With the new quirks the Locusts have become competitive again. I wouldn't go as far as calling them "monsters" because a Firestarter or Spider will always out perform them over the course of multiple games. I've literally alpha'ed a locust coming around the corner by accident and put it down so they are still flimsy.
With that said, they are great to play with speed tweak at 170+kph. Also, they are small enough to be naturally hard to hit if you are moving (and not always in a straight line).
Good luck.
