Miasma Community

Put Avrils in the air!  You can bump the wingman off the wing with one of 'em

The trajectories followed by mantas in the various maps are well-known.  Use your avrils (or rockets close-in) on such.

Hellfire's points read and well-taken.  Skill is skill.  You could also interpret camping as good defense.

However manta runs of flags can result in games lacking in competiveness as well.  A match that's over in 2 minutes.

Sometimes a better defense is in order for pushback in a match(s) that is lopsided.

Well said Long back with the EQ malfunctioning, piglet made a comment which is true: If you do it too good, we will have 2 hour games as it might end in stalemates.

To Piglet: Do you have a server record of what has been the longest game ever? I remember playing in demo days a 3 hour + fight and I also remember 2-3 times lao forcing change as the game just would not end

No, there's no logging of match times.

The longest I remember was when we were still using the *cough* sort of *cough* demo server and playing primeval for hours....

The Primeval variation that was all tanks? That was terrible!

For that you had to use link secondary and avril. Once you got that it wasn't so hard

I recall some rather insane matches on the "standard" Primeval 10 years back.  One was at stalemate for a truly desperate 40 mins at that middle node.  The skill level was very high and action off-the-charts.  A blizzard of ordanance flying everywhere.  I actually taped that match but it's buried on an external hard drive - I have a bunch of those to sift thru before I can post it on YT.

Staying on-topic one needs to be aware when a manta pro is on the other team and adjust accordingly.

You're gonna have to work harder on the "D".

Yeah. That's how I play if there's one on the other team. I listen out for where they're coming from and try and shock them away.

You could also interpret camping as a cancer.
cancerping

It totally depends on the map:
- on summervillages f.e. all you need to do is use the tank and get dialed in on the flag - any kind of fast movement or sound (there's a clear manta sound 0,2 secs before the runner tries to snatch the flag) you hit the flag - boom, done. You need really good focus for this and 1 or 2 constant healers.
- on edgeclassic using the tank also helps a lot, but even a regular defence (like I do) just focusing on both sides and using the shock balls or beam can stop several manta runs
- on noname a well placed focused bender can stop 90% of the attacks easily

Generally using avrils is a good strategy if the mantarunner has to do a long distance run and the avril has time to hit him, so generally some big maps or maps where the runner has a long distance to go

There are also maps like Bloodbath where it's really hard to stop a well performed manta run, but that run is hard to pull off

Excellent strategy duke.  Well-taken.