The Mech called M̶o̶n̶g̶r̶e̶l Grendel!

[NUT-BUSTING TORQUE]

7/11/7 is right when speed truly becomes armor and you can dictate fights. Random Thoughts:

• Variant T can hit like a truck but it's BV is damn near 2,000 for what you're getting; you finally get that large pulse laser and a close in complement that can carve enemies apart, but the two small lasers really should have been another DHS so it could jump more.
• Variant F has only the "I kill vehicles" use case to me. It's also 2,000 BV and can only deal pitiful damage to things that track heat. I think scotty gave it an F and I kinda agree.
• Variant G bloats BV up to 2,200 to carry 4 MPLs and 5 µPLs and a supercharger, because you absolutely don't want a single infantry or battle armor trooper surviving the next few minutes. It has it's place, but it's a hard sell.
• Variant I is trying to be deceptive; it's BV is the cheapest at 1,600 and it can still force a PSR if everything connects, so it's one of the few machines where the protomech autocannon is just merely a bad gun and not... what they are. The ACTUAL problem with the variant, is that it doesn't have the ammo to really take advantage of anything; 10 for the IS plasma rifle and 20 for the PAC, if your table doesn't allow for half-ton loads, just isn't enough for what it wants to do.
• Variant J makes me wish that they had gone for steak 4s to boat even more of them.
• Variant M I actually really like. 1,744BV for a combatant with the longest ranged guns in the game, the only way I feel it could be improved is if it could somehow have a targeting computer added. The Clans take on the RACs just jacked up the range, and while the -2 will never be a "good" gun here, it's pairing with an ER Large laser that shares bands on a 7/11/7 chassis makes it akin to a really long ranged SRM6.

[BATTLEMASTER]

I mean, 7/11/7, you may not out-muscle a Stormcrow, but you'll sure as hell have the ability to hit and fade with him all you want.

Really want to beat up on some poor victim? 4/6 heavy Mechs are your FOOD. This will simply chew up an Orion and spit the bones out. If you're sneaky and lucky, you can even put a Masakari on the ground after a while.

I totally agree.  7/11/7 is great.  I prefer it over the Viper's 8/12/8 because I'm mostly attracted to the +4 TMM for jumping, and there's some more pod space at the slower movement profile.

I feel like the Clan 40-45-ton omnis are the best to compare to the Grendel, and my focus in that respect is the Shadow Cat.  At that point it's fast with no MASC, higher jump, lower pod space vs. fast with MASC, 1 less TMM for max jump, but more pod space.

I kinda want to say the Shadow Cat is superior since the 6/9/6 movement plus MASC saves weight, and I think 6/9 is good enough for medium 'mech speed.  Being able to move 12 when you need it is always nice and worth the pod space and MASC hazards.

[Hellraiser]

The Grendel is arguably the best Clan omni with 7/11 speed or better.
 I might even argue that it's the best medium or light Clan omni in the canon, but it's hard to ignore the Stormcrow.

Don't worry, I fixed that for you, and I stand by that :)

Hehehe, what can I say, against the IS there might not be a better mech.

Ugly as fork, and it hurts me to say, I prefer it over all my "Wolf" mechs, but I do, lol.

[NUT-BUSTING TORQUE]

I totally agree.  7/11/7 is great.  I prefer it over the Viper's 8/12/8 because I'm mostly attracted to the +4 TMM for jumping, and there's some more pod space at the slower movement profile.

One thing I have noticed however, is that 8/12/8 has a real purpose on CGL maps- there's LOTS of ravines and buildings that are exactly 8 hexes high.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

7/11/7 is right when speed truly becomes armor and you can dictate fights. Random Thoughts:

• Variant T can hit like a truck but it's BV is damn near 2,000 for what you're getting; you finally get that large pulse laser and a close in complement that can carve enemies apart, but the two small lasers really should have been another DHS so it could jump more.

The T variants are visual matches to the artwork, so they always have to have weapons in the same places that the Prime does.  That means that they're occassionaly stuck with odd or poor design decisions.

[Hellraiser]

The T variants are visual matches to the artwork, so they always have to have weapons in the same places that the Prime does.  That means that they're occassionaly stuck with odd or poor design decisions.

My issue w/ this one is that it's a T-model, and, aren't those supposed to be Temporary or Tukayyid?

It packs in tech from much after that event which seems really odd.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

TC designates an omni as a Tukayyid variant.

[BATTLEMASTER]

The T variants are visual matches to the artwork, so they always have to have weapons in the same places that the Prime does.  That means that they're occassionaly stuck with odd or poor design decisions.

Then you have configurations like the Timber Wolf N and Warhawk I that match the old TRO 3050 art by Steve Venters!

[Hellraiser]

Then you have configurations like the Timber Wolf N and Warhawk I that match the old TRO 3050 art by Steve Venters!

Oh wow, nice, I've never seen those.

[BrianDavion]

The T variants are visual matches to the artwork, so they always have to have weapons in the same places that the Prime does.  That means that they're occassionaly stuck with odd or poor design decisions.

some of em are good. then there are the ones that use protmech autocanons

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Exactly.

[NUT-BUSTING TORQUE]

The T variants are visual matches to the artwork, so they always have to have weapons in the same places that the Prime does.  That means that they're occassionaly stuck with odd or poor design decisions.

Oh, specifically the Ts? Interesting, okay.

Then you have configurations like the Timber Wolf N and Warhawk I that match the old TRO 3050 art by Steve Venters!

No shit? Huh, thanks you two!

[NUT-BUSTING TORQUE]

some of em are good. then there are the ones that use protmech autocanons

Man, I don't wanna be that guy but protomech autocannons... I don't know what math was done to make them like that, but I feel like they all need alterations to ever "work". The PAC/4, the most usable because of it's 5/10/15 brackets, is still outdone by the Light AC/5 that trades off an additional half ton for more damage and less crit size. The 2 pairs well with most long range clan guns but is still 3.5 tons and 2 crits for some reason and the /8 literally pairs with nothing, with it's funky 10 hex range.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

IIRC, the 8 pairs with the Inner Sphere Ultra 20 range brackets.

[Hellraiser]

IIRC, the 8 pairs with the Inner Sphere Ultra 20 range brackets.

And the IS LPL.

[NUT-BUSTING TORQUE]

My last consideration with a clan gun should be "Can I pair it with an inner sphere weapon that is worse than it" tho.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I'm going to be honest, i don't actually think that the IS LPL is the worse weapon in that scenario.

[Balian d’Ibelin]

I struggle not to put a Grendel Prime into any Clan Star I can get away with it in.  One of the best all round designs the Clans ever put in production.