Mastering the Tarantula: Mechabellum’s Armored Chaff Crusher

Deployment & Core Value

• Chaff Annihilator: Obliterate Crawlers and Fangs with rapid-fire autocannons. Ideal against early chaff-heavy boards.

• Anti-Medium Bulwark: Melt Sledgehammers and Arclights efficiently while tanking their damage.

• Tanky Frontliner: Deploy upfront to absorb hits and protect fragile backline units (e.g., Stormcallers, Marksmen).

• Mine Layer (Tech): Spider Mines distract enemy DPS, buying time for your army. Prioritize this tech for late-game utility.

• Cheap Armor Synergy: Counter Mustang spam with armor upgrades for sustained survivability.
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Useless vs. air (Phoenix, Wasps).

  • Struggles against high-HP giants (Fortress, Melting Point).

  • Spider Mines can be countered by AoE or fast units.

    
    

Strategic Timing & Matchups

• Early Game:

  • Deploy 1-2 Tarantulas to crush chaff and pressure sledges/arcs.

  • Avoid overcommitting—use as a temporary frontline until stronger units come online.

• Mid-Game:

  • Tech Spider Mines to disrupt enemy DPS (e.g., Marksmen, Stormcallers).

  • Add Armor if facing Mustang spam.

  • Transition to higher-cost units if the enemy invests in air or Fortresses.

• Late Game:

  • Tarantula Push: Surround the enemy base with leveled Tarantulas and mines (niche but viable with proper tech).

  • Pair with anti-air (Phoenix, Wasps) to cover its weakness.

    
    

Countering Tarantulas: Disrupt & Overwhelm

• Early Counters:

  • Phoenix/Wasp Swarms: Air units ignore Tarantulas’ frontline and melt them.

  • Fortress Drop: Tarantulas lack DPS to break its armor.

• Mid-Game Counters:

  • Hackers + Multihack: Steal Tarantulas and turn their tankiness against them.

  • Vulcan + Air: Burn through Tarantulas while air units handle mines.

• Late Counters:

  • Stormcaller Traps: Bombard Tarantula clusters with incendiary rounds.

  • Melting Point Focus Fire: Overwhelm their HP with high-damage beams.

• Spider Mine Solutions:

  • Deploy Sledges with Range Tech to clear mines quickly.

  • Use Marksmen to snipe mines before they reach your backline.

    
    

Tarantulas Builds: Synergy & Scaling

1. Spider Mine Distraction:

   • Tech: Spider Mines + Armor.

   • Role: Tank frontline while mines disrupt enemy DPS.

   • Synergy: Pair with Stormcallers for AoE or Hackers to punish overinvestment.

   2. Anti-Mustang Armor Wall:

   • Tech: Armor Upgrade + Damage Amplifiers.

   • Role: Shut down Mustang-heavy comps while shielding backline.

   3. Base-Surround Push (Niche):

   • Tech: Double Mine Layers + Leveling.

   • Risk: Exposes you to air—always pair with SAMs or Phoenix.

Key Philosophy

The Tarantula is an early-game stabilizer—durable enough to bully chaff and medium units but falls off without tech. Use it reactively to counter sledges/arcs or Mustang spam, but never overcommit. Spider Mines add late-game value by splitting enemy focus, while armor tech extends its relevance. Abandon Tarantulas if the enemy pivots to air, Fortresses, or Hackers.

Mobility - Ground
Giant - No
Cost - 200
Unlock cost - 0
Units - 1
HP - 15631
Attack - 534
Target - Ground
Attack Interval - 0.6s
Splash Damage - 5.0m
Burst Damage - 534
Max DPS - 890
Range - 80m
Speed - 8m/s

Tech Upgrades

Anti-Aircraft Ammunition (150)
Can be used against aerial units

Armor Enhancement (200)
HP is increased by 35% and 60 damage is blocked when attacked. The damage blocking effect increases by 60 with each level

Armor-Piercing Bullets (150)
Increases ATK by 50%

Field Maintenance (300)
Increases HP by 30%, automatically restores 4.5% Max HP per second upon taking damage. [Does not stack with the Nano-Repair Kit equipment]

High-Explosive Ammo (200)
Increases splash damage range by 7m, but decreases ATK by 40%

Mechanical Rage (400)
Increases the movement speed of units by 4m/s and reduces attack interval by 0.2s

Range Enhancement (300)
Increases attack range by 40m

Spider Mines (300)
Fires 2 Spider Mines with 750 HP every 15 seconds. The Spider Mines will charge at the enemy and self-destruct, dealing 4,500 damage to all units within 9 meters. The Spider Mine's HP increases by 750 and its damage increases by 4,500 per unit rank increased.