Air Superiority

I mostly play airs, and in an air-heavy meta, I often run into other airs. One thing I'm trying to figure out is what I'm supposed to do when I see enemy airs. CB currently has no weapons designed for air-to-air combat, except for possibly the Mini Zook, which is perhaps the worst bazooka in the game. I feel bad every time I gimp my air's mobility by sticking one of those on.

So here's what I'm looking for: build ideas for an air superiority bot. For those of you who don't know military lingo, that means an air bot designed first and foremost to take on other airs, with no regard given to anti-ground capability. Here's a few things I'm thinking would be good:

• Airs that don't lean forward when flying can shoot much higher than ones that do. While they sacrifice the ability to attack the ground under them, that's kind of the whole point of air superiority, and is an acceptable trade-off.
  
• A medium-long range weapon with anti-air homing. Before you tell me to learn how to aim, look at what modern military airplanes use to take out other airplanes: missiles. Small, fast targets are often better dealt with homing weapons.
  
• Some way of grounding other airs, whether it be via stunning through sheer brute force, debuffs, or weapons that stun well to ground them.
  
• Good DPS weaponry. This is just basic, but it should be able to out-DPS most other airs in the sky if it's going to take them down.
  
• Beam Guard. This is just an obvious must. That means this build can;t be reliant on using all ten carts for other things.
  
• Agility and speed; these are the trademarks of air bots, and should not be sacrificed.
  

So, any ideas? Currently, I'm trying a Summer Thoarla with a Electron Gun and Mini Zook, and that's working...passably, but the Electron Gun just isn't doing what I want it to do, and the Mini Zook's crap compared to a Handy Zook.

Mini Bazooka is honestly the best air-to-air. A mini zook seraph should have no trouble taking on even an Rt-heavy alpha air. I really don't know what else to tell you, because it's by far the best choice you've got, and it's even at a low price.

So, basically, lands get more and better anti-air options than air? What happened to CB's triangle of robot types?

Melee.
Trust me on this, as soon as you peg an AIR with a rapier or other things, they fall. You can continue to peg them to death by pegging or projectiles from team mates. Of the few times I PvPed, a single melee blow on an AIR is usually enough to seal their fate.

Klinkin wrote:

So, basically, lands get more and better anti-air options than air? What happened to CB's triangle of robot types?

Each type is pretty limited in counters for their own type. Airs get mini zook, lands get laser/handy laser, arts get jet hammer (and a few derpy melees like Cutter that aren't worth mentioning).

That said, goes hand in hand with what I was just saying in a different thread: EN thinks air is the dominant type, JP's already proven it's land.

That also said, mini bazooka is insanely good if you can actually aim it and you really shouldn't need anything more potent.

If you're really curious about all your blast damage options though...

• Circuit Breaker - Given that it's a breaker, have fun trying to consistently hit other airs with it.
  
• Pterano HD - See above.
  
• Rifle Bit - Limited to Big Mountaiz.
  
• Air Slasher - Blast-type melee weapon, oriented toward melee air-to-air.
  

Or you could just get better with a non-counter weapon. I find Garula AM, Magnet Gun, and even Handy Magnum viable in air-to-air situations. Psycho Cluster's subweapon internal will just about always drop another air out of the sky if I land it on them, especially if it hits them in the back as they flee.

I just want to add on the comment of Mini zook. I personally don't understand why you are having trouble with mini zook when it has better speed than handy zook. Also it has better int.The only problem is that handy zook has better range, less negative stats, a bit more force and has less cost. They are almost the same thing. Only major difference would be int and negative stats and cost. If you are having that much of a problem i suggest speed tuning your mini zook. Cost and negative stats shouldn't be that much of a problem.
Here are the stats

Handy Bazooka
Cost +40 Class: Bazooka
HP -- Damage: Blast
STR -- Force/Power: 25
TEC -- Ammo/Rate: 150
WLK -1 Range: 240
FLY -1 Attack Speed: 275
TGH -- Interval/Rate: 700

Mini Bazooka
Cost +60 Class: Bazooka
HP -- Damage: Blast
STR -- Force/Power: 23
TEC -- Ammo/Rate: 160
WLK -2 Range: 210
FLY -2 Attack Speed: 280
TGH -- Interval/Rate: 540

Anyways I think you forgot about air melee. Although i don't suggest using it because i never used it. Weapons like slash blade and crimrose am4(I think its this one) can easily bring airs down. Also a slow tuned frau Lg can work too. Even things like a kamui staff can work. Also beam guard is only useful vs other airs if they only use beam type weapons which isn't the case most of them.

Frau legs
Stardust cannon (who cares that it's beam it stuns most airs anyway with roflpwn force)

Anything that allows you to do consistent damage against the target, I've had success with all sorts of weapons ranging from abr (only gun I had on that bot...), to power shooter. If you can aim, most accurate guns become viable for dog-fighting.

Also, stop thinking of the weapon triangle as such a black and white deal. It doesn't mean you auto win or lose against other types, it just gives you access to a class of weapons, and your bot has a weakness to a specific type.

Suguri reccomended Air slasher so I'm going to warn you that the air shockwaves you send do blast damage, and if you get caught inside them, you will lose 1hp per shockwave.

LXE wrote:

Suguri reccomended Air slasher so I'm going to warn you that the air shockwaves you send do blast damage, and if you get caught inside them, you will lose 1hp per shockwave.

I will take this opportunity to once again remind you that this applies to any weapon with splash - including every other weapon I'd mentioned.

Mini zook is easily the best air vs air

Sadly mini zook is your best bet.

If not, melee (preferably something with slow *cough* FRAU *cough*) could also do the trick. Though when you're doing something like that, you're risking yourself to any other people around you.




Honestly, it took me a while, but I've realized that LND is really what's up with this game. The only problem comes with people who won't do anything but ah-chan, and the LND that won't do anything but derp-combo hit. Need more hoppers/jham/bcers out there. >.>