Best way to take on Saipan in Hiryu

[MutsuKaiNi]

So been playing CV again and got myself Hiryu, I like her, nice strike power though I'm very weary of tier 8/9 AA, and the second fighter squadron gives it a definite leg up on Ryujo. But of course the bane of T7 CVs make it less fun...

 

I can take on the other CVs fairly well, love going up against strike Rangers , but Saipan feels like such an uphill battle. Also doesn't help that I seem to run into a lot of unicums playing Saipan, went up against one with a 64% WR and... it didn't go well.

 

So what's the best way to deal with Saipans, I've coinsdered CV sniping but I'm too sure how viable that is against Saipan.

 

[anonym_Hf93Jbjm9WjT]

Strategies that can work (but often don't)

a) sink the Saipan after long border hugging round the map route for your squadrons (bait their fighters with a db the opposite side of the map)

b) overwhelm the Saipan's ability to cover, you have six squadrons, some strike will get through

c) don't try to win a gunfight with a knife, accept the necessary losses of your fighters to allow time for strike squadrons to do their work

d) focus on how much damage you are doing to surface ships, rather than how many Saipan planes you shoot down

e) you have more eyes in the sky than Saipan (6 vs 4) this should mean your team gains an advantage in situational awareness from your active and passive scouting (it many not look cool to team mates, but this wins matches.)

 

I'm trying to be positive, don't lose heart, the above can work, occasionally

[K538]

Also, you can just try ramming.

[anonym_Hf93Jbjm9WjT]

11 minutes ago, K538 said:

Also, you can just try ramming.

The below example from yesterday is not with Hiryu, but versus Saipan (which has no secondaries), don't ram, just ctrl click and get in swashbuckling range

 

[Aduial]

My advice would be to focus mostly on dealing damage without being intercepted by fighters. Your advantage over the Saipan is that you have a much more powerful strike wing. Utilize this to its maximum potential, and use your fighters as bait. 

Alternatively, in a domination battle, you could try using your dive bombers to scout, so that even if you don't manage to gain air control or do a lot of damage, your team gains a tactical advantage. If I remember correctly, your dive bombers are barely faster than the Saipan's fighters once they drop their payload. 

 

Also, a 64% win rate in a Saipan isn't exactly unicum, since the server average over the last two weeks is around 57%. 

[MutsuKaiNi]

He didn't have 64% in Saipan, 64% overall.

[xKSNx]

2 hours ago, TheYuriKaiser said:

So what's the best way to deal with Saipans, I've coinsdered CV sniping but I'm too sure how viable that is against Saipan.

 

Because i don't play Hiryu consistently anymore; taking into consideration your situation, here's what i would do.

First, set up my bombers to "border hug" the map.

Second, bait the Saipan's fighters to follow mine until i can lock them over friendly AA.

Lastly, while the fighters are engaged on the other side of the map, find and strike the Saipan.

(Because the T7> cv's do not carry Defensive Fire consumable, you should not have to worry too much about  without captain skills)[AA is stock max range 3.5 km]

Spoiler

Hopefully since the Saipan only has 44,600 Hp, you can strike him out.

To be careful you can use the DOT method:

-Send TB/DB to strike the CV while leaving your other strike aircraft outside of AA range.

-After you get a flooding/fire wait 10 sec and send in your other strike planes.

The goal is to try to leave the enemy CV without repair while suffering a flooding/fire.

 

Hope this helps 

[StoneRhino]

There is no need to fear a Saipan. Don't case him make him adjust to you. If you chase him he will run you around in circles.

 

For example if an element of your team pushes cover them, follow them if you can use their AA to cover your planes and strike every chance you get. 

 

There is nothing more annoying in a Saipan than facing a game manager who doesn't make mistakes and punishes you every chance they get.

[senseNOTmade]

Honestly, I have never found Saipans to require a special strategy to beat.

 

Saipan fighters are tier 9, making them faster on the move, stronger on the strafe, more durable in combat and allows them to strafe out of combat. However, this also means that any losses will significantly weaken the squadron. Every plane is precious to a Saipan player.

 

Initiative in air combat belongs to the player who would win the direct fighter engagement at any given moment, as it is then up to the other person to reverse the odds. If you have Dogfighting Expert on your captain, your 5 plane squadron usually beats a 3 plane Saipan squadron, meaning that he can only afford a single loss before you have the upper hand. This loss can come from strafing, from rear-gunners, but usually it comes from AA attrition.

 

Saipan players are still comfortable at this stage because they can strafe out of combat, so they can afford to temporarily accept unfavourable fighter engagements. But what few people know is that if you have two squadrons engaged, one of them can actually strafe out after him if he tries to leave combat.

What I am saying is that while in a 2v2 squadron battle, the Saipan has more muscle, it does not take many random AA dice rolls to reverse this, and most Saipan players have a tendency to over-extend due to the toughness of their planes. As always when facing superior fighter power, play defensively, and attack when he tries to bring his squadrons in for a strike.

 

 

[MaxVladimus]

Play to get the Shokaku as fast as you can and skip of the Hiryu to don't face her anymore. That thing is extremely OP, especially when she plays with AS, and almost invencible. I won a few battles against a Saipan with my Hiryu. It's so frustrating not being able to help your teammates because there are a lot of tier 9 planes (and they're faster than yours). Because of this I hate her so much.