Mastering the Rhino: Mechabellum’s Agile Frontline Disruptor

Deployment & Core Value

• Aggressive Tank: Soak damage for fragile DPS units (e.g., Crawlers, Stormcallers) by charging into threats like Vulcans.

• Tower Assassin: Flank with Mobile Beacons to bypass enemy defenses and obliterate command towers.

• Tech Flexibility: Adapt to counters via upgrades like Final Blitz (explosion on death) or Power Armor (resists slows/EMP).

• Chaff Disruptor: Clear crowds with Whirlwind tech or stall with knockback.

  Weaknesses:

  • Vulnerable to burst damage (Phoenix charged shots, Steel Ball beams).

  • Struggles against Fortresses and high-level Melting Points.

  • Reliant on positioning—predictable flanks are easily countered.

    
    

Strategic Timing & Matchups

• Early Game:

  • Deploy 1 Rhino to shield Crawlers/Arclights from threats like Vulcans.

  • Use Mobile Beacon to test enemy flank awareness.

• Mid-Game:

  • Tower Push: Pressure multiple angles to split enemy forces, then drop Rhinos near undefended towers.

  • Tech Power Armor if facing Sentry Missiles or EMP units.

• Late Game:

  • Final Blitz Suicide Bomber: Sacrifice Rhinos to nuke clustered enemies (pair with Hackers for chaos).

  • Counter EMP with Photon Coating to retain explosion threat.

    
    

Countering Rhinos: Disrupt & Destroy

• Early Counters:

  • Sentry Missiles: Slow Rhinos before Power Armor tech.

  • Hacker + Phoenix: Steal Rhinos and melt them with charged shots.

• Mid-Game Counters:

  • Fortress Drop: Tank Rhino charges while backline DPS focuses them.

  • Vertical Steel Balls: Deploy beams perpendicular to Rhino paths for instant deletion.

• Late Counters:

  • Overlord + Ground Cannon: Melt Rhinos before they reach your towers.

  • Stormcaller Traps: Bombard Mobile Beacon landing zones with incendiary rounds.

• Anti-Final Blitz Tactics:

  • Avoid unit stacking—spread formations to minimize explosion damage.

  • Use EMP before Photon Coating is applied, then switch to Phoenix focus fire.

• Flank Solutions:

  • War Factory (360° Turret): Deploy early to shut down Rhino flanks.

  • Shielded Fangs: Stall Rhinos with barriers while DPS units whittle them down.

    
    

Rhino Builds: Tech & Synergy

1. Suicide Bomber:

   • Tech: Final Blitz + Photon Coating.

   • Role: Trade Rhinos for high-value enemy clusters.

   • Synergy: Pair with Hackers to force enemy split attention.

2. Mobile Flanker:

   • Tech: Mobile Beacon + Whirlwind.

   • Role: Bypass frontline, disrupt backline, and clear chaff.

   • Risk: Exposes Rhinos to air—cover with SAMs.

3. Tanky Disruptor:

   • Tech: Power Armor + Shield/HP upgrades.

   • Role: Absorb aggression for Marksmen or Stormcallers.

4. Anti-Chaff Whirlwind:

   • Tech: Whirlwind + Damage Amplifiers.

   • Role: Replace Sledges as a frontline chaff clearer.

Key Philosophy

The Rhino thrives on aggression and unpredictability. Use it to force reactions—diverting enemies to defend flanks creates openings elsewhere. Prioritize tech that amplifies its role (e.g., Final Blitz for chaos, Power Armor for survivability), but abandon Rhinos if the enemy hard-counters with Fortresses or air superiority. Always pair with units that exploit the space it creates, like backline Stormcallers or tower-sniping Marksmen.

Mobility - Ground
Giant - No
Cost - 200
Unlock cost - 50
Units - 1
HP - 19297
Attack - 3560
Target - Ground Only
Attack Interval - 0.9s
Splash Damage - 6.0m
Burst Damage - 3560
Max DPS - 3956
Range - Melee
Speed - 16m/s

Tech Upgrades

Armor Enhancement (200)
HP is increased by 50% and 60 damage is blocked when attacked. The damage blocking effect increases by 60 with each level

Field Maintenance (300)
Automatically restores 4.5% Max HP per second upon taking damage. [Does not stack with the Nano-Repair Kit equipment]

Final Blitz (250)
Rhino activates a self-destruct mechanism at 0 HP, dealing damage equivalent to Rhino's Max HP to all units within 48m

Mechanical Rage (200)
Increases the movement speed of units by 5m/s and reduces attack interval by 0.3s

Photon Coating (300)
Covers the unit with a photon coating, reducing damage received by 30% for the first 16s of battle and grants immunity to electromagnetic, ignition, degenerate beam and acid effects

Power Armor (300)
Increases HP by 25% and grants immunity to slow

Whirlwind (250)
When there are multiple enemies around, Rhino will use Whirlwind to attack all surrounding enemies, dealing 1.5 times the damage of Rhino's attack power over a long time

Wreckage Recycling (100)
Upon destroying an enemy, recovers HP equal to the enemies HP