Blading Better....

[Grim]

1: what are some usual tactics involved? ob'ing to get behind ect...

OB hooking has been largely unused since the days of Silent Line, because now generator capacities are much lower, and the refresh is slower too - players want all the energy they can have. What's popular for bladers now is to utilize some sort of stun or distraction to keep their opponents preoccupied while they position themselves for a strike.

Also note that blades now are largely secondary weapons, you'll rarely find a design that tries to make the blade its primary method of dealing damage.

With that said, weapons like the RL or the B2/B3/BP zooks should give you the stun capability you're looking for.

Weapons like the MV vertical missiles or the Syakatsura missiles are successful in creating a window in which opponents are distracted with dealing with something else other than you.

2: what kind of frame would be best suited for such close range dogfighting?

Light, low drain frames are the way to go.

Heads used to affect blade tracking (where you blade and it'd lead the blade in the direction of the opponent), but as far as I know that's already been taken out in LR. Regardless, choose heads that are light and easy to work with. S2, Cicada, Cicada2, Eye3.

For arms, look at the blade aptitude stat. See how Loris dominates them all haha.

For the core, choices like the Cronus, the 99UL are OK. Most bladers would probably go for EOs though, as they provide a helping hand in dealing bits and pieces of damage here and there. E2 comes to mind. OB cores are pretty hard to use with a blader because of the aforementioned shortage of energy. Maybe try Atlas or Rakan.

For the legs, think fast. Dingo2 is obviously a top choice. For quads try the LF71, and for tanks try the Boar or Boar2.

There are lots more workable parts out there, try experimenting.

3: what blades would go well with said frame...

I'm a fan of the Elf series, but the LB4 is also usable. And then of course, Moonlight.