Shadowcat

Shadowcat
Class:	Medium Mech
Faction:	Clan
Ticket cost:	7 upon destruction
Tier:	7
Tonnage:	45 tons
Speed:	97 km/h (136 km/h with MASC)
Torso yaw:	260°
Torso pitch:	-35° to +50° while standing -35° to +60° while crouching
Variant Armament
Variant	Weapons	Equipment
Prime: Price: 64 500 CBills Total armor: 40 364 Engine Size: RFUM 270 XL	2x CERML 1x CGauss	EOptics MASC iJJ 1 DHS 1 free ton 8.5t Armor
A: Price: 62 500 CBills Total armor: 44 220 Engine Size: RFUM 270 XL	3x CERSL 1x CUAC20	MASC iJJ 2 DHS 1 free ton 9t Armor
B: Price: 62 900 CBills Total armor: 44 220 Engine Size: RFUM 270 XL	2x MG 1x CLBX20 1x CSRM6	MASC iJJ 1 DHS 1 free ton 9t Armor
C: Price: 67 500 CBills Total armor: 38 436 Engine Size: RFUM 270 XL	1x CGauss 1x CERPPC	EOptics MASC iJJ 0 DHS 1 free ton 8t Armor
D: Price: 64 700 CBills Total armor: 42 292 Engine Size: RFUM 270 XL	1x CLRM20 1x ATM6 HE 1x CNARC	EOptics MASC iJJ 2 DHS 2 free tons 8.5t Armor
E: Price: 66 000 CBills Total armor: 42 292 Engine Size: RFUM 270 XL	3x CMPL 1x HLL	MASC iJJ 7 DHS 0 free tons 8.5t Armor
F: Price: 68 000 CBills Total armor: 42 292 Engine Size: RFUM 270 XL	1x HAG30 1x CERLL	EOptics MASC iJJ 1 DHS 2 free tons 8.5t Armor
G: Price: 68 300 CBills Total armor: 42 292 Engine Size: RFUM 270 XL	1x CERPPC 1x ATM9 (HE) 2x HSL	EOptics MASC iJJ 3 DHS 0 free ton 8.5t Armor
Armor Points Distribution
BT HD LA LL LT CT RT RA RL INT 3472 2760 3472 3472 4427 3762 5787 3762 3472 4427 2656

All stats current as of release 0.15.3

A Clan Medium Mech, the Shadowcat is an incredibly versatile platform with good speed, maneuverability, and firepower, making it worth every penny. It absolutely devastates Light Mechs, and can go toe to toe with many heavier Mechs if used intelligently. Possessing speed nearly on par with light Mechs, as well as some of the hardest hitting weapons available, the Shadowcat is an excellent multi-classer. Additionally, every variant is equipped with MASC and at least standard JJs. The only dull points that blemish the Shadowcat's otherwise excellent capabilities are its limited ammo space and a lack of armor, significantly lower than other medium Mechs.

Shadowcat variants tend to carry their weapons almost exclusively in their arms, making these components a prime target. The arms are also very lightly armored, if not always easy to hit. Their protection is of paramount importance to Shadowcat pilots. The Mech's low profile makes aimed shots directed at a specific component (other than its arms) extremely difficult, which is compounded by its high speed. As a result, Shadowcats usually have incoming damage spread throughout all of their components.

Roles and Gameplay Hints

Prime

The Shadowcat Prime is an agile sniper capable of dealing large amounts of damage at medium- to long-range. Armed with one CGauss and a pair of CERML's, aimed with the assistance of EOptics, the Shadowcat Prime is a grown-up Uller A, but with extra armor and maneuverability enhancing equipment. The MASC and Jumpjets give it a mobility that most other snipers lack, but its single DHS, helps it deal with the extra heat load. A free ton allows an extra reload for the CGauss, but the Shadowcat Prime must still make frequent return trips to rearm.

Variant A

The A variant has terrific damage potential for a medium Mech, and with its Improved Jumpjet-enhanced maneuverability and MASC system, the Shadowcat A is an effective hit-and-run brawler. Despite this incredible killing power, the A variant tries to manage its heat with only 2 DHS, limiting its otherwise outstanding damgage dealing capabilities. Savvy foes will seek to destroy the UAC20 cannon arm as quickly as possible, so it's wise to use torso twisting and good maneuverability to prevent that from happening.

Player Comments:

The Shadowcat Alpha and Bravo fill similar but not identical niches. The Alpha puts out considerably more raw damage, but with less safety and less reliability. The Alpha ought to be more cautious when committing to a fight compared to the Bravo - the lack of screenshake to mitigate return fire means the variant relies heavily on short pulses of MASC, judicious use of terrain, and bursts of iJJ to disrupt enemy aim. The UAC20 requires projectile leading and extended staretime to do all of its damage, and utilizing critical mobility tech in combat without tapping into coolant is difficult if using all 3 CERSL. If you find yourself redlining often, remember that speed is life against powerful enemies - don't be afraid to use coolant, always disable shutdown override, prioritize UAC20 shots and evasion with MASC over firing the CERSLs, and try using a third firegroup with only 2 CERSL for intense situations. The Alpha is an executioner - find damaged or underarmored opponents you can kill quickly with overwhelming firepower, or exploit your mobility to carve open weakened components on distracted heavier targets. Be conservative with your lasers to leave heat capacity for a speedy exit if you aren't confident you can win outright - the UAC20 chews through ammo extremely quickly, and any time spent not killing your target is an opportunity for them to put damage on your essential left arm.

- [CJF]DireWolf2K

Variant B

Armed with one LBX20, an SRM6 and a twin MGs, the Shadowcat B is all about close-range firepower. Utilizing MASC the Shadowcat B can close in quickly on enemy units before pummeling them with its powerful loadout. Improved Jump Jets allow the Shadowcat B to move along otherwise impassable elements of the battlefield, making it a mobile and very dangerous ambusher, especially in environments with lots of obstacles like urban theaters. The LBX Autocannon is likely to be targeted by an aware adversary, so shielding it should be high on priority list.

Player Comments:

The Shadowcat Bravo has characteristics that make it a more versatile duelist and a more potent hit-and-fade attacker when compared to the Alpha: A more forgiving heat curve that allows for more liberal use of mobility tools in combat, fast-cycling screenshake in the SRM6, and the accurate and nearly-instantaneous heavy damage output of the LBX20. The long cycle time of the LBX20 means the variant can spend time spreading damage or repositioning without seriously sacrificing damage output. The combination of defensive screenshake, slower LBX20 ammo consumption compared to the UAC20, and greater opportunity to twist and shield means the Bravo tends to remain combat effective longer than the Alpha. LBX modifiers combined with iJJ makes the variant a powerful tankbuster (use iJJ to cross up tanks and dig into squishy rear or side panels) and a surprisingly effective anti-air platform (use MASC + iJJ to dodge out of the way of incoming ASF munitions and position yourself to lob an LBX volley at their wing as they bank away at the end of their run). MGun projectiles travel at roughly the same speed as the LBX pellets, so the two mguns can serve as tracers for the LBX20 (Mgun bullets travel a little slower, but within LBX20 range the difference is negligible).

- [CJF]DireWolf2K

Variant C - "Zaytsev"

The C variant forgoes the comparably diverse loadouts of other Shadowcat variants in favor of long-range firepower. Mounting one CERPPC and a Gauss Rifle, the Shadowcat C can deal huge amounts of damage at long-range. When coupled with Jump Jets and Eoptics, the C variant is a deadly Jump Sniper, superior even to the Shadowcat Prime. One free ton allows a reload for the CGauss, giving the Shadowcat C moderate staying power. Losing the sole DHS of the Prime and gaining the blistering heat spike of the clan version of the particle projector cannon, along with the MASC standard to all shadowcats, makes this variant nice and toasty. Cramming all that load onto a Shadowcat meant that half of that free ton for reloads had to be stripped from its armor, making it one of the most fragile variants.

Variant D

The agility of the Shadowcat chassis perfectly complements the needs of a NARC launcher, quickly able to bob and weave in and out of dangerous positions to land a beacon. Even without a team supporting you with allied missiles, your beacon is more than payed for by homing in devastating salvos of High Explosive ATM and Clan LRM20. The Clan engineered LRM20's reduced, 20m minimum range really shine on this 'Mech, once you get a handle on managing your missiles turn radius, this Shadowcat can drop mechs both at close and far ranges and even from behind cover and around walls. While boasting some impressive damage numbers, remember that the two missile pods are the only weapons aboard this mech. It takes a seasoned mech pilot to reliably guide them to a specific component and even then, are easily shielded against. This further highlights the capacity for teamwork and coordination granted by the NARC launcher. This mech is a VIP member in any LRM, ATM or ARROWIV focused team.

Variant E

The Shadow Cat E is a heavy mid range damage over time mech, that can brawl in a pinch. It does this job very well thanks to its HLL, which can cause plenty of damage if the user can keep the beam steady on the enemy mech. Its 3 CMPLs help to exploit any weak areas that are created by the heavy laser, and supply a constant source of damage as the heavy laser recycles. The variant hard mounts MASC and Improved Jumpjets as well, which allows it to both make mid-range jump strikes on a target, as well as engage in an extended brawl, using jumps and rapid MASC toggling to throw off enemy fire. The 7 Double Heat Sinks dissipate the heat from the Heavy Laser and the pulse battery, but can struggle when frantic gunfire is combined with aggressive maneuvering. Alternatively the heat sinks are sufficient to allow for repeated heavy laser burns during jumps, but pulse shots will push the temperature to unsafe levels. Any cockpit shake can also work against this Shadow Cat while its firing its laser and will cause its damage to spread out more. A side benefit of having more heat sinks than any other variant is that this mech can maintain a MASC sprint longer, and sprint more often, than the other Shadow Cats, allowing it to rapidly respond in force and to threaten lightly defended capture zones.

Player Comments:

On most shadowcat variants, the bulk of the mech's damage output is invested in the left arm's big gun. Not so for the Echo - although the HLL's raw damage is invaluable for dealing damage quickly or with marginally greater safety, the long burntime means it's more vulnerable to screenshake, and it can be difficult to put all of its damage on the same component against a twisting target. In a duel or extended fight, the right arm with two CMPL is a more valuable prize. A complete HLL burn deals 1500 damage, and a single salvo of the Echo's 3MPL (which fire more than five times faster!) deals 624 damage. In the time it takes for one HLL cycle to complete, the 2 MPL in the right arm alone can inflict almost 150% of the damage of a full, perfect HLL burn from the left arm.

- [CJF]DireWolf2K

Variant F

A stand-off Mech utilising almost exclusively long range weaponry. The primary weapon is an extreme range HAG30. Backed by 2 Free Tons of ammo storage gives it staying power to inflict massive amounts of damage. At 900 meters the CERLL inflicts pinpoint damage, helping to finish off your opponent. Both weapons are enhanced by the EOptics package, and the Improved Jumpjets allows pilots to jump snipe from cover. When caught in close range, it can utilize MASC to break distance, and resume long range offensive operations. However, if the pilot thinks she has enough armor (and that the enemy took enough while closing) she may opt to brawl with the attacker instead. While the gunload is geared towards long range burst damage, the jump jets and MASC can allow a pilot to deny a clean shot (or any shot) long enough to fire 2 HAG bursts unanswered. By going radar passive and feathering the jump jets the pilot can keep their mech over the enemy's head, and land in an unexpected spot. Similar tactics can be used with the A and B variants, but are less necessary with those loadouts. The single DHS can handle the CERLL, but mind the iJJ heat when poptarting. One solution is to jump, alpha strike, immediately torso twist to deny return fire to the center torso.

Variant G

A brawler and a scout, hot in both roles, the mere DHS trio is heavily taxed by either the cERPPC or the feared ATM9(HE). Backing up the short range missile barrage are the two clantech small heavy-lasers that can precisely target specific enemy componets. If the weapons stay silent, the movement enhancing equipment consisting of both MASC and improved jump jets will bring this unit far, and fastly so, however utmost caution is to be exerted not to rush into the height of a battle with the heat scale close to the alarm region!
Selling point? A scout, fast, mobile and with a firing solution for almost every range and quite many situations. For the experienced players with developed situational awareness and heat management.

Trivia

Since update 0.9.0, the Shadowcat chassis has enjoyed fixed Improved Jump Jets, which are counted as weighing as much as normal Jump Jets. Despite the weight savings and added mobility, variant cost is still affected.

Canon

Introduced in 3003, the Shadow Cat is a heavily-armed and maneuverable medium OmniMech developed by Clan Nova Cat to replace the Ice Ferret in the early 31st century during preparations for Operation Revival. Fulfilling the role of a heavy-hitting striker unit, it is one of the few Invasion-era Clan mechs to lack a separate Inner Sphere designation; all Inner-Sphere pilots who encountered it before the battle of Tukayyid died, and ComStar was informed of its designation before that battle, resulting in both sides using the same name. The Prime variant of the MWLL Shadowcat lacks the Active Probe of the CBT Shadowcat, and hard-mounts Improved Jump Jets rather than standard ones.

BattleTech Reference