Agreed, but the fact that you simply cannot avoid the flashbang is the most frustrating thing I’ve ever experienced in this game. The ONLY way to avoid getting flashed is for you to put a SOLID object between you and the grenade, and since the flashbang has an instant-arming timer that makes it completely unpredictable (as in, when Fragger stops shooting for a couple of seconds you know that you need to move because a nade is coming your way, but Thunder gives you no such reaction time) you can NEVER get to safety in time. As such, you get stuck in a fight against someone who has A) higher health than you, B) isn’t concussed like you are (assuming they’re not idiots and they didn’t flash themselves), C) has the best gun in the game (Stark), and D) has made it so that you CANNOT run away (since your movement speed is snail-paced during concussion).
Thunder is officially the most broken merc in the game
The flash isn’t the OP thing - you can turn away and stop the flash, but you still get concussed by it unless there is a physical object between you and the grenade.
The concussion is the thing that needs to be nerfed, because it’s completely unavoidable, non-counterable, and impossible to predict (since it has no timer to go off, unlike Fragger’s nades which you CAN predict).
There IS no counter play. What can you do when a flashbang flies out at you (which you also couldn’t predict was coming since there is no need to cook it, unlike Fragger)? Sure, you can turn away from the flash, but that still leaves you with a ridiculously detrimental concussion effect that will make you the EASIEST target imaginable. The ONLY thing you could do would get yourself to cover and use that cover to block the flash and concussion, but the fact that he gives no warning to throw the damn nade (because he doesn’t have to cook it) means that you can’t even do that (unless you’re a Turtle).
Hell, even if the enemy Thunder happens to concuss himself in the process of concussing you, you’re still fighting against a 170HP merc who has the Stark, so you’re going to lose anyway (since the speedy strafing advantages that come with lower health mercs are completely negated by the concussion effect).
Yeah I find thunder entirely low risk high reward right now with no mechanics that counter his grenade, I’ve mowed down entire teams with his LMG on execution after a flash with nothing the enemy team could do about it
I’ve seen certain players getting owner playing other mercs then switching to stark thunder and dominating, its a cheap play style atm that even new players can win on because as @ProfPlump mentioned, you cannot counter the concussion therefor it takes away all skill and counter methods.
Thunder’s in that awkward situation right now where I want to buy him to kick serious ass, but I also know that he’s going to get nerfed soon and that makes me NOT want to buy him (because they might overnerf him like they did to Phantom way back when)…
yes add cooking, and if devs are too lazy to make counting animation at least add voice line with counting
all they need to do is knock that blind state to 1/4th of what it is and shave some frames off that snare
originally released thunder had cooking, so the animation is there already.[/quote]
It was missing the counting like Fragger though.
originally released thunder had cooking, so the animation is there already.[/quote]
It was missing the counting like Fragger though.[/quote]
did it? i think it had a slightly different animation as the fuse time was 1sec shorter.
Never looked at the hand anyways, i can count to 3 ; P
Thunder should have been flavored as a cross between an assassin and an assault, instead of “oh look at my guns I can also barge into rooms even though my LMG is shit and should never have been made the way it is”.
Ah well.
[quote=“JJMAJR;187790”]Thunder should have been flavored as a cross between an assassin and an assault, instead of “oh look at my guns I can also barge into rooms even though my LMG is @$!# and should never have been made the way it is”.
Ah well.[/quote]
why should a fat guy with a big gun be an assassin
[quote=“straightforwardOdyssey;187585”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLBCuHIt8jc
I thought this video was fitting for this thread[/quote]
I love this 
Now I see what you’re saying, that thunder is the new choice, sure,
The flashes should return to being cooked, I concur,
but just consider what a Thunder meta could mean,
Perhaps an end to Fragger dominating the comp scene,
I’m sure we can agree Fragger’s years long reign was a blunder,
So open your mind, because here comes the Thunder.
drops mic
[quote=“RyePanda;188265”]Now I see what you’re saying, that thunder is the new choice, sure,
The flashes should return to being cooked, I concur,
but just consider what a Thunder meta could mean,
Perhaps an end to Fragger dominating the comp scene,
I’m sure we can agree Fragger’s years long reign was a blunder,
So open your mind, because here comes the Thunder.
drops mic
[/quote]
I just don’t think that Fragger was THAT good before,
Thunder can have the Stark while he’s stuck with an M4,
Fragger’s nades require ‘cooking’ before they’re deployed,
While Thunder’s flashbang’s don’t, so they’re too hard to avoid,
'Cause when a Fragger stops shooting or goes behind a wall,
You know that grenade will be coming for y’all,
But a flashbang gives no such warning to heed,
'Takes half a second to throw - all you can do is concede
that you’re going to be flashed, confused and deranged,
Especially since the flashbang’s radius has SO much range
That it’s basically impossible to misthrow that ‘nade’,
(Anyone who DOES fail it should just quit the game)
You CAN turn away to avoid the white flashing,
But even if you do you’re still preventing from dashing,
You also can’t shoot back (since your vision is blurred),
Not to mention having all sound-cues blocked from being heard,
But the main problem’s the effect of being stuck,
Stationary in the open like a sitting duck,
The only way you can stop yourself from being stunned by it,
Is to find a solid object and cower behind it,
If we could avoid Thunder’s flashes, he’d be a fun merc to fight,
But right now you can’t find an equal merc in sight,
He’s almost as tough as Rhino, with 170HP,
But he can move much faster, which allows him to be
A much harder target, since while Rhino’s gun’s spinning,
He has to slow-walk, which stops him from winning
most firefights - since his head’s conveniently posed
like a slow-moving target ready to be hosed,
But Thunder can strafe MUCH faster, even while shooting,
You’ll be lucky to hit him once or twice before your ass gets a booting,
On top of that Rhino’s got no nade or abilities
While Thunder’s flash can blind entire cities,
While his Stark allows him to be strong at any distance,
Meanwhile Rhino’s minigun REALLY needs spread-assistance,
It’s so inaccurate that it limits him to close range,
I really think, Splash Damage, that this should be changed,
But, in conclusion, Thunder’s FAR more op,
Than any other combat merc could possibly be.
This post took me a while - at least fifteen minutes,
so please drop a like! (To quote Stoker) “That’s the ticket!”.
@ProfPlump cant drop a like, your post’s formating is unreadable.
fragger isnt stuck with M4, he has BR16 which i believe has higher DPS than Stark