Discuss the operators - Thatcher

[The3rdWalker 1,263]

This series has been re-created to facilitate the gameplay, metagame, and strategy discussion that often gets buried or lost in the abundance of others posts that flood this sub.

The goal of this series is to not only give new players a primer on an operator, but also for midlevel or competitive players a chance to share the knowledge that they have accrued in their experiences and maybe let people know something that they did not know before.

Today's operator is Thatcher.

• Serenity17's Thatcher Guide 
• Iceycat's Thatcher Guide 
• Thatcher Wiki

The community has outlined a couple of things that they want to converse about with every operator, but feel free to branch out should you feel a piece of information warrants its own discussion.

• The operator’s primary or ideal role in the team. (DISCLAIMER: Operators can be played in a number of different ways. There is no single way to play an operator. This is probably the most subjective segment of the discussion series, and hopefully will spark debates or help us learn things we did not know before.)
• The operator’s gadget and how it will help the team achieve its goals. Please share any tidbits you may know to help expand discussion.
• The operator’s loadout, and how best to optimize it. This includes primaries, secondaries, and secondary gadgets.
• What maps and game modes does this operator do well on?
• What maps and game modes does this operator struggle with?
• What teammates synergize well with this operator?
• What opposing operators check or counter this operator?
• What strategies have you adopted while playing this operator? What is something that a new player should know * when playing this operator, or what is something you know that would help a veteran player take that next step?
• What is your overall opinion of this operator? Where would you rank them among the other operators?

[The3rdWalker 1,263]

Thatcher just isn't as attractive a pick as before 3.0.

His EMP grenades range got reduced a lot, a frag grenade has practically the same effect (minus going through walls) but can be thrown through drone holes or any unreinforced section of the wall you're attempting to breach.

Granted not all bomb sites have the opportunity to throw a frag close enough to reach batteries/jammers but quite a bit do and in those situations I think it's a smarter pick to bring an operator like Sledge/Buck who can frag clear electronics (or save them to flush out defenders) and have other tools to bring to the team.

He's a good all rounder.

People underestimate him as his gadget is vital so he has to shadow Thermite but the L85 is a very accurate rifle and has a good rate of fire. I find him to be a very good support in any firefight in which medium/long range is available. He suffers like most against shotguns up close as he has no real counter to that. When I use Thatcher I typically cover Thermite for the main breach and after that, depending who I play with, I do one of two things. Either I'll cover Themite when he goes into the breach or I'll go with another player (usually Sledge) and try and flank from the softer entries opposite the breach so shields can move in on the gap.

Obviously his primary use is to disable bandit/mute stacks on reinforced walls but the EMP nades are fairly good to distract people. They don't do anything other than mess with the holo/RDS but still every little helps.

Overall I quite enjoy playing Thatcher. It tends to be a thankless role at times but when you've got good mates it makes it all the more enjoyable being a core member of a strong team.

 

• Quick tip is that if you're stuck at a window that's castle/muted you can throw, while looking directly upwards, a EMP and it'll discharge close enough when it lands back near you to disable the jammer.
• If you hang upside down above the window, you can throw it in the corner of the ledge of the window and it'll usually stay there. I do that a lot for Fuse and Thermite.