What quirky designs do you find to be better than they look on paper?

[Sabelkatten]

The original Battle Hawk - Slow, light, XLFE, short range... And dang what a nasty bodyguard! ;D

[JPArbiter]

The JM7-D is another one that's good for that.

People don't expect a 70 tonner with decent armor and that level of firepower when you say Jagermech >:D

even in a 3025 game, the JM6S has been a roaring success for me getting critical shots at extended range after other threats like Griffins, Centurions, and Osts occupy thier time and open holes.

[JoeJones]

For me, it'd be the SNK-2B Snake. LB10X, 2 SSRM2s, stealth, and a bunch of heat sinks on a 5/8/5 chassis.

It's not the heaviest hitter, but it finds crits better than just about anything else in its weight class.  I usually pair it up with a heavy hitter which will draw more fire (for example, a TSG-9H Ti Ts'ang), and let it harass & backstab the heavier mech's victim.