Heh, as subtle as it is, I really like the Timber Wolf F vs the Prime...
I have a massive disdain for the Cougar - and this as a regular JF player - to the point of eschewing it completely. Yes, it looks dead sexy, which is why I have a miniature of it.
I actually do not agree that the drop of 1 rather important mvmt pt vs the Adder is worth the 3 tons of pod space, especially when you also consider the loss of .5 tons of armour. (Aff, we are not mentioning the fixed Flamer, ever.)
And the Adder has excellent configurations, really (though the D is completely redundant).
At the end of the day, it really comes down to the argument of speed grouping putting this in with all those 5/8 heavies and even assault of the original 16 Omnis. Side note: with its TC and using the old rules, the Adder was a serious threat even for assaults. I once had an attacker bid an Adder Prime vs my Gargoyle and was shocked at losing 100% of my CT armour in the first turn of shooting. That smarts. That is something that the Cougar is not likely to do reliably. (But yes, the other points about the Cougar B vs Adder Prime of the article hold true.)
Ok, so here is the argument: it is a light that brings a lot to the table. Well, that ceases to be of primary interest to me when all it brings to the table is exactly what the bigger 'Mechs bring in, but less. Strangely, this offends me much more from Clan perspective, where efficiency is of primary interest. In IS settings, where economy rules over efficiency, by all means, saddle me with Valkyries or even Initiates. But I balk at this rationale being applied to Clan 'Mechs.
Really, even the Kit Fox does not do it for me on account of being at least 1 MP too slow (never mind one of the biggest atrocities ever commited against the Smart Armor doctrine). And even back in the old days when 3058 was brand new, I maintained the view that the Adder was the lightest BATTLEMech ever (vs Scout or Light or whatnot). Slowing it down, pulling some armour and upgrading an armament that already bordered on the excessive is exactly the route I would not have wanted to see it go. Not at all.
Hm, I shot down both the Cougar and the Kit Fox in one simple comment. Ok Jade Falcon trothkin, if you want to use a homegrown light OmniMech, look to the Fire Falcon and nowhere else, period. ;)