Spider Tanks Showcase: Scout
Things are about to get dangerously tripodal in here as we give you a crash course on everything about the Scout Body!
Thanks for joining us again at The Spider Tanks Showcase! Today we’re making a sharp turn away from last week’s feature on the always flashy Snoop’s Bumpin Lowrider to spotlight a more unassuming Tank Body. While it may not have the bling and bass of Snoop’s ride, it skitters across the arena with deadly efficiency.
This week we’re talking about Scout. This body will typically be one of the quickest in the arena with its streamlined 3-legged design. Its smaller size, however, means a Pilot will have to translate that extra speed into better dodging, because Scout isn’t carrying much extra Armor.
There are Bodies faster than a Scout, but not by much. The smallest Bodies, like Flea, may move a tiny bit faster than Scout, but they also have even less Armor. Scout moves fast enough to dodge whatever comes at you, but also doesn’t feel like you’re driving a Tank made of paper– so maybe you won’t explode if you get accidentally hit once or twice.
Scout has pretty low Energy compared to most Tanks. This means you won’t be able to rely on Abilities as often as other Pilots, so think about affordable tools for each match. Luckily, Speed Boosters are cheap and they can turn Scout from a fast Tank into an unbelievably fast Tank very quickly. Repair Drone could be another solid option for many pilots. Since it affects you for quite awhile, its Energy cost is a little easier to swallow. With Scout’s low Armor, even a little repairing can go a long way.
Hot Potato: Scout/Flamethrower
This first combo may be a little bit reckless for some, but in the hands of the right Pilot it can just litter the arena with wreckage. Scout gets around quickly but has the armor to take a stray shot or two if that’s what needs to happen. This is essential for getting in close with weapons like the Flamethrower. Smaller Tanks may have the speed edge, but if you’re going to run up on the enemy, you need to make sure you can prioritize damage over dodging once in a while.
The flamethrower slows you down when you start shooting fire. This defeats the entire purpose of Scout, so timing is absolutely key. You need to cover the distance between you and the enemy before you start flaming, then if possible, position yourself where you can catch your enemy for more burning as they try to escape.
How long you can hold them in the fire is critical. Flamethrower will continue to burn the enemy after you stop roasting them, but not for as much damage. You need to burn them down to where you know they’ll die from the DoT, then cut the firepower and race out as fast as possible. For many Pilots, mastering this technique will be a serious challenge, but those who do will be highly feared by opponents.
Rear Support Sniper: Scout/Crossbow
This one takes less advantage of Scout’s speed to leverage borderline kamikaze tactics, and more to dominate the battlefield with superior positioning. Speed isn’t only an asset while close up on the enemy, and with a long range Scout in the backfield, a weakness never has to go unexploited.
This build is all about using the superior range of a Weapon like Crossbow to control the flow of a brawl. Most matches end up with clearly drawn battle lines at some point. Medium range Tanks will hold a line to keep close range Tanks from getting through. While that deadly dance is going on, Scout can be zipping around and picking off stragglers from the relative safety of the rear.
Using this strategy, you’ll rarely be exposed to danger unless your allies give way or someone decides you’re just too annoying to let live and makes a desperate, futile rush at you. In these situations, you’re plenty quick enough to adapt and reposition yourself. You’ll more or less keep moving around the arena and make the enemy fear your Crossbow. If they’re continually dodging bolts from an enemy that they can’t hit, it won’t be long before they make a fatal mistake.
Dancin’ Queen: Scout/Shotgun
For this combo, we’ve chosen yet another way to leverage Scout’s Speed. Paired with the Shotgun, you can approach enemies easily like with the Flamethrower. Unlike the Flamethrower, however, the Shotgun doesn’t ever slow you down. This lets you be just as graceful while you’re in their face as you were running up on them.
Now the object isn’t to get away as quickly as possible, but instead to make it nearly impossible for them to hit you until you get away. Most enemy Tanks will fire limited rounds in a linear path. So if you’re juking and zig zagging all over the top of them, are they going to be able to make the few shots they get count?
If you get good at dancing around opponents, you can usually tag them enough to destroy them long before they even land a solid shot on you. Once you see an opening to escape, you can back away and they’ll still be dancing with your shadow for a second. This is the perfect opportunity to fill them up with Shotgun shells.
As a quick Shotgunner, you’ll love it when people chase you. Since Shotgun blasts spread out the further they get from you, someone racing towards you while you run away is literally walking into the kill zone. The faster they are relative to you, the faster they walk straight into multiple shells where they normally may have only been hit by one or two.
Scout Out Other Options
Scout is a very adaptable Body. It may not be super tough and may have low Energy recharge, but its raw speed combined with the fact that it doesn’t feel like it’s made of paper are enough to make it work with a multitude of different strategies.
Try out a Scout with a Rocket Artillery or a Brambler to dominate from a distance in an entirely different way than the one we explored above. After your ordinance ruins half the match for your opponents, most of the time they’ll be frantically trying to run you down to no avail. Likewise, a Healing Artillery could make you a nearly unkillable support Tank for your team.
The Snowballer from the Santa’s Slay combo can also be a lot of fun on a Scout. Since its snow trails speed you up and slow down opponents, learning to control the field with the power of ice can boost your already clear Speed advantage.
Playing a Scout with a more straightforward Weapon like Twin Guns, Cannon, or Gatling Gun could be challenging at first for many Pilots. As Speed increases, aiming difficulty increases with it. Still, if you can master these styles, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Good Pilots in fast Tanks using these types of Weapons excel in 1v1 confrontations and singling out and destroying enemy Tanks incredibly effectively.
Scout Skills
Like other faster Tanks, a Scout isn’t for everybody. Mastering this Tank Body may take some practice for Pilots, but for those that do there are TONS of ways to rack up wins with a Scout. Like any Body, there isn’t a wrong build for Scout. The best Build is always the one you enjoy playing the most!
There’s a festive spirit in the air, and next week we’re going to be covering some Christmas carnage. Keep your ears open for jingle bells and your nose sniffing for the smell of egg nog-based rocket fuel, because we’re covering Santa’s Slay!
If you have any favorite ways to play this snowball slinging murder machine, let us know on Discord or in the comments below! You can also tweet us your clips with the hashtag #STShowcase and you may even get your match featured next week!
