Solaris VII Battle Report: Dewana vs Bellerose

https://youtu.be/d0H3qCLPJ-0

The highly anticipated ninth match of the 3059 Medium Class Invitational on Solaris VII sees the two dominant MechWarriors from the event’s first set of matches finally face one another. Whoever wins this match will be in first place going into the final portion of the event.

The Contestants

Galahad Stables

Dayajeet Dewana (2/2)

Hunchback HBK-5M (Dewana)

Dayajeet Dewana started the Invitational off strong with victories over Lisbeth Braun and Eva Volkov. Then in his first match of the second set, he had a startling upset when he was shaken up by a head hit and then quickly taken down by Zahra Al-Amin. Some commentators have speculated that he has been off his game since accidentally killing Eva Volkov in their match, but Dewana has mostly avoided interviews since then, so who really knows what is going through his head as he heads into this important match.

His customized Hunchback HBK-5M has been updated with an expanded ammunition supply for its autocannon and experimental pulse lasers.

Starlight Stables

Arnie Bellerose (3/2)

Enforcer ENF-5D (Bellerose)

Arnie Bellerose is looking to remain undefeated. So far he has beaten every contestant in the event so far with Dewana as the last one that he needs to face. If he can win tonight, then he’ll have beaten everyone and go into the final set of matches as the clear leader.

His Enforcer has been upgraded by replacing its extended range laser with an experimental large pulse laser.

The Match

Bellerose makes the most of his range advantage

At the start of the match, the two biggest walls in the arena were up. Each MechWarrior went to their right to start moving around the walls, but they couldn’t see each other until both walls dropped and left the arena wide open. At that point, Dewana ran his Hunchback toward the center of the arena, but Bellerose was able to quickly pivot and stay out of Dewana’s range. He got the first shots of the match and hit with both his autocannon and X-pulse laser.

Dewana gets into range

After that first exchange of fire, Bellerose continued to run across the arena to the far wall, and Dewana was able to close the distance between them. While on the run, Bellerose scored another two hits on Dewana’s Hunchback, but this time Dewana was able to hit back with his autocannon and medium X-pulse lasers.

The two MechWarriors skirmish

After that, two walls came back up. Bellerose continued to run along the outer wall as Dewana took up position near the center of the arena. Dewana hit Bellerose’s Enforcer with both of his X-pulse lasers. Returning fire, Bellerose missed with his autocannon, but melted a bit more armor from the Hunchback with his large X-pulse laser.

Bellerose shakes up Dewana with some solid hits

Bellerose continued to circle around the outer edge of the arena as two more walls came up. Predicting Bellerose’s move, Dewana was able to once again close the distance. As the Hunchback closed in, Bellerose hit it with both his autocannon and X-pulse laser. That shook up Dewana. He hit back with only one of his own lasers before his Hunchback stumbled and fell to the arena floor.

Bellerose comes around the wall and back into sight

Luckily for Dewana, the arena wall between him and Bellerose came up just after he hit the ground. That gave him time to get his Hunchback back to its feet and in position to be ready for when Bellerose’s Enforcer came back into view. They exchanged fire again. Dewana missed with everything while Bellerose scored two hits – one of which took off the Hunchback’s left arm!

Despite standing still, Dewana still is struggling to land hits on Bellerose

Needing to get back into the fight, Dewana stood with his back to one of the arena walls. As Bellerose continued to run around, Dewana landed another hit on the Enforcer with his remaining X-pulse laser. Bellerose came out ahead in the exchange of fire again with his large X-pulse laser melting one of the Hunchback’s heat sinks.

Dewana blasts the leg of Bellerose’s Enforcer

Dewana again pushed into short range with Bellerose. He scored hits to the Enforcer’s right leg with both his autocannon and a laser. Those hits broke through the armor and damaged two of the leg actuators. Despite the damage, Bellerose kept the Enforcer on its feet and hit back hard. His large laser damaged the Hunchback’s autocannon, and his small laser and autocannon did more damage.

The final exchange of fire as Dewana’s Hunchback is taken out

Missing most of his guns, Dewana pushed to point blank in hopes of being able to kick the Enforcer. Before he could do that though, Bellerose’s fire savaged his Hunchback. Hits from all of the Enforcer’s weapons took out both the engine and gyroscope of the Hunchback. With that, Dewana’s ‘Mech dropped to the ground.

The Outcome

Arnie Bellerose has done it! He’s remained undefeated through the first two rounds of the Invitational and will be the number one seed going into the semifinals.

Dayajeet Dewana’s record is still good enough that he’ll get into the semifinals as well, so maybe he’ll get a rematch against Bellerose.

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Solaris VII Battle Report: Marchetti vs Li

https://youtu.be/Ue71CxiDKPg

The eighth match of the 3059 Medium Class Invitational on Solaris VII features Ali Marchetti and Marcus Li. They are both replacement MechWarriors taking the place of stablemates whose lives were tragically lost during the course of the Invitational.

The Contestants

Lion City Stables

Ali Marchetti (3/3)

Griffin GRF-3M (Braun)

Ali Marchetti is stepping in to replace Lisbeth Braun following the loss of her life during match six. She’s piloting the same customized Griffin that Braun had used. It is built off of a Griffin GRF-3M but replaces the LRM launcher with three SRM 6 launchers. That gives her the ability to hit hard up close, especially once her ER PPC has opened holes in her opponent’s armor.

Tandrek Stables

Marcus Li (3/3)

Blackjack BJ-3 (Volkov)

Marcus Li is the replacement for Eva Volkov who passed away from injuries during match five. The Blackjack from Tandrek Stables that he’s piloting is a customized BJ-3. It replaces two of the medium lasers with extended range models and then is equipped with triple-strength myomer. He’ll be looking to get the ‘Mech hot and then take advantage of its increased speed and ability to deliver powerful kicks.

The Match

At the start of the match, the arena’s wall number two was up and blocking line of sight between the contestants. Li moved towards one end while Marchetti ran towards the center of Steiner Stadium. Then as Marchetti ran around the end of the wall, Li backed away to keep some space open between them.

Marchetti and Li open fire for the first time in the match

Li came out ahead in the first exchange of fire. He scored hits with a PPC and two of his medium lasers, and Marchetti was only able to hit back with 4 SRM warheads. That burst also built up enough heat to activate his Blackhack’s triple-strength myomer.

Wall number two dropping back down then opened up more room to maneuver. Li ran towards the arena edge with Marchetti in pursuit. As they fired at each other again, things continued to go Li’s way. He hit Marchetti’s Griffin in the face with his PPC and melted some armor with one of his lasers. Everything she fired back missed.

Wall number three then came up and separated the two warriors. Li ran out of that pocket, but Marchetti was quick to pursue him. This exchange of fire went better for Marchetti. Her ER PPC got a solid hit to Li’s left arm and damaged one of his medium lasers. Then three SRMs chipped away some more armor across the Blackjack. In return, Li only hit with two of his medium lasers.

Li then ran towards the center of the arena, but this time Marchetti was able to get to point-blank range on his right side. Li got a glancing hit with one of his PPCs and a hit with one laser, and Marchetti missed with everything again. Frustrated by her targeting system, Marchetti kicked out at the Blackjack and mangled the armor on its right leg.

Marchetti struggles to hit with her weapons, but lands a powerful kick

Li then ran back towards the arena’s edge, but again Marchetti was in pursuit and stuck right next to him. As they exchanged fire, Li hit with a laser, and Marchetti scored a glancing hit with her ER PPC and hits with ten SRMs. The missiles finished off the Blackjack’s left arm and one blasted away armor from its head. They then kicked out at each other. Li scored a glancing hit to the Griffin’s left leg, and the Marchetti’s kick hit the Blackjack’s left leg too. That brawl left Li in worse shape and his Blackjack fell to the arena’s floor.

Unsure which way Li would bolt after standing, Marchetti backed away. Li then ran straight up to her once he got his Blackjack back on its feet. Marchetti again missed with everything as Li closed the distance. He only scored glancing hits with his PPC and one laser. Then they both kicked out again and hit each other’s left legs. Unfortunately for Li, the damage from Marchetti’s kick was enough to shatter his Blackjack’s skeleton and take him down.

Not willing to give up, Li then propped up his Blackjack and fired his two torso lasers at Marchetti. Her retaliation was brutal with her ER PPC eating into the Blackjack’s torso to destroy its gyroscope and her launchers scoring 15 SRM hits that took off the Blackjack’s other arm. With a shattered gyroscope and only one limb left, Li then powered down to give Marchetti a win.

Marchetti ensures that Li stays down

The Outcome

With Marchetti’s victory, Lion City Stables are finishing the open rounds of the Invitational with a 2-2 record. That should mean that she is safely into the semifinal matches.

On the other hand, Tandrek Stables is sitting at a 0-3 record. Their only chance to avoid being eliminated from the semi-finals is a win over Zahra Al-Amin of Silver Dragons Stables when her and Marcus Li face off in the final open round match.

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Solaris VII Battle Report: Al-Amin vs Dewana

https://youtu.be/-0_ddDDg6Go

The seventh match of the 3059 Medium Class Invitational on Solaris VII sees Zahra Al-Amin challenging the undefeated Dayajeet Dewana in Steiner Stadium.

The Contestants

Silver Dragons Stables

Zahra Al-Amin (3/4)

Phoenix Hawk PXH-3K (Al-Amin)

Zahra Al-Amin from the Draconis Combine-aligned Silver Dragons Stables has yet to win a match in the Invitational. So far she has faced Braun and Bellerose and was defeated by both of them, so she is hoping to break that streak in this match. She is piloting a customized Phoenix Hawk that has a mix of lasers, a targeting computer, and a supercharger.

Galahad Stables

Dayajeet Dewana (2/2)

Hunchback HBK-5M (Dewana)

Dayajeet Dewana, like all MechWarriors from Galahad Stables, aspires to fight with honor and aspire to the chivalric ideals of Captain-General Thomas Marik. His Hunchback has had a few heat sinks removed in order to allow for it to carry experimental pulse lasers and two full tons of ammunition for his big autocannon. He has been undefeated so far in the Invitational, and he is aiming to maintain that and stay tied with Arnie Bellerose.

The Match

The initial arena setup had the walls in front of both starting positions up. As the fight started, both MechWarriors moved towards one side of the stadium. Then as they emerged from behind the walls, Al-Amin engaged her Phoenix Hawk’s supercharger and raced to close the distance with Dewana. They exchanged fire at just 90 meters. Dewana’s autocannon burst went wide, but both of his medium pulse lasers melted into the Phoenix Hawk’s armor. Then Al-Amin’s return fire scored hits to the Hunchback’s left arm, center torso, and head.

Al-Amin and Dewana exchange fire

After that Al-Amin raced her Phoenix Hawk behind Dewana’s Hunchback, and dazed by the hit, he was unable to maneuver at all. Not wasting any opportunity, she aimed her lasers at the Hunchback’s back and blasted through its armor and into its internals. The assault left Dewana’s Hunchback with a destroyed gyroscope, damaged heat shielding on its fusion engine, and a busted autocannon.

Al-Amin aims her lasers at the back of Dewana’s Hunchback

With Dewana still unconscious and the Hunchback unable to stand back up, the fight was called for Al-Amin.

Dewana’s Hunchback lays on the ground with a broken gyroscope

The Outcome

With her quick, decisive victory, Zahra Al-Amin has ensured she is no longer sitting at the bottom of the rankings. He final match will be against Marcus Li of Tandrek Stables.

Meanwhile, Dayajeet Dewana’s poor performance in this fight has him knocked out of the first place tie. He still has a chance to get back into the lead with his next match though. If he can defeat Arnie Bellerose, their records will be tied, but the head-to-head win would still put Dewana in first place.

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