The fact that one can literally pelican-drop an Inferno on top of a galata is a sign that Pelicans are a bit too tanky. Unlike Bombers, which must be tanky enough to get in range AND kill its target, Pelicans only need be tanky enough to get in range and drop a unit before it dies. The unit it drops can handle the killing. I believe Nik has been experimenting with using Pelicans as meatshields to allow Icarus to kill Galata. I have heard anecdotes from many experienced players so far about why they believe that the Pelican's hp has been overbuffed.
I experienced this yesterday and it was VERY frustrating to start. If done correctly by both players, it is very possible that expanding would simply be inviable... Giving us yet another reason to simply spam air, especially on bigger maps. I'm still experiementing, though. I've only played about 20 games on this patch so far, and basically the rule of thumb still holds true that you CANNOT lose air control, and you air ALWAYS has to keep moving. I do find it VERY iffy though that with such a huge buff in health, they probably have no business carrying around infernos and vanguards. I have no solid opinions on this yet, though. I LOVE the idea of engineer drops. I do NOT like the idea of t1 lucusts... which is what a inferno drop is. As I continue playing, I'm finding these drops are currently way more prevalent, but quite preventable since your opponent must forgo 5/8 of an interceptor in order to get a pelican. Perhaps they should be modified in some combination of the following: 1. slower if they are going to be tankier 2. cost increase to make them more of a risk 3. keep the amount of hits they can take above 1, but perhaps below where they are at now. 4. Increase the range of galata and spinners. I think the fourth warrants some thought. The importance of air continues to be a blight in this game. I also believe that buffs are way more fun for the player than nerfs are. Regardless, slow and gradual changes are best.
Building a pelican scouting where to land it and safely doing so takes a lot of time and planning. Radar and fighters and properly defended spots. They have hard counters. A galata turret costs 225. Minimal time to queue up and is a turret so needs no more attention. Unless you want to use it to kill ground units. Pelican and inferno costs 355. Lowers the infernos hp to 200 when in air and takes a lot of time and planning to execute. For me it seems fine. Haven't been sniped nor been able to snipe from behind. But it does create that "maybe" buzz around winning and losing which is nice in my opinion.
