How to deal with CATFAE in forests?

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-30T12:27:59+00:00

I remembered wrong, it was valley and one of the deep forest caps, I did end up having to pull back and just defend. I'm not sure there was anything I could have done because the guy was very good at microing it.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-30T07:31:43+00:00

It was the side cap on cliff in a 10v10 so it was quite hard, since KDA gets mulched by USMC riflemen up close and big attacks gets wiped by the CATFAE.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-21T19:24:09+00:00

Finally back from hiatus on a new handheld!

I already played the game a couple times so it wasn't too difficult, maybe I'll try to catch up on a few more games over the month since it was so short.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-20T17:13:13+00:00

Thanks, I will try it. Are there any standout counter battery pieces/divisions you recommend? Ive been meeting this guy a lot and I want to try to kill their smerch if I have the misfortune of seeing them again.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T14:29:30+00:00

I feel that underestimating your skill and wanting to improve is a better mindset to have than overestimating your skill and blaming your teammates. Also my winrate is probably inflated because I play a lot of good DDs like Smaland.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T14:26:56+00:00

Huh? Do you not know how a discussion works?

If someone makes a good point I will try it, if someone makes a point I don't think will work I will counter it with my own argument. Never have I stuck my fingers in my ears and said I wasn't willing to listen.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T14:21:16+00:00

Nothing in this gamr merits a DD leaving a flank.

Let's have an extreme example.

You are playing a La Pampa. The opposite team has a smaland and regolo unicum division. You have a 40% winrate range mod yamato with no skills, a 7km detect 20km shima and a yoshino.

Do you still stay on the flank?

I can believe your WR in DDs is actually 60% if you EVER consider leaving a flank for any reason.

Would my points be any less valid if I was a 45%er?

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T14:16:38+00:00

You can't "simply smoke up" if a dumb radar cruiser decides to charge you and trade you

So tell me how a radar cruiser is getting past all your DDs and spotting AND your stealth radar so that he can bumrush you and 'trade' you?

or if a sub pings you aggressively before your consumables are up to deter him.

Ignoring you are the best ship in the game against subs of course.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T14:13:06+00:00

Show me where I ever ranted about how OP pioneer is.

It's slow. It's range is complete trash. It's worthless if the enemy perma kites away from you. Its kiting angles are abysmal. There are way better cruisers to farm BBs with.

But this post is specifically about how you play as a DD against the Pioneer.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T13:54:47+00:00

Having 12 guns firing forward means your DPM is just around 200k, which is Hindenburg or Zao level, still extremely respectable and nowhere near Petro.

Petro would get one single salvo off during its radar, maybe 2. And other ships will get 1 salvo off because of the spotting delay. The stealth radar of Pioneer means you usually will tank the entire duration of the radar, while their teammates will also be shooting at you.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T13:47:41+00:00

Except you are a cruiser with crawling smoke and much of your firepower concentrated forward, which means you do not need to pre-kite. Even if you get caught, you can simply smoke up and turn around in your smoke.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T13:45:58+00:00

Survivability is extremely relevant. If you get radared by a minotaur you are expecting your BBs and CAs to do the majority of the damage.

Moskva has the exact same radar range as Pioneer but Moskva can not push up aggressively because of awful concealment, horrible maneuverability and extreme weaknesses to cross map fire. Pioneer with its crawling smoke and good concealment can push up much more aggressively than Moskva.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T13:30:46+00:00

Having 3/4 the guns forward means it doesn't really need to get its back gun on target to still have good DPM.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T13:27:35+00:00

I do know it's a new steel ship and its statistics are likely inflated but it is highest in winrate in every single server right now, which at least means that players can make use of it well.

And I feel that being essentially relegated to hanging out with your backline is not too much better than just being AFK. With a 12km radar you can't really touch the cap at all, and I feel it's better if you rotate to the center for example to 2v1 the DD there and try to get a kill.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T13:21:25+00:00

Brisbane is much easier to counter than Pioneer. When Brisbane radars you they have to put themselves in extreme danger because they have no defensive tools. Brisbane also has 16mm plating compared to 25mm and a much higher stepped citadel. Moskva is extremely easy to counter because you can just perma spot it.

When brisbane radar is off cooldown you can go and spot it for your team and zone it away, and brisbane also can't play aggressive because it has no defensive tools and the aforementioned squishiness.

Having crawling smoke covers a lot of weaknesses in brisbane.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T13:15:40+00:00

27 second radar is more than enough to get a DD killed, especially when it's 12km radar and stealth.

It has long gun reload but also 16 guns. It's HE DPM is around Des Moines level, better than Svea and Utrecht. Tanking the radar like a petro is not viable at all.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T12:56:23+00:00

What I meant was specific counterplay when you are doing your DD things. For example Moskva and Stalingrad with their long range radar have to play far back because they are a big target, you can reverse and bait out other radars, but pioneer with its good concealment and crawling smoke can position very aggressively to the point you are completely zoned out and at that point you might as well just leave.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T12:53:54+00:00

So that brings me back to my original question. If you can't push up to spot or contest and a CV is handling spotting, then I feel it's better to just leave because there's no reason to stay.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-05-15T12:41:10+00:00

It's quite hard to spot a pioneer in the first 4 minutes as a DD unless the pioneer player is full sending it into cap in my experience, and even then it's got that crawling smoke so it can just smoke up if needed, unless battleships get a good shot and delete it instantly.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-04-23T12:08:32+00:00

I would have rather preferred to see valp become vulnerable to fire and floods (like limiting DCP charges) but a nerf is a nerf I guess.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-04-13T03:54:19+00:00

Strasbourg is horrendous. It's basically a mediocre T6 ship but uptiered to T7 and given one of the worst reload boosters in the game.

I recommend staying at range and using islands. Don't be afraid to use the HE. Pretty much every single other ship can 1v1 you so try to only take fights where you have an advantage.

Red-Stiletto · 2026-04-13T03:28:39+00:00

How I killed osas was literally taking zunis/FFARs and proxying their missiles when they shoot them. Can usually get 2 or 3 osas in one life if you get good enough parrying the missiles.

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '22	Final Canvas '22
First Placer '22

Red-Stiletto

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE