Howdy ristars and welcome to BattleTechnical, your source for high level strategy and low level mechanics so you can get the most out of your mechs. We get the occasional complaint on Reddit, in various community discords, here on the site, or in person about people using our articles to "Netlist", putting together a list of the nastiest, meanest mechs you can think of to stomp their local communities and regional tournaments. Tenshi OAs, Templar III OAs, Viking IICs, Kodiaks, Fire Moth Ps, Phantom Es, Nova Cat Es, Venom 9KCs, the list goes on. The clear implication is that this is somehow a moral failing, taking advice from the internet.

This has been getting turned over a few times in the mind palace lately, and me, myself, and I have come to the conclusion that we haven't, in fact, really enabled netlisting in the traditional, 40k-like sense of the word. We have just made people aware of better mechs, better units, and the wide wonderful world of cool and viable record sheets. It isn't like we have provided an actual, specific list of mechs with a clear game plan and play pattern.

Clan Wolf Beta Galaxy Gargoyle. Credit: Jack Hunter

In Which I Provide an Actual, Specific List of Mechs with a Clear Game Plan and Play Pattern

Welcome to class; please take a seat. The purpose of this article is to provide a specific list that should be able to win most games of BattleTech in all eras, in almost all situations, while being extremely easy to pilot and not containing anything that would be restricted by any predictable tournament restrictions. In addition, it is a fairly fluff-friendly, thematic, and fun to play. This is not the best list ever, it isn't the be all end all conclusion to competitive BattleTech, but it is easy to play and capable of beating the overwhelming majority of lists at the overwhelming majority of missions. I will provide both Scale 3 (6000 BV) and Scale 4 (8000 BV) variations of this list, depending on what era and what points value you are playing locally.

So, without wasting more time, here is the list:

Scale 3 (6000 BV)
Gargoyle E, 4/5, 2257 BV
Stormcrow TC, 4/5, 2373 BV
Fire Moth H, 4/5, 779 BV
Gnome Battle Armor, 4/5, 581 BV
Scale 4 (8000 BV)
Linebacker E, 4/5, 1846 BV

When you hit Scale 4, just add the Linebacker to the Scale 3 list and increase the skill on the Gnomes to 3/5.

You can load this list at scale 4 on MekBay with this link.

The principle of this list is speed, sky-high damage output, simple play patterns and heat management, and enough durability to not instantly die on contact with the enemy. This list is, near as I can tell, legal on Clan Wolf availability all the way from the Invasion through to IlClan, but it is extremely likely to be legal on a huge range of availabilities, none of these units are particularly rare or exclusive. Let's walk through each component of this list and how to use it.

Gargoyle E

Northwind Highlanders Gargoyle/Man O' War. Credit: SRM

The Gargoyle E carries an ATM-12, 4 heavy medium lasers, a streak SRM 6, and a pair of ER micro lasers. A targeting computer offsets the accuracy penalty of the HMLs. The Gargoyle's plan in this list is very simple. If there are objectives on the map, pick one that it seems likely your opponent is going to go to and run towards it. Once you reach the objective, run at the slowest reasonable threatening enemy mech within a reasonable distance of the Gargoyle, get as close as possible, and fire the ATM 12 on HE mode along with all of the heavy medium lasers. If there are no objectives, find a good path to the middle of the table, run to the middle of the table, then select the nearest enemy as above. Every third turn, drop a laser for the Streak SRM-6. If it locks and fires, fire it again on the following turn to fully sink your heat, then go back to firing all the lasers. If the mech you are mauling dies, select a new target and run at it instead. Repeat until the Gargoyle dies or until every enemy is dead.

Some tips:

Fire the heavy lasers before the ATM/SSRM. They hit in larger clusters, so they are more likely to open a hole for your smaller clusters to crit.
Take any kick that is on an 8+ or better, no matter if you think you need it or not.
Only fire the ER micro lasers if you have lost a weapon or a limb; they are not efficient otherwise.
Load two tons of HE ammo and one ton of standard ammo. Shots at long range aren't real, and you do not want to run out of HE ammo. ER is for losers.

Stormcrow TC

Hastati Sentinels Stormcrow. Credit: Jack Hunter

The Stormcrow TC carries a Gauss Rifle, 4 ER medium lasers, and a targeting computer. The Stormcrow is not your main hitter here, but it plays an important role in supporting the Gargoyle, and the two should never be far apart. Follow the Gargoyle, preferable keeping a tiny bit of distance (ideally sitting at exactly 5 hexes from the Gargoyle's current target, but 3-4 is also fine. They are likely a bit too distracted by big man to shoot at the Stormcrow.). If there are objectives, it can be wise to have your Stormcrow converge on the same objective as the Gargoyle and score it while the enemy is distracted by the Gargoyle running at them. The longer range compared to the Gargoyle means that the Stormcrow is likely to still have acceptable shots on anything the Gargoyle is engaging, even if they pull away.

Some tips:

Fire the Stormcrow before you fire the Gargoyle. The gauss rifle has a good chance of opening something up for the Gargoyle to crit.
Try to keep moving; a Stormcrow with less than 3 TMM is likely a dead Stormcrow. As long as you keep the Gargoyle within 4-5 hexes of you, you will likely have an acceptable shot to its target.
Fire the gauss rifle first, then the lasers. This increases your chances of getting multiple crits on an enemy.
Drop a medium laser every fifth turn to avoid heat penalties.

Fire Moth H and Gnome Battle Armor

Clan Wolf Fire Moth. Credit: Jack Hunter

The Fire Moth H carries the gnome battle armor into battle. It has 9 heavy small lasers and a targeting computer to offset the accuracy penalty. Gnomes are 14 armor heavy BA suits with an ER small laser and an advanced SRM-2 with 2 shots. The Fire Moth H has a fairly simple game plan. If there are objectives, pick one that seems likely to be lightly defended, run to it on turn 1, drop off your gnomes to hold and score it, and then go run off to support the Gargoyle E, diving on the target it has selected and firing all 9 heavy lasers, before running off to cool down for 1 turn, then cycle-charging back in to do it again (editor's note: running back in, not an actual charge attack). Repeat until the Fire Moth dies. The Gnomes are simple, take a shot at the closest target every turn and generally be as annoying to kill and as high damage as possible. If there are not objectives, keep the Fire Moth and its cargo held back out of line of sight. Once the Gargoyle engages a target in close combat, jet out at mach 15 and drop gnomes directly next to the current target. Once you have done this, begin the cycle of heavy lasering. If the objectives in play require you to move between points on the battlefield, the Fire Moth is the unit that should be doing that objective, it is the most capable of doing objectives like that.

Some tips:

Fire Moths are insanely brittle, so you never ever want a Fire Moth to be the only shot the enemy has, or the best shot the enemy has. Never enter combat with the Fire Moth until the Gargoyle has engaged; hang back and keep it safe so it can deliver its payload.
Gnomes are obnoxious to kill, but they are incapable of making anti-mech attacks. Just shoot people with them, their damage is fairly high for BA and the lack of AMM is going to make your shots decently easy.
Digging heavy Battle Armor out of a strong position on an objective can be remarkably difficult, so it is decently likely your opponent simply won't try. This is good for you, as you can score for free.

Linebacker E

Clan Wolf Linebacker. Credit: Jack Hunter

Once you hit Scale 4, add the Linebacker E. This is another ATM mech, with a pair of ATM-6s and an ER large laser. It has an active probe in case you need it for an objective. The Linebacker should be used exactly the same as the Gargoyle, and should join it in diving on top of the enemy while firing every weapon it can at it. It is fast, rugged, and adds a lot more violence and meat to your list. If you need to do an objective, send the Stormcrow after it and keep the Linebacker on top of the enemy with the Gargoyle. 99% of lists are going to struggle to kill both the Linebacker and the Gargoyle before their biggest mech is buried by them.

Some tips:

Take any kick on an 8+ or better.
ER ammo is for cowards; load 5 tons of HE and one ton of Standard. You don't need range where you are going.

General List Tips

Once the Gargoyle dies, the Stormcrow (at Scale 3) or Linebacker (at Scale 4) takes over its role as "Mech that runs at the enemy and shoots them as close as possible". The enemy should be fairly depleted after killing the Gargoyle, so you should be able to swing it.

Never split your fire for any reason if at all possible. You need to put your entire list into a single enemy mech every turn. If your target is out of reach, fire at whatever will likely be your next target.

Getting in reps with a single, specific list will make you vastly better at the game. Even if you choose to alter this list or play a variation, I highly suggest playing this list or a list very similar to it repeatedly. Repetition and practice with the same units will make you very good with that specific unit.

Enemy assault mechs and slow heavy mechs make the best targets and the best sport. They are too slow to run away, they are helpless before you. Crush them and consume them.

General List Philosophy and Miscellaneous Thoughts

As you might have been able to put together, the principle tactic of this list is blind aggression and violence. By being as aggressive as possible and getting in your opponent's face as quickly as possible with as much damage as possible, you make it your opponent's job to win the game. By taking the initiative and being as aggressive as possible as soon as possible, you force your opponent to answer the questions you are asking. Many players will answer wrong, or will find rather abruptly that their list doesn't actually have an answer to this question. Nothing in this list has a difficult execution, with most being either alpha strikers or extremely close. All that you need to worry about is what your target is and how you can get every single mech in your list to fire at that mech at short range.

There are stronger ways to play BattleTech, but none of them are remotely this easy to execute. Do not bother with anything fancy, any clever play, any tricks, traps, or tactics. As you play more aggressively more often, you will start to learn when it works and when it doesn't. Once you have that knowledge, you can start making decisions about when to change targets, and start to intuit what mechs play an aggressive game better.

There is an understandable desire from newer players to try to play cagey, play evasive, and play for survivability. Put bluntly, playing keepaway and playing on the margins of range bands is strong, but it is difficult and most new players are pretty bad at it. It is nearly impossible to catastrophically misplay a list that only wants to run directly at the enemy and vomit damage on them until they die. You will see better results faster, and improve faster, by playing as aggressively as possible. Fuck cover, you don't need it, get on top of the enemy and hit them. Fuck terrain, you don't need it, plow through it and hit them. Damn the shells, damn the beams, damn them all! RUN FORWARDS, APPLY BOOTS TO HEADS, BURN OFF THE ARMOR, KNOCK THEM TO THE GROUND IN A GLORIOUS, RAPTUROUS RIPPLE OF HIGH EXPLOSIVE EUPHORIA! FEAST ON THE ENTRAILS, ROOT AROUND IN THEIR RIBS AND MAKE A MEAL OF THEIR CONFUSION AND FEAR! CLAWS OF GLORIOUS LIGHT, FERROUS TALONS, AND QUILLS OF HIGH EXPLOSIVE!

If you don't have a higher game plan or any clever theories, no ideas, no brain, just raw animal instinct and blind rage, you can't be outsmarted. Purge everything inside until only the will to kill remains. If your enemy usually has better to-hit numbers than you, get directly to short range and make those shots equal by any means necessary. Try to get as much TMM as you can, but if you have to choose between TMM and being at short range, choose to be at short range. If you have to choose between AMM and being at short range, choose to be at short range. If you have to choose between an objective and being at short range, choose to be at short range.

The enemy cannot score if you destroy their list. The enemy cannot do objectives if they are dead and buried, deep inside the cold hard cruel ground. Make a mausoleum of the map. Give them 6 feet plus as much as they are taller, and score with whatever is left over.

When you are new, aggression will pave the path to greater understanding. The violence will open your third eye. Oh, my hit numbers are better than theirs if I do this, I'll do it more. Oh, that mech really hurt while I was engaging another mech, I should kill that one first next time. Trial and error, brick by bloodstained brick, you can build a cathedral of skill, a monument stretching to the sky, surrounded by thousands of dead Gargoyles and Linebackers, expended munitions used in service of your ascension.

Make a feast of the field, obliterate all before you, and learn, grow, adapt. You will grow beyond the limits of this list and want to try things. Once you can win many games with this list, or once your local has adapted, once they match your fury with fury or with calm collection and smooth evasion, adapt as well. Break free from the chains of this list and take the philosophy, the aggression, the fury, and apply it to the buffet of options you have in BattleTech. Aggression, Speed, and Violence are your companions, and cowardice has been purged from the soul.

Go forth and kill, and have a nice night!

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Tags: Battletech | mechwarrior | Mech | list | Netlist