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 The absolute best source for Q-zar information, strategy, and all-around good taggin' fun. Q-Zar Cover’s ver. 1.0 by RavingLunatic“What was that,” you think as you see the guy in front of you do some funky stuff with his arms and laser to make him nearly impossible to hit. You’ve just witnessed one of many covers, or ways to protect your sensors, in Q-Zar. The following is a description, and instruction, for several of the most common types of covers used in the game. This article will be great for inexperienced, as well as experienced players. I’ve been playing this game for quite some time now, and I learn new things all the time! I’ll go into great depth on these covers, and in subsequent articles, I’ll give pointers on how to take the information you have learned from here and in your own experiences to rise to higher levels of gameplay... now, on with the show! First and foremost, ask the game Marshall if covering is allowed in the game. The arena I work at uses Tournament Rules all day, everyday, in ever game, so covering is allowed. (all styles will assume the player is right- handed.. simply reverse for left- handedness, and also assuming that the player is of average height and weight) The names of the covers I’ll be using are what the covers are most commonly called throughout the U.S. as well as the world, however, it’s also been my experience that different regions of the U.S, and the world have different names for everything.. go figure. Also, this article is really a bare bones of each of the covers I’ll be writing about, though fairly deep, there will always be so much more to learn. Terminology: Let me begin this installment of Q-Zar Techniques and Strategy with terms that are used in the Q-Zar game. Chest Sensor/ Front Sensor: refers to the front sensor of the pack Back Sensor: refers to the sensor in the back of the pack Side Sensor: refers to either sensors on the sides of the laser Pack Lights: refers to any of the flashing lights on the Q-Zar pack, this also includes the laser Barrel/Barrel sensor: refers to the sensor on the barrel of the laser Swiss Cheese: simply means what it says.. holes in the cover everywhere to exploit Holes: refers to weak areas of the cover...i.e. shoot here! Bounce: refers to reflecting your laser off of any object in the arena, this also includes other people. Cupping/Cup-Hand: refers to bouncing the laser off of your hand to angle shots around corners and covers Crane Style: refers to raising your leading knee straight up to further cover the bottom of the chest sensor, think of how a pitcher winds up, how he raises his leading leg is what you want to mimic. Most times, this raised leg can be rested on the knee of the supporting leg. Pull/Draw: firing the laser. Posting/Posting up: refers to how you stand in an arena, commonly with your back to a pillar/column/wall, but sometimes referring to wherever it is that you are holding your ground. Cancel Cover: refers to a type of cover that is easier to cancel shots from Canceling: refers to canceling your opponents’ shots so that you don’t get hit. Essentially, the key is to pull the trigger the same time your opponent does. You do not need to aim at your opponent to cancel their shot. This is also the key to doubling. Doubling: Taking 2 live away from your opponent before they go into their downtime. This is done by tagging your opponent and then tagging them again as they go for their reflex shot. You must aim at your opponent’s sensors (any), and pull the trigger as they pull their reflex; not only will you cancel their reflex, but you will tag them again. Tripling: Like Doubling, only this requires much more skill, and at least 2 players against one. This will take 3 lives away! The first two shots must tag in rapid succession. This takes ridiculously exact timing, and is usually only done by accident by folks not calling their shots. The third shot is performed like a normal Double. What happens is that the first and second shot will register and stuff the opponents Barrel, and take 2 lives away. These first two shots, usually delivered by two players on any games with 1 shot per second and up, must go at nearly the same time. During Tourneys with Supercharge 4, this will wreak havoc on the other team. Again, it’s very rare, and usually a happy accident. Stuffing: Like canceling, and performed exactly the same. Sometimes, you will take your shot just a moment faster than your opponent, and, instead of the shots being canceled, your shot will register while nothing will come out of your opponents Barrel. You’ll know when you’ve been stuffed if it feels like there’s been a hesitation in your pack after you pull the trigger and then you hear.... “Defense Shield...” Love: Having one of your teammates ‘dong’ you to put you back up. Love is given during the “Warning” phase of your downtime to take it away. Donging: refers to “friendly fire” Up: refers to a player that is not in their downtime; Down: refers to a player that has been tagged. Shot, as in call your shot: refers to a player telling his teammate(s) that he is taking the shot, and that that player needs to be ready to avoid reflex/cancel/double/cover. Cover: refers to any number of playing styles involving the covering of one or more sensors in order to increase the chances of not getting tagged; a command given to a teammate to get into their cover, usually followed by the command shot. Set: refers to a command given to another player to take the shot because the caller is in position to bounce the shooter’s laser off of their laser’s side sensor into the opponents sensor and then the caller will double that player. The setter usually stands behind the target with their laser angled to bounce the beam off their laser and into the targets back sensor. Setter’s are usually down and call set while they are in warning to 1) get Love and 2) set up the double/ cancel. Trade: A player will call trade to tell his teammates that he has tagged his opponent, and his opponent has tagged him back. Switch: command given, usually followed by a teammate’s name, to ask to switch opponents. 12:30: another way to say Double. As in, calling “12:30!” when you double someone. Active: refers to a player that has become Supercharged. Tinks: refers to “good shots” as in I’ve got 4 Tinks, I need one more to get Active. Sloppy-Zar: refers to playing waay too much Q-Zar and being so worn out that you just can’t seem to cover anymore, or you’ve avoided a shot somehow when you were only half way into a cover. As in, “Hehe, I’m playing Sloppy-Zar now, I dunno how I avoided that shot.”. Chicken Hawk: refers to a player that stays far away from everyone and takes pot shots at people when they aren’t paying attention. Or, the guy that came up and hit your back sensor when you were facing off with someone. Leading side/edge: The side you would normally favor. i.e. Your left side if you are right handed. Non-Leading side/edge: The side of your cover that you normally keep farther away from your opponents. i.e. Your right side if you are right handed. Covers: Ok, here’s the breakdown, I’m going to give it to you straight on how you get into the most basic forms of each of the covers that I am explaining. It’s up to you to then practice and modify them to suit your playing style, and body size. To each his own! Afterwards will be a commentary on pros and cons of the styles, and where the major holes are located. No cover is perfect. Almost... I will then give a brief (sorta) layover on using that cover, and going against the cover. These latter two will be written solely for beginners, though advanced players will be able to glean some info from it as I do put in some advanced techniques in there too. As the covers get more complex, so too will the Using and against sections, as I will be writing these areas geared more towards advanced players. Also the “playing against” sections are written without any assumption to whatever cover you are using. Let’s begin with something simple that I call the newbie cover. This is one that I am sure you’ve all seen at least once. This is also commonly called The Cradle, some of us call it the “Mad Chicken Wing”. Now, let’s dive into this simple, and very open cover. Newbie: Start by placing the laser across the chest sensor with the barrel pointing to the left. Now put your right hand on the trigger handle and cover the remaining exposed side sensor of the laser with your left forearm and hand. If you situate your hand just right, you should be able to cover the entire side sensor with just your hand and wrist. That’s all there is to it! (simple... effective.. Swiss cheese too.) Pros: Very easy to learn, most common starter cover. No need to move anything, just walk and shoot. Not good for multiple opponents Cons: Very open Holes: chest sensor exposed at the very top, chest sensor open at the bottom, barrel sensor open. Using the Newbie cover: Try to keep your back to the walls as often as possible as it is impossible to situate your self at an angle to your opponent so that your back is not exposed to them without further exposing your open chest sensor areas. (bottom mostly) You might want to experiment with Craning to further cover up the exposed chest sensor, think about how a pitcher winds up. Hitting the base requires you to simply bend at the hip to aim straight up, or at an angle. Against the Newbie cover: There’re holes everywhere! See those flashing lights.. hit em! Still not connecting? Bounce your shots off their shoulder pads/chin/top of pack, all shots will ricochet down and hit the chest sensor. Also, hit them under the cover on the bottom area of the chest sensor. If they are standing sideways to you, shoot down their barrel. Alternate Newbie: This easy alternate solves the problem of the bottom of the chest sensor being exposed, but it is still far from perfect. However, being very easy to learn, you may have seen this one too. Hold the Barrel of the laser with your right hand, thumb behind the front strap buckle, index finger either along side the Barrel, or curled around the bottom nub and the rest of your fingers curled around the bottom of the Barrel in front of the handle. Now, place the laser across the chest sensor just like in the Newbie. Your right forearm should now be completely covering the side sensor of the laser. Your hand will be in the right spot if the butt of the laser is in the crook of your right elbow. Keep adjusting, everyone’s a different size. Now, put your left arm across the bottom of the laser over the two handles. Situate this arm so that your left thumb is on the trigger. You may need to drop or raise your left shoulder. Continue with minor adjustments with just the left arm until you can press the trigger with your thumb, and make sure that you have sealed the gap between both forearms. And, that’s it! Pros: much better than the normal Newbie. Bottom hole better protected. Cons: still quite open to many attacks, mostly bounces. Same holes as Newbie, but not as severe. Also not great for multiple opponents Using Alternate Newbie: Read Using Newbie...Once again, try to keep your back to a wall, And face opponents sideways. Be wary of your exposed Barrel sensor. Don’t stand still, but bob up and down just enough to not get your Barrel stuffed. Hitting the base, while holding the laser with the right hand, turn it upwards by bending your elbow. You should now have the right side of the front sensor covered by the laser, and your left thumb will now easily be able to press the trigger. Your right forearm should still be covering the side sensor completely. Try to keep your opponents on your now well protected right side by turning your body. Playing against the Alternate Newbie: The same holes are still there if you look. Once again, bounce shots over and under the laser, and stuff that barrel. Euro Style/Euro This cover, like it’s name suggest was developed overseas in Europe where covering is absolutely not allowed. This cover, is actually not a cover per se, but more of a style of playing. Getting into this cover is simple, I suggest everyone learn this first, as the Newbie covers are really just novelties. Begin by bending your left arm at the elbow completely and turning your shoulder so that your left forearm covers the side of the front sensor. You want that arm up tight against that sensor. More than likely, you will have a small gap between your left elbow and the bottom of the front sensor, this is normal for this cover. Now pick up the laser with the right hand on the trigger handle and place your hold it so that the Barrel is in your left hand. The Barrel sensor will nestle behind your jaw when you get it situated just right. Keep adjusting till you reach this position. You may need to angle the laser in order to do so. Some players will find it comfortable to hold the laser with the handle pointing straight out, while others will prefer to have the handles straight down. Try to find what works best with your body type. You don’t need a ‘death’ grip on that Barrel with your left hand either. Most times, I just rest the laser on the cradle that’s formed between thumb and forefinger. You may find it comfortable to pull with your middle finger rather than your index. Keep practicing with the placement of the laser itself in order to not expose either side sensors. Where you have your head in relation to the angle you hold that laser really counts; too far back behind your head, and you’re exposing the left side sensor. Pros: Once you learn this, everything falls into place. This is a great in between cover. Once you get experienced, you will be able to use this cover as a cross over between covers, i.e. Porkchop-Euro-Porkchop-Crab. When posted up correctly, nothing is exposed to those on your lead side and thus, you will only be susceptible to bounces. No need to move the laser to shoot anyone. Just pull the trigger. Cons: Don’t use this cover close up unless you know what you are doing. Holes: Front sensor (bottom), Laser sensors. Using Euro: Definitely the most versatile cover by far. No other cover is as readily defensive and offensive at the same time. As with most covers, keep more sideways than head on with your opponents. Watch out for Barrel shots. Be especially cautious of your exposed back while walking the arena, try to post up on a wall or column. Crane will save your butt more times than not with this cover. If they come close, back away. Be weary of walls/ other players in front of you, someone can, and experienced players will bounce shots to your chest sensor/ laser sensors. Against Euro: Head shots! Tag Euro players around their head to try and get their side sensors, or go for their backs or front sensors. Bounce shots off of walls in front and behind them. Also, shoot at the bottom of their packs in the front to bounce the laser up to their chest sensor. Shoot for the Barrel, many players always have this exposed. Porkchop: My personal fav., and the one I use most followed by Euro, and then 2G. This is a great cover once learned, and with experience, players will be nearly invincible, speed is the key. I’ll explain 3 different, yet relatively similar styles of Porkchopping. 2 are cancel covers, and one is for a faster draw. All Porkchops are essentially the same and the 3 styles are just derivatives using minimal adjustment. Once learned and practiced, you’ll be able to go from one type to another without much more than a blink. To with the 1st type, and also a canceling type, hold the laser vertical and flush to your left side of the chest sensor with the handles pointing left. Cup your right hand under the butt of the laser so that your right forearm covers the entire bottom of the front sensor and your pinky finger curls/cups around the bottom-left corner of the front sensor. You’ll know you’ve go it right if the handles are now angled upwards towards the ceiling. The butt/display panel of the laser will be parallel to the ground. You may end up with the trigger handle between your middle and ring fingers or your middle and index depending on how you are holding it. If not, not to worry. Now, place your left arm just like you would for Euro. Your left forearm should now be sealing the exposed portion of the front sensor on it’s left side. Now grab the laser barrel, the part in front of the front handle in the way most comfortable for you. Do not bend your left wrist. Doing so will leave a hole, and no one wants holes in their cover! Now keep tinkering with your cover until it is tight. This is the most basic, and somewhat weak Porkchop. To cancel shots from this, bring your right hand around so that you can press the trigger with your thumb. Notice how you can see your side sensor lights reflected off your right hand and wrist? Your opponents see that too.. they can bounce shots right here. The next variation is sometimes called Hamhock, but I do believe that’s just local to here, and called that just to be stupid. From the earlier Porkchop, turn the laser so that the handles are pointed straight ahead. Now your right thumb should be right on the trigger. Keep tinkering with the angle of the laser until you seal that crack between your left forearm, the laser, and you left forearm and your chest. Mine’s usually roughly in between. The third, and for me, most effective Porkchop is like this, and I warn you, this one’s gonna hurt till you get it right, and it’s gonna hurt to keep it right. You’ll notice after awhile, that all experienced/ tournament players have one thing in common. A tiny scar, or scars on their trigger hand from the butt of the laser where the strap buckle is. This is from Porkchopping properly. First, hold the laser barrel in your left hand so that your left thumb (usually just the first knuckle) is behind the front strap buckle, and your index finger is either alongside the barrel or curled around the bottom nub, and the rest of your fingers are curled around the barrel in front of the front handle. Bring the laser up to your chest like you would with any Porkchop, and get it as tight to your chest as you can. Don’t slouch! Keep your back straight. Now, bring your right arm under the front sensor like you would for the cancel covers, but palm-side down. From here, you should be able to grab the trigger handle (probably barely). Personally, I only have my index finger on it. With the trigger handle held, push the laser tight against your left forearm. The butt of the laser should be resting on top of your wrist, at the very beginning of your forearm. The trigger handle should be held by, most likely, the tips of your thumb and index finger. Once in proper position, you should be able to touch your right ear with your left index finger. Your right thumb should also be in contact with your left elbow. Once again, this will hurt. Try to angle the laser as far back as you can so that the handles are pointed upwards as much as possible. This cover will take a great deal of time to learn, and even longer to master. Don’t expect to become unhittable your first few games. And don’t get frustrated, remember, as with everything, practice does make perfect, and even once you think you’ve mastered it, you’ll still have off days! And especially remember that Q-Zar is just a game! Pros: An excellent cover to take on multiple opponents from multiple sides. Bring it on! Easy to go right into Euro. Very secure cover, once learned, direct shots will never connect. With practice, you will get to a point where you can stand still once properly posted up and take shots to your forearm all day without a care. Barrel sensor very well protected. Very few areas to hit, none exposed once posted right. You can use this Porkchop out in the open without the aid of walls once learned. Best stance to use when roaming the arena. This and Euro are great covers to use while peeking around corners. Cons: Takes quite some time to learn! This cover will hurt if you are doing it right. (fast draw only, the cancel covers are painless.. but not nearly as effective as a true Porkchop) Takes awhile to learn how to quickly draw from it. However, once learned and practiced, you will be able to pull from it and go right back into it before the other guy(s) has a chance to react. Horrible tendonitis of my elbows! Continuously bruising my left knee when I get cocky and drop low and away in my Porkchop/2G after a successful shot. Holes: The cancel covers both have their laser sensors exposed far more than a proper Porkchop and are easily hit if you aren’t paying attention. Yet, these covers also cover the bottom of the front sensor really well. A proper Porkchop’s only frontal deficiency to direct shots is the small gap between your right thumb and left elbow. Bounce shots are your only true concern. Use Crane to alleviate this hole. Using Porkchop: Once you get comfortable with your Porkchop, try to pull the entire assembly back and up. In this, I mean, pull the entire rig to your right, and further upwards. You will be moving the front of the pack as well. (this is completely legal in tournament rules, however, posting up to a wall so that your back sensor is covered, and then dragging the front part of the pack back so that one side of the pack is closer together than the other is illegal and grounds for elimination) Crane your pants off! This is one of the best ways to avoid a reflex shot, as well as nearly all other shots from mid-range (5 yards)to far range distance (more than 5 yards). When Craning, lean into it, when in the right position, your left elbow will be behind your left leg, don’t lean too far or your back will be open. When crouching in a Porkchop, spread your knees to keep balance, though later you will develop your own style, keep your laser over your right hip/leg. An experienced player using Porkchop can use this cover to face people head on rather than sideways. Don’t twist/ turn your body to avoid shots, you’ll only be exposing your laser’s side sensor and front sensor or your back sensor. Instead, move side to side, strafe your opponents. Try to learn to cover first before you learn to shoot from it. You may consider taking a game or two just trying to get the basics of this cover and not even bothering to pull out a single shot. Just find a good spot where there will always be plenty of action, such as a base, and post up there. Now, keep and eye on where the opponents laser are tagging you and work on closing those holes. It might even be possible, on a really slow day, to have a Marshall help you out. (we Marshals play allot now don’t we.. hehe) Personally, I teach those that want to learn, but most of the time, I’ll just get them into a Porkchop, show them how to draw from it, and then tell ‘em good luck.. hehe. Now if I have a player I see all the time, then I take time out to really teach them. My last ‘student’ played in the last tournament, and now he’s totally schooling me! Ok, so now I’ve go a Porkchop, how do I shoot Coach? If you are using a cancel cover, you have two options, bring your laser down with your left arm and turn your right hand to pull the trigger, commonly with the middle finger, or bring it down and shoot with your thumb. If you are in the proper Porkchop, try to go into Euro from here. You shouldn’t have to move your left arm at all. Or you may wish to just bring your laser down like above and the trigger handle will naturally fall right into your right hand. Personally, mine is right in between. Overall, this cover is great, but you also need to know where to stand in the arena. You’ll find that certain areas/walls/pillars/etc. are better places for you to post up than others. This takes many, many games. Though I know my arena well enough to sprint through it in pitch dark, I am still finding new places to post up, and changing or modifying others. When confronted with multiple targets, you need to try to get them to make the first mistake. Try to get them on your terms, instead of you falling into their trap. Keep moving until you are in an area of the arena where you can control the flow of how many players can take shots on you at once. Watch how close the right side of your body is to walls, as you will be easy prey for anyone that can bounce or other stray shots. With several players, you have to think several moves ahead like chess. You must consider which player is going to be up first, keeping in mind where the second person to come up is at as well. You must also think, do you want to tag them again while they are in warning and cancel their reflex, or do you wait? Strategy is the key here. If you are faced against more than two opponents, it gets really thick! To take on three or more and send them to an energizer before you get hit is an accomplishment. Also, on a final note, the key to this cover, and the 2G are tightness, I can’t stress that enough. Get them tight, and keep them tight. This will probably wear out your arms the first few times. You have to always be pressing/ pulling as hard as you can until you learn just how much pressure is needed to seal your cover. Playing against a Porkchop: If they are in a cancel cover style, pass your laser along their side sensor, chances are very likely you will hit it. Don’t aim at the laser itself, but at the space next to it. If they are gripping the trigger handle with their hand outside instead of under the laser, you should be able to see pack lights reflected off their wrist or elbow; shoot here to bounce your shot to their pack or laser. If you are fast enough, wait for them to pull and then fire first, chances are you will stuff them. If close quarters are allowed, i.e., they (the Marshals), aren’t rigidly enforcing the personal space rules, cup around their cover and tag their side sensor. Against a proper Porkchop, first, tag them right at the wrist that is holding the laser. If you tagged them, exploit it. If you didn’t, next try bouncing a laser under their cover by aiming at their left elbow or the area underneath. No dice? Try bouncing a shot directly at their crotch. This will send the laser up to the chest sensor. This is also the easiest way to break through an inexperienced player’s 2G. Juke your opponent. Fake to the front and tag them in the back when they turn... what, they didn’t turn but they leaned back? Cover! Start over again. Try aiming at various areas of their forearm. Many Porkchoppers let their guard down here and there, myself included, just keep trying, you’ll get through sooner or later. If playing against a proper Porkchop with a Crane stance, bounce your shots off their shoes and shoelaces. Other than that, use the arena to your advantage, see if you can bounce shots to their open side. 2G: This cover began as a goof off cover called “The Prayer” or more simply “Prayer”, Ghetto Scrub describes how to get into the Prayer on this site. I’ll not get into that at all as it has many many holes. Instead, I’ll jump straight from Prayer, which I’ll call 2G version 1.0 to a proper 2G. This is another cover that will hurt if you are doing it right. Most noticeable is a bruise that develops on the upper right side of your chest, near your armpit, this is from the front part of the pack digging in. Don’t even attempt this cover until you have more than a fundamental knowledge of how to Porkchop. You must learn to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run, right now, flying is out of the question. In this section, I’ll describe 2 different 2G’s, although there are several more, experiment with it, you’ll soon find which ones work for your own body type. This cover was developed favoring defense more than offense. It use was originally developed to stay safe during warnings more so than for offensive play like it’s brethren the Porkchop. 2G is a cover that Dan McKean uses very well. He’s a Tournament player, and I think he’s come out on top with the Cincinnati All-Stars around 14 or so times. The 14 or so is from Singles competition. The first 2G I’ll teach you is one that is fundamental, versatile and one that you’ll probably end up using to roam the arena. From the Porchop cancel cover, the one with the laser flush to your chest sensor, bring up the right arm so that your forearm covers the exposed side sensor. This will take patience and practice to get right. Keep both wrists straight, keep them straight, keep them straight.. did I mention to keep them straight yet? You can turn your wrists side to side, just don’t bend them. Now grab the barrel, and basically mirror what your left arm is doing. Be sure to grab that barrel as hard and tight as you can in order to seal this cover. You should really feel that pack digging into your chest. The rubber nose piece on the laser is probably barely touching the bottom your jaw/cheek right about now. If not, pull everything up till it does. Everything includes the entire front part of your pack. You may wish to loosen the collar strap so you don’t choke yourself. Some players unstrap it completely in order to get the pack up even higher. When I get into this 2G, my left index finger is alongside my right cheek. This cover will take a great deal of time to get used to. However, if you start with a very good Porkchop foundation, you should be able to get a decent 2G in a matter of weeks. Now, from this position, bring the whole assembly back and up just like you did for Porkchop. If you do this right, your handles should now be tilted ever so slightly towards the floor. Your left elbow will point towards your right knee. You should stand with your lower body square to your opponents. This is also true of a good Porkchop. Now turn your upper body to the right, your handles should now point forward. Now lean forward favoring your left shoulder, the handles should now be pointed to the just to the right of center, center being straight ahead. You left shoulder should be in line with your left knee and your laser should be in line with your right knee. (Think golf back swing). If you do a Crane stance with 2G, or even Pork chop, bend your right knee, and rest your left foot on it. Lean into this, and your trigger handle will probably touch your leg. When you want to pull from this, drop the laser and ‘chop’ with your right hand so that you can pull the trigger quickly. Now get back into 2G. Practice doing this alot! This is a very basic layout of that 2G, now onto a different 2G! Start with a proper Porkchop, and throw an uppercut with your right hand. (that’s really the best thing I could think of to describe it!) This will get your right hand so that your left pinky is in line with the inside of your right wrist. The back of your right hand should be facing forward. The bone that sticks out on your right wrist should be touching your front handle. If it’s not that high up, don’t worry. What you want to do now is shimmy your right arm down until you can rest your right pinky in front of you left. Now straighten out your right wrist. If you do it right, you’ve just created a bulge with the fleshy part of the inside of your right forearm over the side sensor of the laser, keep it tight! This bulge will help to seal your cover. From here, you thumb should be in contact with the top strap buckle, and your fingers are probably curled around the barrel over your left hand’s fingers. Pull with your thumb as hard as you can, your hand should have moved, and your elbow should’ve stayed anchored to where it was at the bottom of the laser. If done correctly, the bulge you created earlier has sealed this side, and pulling with your thumb helped get your right wrist in the correct position to hide the rest of the side sensor. Your right shoulder pad and right bicep and forearm assembly are now also covering the rest of the chest sensor. Squeeze as tight as you can, but do not bend your wrists! You will feel it in your elbows. (Tennis elbow hard-core I tell ya) Once again, get in the stance discussed above. If done correctly, you will have nothing exposed whatsoever from all angles. This cover is meant to be used during warnings while posted up to a wall, and in Crane. But, once learned and practiced enough to be able to get into it as fast as you can Euro, you’ll be able to take on any number of opponents. If they come up close and go for your back or Barrel sensor, use your head. Seriously. When you are leaned forward in this stance, you head should be in the way of Barrel shots and back shots. Also, take on opponents head on, not sideways. When in proper position, the rubber nose piece should be touching your right cheek. Your left elbow/ trigger handle should be in line with your right knee. You should be leaned slight forward and turned just enough to the right to get that laser over your right leg. If you were to extend the back of the laser, it would hit the ground someplace behind you about 5 feet depending on how tall you are. If you keep this as tight as it needs to be, you will seriously feel it after the game. To fire from this, it’s the same as above. Pros: both: once learned and practiced, you’ll be able to take on many more people than you could before. Great way to survive “Warnings” during an intense and packed game. Mastering the second 2G here will render you nearly invincible. Good cover to use if you are down, and in the base, stand in front of your teammate and let them safely tag it. Best to stand back to back when doing this. The teammate should be using the Porkchop cancel cover. Cons: Will take forever to learn. I’m still in the process of perfecting these two as well as several other versions of it. Takes even longer to learn how to pull from it and get back into it very quickly. Until then, those reflex shots are gonna be a nightmare. This one is gonna hurt more so than the Porkchop if you are doing it right. Ouch ouch ouch those tendons in your arms are gonna hate you. Holes: Bottom of front sensor. Barrel. If you have long arms, consider positioning your hands so that you can use your fingertips to cover the barrel sensor. Just be sure you aren’t leaving a gap under your elbows, your right in particular. Using 2G: Learn where to stand. If there are corners in your arena, it is great to post up inside them if you are in warning and either Crane of crouch down. If you are Craning near a wall, lean against the wall, and move your arms so that the laser is in line with the center of your body, lean back far.... this should position you so that the bottom of the front sensor is now covered by your leg. Your elbows should be on or near that leg. Rest your foot on your right knee and bend that knee for support. If you are in the open, lean forward or crane. If you are in close quarters with someone, stand straight and shimmy or duck or lean forward to avoid shots. Wait for an opening before you pull. If someone goes for a crotch shot and you aren’t Craning, lean forward while stepping well back with your right foot, and now slide back your left foot. The same applies to Porkchop. Don’t use Crane too much in close quarters until you really know what you are doing. Learn to go from one cover to another quickly and efficiently. You may want to try to go from Porchop, tag, and then drop low into a 2G to avoid other shots. Don’t stay crouched in a 2G or else someone will bounce a shot off the floor. There is a way to stay crouched in a 2G and avoid that floor bounce... Playing Against: Boy oh boy, what a tough cookie this is to crack in the proper hands. Start by taking random shots. Always look for holes in people covers beyond the usual ones. Common places for leaks are elbows and wrists. Shoot for those first. If someone is riding a little high on their 2G, bounce shots off the inside of their elbows to tag the side of the laser. Aim directing at the laser right between both wrists. Aim right at the wrists. Take shots here and there along each forearm. Shoot them in the crotch if they duck or are aren’t craning or standing too straight, or leaning too far forward. If they are leaned back, the crotch shot won’t work instead, just aim direct at the bottom of the chest sensor. Go for Barrel shots. From up close, Cup the right side as many people can’t cover the entire side of that laser from that side. If they are just doing a Prayer cover, shoot any exposed part of the front of the pack. It’s always open. Bounce shots off the fronts of the shoulder pads, especially the one on the same side as the barrel. If you are at a good distance, or sniping around a column, use Euro and just out draw them. Wait for the 2G player to open up if you aren’t having any luck. If they are completely spanking you, find yourself another target. Practice some more, perhaps next time you’ll do better. But your best bet is to still just aim under or directly at the cover. Alot of people don’t hold it tight enough and therefore can be tagged through the cover. Crab: This cover was popularized to some degree by a Tournament player named Lee Costello. If you don’t recognize the name, you haven’t been playing Q-Zar much. The Crab is a great low cover. Most people don’t expect you to use it, and the ones that have never seen it are usually taken by surprise and hesitate before they pull. Start by holding the laser in your left hand the way that you would for a Porkchop or 2G, as in, with the left hand around the Barrel and your left forearm covering the side sensor. Now, place the laser sideways across the front sensor so that the handles point straight forward. The laser should be high enough so that your laser and forearm are covering the top edge of the front sensor. Don’t worry if you can still see the top edge a little, we’ll cover that up in a bit. Now, place the right forearm underneath the laser so that your thumb is on the trigger. Your right hand should be able to cup around the butt of the laser, and the barrel sensor should be covered by the crook in your elbow/bicep. Now, duck down low, and keep your knees together. Now keep your head up high, and lean forward hard. This is help press your arms together, and by leaning forward, will take care of any space left between your left forearm and the top of the front sensor. This is relatively simple to learn, yet will take a little bit of time to get the placement just right. Pros: Most players don’t use this cover, so the users will usually get the surprise on them. Very quick to draw and return from. Very little open for shots. Opponents must bounce to tag. Being low and coming around corners will also give you the edge on them. Being this low, you can shoot under most covers such as the Porkchop and 2G. This cover, once used properly will tear up any Euro player. Very easy to switch into a Porkchop or 2G. Also too low for people to cup hand you. Very easy to cancel shots from this cover as your thumb is always o the trigger. Cons: Your poor knees will get a serious workout. Getting conked on the head when some idiot lunges at you. Keeping your balance against multiple opponents. Getting shots bounced off the floor or crotch if you don’t have your knees together. Holes: The only hole you need to worry about is your back. Never post up to a wall with this cover. This cover is really only meant to be used in the open. Also, between the butt of the laser and the side sensor will always be a tiny gap. Learn how to face your opponents so they can’t take advantage of it. Using the Crab: Stay low, move by either taking tiny steps on the balls of your feet, or hopping. This is not really a mobile cover, but a cover that you would use when you need to post up quick. Great cover to use after you pull. For example, fire from Porkchop or 2G and then immediately drop down to your Crab. If they don’t expect it, their shot probably went harmlessly over your head, if they did, your thumb is already on the trigger ready to cancel. Face your opponents head on. When you want to pull, whip out the laser straight forward with your left arm, your thumb is already there to pull the trigger. If opponents try to walk around you, hop and turn, don’t just turn on the balls of your feet as they can just keep walking around you till you lose your balance. If you do lose your balance and land on your butt, 2G! If opponents try to shoot over your head to hit your back sensor, hop straight up, remember that your head should always be held as high as you can for this cover. You can also try to lean back, but not for too long as you will be exposed at the bottom of your cover. Always remember that you are set to cancel shots at will. If they get too close to you and go for your back, drop your left knee, go into Porkchop and lean way back. Keep your back straight when you do this. Your cover will be exposed once again at the very bottom, so be wary of other players. Against Crab: Whoa.. who’s that guy so low to the ground... where’d his lights go? As always, start at the wrists and elbows. Especially on the hand that is on the bottom. If they aren’t cupping the butt of the laser and they just have their fingertips sticking out, bounce your shots off the finger tips. Shoot off the inside elbow at the front of their laser, if they don’t have it tight, you’ll tag them either down the barrel or on their chest. Remember, you are a lot higher up than they are, so you have to pay attention to the underside of your cover. Approach while leaned forward or tag from a distance while Craning. Modify your cover a bit so that you are more protected underneath than on top. Don’t 2G unless you know what you are doing. With my 2G, I have the pack pulled back far enough so that shots to the bottom won’t bounce and hit me there. If they don’t have their knees together, shoot off the floor or at their crotch. Tag them right at the cover itself. Sooner or later you will find that particular player’s weak spot(s). You are also more mobile than they are, use that to your advantage and walk around them, take pot shots at their back. Other uses: I like using this technique while standing too. The only time I’ll use it standing is when I have my back to a column and want to fire from either side to keep my opponents guessing. I’ll start in a Porkchop and fire around my left side, and then tilt the laser down from there and go into a Crab to fire around the corner on my right side. This is an excellent cover to use when walking around corners that are on your non-leading side. This way, you can take that shot around the corner, and go back into your Porkchop, or stay in Crab to avoid the reflex while still looking around that corner. Brazil: This is one funky cover. Ever play Ultrazone? Well.. if you have, then, this cover will seem quite familiar, if not, prepare to get limber. This cover, like it’s name suggests, was popularized by the Brazilian players. This is effective for distance tagging, and for avoiding reflex shots. Personally I don’t use it much, as I am more partial to using Euro or Crab in the same situations.. but if you’re the type that wants to know as much as you can about how to play, here’s another cover to get under your playing belt. Besides, the more you know, the better you will get at this game! Ok, here we go! Start by spreading you legs beyond shoulder width. Personally, mine are about 3+ feet apart. Your left leg should be slightly more forward than your right. Now, turn your upper body so that your left arm is in front and your right arm behind you. Your left knee will naturally bend a bit and your right leg will probably lock. Try to turn your upper body as much as possible. Ok, here’s the hard part.. lean back as much as you can, the more the merrier. Both your knees should now be bent, and if you are doing it right, more weight is on your right leg, but just barely. Also, your left shoulder should now be quite close to your face. At this point, grab the laser as you would normally. Personally, what I do is this: I have the laser straight up and down along side the back of my leg. The handles will be pointing to your right. I’ve got my right thumb on the trigger and the rest of my hand cupping the butt of the laser and my right forearm covering the side sensor, and my left hand is holding the laser from the top of the barrel. If I am not planning on pulling, and I just want to cancel shots, I move my left hand to the outside of the barrel and just hold it against my body with my palm; from this position, your left thumb will probably be inside the barrel sensor hood.. don’t put it there... instead, keep it on top of it... you’ll be able to pull faster. If you are doing this right, your left arm should be covering the bottom of the front sensor. Keep the neck strap all the way slack or you won’t be able to get the laser where it needs to be. You may actually be more comfortable with putting your left thumb behind the front strap nub like you would for a Porkchop and wrapping your finger around the barrel.. only this time, your index finger is by the handle. My right hand is cupping the handle and the butt of the laser. With practice this cover is actually quite comfortable. Pros: From a distance, there is nothing to hit, and if you are in the open, the way this cover is meant to be used, there will be no way to bounce any shots. If you are quite limber, you can use this cover in areas with lots of walls and the only way to get tagged will be from people you can bounce their laser to hit your laser’s side sensor, which, by the way, is behind you. Which is why, I keep the laser vertical, with my right forearm down the side, doing this, nothing can hit you. Cons: Not the easiest cover to walk around in.. don’t until you have some idea on how the cover itself works. Not very useful close up, lean hard back and to the right, as in put more of your weight on your right leg, so that the opponent can’t reach around far enough to tag your front sensor. People without good balance won’t be good for this cover. Holes: The front and back sensors. Don’t use this cover up close unless you can pivot very fast and can read opponents very well, otherwise, a good close quarters Euro player will stomp you. Using Brazil: This cover was really meant for out in the open distance dogfights. Up close and personal, it isn’t very useful until you have enough experience with the cover. To pull from it, simply extend your left arm, this should make the laser horizontal with the floor, and also push the trigger as well if you haven’t moved your right thumb. This is a great cover to use at a distance to tag underneath someone’s cover. It will take a while to getting used to adjusting your aim. I also use this stance in my Euro cover at times to avoid shots, or when I snipe around walls when I am next to an opponent. No one’s arms are long enough to cup around it if you do it right. The more you spread your legs, the better your balance will be when you lean back or to the side. As with any cover, mobility is the key when standing still. See how far you need to adjust your legs so that you can perform acrobatic feats without falling on your butt! Hitting the base is actually relatively simple. Keep the same stance and adjust the angle of the laser while it is still behind you so that you can shoot up or at an angle at the base without moving out of the cover. It will take some practice, but you will soon be able to stand under the base and hit it without looking, sorta like the Porkchop cancel cover. If someone comes into the base to defend, and you’ve already tagged it once, stay in the cover and wait to tag again.. if you get tagged, hold out your reflex, you have 1.5 seconds, and then use your reflex to put in the second shot. If you have yet to put in the first shot, take care of the defender any way you see fit, and then go back to Brazil. Against Brazil: Well, you’re staring down a corridor and this dude’s doing the limbo. What to do? Start by aiming at his front and back. Try to juke your opponent into turning too far and showing something. A good Brazil player however will never have to move an inch. If that is the case, try bouncing shots off the player’s chin to tag the front sensor. Still not working? See if you can find any holes under his left arm. Though, you are probably seeing only his tricep at most, and thinking, “so that’s what the underside of the shoulder pad looks like...”. If nothing seems to be working, try to bounce shots off of the walls that are near the player. You are going for the back sensor mostly as the front sensor is pointed at the ceiling. If all else fails, get into your best cover, or get behind an obstacle and use your Euro. If the Brazil player is out in the open, you’re on his terms. Get him onto yours. Get into your cover and approach. This cover is great at a distance, but close up, most players will depend on their ability to cancel and then fire. Once close, fake a shot to get them to pull the trigger to cancel and then raise your laser over your head to tag down over their arm and tag the front sensor. What, you missed? Throw a few more fakes, or get into your Euro and turn enough that your back isn’t showing. Now start tagging to cancel his shots. You may want to Crane as the Brazil is great for getting under the cover. Don’t move the laser in your Euro, a good Euro doesn’t need to be moved at all. Now, fake front, and drop your laser low so that it is upside down and go for the back sensor. You’ll have to be close and use cup-hand to do this. Yes, that’s right, you have to cup-hand the side you aren’t used to cupping. You might as well practice this now. Eventually you will learn to be able to cup someone’s front or back sensor. Now lefties and righties will be equal challenge. If all else fails, stay in Euro and wait for them to fire, go for their exposed barrel. Well, that does it for this crash course in Q-Zar covers. Hope this helps you guys out there. Now obviously there are some things I left out. I couldn’t give away everything now could I? Hopefully you guys will practice whatever you may have learned here and will consider tournaments. Till then, wait till the next installment.. -RavingLunatic
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