The Mobula

[Gryphos]

the ship is underutilized and underappreciated, not underpowered; and that people just haven't learned the meta for it yet.

^^^ truth!

[Queso]

The way I've built Mobulas in the past, they have huge DPS potential. If you get one positioned correctly, their is no out-repairing it. It kind of freaks my crew out that I'm telling them not to fix anything, because if they fall into that habit, we go down. You have to just keep firing until the enemy is dead. Another thing it has going for it is the huge vertical movement advantage. If you can get one in the right position above or below, you can just hang out of their arcs, while all the good dps weapons have great vertical arcs. They'll never be able to out position you on the vertical axis because of it's movement.

[Byron Cavendish]

I actually really like using a triple carronade mobula with incindiary rounds, and two outer arti's. Try it, it's brutal.

[Zenark]

I've used two carronades on the bottom with a long range weapons on the top. As soon as they get close, pop heir balloon, use a bit of Hydrogen, escape easily.

[Gryphos]

Those can both work well. I prefer to take advantage of the constant trifecta with a gatling on top and a carronade/mortar combo. Being able to both disable and kill at the same time can be devastating.

[Cl ick to Ca p t ain]

I figured I'd post this since it seems relevant.

I decided that after making this thread to grab a crew and spend some time really flying and maining Mobula. In our first match against some random 1-4 pubbies after I had scoring 4 kills one of the opposing captains gave me a big tip of his hat to my Mobula.

Had 3 mortars on top as to be able to kill form the sides if needed, and two below deck gatlings.

[treseritops]

The mobula is anything but broken. It's a fantastic high skill/high reward ship. Right now the squid and mobula are *perfect*.

I've played against the two mobula metas (2 arts on outside and either two gats below+mortar or gat/flak on bottom+merc up top). You can't get anywhere near it without it taking out your guns, and if it has the merc some of your health will be gone as well.

In stark contrast I've flown the exact same load outs and had nowhere near the amount of success. There is a feel you need to get, I would miss a few calls here and there (should have stayed further back, should have gone for the _____ instead of the _____ ship) but that's why it was only "okay" for me.

Same goes for squid (although that's unrelated). You can put the same load out but the real strength in the ship is the gut of the captain.

[Cl ick to Ca p t ain]

Someone should make one of these threads for the Squid, it should get some love to.

[Gryphos]

I've played against the two mobula metas (2 arts on outside and either two gats below+mortar or gat/flak on bottom+merc up top).

The really wouldn't say there's any Mobula meta at the moment, and if there is I'll be damned if it has a merc on top.

[Qwerty Kun]

Hey all Qwerty here.

Now I realise I'm not the best player out there, however I have been working on that and feel that I have some opinions to offer here. As part of my drive to become competitive I've decided that I will try my very best to take me and my crew to the top on a Mobula. Thus I have been spending a ton of time on it and have MAYBE been one of the few to fly it competitively (A scrimmage against the Overcake).

My Build:

Top Deck Gun - Gattling     

• This is obvious, good armour shred at a decent range. I opt for this over a Hades due to the arming time on the Hades and over a Field Gun due to it's poor turning arcs which in many case disable the trifecta

Bottom deck Guns - Mortars

• This works on much the same theory as a mortar on a Pyramidion does. The Mortars will fire either WHILE the Gattling is, or when half a Gatling clip is spent (if I can get that level of communication)
• The only issue with these guns is that in super close range they don't have the turning arcs to set up a trifecta. I don't find this a problem as it requires about a 10^o turn to bring the other mortar to bare, creating a good alternating fire scenario.

Mid Deck Guns - Artemis

• This gun is insane. The turning arcs make it so that you COULD (if you had the crew) set up a 5 gun firing scenario. At range the wing gungineers will use these guns to destroy components and shred armour.
• Should only one mortar have arc on a ship in front of a Mobula, the Artemis on the OTHER WING will also have arc, allowing you to keep a trifecta and shred components should you wish

Captains Tools
Phoenix Claw

• I don't really have to explain this one do I? A Mobula will only win a fight if you can get of a trifecta, lose that arc and you lose the fight. Thus you bring Phoenix claw as you turn like a sloth
• Please note that a squid is your worst enemy. Not Pyramidion, not Junker, Squid. That bastard will spin around you all day and no amount of chicken foot will help you.

Drag Chute

• Carronades are extremely strong ATM. Some people say OP, I disagree. However they are still insane. Thus this is essential, as a Mobula you are 70% balloon and if that thing dies you are in a lot of trouble. You can buy your right wing gungineer a LOT of time if you bring this tool and remember to trigger it when your balloon goes down.
• I might change out this tool for either of the altitude tools when carronades are nerfed, however I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Kerosene

• Mobulas move at the speed of a casual glacier, if you want to even keep up with a Galleon, you need kerosene. If you want to have any hope of running away, you need kerosene. If you want to run in to save an ally (meatgrind), you need kerosene
• Seriously....so god damn slow

Wait, wheres hydrogen/chute vent?

• You don't need it. With a buffed balloon you can move under or over a chargin pyramidion from about 1 second away. Your altitude adjustment speed is insane and is your prime escapability. Other ships can run away, you pretend your on a pogo stick and kite all day.

Engineers
Left wing

• Mallet. The idea of the left engineer is to hit the hull once EVERY time he reloads. You want that repair to the as large as possible.
• Spanner. You need to rebuild, and fast. Your captain can buy you time while rising and falling, but you need to get that hull up as soon as possible.
• Extinguisher. You need to keep fire of your hull and (should it be needed) the balloon and other components. Most of the time you will ignore fire until out of a fight, but you need that tool to get rid of it.

Top Deck

• Spanner. The main engine rarely goes down, unless deliberately targeted and it isn't that essential. Your turning engines are the focus. This tool allows you to assist the balloon or hull if either are in trouble, and gives you a spot for an additional tool.
• Chem/Extinguisher. Help the left and right wing engineers keep their fire down. Chem is probably the best option here.
• Buff kit. The Mobula revolves around buffs and has 2 of them on board. Without them you will die. The Top engineers main buff priority is the Balloon. More on this in the gameplay section.

Right Wing

• Mallet. Same reason as the left wing 300000000000 x more important.
• Spanner. Same reason as the left wing. See above for importance.
• Buff kit. Again you need buffs to win in a Mobula. There is a specific buff priority which will be covered later

Gameplay
Allright, as I've said buffs are important. They are of course the first thing you will do in the game and there is a specific way you have to do it to optimize time.
The order of importance is as follows.

• Balloon
• Hull
• Engines
• Guns

At the beginning of the game your top deck engineer will buff the hull then head to and buff his gun. If he has time he will also buff the main engine. The top deck engineer is your armour shredder and should be firing before your Mortars are (roughly half a clip), thus he needs to be there early. To make this happen they are given a high priority component to buff, but only that one. He should also quickly chem spray everything he touches in his buff run.

The right wing engineer will buff + prebuff the balloon, then prebuff the Mortars and then prebuff the hull. That's right the top deck DOES NOT prebuff, speed and all that. The right wing engineer does. Why is prebuffing the hull so low on the priority? because if you get fired on, your hull will likely die before you need it buffed again. If you get interrupted prebuffing your hull and run to your guns to find them not buffed, your damage is seriously reduced and this could mean your death.

As a captain your first priority is to group up with your ally. Never leave your ally or you WILL die. Your second priority is to NEVER GET RAMMED, if you get rammed you will die 100% of the time. Use your buffed balloon and rise over or sink under your enemy, then activate Chicken Foot and turn to bring your guns to bare.

You rarely ever want to do the approaching with the Mobula. Your not stationary per se, nor are you a sniper, however most of the time you will let the enemy come to you. If they are sniping however, you will have to approach them, you can not win a sniping war. At range you want to use your Artemis's to snipe out guns and samsh armour at range, bring them in close in a bad situation for your guns. If you ARE approaching them (make sure it's with your ally) then start hitting them with these babies too.

In close your game is have the trifecta going. Due to the turning arc problem on the Mortars your going to have to learn the sweet spot for the trifecta. If you are inside that sweet spot you have 2 courses of action. Your first is to backpedal and get into that sweetspot range where all three guns can hit.

OR

One of your gunners can go to their artemis/ repair their main component. eg. Your enemy is inside your sweetspot and your hull is on half health. Favour your right side and bring the right Mortar into arc, have the left wing engineer repair the hull while doing so. No damage needing to be repaired? have your left wing hop up onto the left artemis, it can and WILL hit.

Additionally while talking about this little play. Always favour your right side over your left. Always have that right mortar in firing arc. Should the balloon go down you have a pilot tool for that, your right ring engineer has time. If your hull armour gets shredded your in a LOT of trouble. Thus if you can only have one Mortar firing, make sure it is ALWAYS the right one.

Now as stated the Mobula kites in a unique way. It is too slow to kite via running away/around terrain and thus has to use it's one advantage to do that. Vertical mobility. No you don't need hydrogen, that's overkill, however the balloon must always be buffed. Make note of your enemies guns and learn their arcs, if you're versing Carronades stay low 70% of the time, they can't shoot down, and rise hard and fast once they are in arc only to sink again once he rises into arc. Always be running if you can while doing this of course, not point staying in the once spot.

Finally I would like to introduce the Alpha Strike. Yes the Mobula can still do this. Yes it's crazy and likely won't be used in competitive play. However there may be the odd scenario in which this is useful.

The Mobula CAN get 4 of its guns firing at once. The top deck engineer can jump down to either the right or left Artemis while the captain can turn around, jump up onto the railings near the wheel then up onto the top gun. The switch takes about 3-4 seconds and you will have a shitload of damage raining down on one target. Even galleons shit themselves under this much fire.

Allright ladies and gentlemen that's it from me.

I might add/change this later on but THAT is how I run my Mobula and how I think it is most effective. It is not underpowered, most people just haven't worked it out yet. I honestly believe it requires the most communication and co-ordination of ANY ship in the game to work, and that is it's largest downfall. An average team on a Mobula? terrible. A great team on a Mobula? Invincible.

Cheers,

Qwerty

[Alistair MacBain]

I understand and agree with most of this but i dont see why you have 2 mortars. A mortar can instagib pretty much any ship with one clip even if you load lesmok rounds.
If you switch it so you have double the piercing dmg you will kill your enemy way faster than with doubled mortars. Explosive dmg doesnt deal alot on armo. But as we all know its quite nice against the permahull. And as you would have 2 gatlings you would be able to just add some of this piercing dmg onto the enemys hull. It may not be much but it should be enough to kill pretty much any ship within one clip.

[Qwerty Kun]

My reasoning for that is actually very simple.

Piercing does 0.2 damage to the hull health.
Explosive does 0.3 to armour

A full gatling clip can shred every armour but the galleons (I think) and a full mortar clip is a bit slow to fire of all rounds, almost every crew will have their armour up before the full clip goes through.

Double gat is something that has been suggested to me, I haven't tried it too much so I can't really comment. I'll give it a bit of a try and report back later.

[Alistair MacBain]

Oh youre right. And what i learn again? Sometimes just do the calculation ...
But you will always need mortar assistance to get the hull down cause the main engineer will probably get one mallet hit on the hull.

[Crafeksterty]

I'd appreciate it if you were a bit more creative with your posts in the future instead of copying entire sections of my own, it looks kinda creepy to me right now > .>

Not saying you should change it, but ehhh..

Simply used your post as a template to start a conversation about the Mobula, it had a decent solid structure and it seemed to work for starting a ship discussion.

You had some quotes that was almost the same.

In anycase, I dont think that the mobula is broken like i read as i scroll down this thread. If there where 2 mobulas, it would either be easy or hard, depending on map.

It is like you guys are saying, high risk, high kill type ship.


Think of it, the weapons on the mobula are perfect, it is so fun coming up with different builds and abusing its power. That its turning speed is a must be slow.
My main issue with the mobula is its components, every one had a dip on complaining about it the first time the stepped into the mobula.
In a way its on purpose of design.

With 3-4 guns facing forward and shooting, you cannot really afford having someone to run in and repair. Kill before you get killed. If you do throw someone onto repair and make it a 2 shooter, it is then weaker than the usual junker/pyra/spire/squid because not only do you have the same ammount of guns pointing at him, your in all a weaker ship overall.

Having goldfish ammount (or close) of hull health "may" fix this, or encourage killing before repairing properly. The mobula is very strong, but easily out meneuvered and disabled. Hwachas that seem to not disable these days actualy disable pretty well on the mobula.

[treseritops]

I've played against the two mobula metas (2 arts on outside and either two gats below+mortar or gat/flak on bottom+merc up top).

The really wouldn't say there's any Mobula meta at the moment, and if there is I'll be damned if it has a merc on top.

It's not as textbook of a meta as the gat/mortar meta on a pyra or junker but it seems to be the most common of successful mobulas (mobuli?).

As for the merc that's Romankar's mobula. I included that because it was maybe the first real mobula load out that worked so well. It doesn't seem as popular now but for a month or so that was one of the primary ways of loading a mobula for long range.