Return of Reckoning

Hey all,
I am thinking about rolling an order tank alt and would very much appreciate the opinion of some experienced players as I am undecided about kotbs or SM. My favourite game mode is small scale rvr and ranked solo. From what I have read, kotbs is a good choice because of the auras, the wounds debuff and the + ctbc but I have seen many more SM playing ranked solo – is the higher damage output better for this game mode?

Why not both? Sm 2h dmg is very viable and the cd decreaser and gap closer can be paired nicely with a lot of classes like ASW or WL. Kotbs dmg is a lot less therefore you can get extremely tanky and have arguably the better party buffs (auras). Both are very good picks for 6v6 and both can be used in 6man premade. Sm, kotbs, WL, ASW, RP, WP is a killer combo for example. All 3 elfs have a gap closer which can be used for some extreme burst.
Kotbs gives you a very well rounded party setup since you can adjust your auras depending on what setup you are playing against.
Edit: as kotbs you are likely to run 2h aswell in smallscale but your dps will be less than SM ao you will probably feel more impactful on a SM.

6:6 tank's main job is punting, guarding and assisting.

knight is good at punt, ppl say assist dmg is low but i haven't tested myself.
SM is good at assist. punt is l2p.
guard is same.

good players do all 3 jobs no problem. adding extra cc, buff/debuff, interrupt etc.

IMO positioning and awareness distinguish good and bad.
which makes main jobs a lot easier.
or good players easily done main jobs have extra time for positioning and awareness.

Thanks a lot both for your input! I think I will give the sm a try - see if I can learn to use the punt

6v6, knight is better because you can spec long punt and that's what secures a kill on a dps when you punt guarding tank away. You also have m3 aoe root that you can use both as root and dmg burst... not to mention those sweet, sweet auras.

SM do more dmg and pressure but that's all they bring, they have aoe punt that's not too far and giving everyone movement immunity. On the rare time you need to punt tank and dps away and you might mess it up for everyone else too. SM dmg comes from dots and ether dance, WW only works well for a) certain class and b) those class build around it.

So if you run solo rank, its not a guarantee it'll be help to your random team.