Super Monday Night Combat Starter Guide - Tips for every Pro

Whether youre playing Super Monday Night Combat for the first time, or youre a seasoned warrior of this futuristic deathsport, youll have to acquaint yourself with the newcomers so you know what to expect when facing them. Weve put together some tips on how to play each Pro, from the role they fill to the most effective way to use their abilities. After reading this guide, youll be ready for whatever the opposing teams packing, and you know what that means - a straight shot to their sweet, sweet Moneyball.

Striker Pros

Strikers are the best class for beginners, as they excel at mid-range combat with support from their solid abilities. If youre primarily a fan of shooters, but you havent tried MOBAs like DotA or League of Legends, these should be your go-to Pros to learn the ins-and-outs of creep-killing, lane-pushing gameplay. Their weaponry packs quite a punch at any distance, and their abilities let them escape from tight situations with ease. With their damage output and mobility moves, youll be racking up kills and assists in no time.

Assault

To play the Assault to his full potential, youll need to master his Fly ability, which lets him jetpack around for a few seconds. This is amazing for reaching nice vantage points, or escaping a losing battle - with a bit of practice, youll be able to Fly out of bounds, around a corner, and back to safety. You should also start flying if you see an incoming Commando (more on them later), as you cant be grabbed while jetpacking about. His Bomb is awesome for space control: enemies will be discouraged from advancing if they see you lay one down, which is awesome when fighting over the Annihilator thatll destroy all the enemy bots. We recommend maxing his Charge skill last - its nice as an extra boost mid-flight, but using it in the thick of battle can often lead to over-extending and dying in a hurry.

Karl

Youll only need one point to Prop Hop early on to get the most use out of it its a great skill for getting attackers off you or quickly reaching upper platforms, but you wont be using it for damage. Thatll come from your pal Junior, which acts like a hovering land mine thatll pursue enemy Pros who get too close. Short Circuit is quite powerful, but difficult to use effectively: shooting it from long range will make hitting someone very difficult, but if you fire at close range, you risk stunning yourself in the blast. If you can reliably hit with it, though, itll often mean a guaranteed kill when combined with Junior and the Bouncing Buddies.

Megabeth

If the enemies can make it through your rocket barrage, youve got plenty of ways to deal damage up close. Throwing your wall-bouncing Derby Disku in a small space will make it ricochet around for big damage, and if an enemy Pro is trapped in a corner, Whirling Dervish will unleash a world of hurt on them. Shoot The Moon is a great all-around mobility move - use it to escape, reach a fight quicker, or chase after weak enemies.

Enforcer Pros

These are the tanks of SMNC: the big guys who wade into battle, soak up damage, and dish it out as needed. Theyre not invincible, but if youve got support backing you up, its the Enforcers job to be the first one to a fight. Up close, these guys are brutal, but their slow movement speed means that they have a rough time chasing after weakened targets. Theyre at their most effective when they fight alongside bots, pushing down each lane so they can wreak havoc on the enemys turrets.

Cheston

Just like Donkey Kong, Cheston can hurl Exploding Barrels, which do area-of-effect damage on impact - use these to decimate bot waves, or punish enemy Pros who are bunched up together. Roar is what gives him such amazing survivability - youll be healing yourself and nearby teammates every few seconds once the ability reaches level four. Youll have to use Rampage cautiously: it does amazing damage if youre pushing Pros into a wall, but if youre not careful, you may find yourself surrounded and continuously grappled to death. Use Rampage to get in and out of fights quickly, but dont rely on it for getting kills.

Gunner

The Gunners abilities combine offense and defense, so you can use them to fortify a position closer to the enemys base. Deploy will turn you into a makeshift turret, granting tons of armor and boosting the damage of your bullets. Dont worry too much about enemy Snipers - youll get a face force-field thatll shield you from headshots, though you might need someone to cover your back should a Commando get the jump on you. The homing Rocket is great for harassing enemies at medium range, and will surely deter anyone encroaching on your position. If an ally has someone grappled nearby, use your Ground Slam to make the enemys escape virtually impossible.

Tank

Funnily enough, the Tank should focus on boosting his passive Offensive and Defensive skills over the other three; doing so will turn him from intimidating tough guy to team-carrying wrecking ball. That said, his abilities do come in handy - Product Grenade will stun bots and obscure enemy players screens with some hilarious pop-up ads, leaving you free to mop them up. Tank Shield will block incoming damage, but only on a single target - use it against turrets when pushing, and Pros while on defense. Tank Charge pushes Pros and bots alike out of your way, knocking them into oblivion or trapping them in a corner so you can light them up.

Veteran

Just as the Assault Pro is defined by his Fly ability, the Veteran players skill level is tied directly to how effectively they can use his Ka-Claw ability, which yanks targets into range of turret fire or a gang of teammates. Youll need to lead your targets with Ka-Claw if theyre strafing like mad, but you can often snag unsuspecting Commandos or Sharpshooters if you fire it from elevated angles. Do your best to line up a straight shot; if there are obstacles in between you and your target, the grab will be broken and the move will be much less effective. Freight Train is an excellent high-damage grapple for when youve reeled them in, and Skid Row Throw can be used to score ring-outs on Pros standing too close to the edge of the map.