The Best Mechwarriors to Have Ever Lived

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Using it and using it to its most effectiveness are not the same thing.  A pilot with Jumping Jack won't get as much out of a Rifleman as they would a Quickdraw, for example.

Yeah, but they're still going to be just as accurate with the Rifleman's weaponry and just as good at keeping it on its feet as they'd be in the Quickdraw.  It's not like they're going to be a 2/3 in the Quickdraw but drop down to a 4/5 in the Rifleman.

[CrossfirePilot]

I seem to remember that one or two adversaries in the original Black Widow scenario book were something like 2/3 pilots (I think one of them was named "Vang"?).  That would put them as better than the Blackwidow.  Those probably deserve mention.

There might be a few of those Carlos Hathcock types around.  That have plenty of kills, but you never heard of them if you didn't specifically go looking into it.

Jake: How come nobody ever heard of you? I mean, a man that can shoot like you do and draw as fast as you can... how come you ain't got a reputation?

Jason McCullough: What would I want with a reputation? That's a good way to get yourself killed.

That might just be the desire of a few of those line holding mechwarriors.  Guys that drove their families old trenchbucket through the 3rd SW, always managed to give better than they got, but want no part of being renown.

[Church14]

Just my 0.02 Dbill but here is my list:

The Gods of War:
1. Natasha Kersensky
2. Kia Allard-Laio
3. Justin Allard
4. Morgan Kell
5. Yorginta Kurita -- As much as it pains me to say.

Elite but had something else to do
1. Hanse Davion.
2. Patrick Kell
3. Jamie Wolf
4. Hiro Kurita
5. Victor Stiener-Davion
6. Morgan Hasek-Davion
7. Adran Sortek
8. Paul Masters

Good But Lucky
1. Andrew Redburn
2. Grayson Death Carlyle
3. Phelan Kell
4. Daniel Allard
5. Glen Cox
6. Vlad Ward

hope you like these lists

I feel like there’s room for Alaric Ward, Anastasia Kerensky, Malvina Hazen, and a few of the Knights of the Republic.

Would Tara Campbell be up here too?

[Church14]

Interesting that this list (which more-or-less matches who people are mentioning in this thread and other previous threads like it) consists only of characters from, what, twenty years ago?

Maybe market penetration and just familiarity? The people who like ilClan era have spent a lot longer looking at the legendary 4SW and Invasion era pilots in novels than any of the new.

[tassa_kay]

I feel like there’s room for Alaric Ward, Anastasia Kerensky, Malvina Hazen, and a few of the Knights of the Republic.

Aleksandr Hazen, too; Malvina and he were pretty evenly matched.

[Charistoph]

Yeah, but they're still going to be just as accurate with the Rifleman's weaponry and just as good at keeping it on its feet as they'd be in the Quickdraw.  It's not like they're going to be a 2/3 in the Quickdraw but drop down to a 4/5 in the Rifleman.

Yet, if the reason they are so dangerous isn't as much with their P/G skills, but their SPAs, yeah, it will make a difference.  A pilot with Jumping Jack and Sandblaster won't get as much out a Rifleman as they would with a Quickdraw, just as an AC Master won't do well in a Quickdraw.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Someone who's got only average piloting and gunnery scores but decent abilities isn't exactly a contender for "best mechwarrior."

[Charistoph]

Someone who's got only average piloting and gunnery scores but decent abilities isn't exactly a contender for "best mechwarrior."

But if everyone being compared is using Elite stats, their other abilities will tell depending on what 'Mech they are using.  Again, a Missile Sandblaster isn't going to get as much out of a Rifleman.  If they have Jumping Jack, too, a Catapult would be a better option.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

An meanwhile, the very best mechwarriors probably have more special abilities that are broadly focused and don't require them to be in a single, super-optimized mech.