 

- TDM -

 

Large Maps

In TDM, the goal is not to get killed while kill the most at the same time, which in my opinion, is a very hard task. To succeed, you need a team with almost perfect chemistry (or a dream team in other words), a few Isidas, a few supplies in hand and even skills and abilities to aim, dodge, use different tactics (such as 'Peek-a-boo' or shot-diverging) and especially Overdrive.

 

Overdrive, you see, can prove to be a life-saver in some situations, while in others, it could prove to be harmful for your team. It is highly important to know when and where to use your Overdrives. For example, a single person's Overdrive with three to four other people can completely seal off an entire path to your base with mines, while  lot of you will have their supplies activated and ready to go.

 

TDMs in large maps are generally infested with long-ranged turrets, mainly Railgun, Magnum and Shaft. There is a heavy chance that most of these will already be fully MU'd at their respective stages, so you might need a lot more than modules and skills to win a game in such a situation.

 

Talking about maps, you might want to play hard in a medium-sized map rather than playing easy in a large-sized map. This is mainly because medium-sized maps prove to be more fruitful in the end - giving more fund, more paths to attack and traverse and the latter. Owing to the previous point, I mainly recommend playing in maps such as Industrial Zone, Kolhoz, Kungur, Wolfenstein, Bridges and so on.

 

Best Combination:

I'd mainly suggest two combinations here, the first one being Viking with any medium/long-ranged turret (basically all but Firebird and Freeze). The second one however, could be an Isida paired up with Wasp, Hornet or Hunter depending upon the size of the map.

Small Maps

In small maps, a TDM game is more like an all-out war instead of an actual TDM game; which is more of a camping spree with multiple Isidas infesting each team. In maps such as Noise, Silence, Polygon, Iran, etc., you'd mainly think that turrets with lesser reload times and more damage might excel, but in fact, you're half wrong. Though Twins and Vulcan - the two turrets with no reload times, and Smoky, Ricochet, Hammer, Freeze and Firebird - the turrets with highest sudden damage, might excel here, the true king of a TDM probably has to be Magnum. 

 

Take Silence for example. You could just sit behind a wall in either of the bases and rain lead on the enemy base over and over again. With an Isida healing you every now and then, you'd practically be invincible. However, the thing is, you need to attack your enemies in such maps, which is obviously not the job of a Magnum.

 

Attacking can be carried out with a group of three to four people on either sides of the map, preferably the one with the highest enemy traffic. The tank in the front should be a heavy one, something along the lines of Smoky-Mammoth, Twins-Titan or Vulcan-Titan. Behind it, there should be one Isida, followed up by two Vikings paired up with any high-damaging turret. If all of these tanks have their Overdrives ready, they will a whopping twenty lives for themselves - four by their own Repair Kits, and four more with each Overdrive used; not to mention the extra twenty mines laying on their position as well!

Best Combination:

Twins-Titan/Viking - a combinations that possess all the qualities a good defender/attacker should have: speed, damage, versatility, agility, maneuverability and so on.

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There... You're now qualified to be a true teammate and support your team through nearly every Tanki battle. That's it from me, but do you have any other strategies you'd like to share with other people? Here's the place!

 

 

 

 

Note: This article was a collaboration between @Hexed and a potential EN Reporter Candidate under the supervision of @Flexoo, who until having been officially added as a Candidate will remain anonymous.

 

 

[RIDDLER_8 5,552]

Isida is magic and a life savor in any team battles.

[Seek_and_Destroy 38]

Nice guide. Looks like you really worked hard on that. In CP I generally tend to use mammoth thunder so that I can hold a point. And wasp is too weak lol.

[Aegis-XX 0]

Isida is magic and a life savor in any team battles.

Unless Both Teams Have One It Ruins EVERY game ,  The Water-boys Of Tanki On The Team But Cant Play !!

[MiloStar123 9]

I'm an isida, and I use it as an attacking weapon more often that a supportive, simply due to it have the highest dmg per second in the game, by far... I have mine m2 8/10. Its useful in healing as well, and it gives XP when you do. I love the turret. IMO, striker is the best supportive weapon, with freeze at a close second, due to its salvos in polygon CP, raining hellfire onto the point-cappers, and its arcade shots in CTF onto the midfeilders, and its great reload time, as compared to thunder, and its just SUCH a good supportive weapon. Takes skill, but put it with a decent medium hull and a few Double Powers, and your going to win. It's got the damage of a thunder and the reload of a smokey thats 2 mods below it, something thunder can't quite boast. Plus it looks cooler too.  Good job on this.

 

 

---- Milostar123

[MiloStar123 9]

Nice guide. Looks like you really worked hard on that. In CP I generally tend to use mammoth thunder so that I can hold a point. And wasp is too weak lol.

It's better than hornet, lol. And its quite good, but takes skill, which mammoth doesn't as much.