This isn't going to be another "Sonic Sucks / Fix Sonic" thread is it?
My Robot/Sonic Mastermind is fairly new and will probably hit 40 tonight, but I can see him reaching 50 and starting iTrials soon(tm).
My earlier /Sonic Corruptor did NOT get to 50, largely because I realized that it would be much more fun to solo if I had decent pets to place my anchors on. I have indeed had more fun soloing with this character, and find him to be a real asset to teams as well. In particular, now that he's higher level and teaming with a lot more 50's, there are a lot of people who already have soft-capped defenses and appreciate the resistance buffs.
Are Masterminds really that squishy? With bodyguard mode and all my pets bathed in a healthy aura of resistance buffs, I don't really feel all that squishy. The status protection of Sonic Dispersion helps a lot too. Getting constantly perma-stunned and held is really what makes my characters feel "squishy", and my /sonic characters don't suffer that fate.
Is Sonic Resonance better than Thermal Radiation or Pain Domination? I have a Thugs/Pain MM that I enjoy playing, but he's not so awesome that I quit trying new combinations. Ultimately, I like Sonic for reasons of concept and because it is rare, not based on a careful mathematical analysis of its min/maxing potential. The only secondary I cannot play because it feels so horribly weak is /Poison. I don't have that feeling with /Sonic.
I'm not sure what would be wrong with a /sonic, just about to roll one myself.
You get equal resistance that therm gets, but instead of ST buffs, you get -Res powers.
-Res to all your enemies is really equal to +Dmg, which means all of your minions do more damage, instead of just one with thermal.
Yes, there is no heal. But you could take Aid Other if you really felt you needed one. If you get a pairing like DS/Sonic i think the demons would do a good job of healing each other, at least most of the time.
So while i have yet to play a /Sonic to very high levels, I can't see anything wrong with the set, maybe you just didn't enjoy it on a corr? Are there some numbers that make you worried its not effective?
As i've hinted, I'll be going DS/Sonic for my next MM. Pairing sonics +res shields with DS's res shields is a nice synergy. It also works nicely that Sonic has -res and so does DS. When i quickly calculated it, with both shields and my bubble running, and a shield from the demons, your looking at about +58% res, thats in addition to whatever their innate res is (which scales with level). My main role will be to command demons in stealth, throwing out aid other and debuffs when I need to, and of course I'll grab the leadership pool of powers for even more fun.
EDIT: I've looked up the values on CityofData. (These are all @50, "capped" means 90% res)
Demonlings, Ember Demon: Will have Capped resistance to whatever element they are. All will have 84% Res to SL, and 70% to whatever their opposite is.
Hellfire Gargoyle: 89% SL, Capped Tox, 70% Cold, 83% Fire
Demon Prince: ~55% Res (all), 10-15% Def.
If you consider the most damage will be in the form of SL, the majority of your minions will take from 10-15% damage. If you run a mission catered to fire resistance, your going to stroll right through.
Not a MM, but closish, I've got an Illusion Control/Sonic at 50 who I have a blast with. You get good +res without a toxic hole (not that it makes a huge difference aginst much), some mez pro and -res that everyone gets. I'd want a pet that performs well in melee for the toggle -res to put on, but that'd be my only consideration for the set on a MM.
So far, I can only see Demon/Sonic and Thug/Sonic doing alright because they have a melee boss pet for anchor.
I am thinking of a new MM but I think I am going with /Time since I haven't tried Time yet.
And like some of you, I do like some unique combinations just for being different. It's not really /sonic sucks thread. Well, I've never really liked it but maybe MM/sonic is better than corr/sonic.
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
Sonic doesn't suck, what the heck? Sonic Colors was AMAZING and Sonic Generations just improved on the formula, sort of.
Really, Sonic the Hedgehog has turned around IMMENSELY the past two ye-...
... Wait, we're talking about Sonic Resonance?
Yeah, it's garbage.
Having a melee pet as an anchor for Sonic Disruption is convenient, but it hardly makes or breaks the character. If I find that I really need more -Resist on ranged foes, I can always issue a Go To command and make my Assault Bot engage them at close range. (Actually I might debate the notion that Robots have no dedicated melee pets... as often as I catch my Battle Drones charging into the fray.)
The much-maligned and often skipped Sonic Repulsion is a boon for ranged pets like Robots since you can bounce unwanted melee attackers harmlessly away.
One thing I do miss in Sonic is a healing power. Fortunately, Robotics has Repair, which I use to keep the Protector Bots functional while they repair my other minions. Overall I think Robotics and Sonic have good synergy, even without a dedicated melee pet.
Some of the more fragile primaries like Ninja or Mercenaries I would not attempt. I think they really need strong heals to go along with other damage mitigation tactics.
I have a level 38ish Demons/Sonic. Screaming demonic rockstars was the first thing that popped in my head when I heard MMs would get sonic resonance. I have been alting as hard as ever, but he's my go to guy for the Hero Merits in the Who Will Die TFs that I solo from time to time.
The resists from the ember demon with the sonic resonance are nice, and I hardly heal in common situations due to the ember demon's AoE heal being enough to keep the green bars going on fellow pets receiving mitigated damage. Demon Prince + Living Hellfire + disruption field = melee/dominator pet juggernaut.
I would agree that mercs would be rough going with sonic, but I think ninjas could be possible since their good burst damage would be even higher with sonic disruption on the melee lieutenant pet. Unlike some buffs/debuff, you COULD put sonic disruption on a veteran buff pet and get the same debuff. The mobility of the debuff should not be underestimated. Resistance shields are far away from being overpowered, but it buffs better than poison or TA (yeah I know, they are pure debuff 
)
Triumphant Defenders Forever
Psylenz FF/Psi, ArticQuark Storm/Rad, Symon BarSisyphus Bots/psn, Max VanSydow Thugs/Dk, Cyclone Symon Bots/stm, Blue Loki Ice/Cd, Widow 46526
HelinCarnate:OMG it is so terrible. I have the option to take 3 more powers but no additional slots. Boo F'ing hoo.
Res seems a good choice for late game content honestly. Its not possible to get 60 def on most builds so res works well I think. You really need to get def high as possible for it to be of any use at all in the trials... Anything less than fifty probably would be nearly worthless on pets anyway.
Regular content def is king, I'm less sure about trials really. Unless you really can get to sixty def - but again, on pets? Bots and thugs with ff or traps sure. Everyone else might be better off with a good res set. I doubt sonic is bad these days.
What do you think?
How does /Sonic compare to Pain and Thermal?
My only high level /Sonic is a Rad/Sonic Corr and I almost deleted her. LOL
I feel resistance in general just doesn't work that well on a squishy. It's ok when I have a Brute friend who I put Disruption toggle on but other than that, I feel the whole set is lacking.
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.