This is a great article for what is, personally, one of my least favorite mechs.
It isn’t particularly weak in any objective sense. It has its flaws, but so do most of the original Clan mechs, and the Summoner is probably better than many of them. What I dislike about it is the particular way it’s flawed. The 3050 mechs tend to make certain “mistakes” on a regular basis. They pack in too many weapons, with too few heat sinks. They don’t carry enough ammunition for long engagements. They push the envelope on speed for their tonnage. We see these traits in the Nova, the Mad Dog, the Hellbringer, the Warhawk, even the vaunted Timber Wolf. These “mistakes” tell a story about the users. Like their mechs, the Clans are powerful, aggressive, and ambitious…but ultimately their reach exceeds their grasp, and they fall short of their potential.
The Summoner tells a different story. Most of it’s configs are oversinked and underarmed for its size. It frequently mounts plenty of ammunition tonnage, even if it distributes its ammo poorly between weapons. The Summoner says that the Clans are overly cautious and unwilling to exploit their advantages – and it’s the preferred mount of the Jade Falcons of all people! So I don’t dislike the Summoner because it’s bad. I dislike it because it lies.