The Energon Pub

[unique_username]

mirage is one of the autobots most skilled marksmen and has been referred to by cliffjumper as "one of the best hand to hand bots", and considering how much cliffjumper hates him its huge praise. blaster is no doubt stronger, but he doesnt have a workable alt mode, a tape deck vs a car isnt much of a match. for curiosities sake, fight 1 mirage can become invisible and fight 2 he cant. who takes it in both scenarios and how?

[Me, Grimlock!]

I'm not as familiar with both characters, but I'd give it to Blaster. In the comics, he seemed really agile, so as long as he can locate an invisible Mirage, one shot from his disruptor gun and Mirage is fried. A few more punches and Mirage is out of commission.

If Mirage can't turn invisible, then Blaster anyway.

Can Blaster use his tapes?

[AxiomScion]

This seems like a good one UU.

Mirage has been getting more menacing with each passing reimagining.

While highly cultured and skilled in the ways of combat, the drive to go all out isn't quite there in his initial comic portrail. I've heard of Mirage's marksmechship and even something about his knowledge of some metalikato and defussion, but I'm not certain about these. As a Sniper this mech rivals sureshot and in melee blugeon is ryu to his ken if the former assessments are correct/ could be verified.

I'll go with comic Blaster over the toon persona as he survived all involving Grimlock mutiny, an ordered hit, and torture ultimately winning Grim's respect following a one sided beat down. You'ld think he'ld let the cityformer fight his own battles but... did I mention he killed Straxus?

well the fight? round one would be close. I think blaster is tough enough to take the first cloaked shot and smart enough to tag him, disabling the cloak momentarily. Mirage is a good shot so once the fight gets in melee, Blaster's nimble frame may be somewhat compromised. Mirage stands to out fight him provided he can weather a few haymakers. If Mirage's cloaking kicks back in... game over.

round two: with no cloak Mirage is less likely to get the first shot, but still going to somewhat disable Blaster's nimble frame. Since blaster can also see him there is a chance his added scrambling shots can compromise Mirages systems putting him on the defensive. With Blaster taking the lead at the start of a melee fight I think he could win. If it stays a shoot out Blaster will incapacitate at best, but he is up against a very good sniper and hider with or even without his cloaking device...

round three: If Blaster is using his tapes, i'ld assume Mirage is cloaked and on the run like a turbofox in a cybetronian metal covered field. With the distance and experience of being the hunter, Mirage could conceivably have an advantage even in this role reversal for him. A few well placed shots would eliminate the most cassettebots and with proper concealment lay a trap for blaster. However, it would be more likely that Mirage gets found by the lion tape or something. When Blaster gets there the fight will be between a nearly fresh blaster (unless there was atleast one snipe attempt earlier) with one functioning cassette against a tiring Mirage. And Mirage just isn't that good...

so despite mirages potentially better hand to hand and definitely better shooting accuracy, blaster's best bet is to bring the fight into melee after trading a few shots. the scrambling ability of his gun and exploiting his stronger, bigger, more durable build is the only chance he has against mirage. comic blaster is smart enough to try it, but the cloaking ability would still be the end of him.

round one: mirage is highly favored
round two: blaster is favored
round three: most probable... blaster

Both are very formidable so each scenario would be a hard fight to win.

[Deadpool.]

I think that Mirage would win if Blaster can't use the cassettebots.

[olokin]

Mirage wins if he can fire the first shot. In an all out brawl, Blaster wins out by being sheer strength, relative to Mirage.

[Jazz Reborn]

who's straxus?

[AxiomScion]

who's straxus?

click me

[Neo Cyclonus]

This is one of these cases where it really depends on the circumstances. When it comes to stealth and deception, Mirage can be formidable foe, as we've seen in a number of G1 eps (especially the ending of MTMTE!). His skills as a sharpshooter and sniper are nearly matchless--this is an especially deadly skill in the hands of someone who conceals himself so effectively. He also has a distinct advantage in terms of speed and mobility, as evidenced by his race car alt-mode.

However, Blaster is much stronger, tougher, and probably more effective at ranged combat. Once Mirage's deception is uncovered, he's exposed and vulnerable--Blaster would have the upper hand, should it come to blows. This would be the case especially if Mirage is caught off-guard--I remember how he was easily bested in such an instance--in "Enter the Nightbird." And I doubt Blaster is any slouch when it comes to stealth either, given his vast communication capabilities. I do agree that it would be a mistake to start out by sending the cassettes after Mirage (except maybe Steeljaw, with his sense of smell), but once he's uncovered, they can help Blaster corner him. They're highly effective warriors despite their size--and deadly, when united.

Okay, I probably rambled on a bit here, but I think we've covered all the bases. In sum, Mirage wins if he maintains the stealth advantage. Otherwise, Blaster defeats him, with or without the cassettes. It's still very a very close fight, though.

[snavej]

Mirage can win this with one head shot from cover.

If Soundwave is a mind reader, Blaster could be too. He'd detect hostility from Mirage. He'd sense Mirage sneaking up on him. He'd shield himself with extra armour or other heavy cover. He'd broadcast very unpleasant sounds and signals to deter Mirage. I'm assuming that there are no reinforcements within easy broadcast range. Help will be a long time coming.

Blaster can monitor the situation for a long time and make plans to win. Mirage should act fast, speeding in and shooting at Blaster. Of course, Mirage will use plenty of holographic illusions to confuse Blaster. He should launch missiles to knock Blaster off-balance. Then, he will take split-second opportunities to shoot Blaster through chinks in his improvised armour.

Mirage is skilled and experienced enough to win this. That's my bet. If he can't do it quickly, he should withdraw. Blaster will detect him unless he runs far, far away.