Blackbird Tennis

Ever played Blackbird tennis? Before the RSPB gets on my case, not real Blackbirds, the ECM cruisers.

I logged onto Eve this morning which is primetime for the US. Someone mentions the squids (derogatory name for the Caldari Militia. Caldari - Calamari - Squid) are forming a fleet to count one of ours that is already out. I jump into a ship and burn but I'm several jumps out. The problem is the Squids do the classic and bring a bigger fleet with lots of ECM and some of the new teir 3 BC's and BS. Not only that, they set up on gate and expect us to jump into THEM! They have 10 more than us, heavier than us and have a lot more Ewar. No way lads, no way!

However, we do know that the Control Bunker in Nagamanen is vulnerable. So we head over there assuming they follow. Then they'll have to jump their superior fleet (steady! I meant in ship numbers, sizes and ECM) into us if they want to save the system.

Obviously they do but slowly.

By the time we get to Naga we find some Gallente Militia already there shooting the Control Bunker. We join in shooting the Control Bunker in Naga and our scouts report the Caldari Militia fleet slowly moving slowly towards us. Finally they get on the Naga gate in Deven, we're still shooting the bunker.... but are aligned to the Deven gate which happens to be a regional.

The squids jump, we warp slightly a range, along with our new friends who were already at the bunker. They decloak spread out all over the place, we land in a tight ball and start killing them. They start realizing that spread out, they are in trouble so warp out, abandoning those we have pointed, and come back in. During that time we've killed those they left and moved slightly so they don't land on top of us, and the fight begins in earnest.

Then the Blackbird Tennis starts.

Both sides have a Falcon each but the Caldari also have two Blackbirds compared to our one. People shoot the ECM boats, the ECM boats warp out and back. People shoot the ECM boats, the ECM boats warp out and back. The difference is, mostly the Gallente keep on the primary. The Caldari are splitting fire on our bouncing ECM boat.

They are obviously splitting fire on us normal ships as well as swapping to the Falcon everytime. I'm in a Drake and I have two random guys shooting me. Thankfully no point so I warp off as I hit mid-armour but the fight is over as I'm bouncing. The Caldari retreat. I assume we killed their primary and secondary target callers given the random spread of their DPS and no focus fire.

To be fair I think they lost a few ships when they moved from Enaluri (their home system) to Naga. The BS were not there for a start. And also we had 5 or 6 bombers join us who were already bunker bustin'. We lost two or three ships, killed about 7 or 8 of them and gave the others a nice repair bill. 2 or 3 tier 3 BC's were lost by the squids compared to a Drake, a Rapier and a bomber our side.

We loot, repair and go back to busting the bunker.

*Not a screenshot from today's fight, this was yesterday in Kedama.

Good fight and that's another system captured by the Gallente. The difference Crucible has made is amazing!

P.S. No killboard summary as the KB's aren't accepting the new tier 3 BC's.