Description[]
Titanfall vs. Overwatch. Witness the fall of one of these duos of pilot and machine.
Introduction[]
Wiz: BT, the Vanguard Class Titan of Jack Cooper.
Boomstick: D.Va, the gamer turned MEKA pilot.
Wiz: It is inevitable that as technology advances, it will be integrated into the fabric of warfare.
Boomstick: But that's not so bad, because then we'll have giant mechs we can pilot to fight for us! Unless they're pointed at us, then it's a problem. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armour and skills to find out who would win a Death Battle!
BT[]
Wiz: Out in the Frontier, the depths of space under colonization by the human race, a conflict was well underway. And no, it wasn't the Apex Legends. It was between the Installer Manufacturing Corporation and the Frontier Militia.
Boomstick: Whilst it may sound like a toss-up between these two being our antagonists, we're actually on the side of the Frontier Militia here, since they were fighting for their independence on the Frontier.
Wiz: And to prevent the IMC from ravaging their new colonies of course.
Boomstick: So it was a war in space, that was neat enough, but then they upped the ante by including Titans! That's right, massive robots that sync up with pilots for more efficient performances.
Wiz: Originally created for manual labour, it was inevitable that the Titans would be employed in combat, with various classes pertaining to different skills. And yes, the ante was "upped" so much by their presence in the war that everyone wanted to be a pilot. Including Jack Cooper, a low-ranking rifleman from the Militia.
- Jack Cooper
- Age: 46
- Height: 5'8
- Affiliation: Frontier Militia, formerly 41st Militia Rifle Battalion
- Ethnically mixed
- Arsenal
- Data Knife
- Hammond P2016
- V-47 Flatline
- Jump Kit
Boomstick: His family were a bunch of, essentially, space pioneers, arriving in the Frontier for a better life. But when the IMC tried to impose their rule, Jack signed up for the Militia, serving as a rifleman for their 41st Battalion. In battle, he carries a handgun, the Hammond P2016, a semi-automatic with a 12 magazine capacity. And then there's an actual battle rifle, which is named after what it educes; a flatline!
Wiz: For extra manoeuvrability around the battlefield, Jack can use a Jump Kit, which enables longer, higher jumps and temporary wall runs. But its his Data Knife which I most appreciate. By stabbing it into a machine, Jack is essentially able to hack it mid-fight and bring it around to his own aid.
Boomstick: Plus, it's still a knife, and those are bloody sharp. Like Robocop's hard drive, which functions as a shiv! But it wasn't until a mission to Typhon that Jack eventually got his most effective weapon. Ah, who am I kidding? He got himself a friend.
Wiz: After losing another unfortunately; Tai Lastimosa, the pilot of the Vanguard Titan BT-7274. Who had actually given Cooper some Pilot VR training, perhaps to prepare him for this very day. The day he would inherit BT.
- BT
- Full Title: Bravo Tango 7274
- Height: Est. 25ft
- Type: Vanguard
- Protocols
- Link to Pilot
- Uphold the Mission
- Protect the Pilot
- Arsenal
- XO16A2 Chaingun
- Burst Core
- Bodyshields
- Multi-Target Missile System
- Vortex Shield
- Electric Smoke
- XO16A2 Chaingun
Boomstick: And he is one big boy! It's his three primary objectives to connect to a pilot, help them complete the mission, and at all times to protect them. And boy can he do that for his bro Jack, especially with that beautiful Chaingun of his, which his Burst Core allows him to complete unload in a single barrage. Barely any hits from that thing and you are a fine pink mist.
Wiz: From his Titan-class Kit, BT also has a Multi-Target Missile System, shields that regenerate over time, and an electrified smoke that can hide him from enemy scanners. But it's his Vortex Shield which is by far the most unique tool he has to hand.
Boomstick: I'll say. It's the weaponization of return to sender, as BT can use it to pick up whatever projectile is sent it way and send it flying back at its launcher. And it's just brilliant!
Wiz: Tell me about it. In fact, throw a beer at me.
Boomstick: Hey, want a taste at last? Finally!
(Boomstick throws a beer at Wiz like a pitcher, only for Wiz to deploy a Vortex Shield from his Robot Hand)
Boomstick: Oh yeah, cool! Mind giving that back to me-I should not have said that.
(THOCK)
Boomstick: Ow!
- Feats
- BT emerges unscathed from Titanfall
- Can tag the flying Titan Northstar
- Destroyed the Fold Weapon
- Got invited to join the mercenary group Apex Predators
- Defeated Ash, Kane, Richter, Viper, Slone
Wiz: BT also naturally has an ejector option, which allows Jack to assist him on the battlefield whenever he wants. With Jack and BT now working together, the Militia had themselves an incredible new duo.
Boomstick: They've tangled with some of the bloodthirsty rival pilots there are, like Viper and his Titan Northstar.
Wiz: The latter was fast enough to fly up through the atmosphere at three times the speed of sound (Sir Ovens). Whilst BT doesn't possess his same kind of flight, he is fast enough to tag him in combat.
Boomstick: Besides, it's not flying that Titans are known for; it's falling, with superhero-landing deployments into the battlefield. Which don't even hurt them. That means they can take 1.7 gigajoules of force without so much as a scratch (DarkDragonMedeus ). Damn!
Wiz: Let's not forget Jack either, who's pretty much a super soldier compared to other pilots. He's strong enough to break necks, requiring 1250 pounds of force, carry around equipment as heavy as he is, and far outclasses even the elite mercenaries, the Apex Predators.
Boomstick: Well of course he does, he got invited to join them. Not sure if he even took it up, but still, you don't get a letter of recommendation for nothing.
Wiz: One competitor of the future Apex Games - hosted by Blisk, the leader of the Apex Predators - Revenant, was able to dodge a bullet at extremely close range. By taking into account the speed at which he moved and the distance (Armorchompy), then he would have reacted in 22 milliseconds. Whilst Revenant may have been a robot, Jack has fought against such entities before, like Ash.
Boomstick: And came out on top with a sweet Titan finisher. Why tear out someone's heart and crush it when you can tear out a Titan's pilot?
Wiz: The abilities of both Jack and BT would be put to the test as they undertook their latest mission; to prevent the IMC from using a planet destroying weapon known as the Fold Weapon. Their mission was successful, but not without a terrible cost. Jack lost another friend.
Boomstick: Like a real bro, BT threw his pilot out of the way to use his self-destruct to destroy the Fold Weapon from within. Guess Optimus Prime isn't the only big heroic robot around.
Wiz: With the war still ongoing however, Jack would soon be paired up with another Titan. A shame, since, he liked his old one much more.
Boomstick: Well, good news for him, because if a flickering helmet's light is any indication, his old one may still be around after all.
D.Va[]
Wiz: The Omnic Crisis was a war set into motion by AI machines so advanced, they were practically their own people. In response, the world's countries all adopted their own approaches to the battles.
Boomstick: Germany used rocket-propelled knights, America created their own line of super-soldiers, because that's what they always do, and South Korea leaned into one of the most popularized means of war, no doubt inspired by their Japanese neighbors. I'm talking about mechs!
Wiz: Whilst they aren't as big as the mechs you might be thinking of, they followed the same rules; operated by expert pilots on the battlefield, their arsenals used to the best of their abilities.
Boomstick: And who, Wiz, would you get to become one of their best pilots.
Wiz: Why, it would be someone with military experience, or at the least had been a pilot or shooter beforehand. But what did MEKA do? They employed a gamer.
Boomstick: Ah, but not just any gamer. They selected Hana Song, esports champion of basically the whole world, and christened her as D.Va, South Korea's latest defender. Suppose they wanted to channel the violent energy people develop from video games into something constructive right?
- Background
- Age: 19
- Height: 5'4
- Ethnicity: South Korean
- Occupations: eSport player, MEKA Pilot
- Has played StarCraft and Mecha Guardian V
- Arsenal and Abilities
- Light Pistol
- Call Mech
Wiz: More like...well kind of actually, but what Hana brought to the project was her honed instincts and superb reactions from her competitive play. After all, when you're playing against other players in a game where they are just as determined to take you down, lest they lose their "Play to win" purchases, you're going to be pushing yourself to your reflective limit.
Boomstick: You are gamer then?
Wiz: Is it not obvious?
Boomstick: Well, before we get onto D.Va's most noteworthy arsenal, let's quickly gloss over her personal armament; the Light Gun. Kind of like an automatic pistol, it has an ammo count of 20 and has a medium-max range.
Popup: In spite of its name, the Light Gun does not appear to possess the properties of a light-speed laser gun.
Wiz: She's a capable shot with it alright, but its real purpose is to buy D.Va time for her to literally call upon her greatest asset; the MEKA.
- MEKA
- Created by the Mobile Exo-Force
- Comes with a screen for casual gaming
- Abilities and Arsenal
- Fusion Cannon
- Defence Matrix
- Boosters
- Micro Missiles
- Self-Destruct
Boomstick: Now that's why I'm talking about. D.Va can slip herself inside of this thing like a glove, and it is built to be a damage-enducing tank.
Wiz: It's primary method of attack, the Fusion Cannon, actually doesn't have an ammo count, meaning it can be fired continuously non-stop. Whilst it does make D.Va move slower, the damage it inflicts is worth it.
Boomstick: Don't worry about the reduced speed though, because her Boosters can help her with that. A single tap of the button and she'll go shooting off! She can even take to the skies for a brief moment at the right angle.
Wiz: In terms of defense, the aptly named Defence Matrix is a project array of light which functions as an indicator of its state. With it active, the MEKA can shoot down any projectile sent its way. Even bullets and attacks made of sound energy courtesy of Lucio.
Boomstick: And for her extra-damaging means of offence, she can unleash a barrage of Micro Missiles. Too many direct hits from one of those is going to hurt. But of course, her most powerful ability is her Ultimate. With a declaration to "Nerf this you filthy casuals!", she overcharges the core of her MEKA and sends it straight towards whatever gaggle of heroes is in her way, the resulting explosion usually more than enough to earn her the Player of the Game. All at the cost of her beloved MEKA...
Wiz: Except not, because like I said before, she can buy herself a charged Ultimate meter with her Light Gun to call upon another MEKA. It's the same if the MEKA she's currently using is damaged beyond repair; if she's able to survive and excel long enough, she can always call upon another to help keep her in the game in a more advantageous standing.
Boomstick: So she can keep to a vicious cycle of losing her MEKA then summoning it back for her own benefit. I've never heard of anything like it. Now, get down here DUMMI so I can see how big a boom you make.
DUMMI: Very well.
(Boomstick presses a button and DUMMI's screen counts down)
Wiz: Boomstick no, he has enough explosives to-
(The explosion sends the two of them flying backwards)
Wiz:...Hurt us both...
Boomstick: Owch. DUMMI...get ready for round 2.
- Feats
- Outlasted other MEKA operatives
- Self-Destruct can slay even Primal Rage Winston
- Fought against a giant Omnic
- Shot her MEKA’s core whilst free-falling
- Defended South Korea from Gwishin attacks
Wiz: The full organisation which D.Va belonged to faced a unique issue with their own enemy Omnics. Mainly, that what they were able to repel would always come back, and would adapt over time to boot. So D.Va would always have to be on her toes, especially when the rest of the unit where taken out of commission.
Boomstick: But don't worry, D.Va's video game honed-instincts, or whatever, would help her out.
Wiz: The shortest amount of time it takes for someone to react to movement is 250 milliseconds, and video game players should be no different.
Boomstick: Her MEKA has even shields to take the highest level of damage from Doomfist's ultimate attack, Meteor Impact, which has a damage output of 900+ million joules (Drite77) in the game itself. And her Self-Destruct, in the cinematic universe, is way higher.
Wiz: Not to mention she initiated it herself, with a well aimed blast from her light gun in the process of a free fall, all to take out invading machines. The blast that it resulted in was worth 7.8 gigajoules of energy (Dargoo Faust).
Boomstick: So D.Va doesn't just ride her MEKA, she's mastered it! Not to surprising, considering she helps with maintenance work on it as well.
Wiz: Of course, D.Va does best with her MEKA however, so being without it isn't the best position for her. Plus, it does make a rather large target and its short range always works against it.
Boomstick: D.Va and her Mech are still a formidable duo however, with the former's skill turning the latter into what is most certainly a gamechanger on any battlefield.
Interlude[]
Wiz: Alright the combatants are set, time to end this debate once and for all.
Boomstick: It's time for a Death Battle!
The Battle[]
Setting: Busan
High up in the sky, BT dropped downwards, Titanfalling into enemy territory with Jack inside of his shell.
BT: Touchdown in 50 seconds Jack. Wait...
There was a sudden beeping as his scanners detected something moving towards them.
Jack: What's that, enemy Titan?
BT: No. But we've both heard of a certain celebrity around this city.
Sure enough, flying towards them was D.Va, in her MEKA which was pushing its boosters to the limit to get this high.
D.Va: Hey you bucket of bolts, there's no high fliers allowed in this city but me!
FIGHT!
To reinforce her point, D.Va collided with BT, sending them both into a grappling free-fall. BT fought against the push of the MEKA, keeping a firm grip on its sides as they spun downwards until the ground was only a meter or two away. A quick burst of the boosters from MEKA turned them around one last time, meaning that BT took the full brunt of the impact, MEKA bouncing off his front in the process. It landed on its feet and drew backwards, watching as BT rose to his full height.
Jack: BT, you okay?
BT: Never better.
Jack: Good. Now lets kick this brat's ass.
BT hauled his Chaingun off his back and in response, D.Va unleashed her MEKA's Fusion Cannons, peppering BT with the shots. The Titan turned away from the assault, letting his side take the brunt of the damage. Upon realizing that the assault wasn't letting up, BT decided to weather it and turned around, firing the Chaingun in the process. The projectiles tore the pavement up, narrowly missing D.Va as she ceased her firing and boosted out of the way. She barely had any time to stop, as BT unleashed a barrage that mowed forwards across the ground, so moved backwards to keep ahead of the stream. She evolved this maneuverer into a boost that sent her into the sky and over BT's very hand; landing behind him, she turned and fired her Fusion Cannons into his back. They proved powerful enough to make him stagger forwards before turning.
Jack: She's too fast! Let's try something else!
BT hummed in agreement and tapped into his Multi-Target Missile System. Locking each available launcher onto D.Va, he sent the missiles at her. Inside of her MEKA, D.Va watched the oncoming projectiles and smirked.
D.Va: Pfft...beginner's move.
She activated her Defence Matrix, blowing apart the missiles before they could get at her.
D.Va: And I should know!
She unleashed her Micro Missiles straight at BT but the Titan had his own contingency; his Vortex Shield, which accumulated the Micro Missiles in a cluster. With a mechanical grunt, BT sent this cluster straight back at D.Va, which exploded around and battered MEKA, shaking D.Va inside. She yelled in surprise and to her dismay, found her MEKA was only inches from being completely inoperable. So she commanded it forwards and had it leap into the air towards BT before he had a chance to react; she activated its Self-Destruct and leaped out the back, leaving it to explode in BT's chest.
The Titan groaned as he fell backwards but in the process, Jack ejected from his cockpit and into the air. D.Va, who rolled after her own bail out, looked up in surprise before pulling out her Light Gun. Before she could fire, Jack's quickdraw beat her out and and she was forced to roll back further. Jack landed a few feet in front of her, and this time she was able to fire. The pilot darted around the shots and returned fire, forcing D.Va to dodge to the side and giving him time to close the distance. D.Va attempted to swing her gun's butt down into Jack's helmeted head, but he blocked the attack with his gun-arm's forearm before driving his other fist into her stomach. D.Va grunted and stumbled backwards but was still able to move her head to the side to avoid the shot aimed at it. And in the process, aimed the Light Gun at Jack's stomach, nailing it with a few shots. Jack merely grunted before lashing out with a leg, which knocked one of D.Va's out from beneath her. As she was off-balance, Jack drove his elbow into her stomach, knocking her straight to the ground. She rolled backwards with surprising speed into a kneeling position and fired a volley from her Light Gun, yet Jack was gone before they could hit, having launched into the air with his Jump Pack. Up there, he pulled out his assault rifle and fired it downwards. The bullets clipped D.Va's legs and arms but she powered through the pain to return fire, hitting him as he descended. Similarly, he weathered the assault and performed a diving kick, hitting her in the stomach and using it to pin her on her back. He aimed his Flatline directly at her face.
Jack: Game over kid.
D.Va: Not unless I have an extra life!
She pressed a button on her wrist and a beam of light surrounded the two of them suddenly. Jack jumped off her and away as a new MEKA appeared and D.Va slid into it, aiming the Fusion Canons directly at him.
D.Va: Gotcha!
She fired the cannons but before they could hit Cooper, the metallic arm of BT slammed down, saving his pilot from the attack. Jack then vaulted over the limb and ran across the top of the MEKA to land behind D.Va, shooting it with the Flatline in the process. The MEKA was too slow for D.Va to turn and counter, and anyways had to boost backwards as BT then swept the limb out. As MEKA retreated, Cooper kept firing at it and its operator. This was the least of her worries however; even as she fired her Fusion Cannons, BT responded with a volley of missiles. She fired Micro Missiles, the two opposing swarms of rockets exploding in the air.
As the smoke cleared, BT charged through it and brought his foot down onto MEKA's top, pinning it to the ground. With a grit of her teeth, D.Va fired up the Boosters, eventually forcing BT's foot off her and well over his head. She fired another volley of Micro Missiles but as the first couple hit, BT unleashed his Electric Smoke, vanishing into the vapor-based cover. D.Va landed within it, instantly going on high alert, her guns training on her surroundings. A hum drew her attention and she pinpointed the source of the sound through the smoke as it fell away to reveal BT with his Core-charged Chaingun aimed directly at her.
As the bullet stream came at her, D.Va threw up the Defense Matrix, the automatic defenses shooting down the bullets. But the Chaingun's stream ended up outlasting the Defense Matrix and once it came down, the bullets shredded various parts of the MEKA; its chassis, its guns and one of its legs. D.Va struggled to keep it upright in spite of the single limb and set a heated glare on BT.
MEKA System: Caution; Core at Critical Damage.
D.Va: Okay then...time for a do-or-die!
She blasted forwards in her MEKA with the boosters, aiming straight for BT's chest. The impact proved powerful enough to force the Titan to bend backwards, even as he used his Chaingun to protect himself. D.Va activated her Self-Destruct, overloading the already damaged core and smirked.
D.Va: Game over!
She pressed the eject button, to leave BT to his fate-but found she couldn't. No matter how hard she pressed the button.
D.Va: What the...controller's busted!
On top of the MEKA as it drove into BT was Jack, who had driven his Data Knife into its surface and hacked away its functions from D.Va, trapping her in the ready-to-explode MEKA. As Jack hopped off, BT grabbed the glowing MEKA, turned and hurled it away with its pilot high into the air. Her yell was cut off by the explosion that wiped her from existence, pieces of the MEKA raining back down at Jack and BT looked on. Jack, in particular, had to move to the side to avoid her personal controller shooting back down to earth and embedding in the ground, the screen flickering off with the words "Game Over".
KO!
Outcome[]
Boomstick: At least D.Va had one last chance to be a Shooting Star.
Wiz: First, let's get the obvious comparison out of the way; the difference between Hana and Jack. Whilst it is true the former's video game-honed instincts made her surprisingly suited to the battlefield, but the fact remains that Jack had been in military service for much longer, having been an experienced rifleman long before becoming a pilot. And based off the logical speed feats D.Va would have thanks to her reactions and Jack's scaling to an Apex Legend, then he would be 12 times faster to react.
Popup: Whilst D.Va's reactions are likely higher than the 250 milliseconds common to normal people, there's not much evidence to suggest it is vastly different. There's also little to suggest she possesses Tracer's reactionary feats, and both she and Jack have avoided gunfire, at most making them even.
Boomstick: He also had more weapons and options to fight back than D.Va, who honestly only had her Light Gun. And her Mech Call, which brings us to the main factor of contest between them; the difference in their robotic buddies.
Wiz: Both BT and MEKA had fairly similar abilities, such as a barrier to defend against projectiles and missiles to attack with, and both could deal with Mach 3 speeds; the Defense Matrix could shoot down bullets whilst BT could tag Viper. But only BT could turn MEKA's attack against it with the Vortex Shield and naturally has the Mach 3 capabilities. But defense and damage output where the more important factors. And whilst a MEKA can survive Doomfist's impact at the cost of all its shields, Titans can survive deployment worth 1.7 times that power without so much as a scratch.
Boomstick: But wait a moment, what about D.Va's self destruct. I've crunched the numbers and its packing 4 times the amount of power than Titanfalls result in, so wouldn't it be a means of taking out BT?
Wiz: On the surface level, sure. But there's a few factors to take into considering. First, I'd like to start by reiterating my point that Titanfalls are performed with no damage dealt to the Titans whatsoever. In order for rival Titans to deal damage to one another to the degree they do, then they would need to be delivering well over twice the force of a Titanfall. And not only can BT survive assaults like this but he also had his shields to rely on for extra durability. So overall, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine that BT could weather one of those Self-Destructs.
Boomstick: Whilst D.Va can call down another MEKA immediately afterwards, there's still a period of time when she could be vulnerable. Whilst BT's, or Jack's, better speed they could certainly get her before she could climb inside her new baby. And don't forget, BT also has that same Titan-damaging output as any other that Wiz pointed out, so he'd be hitting MEKA with twice as much power as it could survive in the long run. No matter how many MEKAs D.Va called down, if they couldn't last, then neither could she.
Wiz: D.Va could have stayed in the game with extendibility, but in the end this battle came down to two things; outlasting the opponent and what either combatant naturally had without the need of abilities. BT had the speed, durability and equipment, and Jack had the experience, weaponry and reactions to ensure both could win this bout.
Boomstick: Well, you know what they say. The bigger you are, the harder you can Titanfall.
Wiz: The winner is BT and Jack Cooper.
Next Time[]
They rose from defeat
To slay from the shadows
Trivia[]
- The connection between Jack Cooper and BT and D.Va and MEKA is that they are both duos of war machines and their pilots who had been embroiled in large scale conflicts against powerful robotic entities (Titans and Omnics respectively) as part of peace-keeping organisations which protect their homelands; the Frontier Militia and Mobile Exo-Force of Korea respectively. Both debuted in FPS games that take place in futuristic settings and both pilots originally came from comparatively more mundane ways of life before becoming pilots, albeit with the means to be a pilot due to passtime activities; Jack was originally an infantryman who received Pilot training before getting BT due to a friend whilst D.Va was a video game player and recruited for reflexes honed by this activity.
- This battle would have been in 3D
- The original music for this battle would have been called 'Titancall', combining the name of BT's series and phenomenon, and D.Va's Call Mech ability