Stormcrow descending, winter unending

Stormcrow departing, summer is starting.

Howdy Crow Storm enthusiasts and welcome to Mech Overview! This week we are looking at one of the very best Clan Medium mechs, the Stormcrow! Also called the Ryoken if you remember the short yet terrible reign of Pogs, the Stormcrow is one of the few medium mechs that gets it right. People sometimes talk about medium mechs being, well, a happy medium, with good movement, good armor, and good guns, blending the best traits of light mechs and heavy mechs. The majority of medium mechs lean one way or the other though, favoring speed, guns, or armor above the other traits. Typically, you can’t have all three.

Unless you are the Stormcrow, in which case you get to flip everyone off and jump off a building, cackling and cawing the whole way down. The Stormcrow is the exception, an embodiment of that old cliché of a unit outgunning anything it can’t outrun. Considering the age of the design, being from the very first wave of Clan mechs ever released, the sheer quality of the Stormcrow’s design is shocking and bizarre. Plus, it looks sick as hell.

It’s one of those fighter jet on legs type chicken walker-y mechs that the Clan Invasion is well known for. I love him.

Chassis

The Stormcrow is an Omni-Mech, so all variants share the same core traits. The Stormcrow is a 6/9/0 55 tonner with good armor for that weight. Being below 20 points on the side torsos and arms is annoying, but the back armor is very thick as a result. For a 6/9/0 mech though, the armor is more than enough. 6/9/0 is a fantastic movement profile for a medium mech, as it really allows it to control engagement ranges. The Stormcrow will be able to control ranges very hard against most things that concern it, and with the high range values of Clan weapons, this is a strong ability.

The extra fun thing here is that the Stormcrow has 23 tons of pod space, a really significant amount for a 55 tonner to be carrying. There is functionally nothing you can’t do with a Stormcrow in terms of battlefield role or weapon load.

This all comes at a price though, with Stormcrows trending towards the expensive. Their ability to more or less control ranges against anything big, and overpower the hell out of anything small, makes these high prices very reasonable, and said price is the only thing holding it back in any way.

God it is good to write about a mech that doesn’t suck once in a while!

Variants

These mechs have all been reviewed based on a standard F through S scale, which you can find described on our landing page here (along with all of our other ‘mech reviews, the name of the box you can buy to get any of the mechs we have covered, and our general methodology).

Prime

At 2073 BV the Prime sets a pretty good example for the other Stormcrows. It is leading from the front, and the odds of it getting piked directly in the throat are low, but never zero. It carries two ER large lasers, three ER medium lasers, and a few too many heat sinks, with 44 points of sinking against 41 points of heat with a running alpha. This does make it more engine hit resistant though, and that is a good thing. The price here is extremely high to pay for a medium mech, but it does decent damage and will always be at a good range against any of the other mechs in this price range. The ability of 6/9/0 to control an engagement can’t be overstated. There are better Stormcrows, but this is really not that bad.

Peri’s Rating: B-

A

Ok so this one is 2319 BV but hear me out. I know I am assault mech McBoring Big Boy around here, but the Stormcrow A isn’t the worst use of BV out there. Carrying an LRM-20, four medium pulse lasers, and a pair of Streak SRM-6s, the Stormcrow A puts out a pretty fantastic amount of damage, building 2+ movement heat slinging the lasers and LRM, and going up 6 heat if both streaks land while firing the MPLs. This is pretty decent, though I would rather have an LRM-15 and an extra heat sink. Some slightly annoying heat management and that extreme price tag do hold it back, but it isn’t unusable.

Peri’s Rating: C-

B

The B is one of the deadliest crows on earth. It knows no limits and cannot be contained. It is outside your window right now, it sees through the eyes of all birds. It knows the song that will end the world, the dread lullaby for mankind. I love it, I worship it, it is the light in my eyes and the smile on my lips.

At 2281 BV, the Stormcrow B carries an Ultra AC/20 and 6 ER medium lasers. It is short on heat sinks, but it can still fire either five MLs or the UAC plus two MLs and not have significant heat issues. High speed UAC/20s are insanely strong when it comes to busting up enemy heavies and assaults, as the Stormcrow can usually get behind something if it tries. Five ERMLs while closing is also a pretty good amount of damage, and overall the Stormcrow B requires some finesse but can absolutely shit-rip people to death if you can use it right. Extremely funny mech.

Peri’s Rating: B-

C

One of the few affordable Stormcrows, the C comes in below 2000 at 1881 BV. For guns we have a simple layout: An LB 10X autocannon, a large pulse laser, and a pair of medium pulse lasers. It only builds movement heat, it is good, and it will 100% give you 1881 BV worth of value. Extremely adequate mech for extremely adequate uses. That LB-10 can sometimes just win you games.

Peri’s Rating: B+

D

Another affordable Stormcrow, the D costs 1863 BV and is set up to shoot people with LRMs. It carries two LRM-20s, two SRM-2s, and a Narc for fun. This is a solid loadout for a solid price, it will vomit damage onto enemies, and it kinda just gets to do whatever the fuck it wants. Love it, but I like the C a touch better when it comes to cheap Stormcrows.

Peri’s Rating: B

E

The E is an ATM one. Yay! The E has an effective loadout of two ATM-9s, two ERMLs, and four ERSLs. ATMs are good, as we have said many, many times. The point blank damage is really good on this mech, with HE ATMs and ERSLs being some of the best ways in the game to just pile damage up at point blank range. 2110 BV is a lot of BV, but as mentioned, the ability of the Stormcrow to control range is incredibly valuable, and you will basically always be at a good range for ATMs if you play it right.

Peri’s Rating: B+

F

This is a weird one. Weird in the way that it wants to KILL INFANTRY KILL INFANTRY KILL INFANTRY.

We have a pair of Plasma Cannons, four AP gauss rifles, four ER medium lasers, and two ER small lasers for some fucking reason. This is a pretty funny layout, and this will absolutely kill every conventional infantryman on earth while doing a decent job debuffing enemy mechs as it pew pews them to death with lasers. 2227 BV is a lot, but it 100% will work for you if you need to put 15 heat into a big scary enemy.

Peri’s Rating: C+

G

The G is very similar to the B, and that is an extremely good thing. For 2152 BV, it carries 5 ER medium lasers, a HAG/20, and enough heat sinks to make it work. HAGs are quite good, with a +2 cluster bonus out to their very generous 8 hex short range. This thing will do a monstrous amount of damage and the price here is 100% reasonable. I know I have said it repeatedly, but if you have never used a Stormcrow, it can nearly always be at a good range if you are a little careful with it. There are assault mechs that wish they could hit like this thing can, and none of them can move like this.

Peri’s Rating: B

H

This is the same as the Prime, but with heavy large lasers instead of ER large lasers. IIiiiiiits a bad heavy laser one. Shame. 2061 BV is just too much to pay for the mis-o-tronic 6000. Un-tcomped heavy large lasers just will never perform as well as you think they should, that +1 to hit is frequently crippling.

Peri’s Rating: D+, take a prime and actually hit things.

I

At 2300 BV the I is a really interesting one. It carries two ER large lasers, two ER medium lasers, and two LRM-15s. The heat sinks here allow you to fire either the ERLLs, or everything else. The use case for me seems to be that you fire the ERLLs until you get within 5 hexes, and then switch to firing the ERMLs and LRMs. This is a decent way to ramp up damage as you close in, Clan LRMs are best thought of as brawling weapons, not bombardment weapons. However, the E does this same concept of ramping close range damage quite a bit better, and ATMs are by and large better weapons than LRMs are. Clan LRMs are good, but not like this, and not for this price.

Peri’s Rating: C-, still does decent damage but there are better Stormcrows. Looks cool though, its like a mini Mad Cat.

J

At an even 2300 BV, the J carries a large improved heavy laser, a HAG/30, and not enough heat sinks. It also has a targeting computer. This is dumb, wasteful, and kinda funny. I wish it just doubled down on either weapon, either cramming in a pair of IHLLs and a ton of heat sinks, or a HAG/40 for maximum fuck. As is, the J is a bit of a jokester, an uneven mech that can’t really do what it wants to. Shame.

Peri’s Rating: D+, expensive and inefficient.

K

Another member of the “Laser hand and BIG GUN” family, the K costs 2001 BV and carries a gauss rifle with 4 medium improved heavy lasers. It has enough heat sinks to fire everything, and I love it. This is a very cromulent medium mech. It pleases me. It has a gun for long range, and enough speed to close in to deal a casual 55 damage from the iHMLs and Gauss. Stormcrow mobility and Stormcrow durability will let it get in to range to do the things it wants to do. It will do work, it is priced well, and I like it.

Peri’s Rating: B+

P

Another fun one built around a pair of ERLLs, the P reads as an improved version of the I. 2213 BV gets you two ERLLs, three MPLs, and a pair of Streak SRM-6s. The heat works out that you can fire the ERLLs or the rest of it, giving it a much cleaner damage ramp-up within 8 hexes, with the ERLLs reserved for targets past that during closing turns or whenever you think it is wise to back down. This is a very flexible, very high quality variant that, while not doing a world ending amount of damage, is very good at playing BattleTech’s numbers and hitting more than it gets hit. Big fan.

Peri’s Rating: B

T

So T variants are intended to match the original art most of the time, and this does, with the same layout as the Prime. It is, however, an order of magnitude scarier. At 2280 BV we use a supercharger to boost up to 6/9(12)/0, letting the Stormcrow really, REALLY control distances. For guns, we have a full load of pulse lasers, with two large pulse lasers, a medium pulse laser, and a pair of ER small pulse lasers, the only ER pulse lasers I think are a straight upgrade over regular pulse lasers. The heat sinking is enough to let you fire the LPLs and ERSPLs just fine, with the MPL kicking you up to 2+ movement, a very reasonable amount of heat for a very good amount of consistent, accurate damage.

I know that “The one with Clan LPLs is good” isn’t an exciting or new take, but it is true. Hopefully BV3 can fix some of these issues and make a new, exciting, unpredictable set of criteria for what makes a mech good.

Until then, the LPL one is good.

Peri’s Rating: A

TC

Another Big Gun plus Laser Hand one, the TC is a lot like the K, and I am pretty sure it predates it in universe. At 2373 BV, you get a gauss rifle, four ER medium lasers, enough heat sinks to blast everything, and a targeting computer. This is extremely good in the way that all Stormcrows are extremely good, and it also has a to-hit bonus on top. This will nearly always have a better shot at your opponent than your opponent has on you. It is very expensive, it costs a lot of BV, but Stormcrows are one of the few mechs where they cost a lot of BV for a damn good reason.

Peri’s Rating: A

Z

I mean its a Society one with iATMs and NOVA CEWS, its nuts, its broken, and it is also 2855 BV. Two iATM 9s and two medium improved heavies sit inside of this thing, and even though iATMs are intensely, horribly powerful, 2855 BV is actually enough that I wouldn’t recommend it. The E is about 700 BV cheaper and in most games it is not 700 BV worse than this is. It is still strong and will do some unpleasant shit if you let it, but the E is 100% a better buy for the BV.

Peri’s Rating: C but a really intensely unpleasant C to play against. Will feel like an S sometimes, but you can probably trade a mech into it that costs less than it does.

Attwater

So this one is only 1482 BV. I have no idea why the hell you would ever want to make a Stormcrow that cheap, because this thing sucks about it. It carries two LRM-5s with Art IV, and a pair of LB-5X autocannons. Cool, this is less useful than a Blackjack BL2-OC which is much cheaper, do not use this.

Peri’s Rating: F

Kotare

The Kotare is a victim of not really understanding how brackets are supposed to work. It costs 2382 BV and carries five ERMLs, an LRM-20, and a pair of Streak SRM-6s. The issue is that the heat sinks only allow for the lasers, with the missiles overheating it and there being literally no ranges where you would want to fire the Streaks but not the ERMLs. This is just a poorly set up mech with too much heat in guns at the same range brackets, a thing that is a persistent and constant complaint of mine with a lot of designs. Unfortunately, both named/unique Stormcrows are complete duds.

Peri’s Rating: D+, not remotely as bad as the Attwater.

Conclusion

Most Stormcrows are good, some Stormcrows are really good, and all of them are fast and capable of controlling the range they are going to fight at. If you doubt me, or you generally find yourself agreeing with me on my love of big dumb IS assault mechs, just try to use a Stormcrow. It is a weird bird and it seems like it shouldn’t do to terribly well, but trust me when I say that these things manage to earn their 2100-ish price tag, assuming you pick one of the better variants. Just a solid medium mech, most of the original invasion Mediums are fine to good depending on Config, not at all like the disappointing mess that is every first wave Heavy Omni other than the Mad Cat.

Cheers.

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