Minecraft hosting since April 1
I became a client on April 1. We have a Cobblemon server (1.21.1 Fabric server, 156 mods) with 19 players, 1-6 regularly online at any moment.
Setup: Is it easy to set up a server?
Yes. I used FileZilla (SFTP) and we preloaded using Chunky. Network issues were communicated transparently in a public Discord chat, so it was a bit hard to follow since messages got buried, especially if there were no pings. There are no dedicated chat page, they only have their Facebook page and Discord server.
Service: Am I able to play?
Yes. I downgraded to Powersave II (Xeon E5 2698 v3) but it couldn't handle Cobblemon, so I upgraded to Warthog (Ryzen 5 2600). (There's an ₱80 downgrade fee, it's in the TOS, but it wasn't linked on the homepage so I didn't see it. I understand the reason though.) Having dual servers helped a lot since I have international players: 20ms ping in PH server / 150ms in SGP server when it's not congested.
Connectivity: Are we able to play smoothly?
3/5. Before the congestion-free PH location was applied, the disconnections were really bad. Unfortunately, some players could only play between 7-10 PM, during the most congested period in the hosting server. Thankfully, the PH location improved and it's manageable now, though there's still room for improvement. I also understand the unpredictable nature of DDOS attacks.
For beginners?
It's a bit hard if you have no server experience. If you don't purchase the server assistance add-on, you're on your own. You need to know how to read crash logs and it's a good skill to have. If you have a friend who can code, it's better if they buy and manage the server instead. Mczie Hosting also seems very understaffed.
Customer support?
As said earlier, there are no dedicated chat page, only their Facebook page and Discord server. Responses through their Facebook page are within an hour or less. On Discord, it's hard to follow updates as mentioned earlier. Your first line of contact should always be their Facebook page.
TL;DR:
Setup & service: 5/5
Connectivity: 3/5
Customer support: 4/5, but if you're a beginner: 2/5
Mczie is still very new, but it has already gained a lot of good reputation, now with over 200 clients. Like all things in life, online services are a big risk and the Mczie network might get DDOS'd again. But as it stands, I'm grateful to renew my plan for them.