User blog:Lord Loss/Discussion of the Week: Lances

Welcome to Discussion of the Week: Lances!

Another week, another weapon - and again one introduced in the original Monster Hunter. The discussion in the comments can take any direction, but I'll be posing some questions to try and get the ball rolling.



Overview
Lances are long weapons that can strike from a distance. The Lance is always accompanied by a large shield which grants a powerful defense against most attacks. Although slow and difficult to travel with, the weapon's damage output can be considerable. Originally, Lances had a rather limited set of moves; the upstab (which can be performed three times), the straight-forward piercing stab (likewise) and running charge attack. Lances are unique in that they deal either Cutting or Impact damage depending on the weakness of the hitzone they are striking.

In third Generation games, Lances can now perform a 'Counter', by charging up and then releasing when struck by a monster attack. They can also K.O with a running shield bash.

Specific Games
Monster Hunter: I believe that Lances were top-tier weapons in this game, and could be used quite easily for head-locking. But as I didn't play the game myself... Monster Hunter Freedom: ? Monster Hunter 2: I don't know, were there any changes in this game? Monster Hunter Freedom Unite: I remember them being sort-of alright. A bit slow, and I never felt like they could kill things very quickly, but perhaps that's just me.

Not sure what the best raw Lance was (maybe Narga's Lance? Tiggy's? Uka's?).

Monster Hunter 3: I much prefer them here, if I'm honest. They feel much more... fluid, although I suppose you could argue the counter move is almost brokenly good. Plus you can use them underwater! (I actually think they're one of the better weapons underwater).

Monster Hunter Portable 3rd: Well, you can't use the counter after the third lance stab anymore, I believe. And does it more often require Guard+1? Not sure. Did anyone use much other than the final Alatreon Lance or Deviljho Lance?

Monster Hunter 3 G: I don't have Tri G, I'm not sure if there's anything new.

Monster Hunter Frontier: I'm not sure what you have to do to unlock it, but I know there's Tri-esque counter-move, a running shield charge that causes KO damage, as well as a 4-stab Combo move, with the posibility of a vertical stab (which seems excellent for hitting awkward tails).

Questions

 * What monsters do you find Lances work well against?
 * Have you ever tried them against something on a whim, and found it to work surprisingly well?
 * What monsters do Lances really not work on? (I'm thinking Nargacuga, because it's so jumpy, or maybe Tigrex, with the second gen moveset, because he always goes charging off into the distance).


 * What game do you most enjoy using Lances in?


 * What's your favourite Lance to use, for any reason?
 * Which would you say the best-looking Lance from any game is? Suggest it, and I'll upload the image to this blog.


 * How do you feel Lances compare to other weapons? Do you enjoy using them?