2019.06.01 13:56 by Raido Kudonen
Links fit for the Pontifex/Magus usually have two links and a small command processor, so the niche that these have in a brawly snatch-type gang is their much heavier DPS than other command destroyers.
In smaller groups (like ORGNC, where a very substantial subcap roam is somewhere between 12 and 20) one of the problems we've experienced with the command destroyer-heavy comp is that command destroyer numbers trade off with your gang's DPS. A Magus with its DPS drones out (2x Valks, 3x Hobs) and EMP in its autocannons does about 240 DPS, with the huge majority of that DPS subject to being left on field when you boosh away or have to warp off. A Pontifex can't pull that much off, and of course the autocannon fits project to about 5km at best with those ACs.
We've used three main DPS platforms with booshing command destroyers for roams: "tri-AF" mixed armor assault frigates with mostly Retributions, Kikimoras, and mixed Confessors/Kikimoras. With the Kikimora's utility neut dropped due to nerfed grid and its drone bay empty, the Kikimora is still clearly at the top of the DPS race with a damage ramp of 275-687 using Occult at a 15km optimal. The Confessor hits to scram range at 379 DPS with Conflag, and even the Retribution (which is much more projection focused) does 272 DPS at brawl range with Gleam.
The bottom line on the DPS numbers: the least damage focused version of our snatch comp, the one using AFs, had more reliable DPS on the AFs, while the other two versions have much more DPS on the dedicated damage platforms, whether Confessors, Hecates, or Kikimoras.
The key to using snatch comps (especially in small numbers) against blobby or more-blobby-than-you numbers is the Burst Jammer, which lets you boosh people out of hostile gangs even when they're protected by HICs and other anti-boosh specialists. You also need a certain number of command destroyers just to have full links on your group. So just to have enough MJFGs in your comp, you probably need 3 command destroyers; to make sure you have a few burst jammers available and everyone has links, you need about 5. Without the Draugur in play, that's approximately 2 Magi (2x skirmish, 1x skirmish w/ burst jammer) and 3 Pontifexes (2x armor, 2x info, 1x info 1x armor, all with burst jammers) if you get the perfect comp. With 3 deacons and a ceptor pilot for pings, that means a small group can field somewhere between 3 and 11 dedicated DPS ships. At the lower end, the 3 Confessors/Hecates (let alone Kikimoras) do more damage than all 5 command destroyers. At the upper end, every additional command destroyer one adds for extra snatching is still a substantial loss of DPS for the gang.
So I think a brawl-focused application of the Draugur is almost tailored to a group like mine, where we like to use command destroyer-heavy comps but run low on DPS in our typical fleet size. One can pretty easily see 500 DPS Draugur fits (btw, the plural of draugur is draugar for the language nerds out there) covering the skirmish links and making space for a couple extra MJFGs where one would otherwise feel bad at losing a Confessor's DPS. If we managed to form 20 dudes, we might even add a couple extra Deacons.
The tl;dr is basically that the place you see "non-nullblob" use of mass CDs is basically my corp/alliance, these are pretty amazing for the super brawly low-numbers snatching and command destroyer-heavy roaming we do. The only problem is I feel like they're gonna cost about 400m apiece once the price stabilizes, and that seems rather high for the brawly application.
"What is good in life, Raido?"
"To crush your enemies. To see them bubbled before you, and to hear the lamentations of their carebears."
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