What's the point of the Sabertooth?

[Noobc0re]

I don't see the point of the Sabertooth?

...well, I don't see the point of any of the 200 cost ground units, but that's besides the point.

It just feels like a budget Scorpion. A little cheaper, a little worse.

[HolgFromHell]

But it is the budget version of a Fortress.
Use it like that.

[Crayonmuffins]

Originally posted by HolgFromHell:

But it is the budget version of a Fortress.
Use it like that.

Basically this in my eyes. Always depends on board, but a few sabers with a level or two with range and/or double shot can do crazy work. Scorpion has a bit different use case and is more expensive.

[Lepakko]

Saber with few lvl + double shot and range can murder low lvl Giants. Often ends game if opponent try swap to giants. But you kind need to get them early and lvl up them. Late game its just better go Giants. lvl 1 saber dont do much later on.

[glythe]

Originally posted by Noobc0re:

I don't see the point of the Sabertooth?

It is a "high damage" single target unit that can buy missile interception with zero reduction in offensive capability.

The whole problem with this is that it is a rare unit so when the perfect scenario exists where you say "I need a sabertooth" - you probably dont have the opportunity to buy one.

[Fadeway]

low level u spend 100 for double shot and get very cost-efficient damage against typhoon etc
at high level it shoots quickly and oneshots giants so its much better than scorp for mopping up a board of forts or whatever
you can also just use saber drop as a rhino drop, equip nano and force the oppo to get into melter (which isnt even particularly good against a highlevel saber since it can gett oneshot)

I do not like getting multiple sabers or teching them, just get 1-2 and try to level them

if you make a high-level carry saber you want to tech its supporting units, because the saber itself is getting EMPd 100%

[Fadeway]

missile intercept is a noob bait tech, you never want it

[Sonnenbank]

Sabertooth is not a core unit to build a game winning army around !
Its a midgame support unit. ( round 3-5)
you usually get 2-3 in the right situation to get through round 3-5 comfortably
you dont build more than 2-3 and you usually dont tech them with more than 1 tech.

They are nothing else than a midgame support to prepare your battlefield for endgame

It does extremly well vs Tanks and Arcs
okay vs Balls ,
okay vs Mustang ,
okay vs Farseer

and its not bad vs Stormcallers.... while the missle intercept itself isnt that great
it still reduces Stormcaller damage by ~ 40-20% for the first 3 shots which can be enough for your other units to get in close.

The sabertooth is a midgame support unit to prepare your board for lategame.

I personally would never do what Fadeway suggests as another option for Sabers.
Teching Sabertooth to fight Fortress seems a suicide idea.
Even as high level drop i would rather sell it than try to fight fortress army with it.

you can not efficiently counter Forts with Sabertooth or Scorpions.
I know many low level players (1200mmr and below) try to do that but it usually goes terribly wrong.
I am a Fort enjoyer and its insane how many of my opponents seem think teching Sabertooth or Scorpions is a good idea vs my Fortress... it has never worked out in 200h....

but that is just my experience.

[GotMilk]

Copied from an other topic where I posted this response to the same question 12 days ago:
-
"- Their "utility" and function is not exactly the same tho.
-
1. - Sabres have Anti Missile tech, that can be situationally VERY useful/necessary - Scorps will never have this utility tech - unless the Devs decide to give that tech to Scorps as well (I doubt that it would happen tho, cause there is no reason to make units similar but instead we should focus on their different roles/potentials).
-
2. - Scorps have Acid that actually gives battlefield utility, cause all units standing in the acid take more damage (form your other units as well that are not Scorpions). And Scorps have a siege mode, that transforms them to "glorified Stormcallers" with much huger max range than Sabres, tho then with a minimum-range-penalty (exactly like Storms).
-
-
- So without "tech" the two units are somewhat similar, but with certain techs unlocked they couldn't be more different. :D"

[Eldritch Panda]

Sabers just seem too slow and vulnerable too actually use in a comp. They have decent damage especially with double shot, but their AM is by far the worst in the game. They are also SO slow and rather fragile, and are so prone to being EMPed by literally anything it's hard to justify using them. I usually just grab them off a free unit drop for cheese or to sell. It's just a "better" sledge but a worse fortress, scorps provide way more value than sabers any day

[glythe]

Originally posted by Eldritch Panda:

Sabers AM is by far the worst in the game.

What makes you say that? They lose 0% damage when you press the button. Mustangs lose damage and Warfactories have that annoying upkeep cost. Getting a farseer for the missile intercept is not really a great investment *most of the time*.

Originally posted by Sonnenbank:

Sabertooth is not a core unit to build a game winning army around !

you dont build more than 2-3 and you usually dont tech them with more than 1 tech.

They are nothing else than a midgame support to prepare your battlefield for endgame


and its not bad vs Stormcallers.... while the missle intercept itself isnt that great
it still reduces Stormcaller damage by ~ 40-20% for the first 3 shots which can be enough for your other units to get in close.

This is all correct. The Sabertooth isn't "wow" like a melting point or a fortress but it can do one or two specific roles really well.

With double shot or Missile interception it can be a really cheap power spike to force an enemy to react the wrong way.

Originally posted by Fadeway:

missile intercept is a noob bait tech, you never want it

Looking at the 2000 MMR games that's wrong. There is a time and place for a lot of units. Some of them are nearly complete trash but even Rat is now using the Marskman (with vulcans) and he has always hated that unit.

Originally posted by GotMilk:

2. - Scorps have Acid that actually gives battlefield utility, cause all units standing in the acid take more damage (form your other units as well that are not Scorpions). And Scorps have a siege mode, that transforms them to "glorified Stormcallers" with much huger max range than Sabres, tho then with a minimum-range-penalty (exactly like Storms).

The scorpion siege mode is a huge noob trap that gets worse and worse as the game goes on. If units have +movement speed and +tower speed you will miss completely with the lob attack. The acid tech however makes them punch well above their price point.

I dont think anyone would look at a scorpion board and take Sabertooths into that.

[HolgFromHell]

Originally posted by glythe:

Originally posted by Eldritch Panda:

Sabers AM is by far the worst in the game.

What makes you say that?

Do you understand German?
At least you can have a look to the tables:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na1-Z8kr3cI

[Pimpin Pippin]

Its anti heavy and anti giant.
Balanced around always having the cheap double shot.

Its a cheaper scorp and less vulnerable to chaff.
Also keep in mind its missing upgrades, has only 4 atm so outdated design.

Personally i love it but im just a casual.

[󠁳 ⁧HardLimiter]

Repair Tech + Nano Kit
It kills everything.

I had FFA matches where my saber killed like 10 giants without any problems.
If you get it with lvl 4 or more, pick it.
Put Nano on him and rep kit.

I like saber much more than fortress

[Sonnenbank]

Originally posted by Pimpin Pippin:

Its anti heavy and anti giant.
.

I disagree.... it does terrible vs Giants and the only time it is good vs Giants is when you get a high level one by unit card and upgrade double shot.
Like when its level 4+ yey then its actually good vs giants.

But when your opponent builds a Fortress or Melter board and you go -> hey lets build Sabertooth vs the Giants you will wake up in a nightmare and get destroyed

same as with Scorps... people who builds scorps to defend vs Fortress are shooting themself in the foot. Its a bad idea

[Pimpin Pippin]

Originally posted by Sonnenbank:

Originally posted by Pimpin Pippin:

Its anti heavy and anti giant.
.

same as with Scorps... people who builds scorps to defend vs Fortress are shooting themself in the foot. Its a bad idea

You aint supposed to build a cheaper rank1 unit as a response to a much higher tier expensive unit (that can directly attack it).
Saber needs ranks/upgrades to stand up to an already present giant, just like a marksman or a phoenix or a scorpion.

Even the deadly scorpion still needs doubleshot and acid and range upgrade to actually be a credible threat to strong giants.

If a naked 200$ saber could solo 400$ fort/melter that would be silly.
With saber you pay 200$ for an early game heavy body that is an amazing user of items and can dish out high burst/dps with doubleshot (same dps as a fortress).

If saber gets rank 2 and with double shot it can obliterate a rank 1 fort/melter, preventing it from quickly getting exp.
Rank 2 saber with double shot hits for 24k damage every ~3.5 seconds, while fort has 44k health and melter has 31k health at rank 1.

Though a saber still needs further upgrades and slight rework.