What are your thoughts on the Blackjack?

Thread in 'Blackjack' started by Michael, May 21, 2013.

What is your favorite Blackjack variant?

  1. J-1

    8 vote(s)
    17.0%
  2. J-1DC

    3 vote(s)
    6.4%
  3. J-1X

    14 vote(s)
    29.8%
  4. J-3

    7 vote(s)
    14.9%
  5. Don't Like Any of These

    4 vote(s)
    8.5%
  6. Other mechs do the job better!

    11 vote(s)
    23.4%
  1. Dustwalker

    Dustwalker Junior Member

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    they are bad Trebs or bad HBK depending on the Variant ,/
     
  2. Aylek

    Aylek Administrator Staff Member

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    My first impression was that the mech dies far to easily when mounting an XL engine. If this is affirmed by others the mech's possible loadouts and even viability is severly limited in my view.
     
  3. ReconSaint

    ReconSaint Star Lord

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    I dont know, I havent played a blackjack but they are so small, it might not be much of a problem with an XL.
     
  4. Regina Redshift

    Regina Redshift Sass Elemental

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    I died against as many Blackjacks as I killed last night, so they're no worse than the Spider 5V.
    So, it looks like your average Blackjack is no worse than a Spider. :rofl:
     
  5. FRYBOTH

    FRYBOTH New Member

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    After about 10 solo drops today my biggest achievement is I managed to not die 7 out those 10 times. I bought a BJ-1 and I sorta regret it. I am really going to try hard to make it work. I found I wasn't able to get enough firepower or speed without an XL engine, which only gives me a speed of 71. So, I'm a little slow and fragile. Not getting killed takes priority over dealing damage, supporting my brawlers and capping. I'm not planning on buying anymore variants, but I won't totally write off the Blackjack yet.

    I feel like there is some crazy obscure niche role that this mech excels at and we just have to find it. Maybe. Hopefully.
     
  6. Matheos

    Matheos Active Member

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    I'm still messing around with it - have 3 variants (1, 1X, 3) that I'm trying out. A work in progress right now.

    I think a 225 is the lowest engine I would ever run in it (> 80 kph w/o speed tweak).

    The best conclusion I have so far is that it may be as simple as a long range fire support mech: a mini Jager with jump jets. Maybe the 1X can be a decent quickstrike (alpha) brawler but I have a Trebuchet loadout that does that better.
     
  7. Matheos

    Matheos Active Member

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    After spending a few days with the chassis and getting two variants elited (1 & 3), I have been able to gleam the following. It took me a while to learn how to play the Blackjack, but at one point it clicked in my head: it's the Dragon of the Medium weight class. You have to play it like a Dragon: stay mobile and avoid the major front line fighting.

    My most played loadouts for the 1 & 3 were with dual AC2s and PPCs, respectively, with a mix of backup lasers (ML & SL) and an AMS. I played them as a mobile fire & AMS support platform for heavies and assaults and did fairly well.

    I think the other two chassis (X and DC) can also have a good combat role as a jumbo-sized Cicada (non ECM of course). If they come out with a hero version with missiles, that one might end up being the best chassis; one of the biggest weaknesses I noticed in the mech is the inability to fight off lights.

    1. Like a light mech, speed (& agility) is life. The smallest engine I was able to run and have success with was an XL210 (75 pre-tweak). If you have a JJ chassis (1 & 3), I would recommend at least 3 jets and a ground speed of 80 kph+ (~225 engine). If you have a non-JJ chassis, a ground speed of 100 kph+ (~280 engine).

    2. Getting legged seemed to happen very, very often. I moved armor from the arms to the legs to help out as I was continuing to play; for the most part the arms don't get hit. I had a couple memorable games during leveling where I lost a leg but was able to stay alive the rest of the match thanks to the JJs.

    3. I did not see a dramatic difference in survivability between a STD or an XL. Most of my deaths were from my center torso getting blown out, primarily due to me screwing up and getting too far into the middle of a firefight. I do recall a couple times where PPC snipers one shot me by hitting one of the side torsos but that's only two or three times out of 50+ matches.

    4. Major threats in order of severity: getting into the middle of a brawl (positioning), getting isolated against a light mech (without missiles or fully actuated arms, you're in trouble), and snipers (standing still).
     
  8. SabbatH

    SabbatH Junior Member

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    I play with BJ-3 (2 PPC, 4 MLas. AMS and XL Engine) and I am not happy with it. It is maybe because I am not a fan of medium mechs in general. The weapon power is ok but armor is bad and you cannot get to close fights with other mechs (even light). Also it is still not a fast mech and with the structure build similar to jagermech in shape you can get easily destroyed. I think it is a mech for people with big nerves and with calm attitude ;)
     
  9. enileph

    enileph Star Lord

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    I think the pool is dumb, due to this:
    "You selected too many options. For this poll, you may only select 0 options."

    I tried BJ-1X a nd that one is pretty good. It is like a fast and agile version of the hunchback, and does the job really good with 8 MLas.

    Tried the BJ-1 also. Not too impressed with the 2xUAC/5 setup, due to ammo problem mostly, that and the slow speed. 2x AC5 is ok, but nothing to go wow on. Being able to jump does help nowadays though. Haven't tried 2xAC/5. With the guns there is hardly space for AMS.
    Dual AC/10 is unplayable almost with ammo problem and things. Funny that double shotgun seems to fair better relatively (still really bad, before you ask).

    Is thinking of getting a 3rd one, but haven't decided which one yet. BJ-1DC seems too similar to BJ-1, maybe I will get some poptart out of a BJ-3.
     
  10. The Verge

    The Verge Moderator Staff Member

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    I have all of the Blackjacks, and they all play similar. They don't have enough armor for brawling, so its best to stay at long range and snipe. You can run some fun cheese build, like single gauss or AC20 with med lasers, and they work well in pugs.

    but really, its bes to have 2 ac2's or ppc's. Large lasers work well for those with heat issues.

    all in all, a fun mech to play, at range.
     
  11. enileph

    enileph Star Lord

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    Well, a Centurion can do the single Gauss/AC20 thing better, and can zombie. The JJ of a blackjack is good though I have to say. Maybe I should do 2xPPC with a BJ-3. Used to do 2xPPC with Hunchbacks, and those were fun seeing people spamming on your hunch while you put your PPCs on your arms.
     
  12. gunshow84

    gunshow84 New Member

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    I gave the J-1x a good honest shot and just could not find a build that was really worthwhile. On paper it looked like it would be great, a light-medium that runs 115ish and can boat as many lasers as your heart desires. But I was dumbstruck by how fragile it was. Whether I used the STD engine or XL, it really made little difference.

    If that wasn't bad enough, they really limited the amount of torso twist on this thing, while not as big of a deal as the durability issue, it was still a little disappointing.

    After a few months of trying to find a reliable rhythm with this mech, I decided to sell it. I just got sick of getting 1 shot killed by Stalkers across the map in the first minute of the match and couldn't stand how even the shortest face to face encounters/skirmishes resulted in half my armor in the red or gone.

    I'm a sucker for this mech though, I'm sure I'll end up buying it again someday.
     
  13. Cpt Chattahah

    Cpt Chattahah Min-Max Maniac

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    Strange... they were only release nine weeks ago... ;)

    I love my Blackjacks. They are quick, light, agile and can bring quite a bit of threat to a match. Obviously, a Centurion can do all these things and more, however, if I'm in the mood for energy weapons, I'll take a Jack over any other medium in the game! Speed and agility win every time in my mind. To gain superior speed and agility in any other medium requires an engine that is prohibitively weighty.

    This loadout has proformed better than any other medium but Cent's for me. My Centurions edge out the Jacks slightly, but, as I said, if I don't want to deal with missles and ballistics, Blackjacks are my first choice.
     
  14. enileph

    enileph Star Lord

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    You mean you are using a 1X, right? I love this thing!
    Have to say though, that BJ-3 with JJ helps a bit when it comes to terrain.
     
  15. Cpt Chattahah

    Cpt Chattahah Min-Max Maniac

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    I have a BJ-1X and a BJ-1. I sold my DC. The BJ-1 has some fun and interesting potential, but, I see a lot more of the flaws with a 45 ton striker in that mech. The JJ are very helpful and bring some great tactical fighting into play, but, the fragility of the mech is just so much more evident when I try to throw ballistics on her. However, running her like a miniature JM6-S is a lot of fun.

    This loadout is a BLAST! 93KPH, JJ and a pair of AC/5s... I've had a lot of fun with her.
     
  16. Business

    Business Advanced Member

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    Can't stand the BJ-1X. Terrible variant, especially once you get engaged by light mechs as the extra speed is negated by a wider turning radius so you have to slow down anyways to be able to target them. Any Blackjack without jump jets is a pos.

    The BJ-1 (ac20) and BJ-3 (dual ppc) are a lot of fun and are definite keepers for me
     
  17. Jason1138

    Jason1138 New Member

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    agreed
     
  18. Blagg Zear

    Blagg Zear Star Lord

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    No.1 BJ-3 (Jumpsniper)
    No.2 BJ-1 (AC20.Boom.Jack)
    No.3 BJ-1X (Alphabeam @110+kph)

    No.4 BJ-1DC (no JJ, no extra Speed)
     
  19. ExiledZebra

    ExiledZebra New Member

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    Definately have some love for the BJ-1DC. I'm surprised the lot of you don't enjoy this mech, but to each his own I guess :3

    Not a big JJ user so the 1DC found a snug spot in my garage, soon going to modify it as so


    How I use the BJ is usually a sniper mode, but with the build I'll have, both sniper and CQB are an option, though i'd much rather stick to sniping since I have a zoom module and very few sniping mechs in my garage
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 4, 2014
  20. Blagg Zear

    Blagg Zear Star Lord

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    I'm not sure if you have met often Overheat.matters, but Cool Efficiency at 20% is extremely hard to handle. Especially on hotter maps like Mordor. You can see that many builds here try to have 40+ Cool Efficiency so to have continuous fire and to avoid OH in the middle of a fight. I recommend to have 14+ DHS for any Weaponloadout including hot energy or ballistic guns. Everything else is ok if you mainly use AC5s, UAC5s, Gauss or few Lasers (on Lights)
     
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