Super MNC Competitive 5v5 Matchup Guide

Super MNC Competitive 5v5 Matchup Guide by Awpteamoose

The following is based on a very limited experience with proper 5×5 matchups. I don’t pretend to be the wisest one there is, neither I’m writing this as an ultimate “how to play” guide. It’s obviously based on my own perspective how things happen and whether certain things work or not.

So, I’m going to talk about a competetive play. This assumes that players have developed some kind of teamwork with each other, they plan their moves ahead as a team as well as they communicate during match to relay all kinds of information.

Stage 1: Assembling a team
During this stage you will be assembling your team. You will choose players you want to play with. You might base it as purely a friend team or you might try to actually focus on increasing the skill level on your team. Usually, if you want to get into a good team and can’t find one for some time, it never hurts to start your own. Even if you’re the person to get everyone together, you may relay all the captain stuff on the other person if you don’t want to do it.
Players on a team should be assigned with regard to ceratin roles or pros that they are best with. There is no point to get 5 amazing sniper players on one team and then force them to go something other than sniper – it will not end well.
One player on your team should be assigned as a caller (same as in all team-based games). That person will in general coordinate team actions as a whole – which side to push, what to focus on, call out maneuvers, etc.

Stage 2: Team composition
Out of all currently available pros, there’s only 2 absolute necessities: veteran and CG/Support.
First has a unique ability that lets him to create kills out of thin air and a function that lets him to endlessly stun the turret, nullifying it’s capabilities given there’s noone around to defend it.
Second, either of those can heal. Money is another resource you really don’t want to be wasting, in a clutch you might not have money for another regenitol or a jumppad. Not mentioning the usefulness of cats and firebases for the sake of fortifying the annihilator area.

Firepower:
I still believe that the rest of the team should be chosen based on an imaginary stat “firepower”. Basically, it’s a rating of a pro that depends on how much influence (damage done and damage taken) this pro has over a teamfight. For example, veteran barely does any damage with his eagles so his firepower rating is low. Sniper and GS on the other hand are capable of outputting massive damage but can’t take much damage and can’t escape a fight, so their firepower rating is on average. Tank has the most firepower because his shield, charge and massive health assure he’s not going to be easy to kill yet his railgun and jetgun guarantee massive damage output during any fight.
I can’t put commandoes in there because I genuinely don’t understand what are they supposed to be doing. I’m not saying they are useless, but I don’t see any reason to pick any commando over a high firepower pro.
So, on a scale from tank to veteran, my list goes like this:
– Tank 10
– Gunner 9.0
– Assault 8.3
– Sniper 7.5
– Cheston 6.5
– Karl 6.3
– Combatgirl 5.0
– Support 4.0
– Gunslinger 3.4
– Veteran 1.0

In my head, the best team consists of: Veteran, Combatgirl, Tank, Assault and Sniper.

Stage 3: Match flow
This part is pretty small because obviosuly, I haven’t figured the ultimate strategies and difficul maneuvers here. So I will try to cover the most basic, most obvious things to do.

Early game (00:00 – 05:00):
Split lanes 2-2-1 with 1 going to jungle. The healer swaps places with a full health person on the other lane if heals requested. CC skills at people who try to overextend, try to setup ganks with a person from jungle. Depending on how the game goes, in the first 2 minutes should be defined a person that saves for the annihilator and a person that buys the jumppads. Usaully, jumppads buys the most poor one (got killed, can’t kill bots because pushed in a lane) and obviously the richest scores the first annihilator.
Gaining even 1 level advantage early game and not dying will payout tenfold later.

First annihilator fight (05:00):
The point is not to die and keep doing damage. If a friendly dies, it’s a reason enough to stop actively fighting and try to keep people off the annihilator without actively trying to take it before a friendly spawns and comes back in a fight. If impossible, fall back.
Otherwise, watch health. If enemy team is about 50-60% of your teams health pool, you proceed to try take the annihilator. Saving juice for later in fight might assure some kills. Killing an enemy means that you should try to take over the annihialtor again. Killing 2 or 3 means that everyone but the person taking the anni should commit to chasing and try to damage enemies enough before the annihilator hits. If your team loses the annihilator control and you see no way to stop it, full health players should try to destroy frontal bot waves with ejectors and fall back, weak players should return to base and wait for the annihilator to hit, then come back to fight for the frontmost left turret (on both maps).
If your team has the annihilator, you should destroy the frontmost left turret (unless destroyed already) and proceed to push on the right one while keeping jungle control.

Mid game (06:30 – 11:30):
If you’re losing, try to setup a flank and kill someone. If at level disadvantage, hold back, kill bots and collect pickups. If not, try to flank or catch a lone person. Once got 1 or 2 kills, push bot lanes, get jungle, try to engage with more people – no way you can be fought back, the turrets are way too far. Buy bots, it’s the only advantage you have over the enemy.
If you’re winning, keep killing bots and try to kill turrets. Once done, move to jungle and keep holding lanes from there.

Second annihilator fight (~11:30):
If you’re losing, don’t contest unless confindent. Keep trying to pick players off. If can’t manage, wait for the strike and reestablish hold. Keep trying flanks and grapples.
If you’re winning, hold off the jungle entrances so the person taking the annihilator isn’t even in danger. Stick together, don’t die. After the lightning strikes, destroy lazerblazers if any. Now you can fight enemies in their base, be on lookout for rocket turrets. Try to juice on rocket turrets from safety.

Late game (12:00 – endgame):
If you’re losing, keep trying to catch up and push forward. Focus on lighter classes. If enemy has a player on a streak, even try to suicide 1 or 2 of yours on him (if needed) – the payout will be greater.
If you’re winning, hold ground, but don’t be afraid to fall back into the jungle. Losing players will be punished hard, losing 1 is a good reason to hug jungle regenitol while losing 2 is a reason to fall back to the middle of the map.

Third annihilator fight (~17:00):
If you’re losing and still couldn’t manage to obtain an advantage and push out – go idle in spawn. If the enemy is on a comeback – fight vigorously for this annihilator, during a comeback this annihilator means either a win or loss, so committing your entire team is perfectly worth it. Any comeback will be shut down while if the comebackers get it, no stopping them now.
If you’re winning and you’ve still got an advantage from midgame – go take it, the enemy is probably in spawn. If you’re on a comeback, be on the lookout for bots lanes since the last thing you want during annihilator fight is your moneyball to drop.

Endgame (around 18:00-22:00):
If you’ve lost, review what’s done wrong. Fix it next game.
If you’ve won, taunt during moneyball explosion sequence, move into enemy mumble channel and proceed to gloat (not really lol).