Lert's tier 3 challenge

Lert: Why this thread?   Lately there have been a number of threads from players lamenting they can't do anything to tier 5's in tier 3 tanks. Frustrated players, who feel useless faced with tanks so far better than their own vehicles.   Do those players have a point?   Well, partially.   - Yes, the difference between tier 3 and tier 5 vehicles is very big. As is the difference between tier 4 and tier 6. And tier 5 and tier 7. And tier 6 and tier 8. And so on.   - Is the difference too big? Personally, I don't think so. At least, not from what I remember tier 3 being like. I think it's perfectly possible to exert influence on a battle when 'horribly' undertiered. However, that is speaking from 37k battles experience, knowledge of game mechanics and usually having more than enough credits and crews to outfit any low tier vehicle with a good crew and full equipment right off the bat.   As such I've decided to do the following challenge: buy a tier 3 vehicle, and do a number of battles with it.   Why this particular tank?   - I've never driven the Medium III (I skipped it with free XP when the tree came out) so this challenge will start from a clean slate - It is a tank one of the newer players lamenting the tier difference is having trouble with - It seems like a decent mix between mobility and firepower, lacking in armor but making up for it with a reasonably capable gun   My chariot of choice:     A fully upgraded Medium Mk III, with:   - 110 regular AP shells, 20 APCR, 0 HE. I've chosen to load a small amount of premium shells as I believe this to be both completely reasonable to do and affordable for newer players. 20 APCR set me back 24k credits, A reasonable sum when you're driving tier 3's, but not too much IMO. - No equipment, as I believe that newer players just grinding through a tier 3 tank wouldn't shell out hundreds of thousands of credits on equipment on it. - Small consumables. Run consumables on every tank. Always. No exception. You don't have to use them every battle, just make sure they're there for when you need them. - A brand new 75% crew (everyone but the TC is showing as 83% because of the commander bonus). This because I'm a human being, not a masochist. - No camo paint. A new player just grinding through a tier 3 won't bother with camo paint.   What will this challenge consist of?   50 battles, with this crew and this set-up. I will try to remember to take screenshots of every post-battle report, at least the tab which shows my shots fired, damage done and credits made. I have premium account, but those screenshots will also show the amount of credits earned without premium account, for people who want to know if you can still run a profit in this thing.   Will you platoon or play solo?   A mix of both. I don't know in what proportion yet, but likely no more than 1/3 of the battles will be platooned.   Why 50 battles? That is way more than anyone needs to grind through a tier 3.   Yes, it is. But anything less than 50 battles is way too small a sample size to show that a tier 3 is still viable in a tier 5 match.   Will you upload any replays?   Maybe. If it was a particularly good battle or something happened that I think I can easily turn into a good guide / lesson / teaching opportunity I might. If I get an ace badge I'll definitely upload it.   Anything else?   I won't be dedicating all my WoT time to this challenge and power-grinding through those 50 matches, so be patient for the results. It's going to take a little while.   No, really, why this challenge? You've always vehemently defended that tier 3's vs tier 5's is fine.   Yes, and I still firmly believe that to be true. However, as I said before, that is from 37k+ battles experience and running equipment and skilled crews. I will also fully agree that Wargaming does a piss poor job of teaching players about things like flanking, weak spots, tier spread, etc. Also, when going from a tier 2 (facing tier 3's) to a tier 3 (facing tier 5's) is a very big step. My hope is that doing this challenge will show newer players that the difference between being useless and useful is the player, rather than the tank.   Battles 1 - 10: 1st battle: Solo play, top tier, Ensk. I got swarmed by a Pz I C and couldn't quite get my gun to hit him. We still won. I would've made 5.1k profit without premium. However, I used a med kit, while still having one in my depot because of missions. So, assuming I had to rebuy the medkit at full price, I still would've made over 2k net profit without premium, or 5.3k with.   2nd battle: Ensk, top tier, solo play. Got swarmed from two sides, died, team carried to victory.   3rd battle: top tier, mines. Starting to believe that 'tier 3's see tier 5 all the time' is a myth, or that 'the first few battles in a new tank are always top tier' honeymoon thing might be true. Best result so far, a 1st class badge.   4th battle: solo play, Pearl River, first tier 5 match, first defeat. Didn't find the heavies, mostly because I went somewhere large, fat heavy tanks don't tend to go. I found a lot of tank destroyers though.   5th battle: solo play, Karelia, top tier again. A suiscout yolorushed and I was invisisniped before even getting a shot off.   6th match. Himmelsdorf. Solo play. 1 tier 3 (me), 2 tier 4's, the rest tier 5's. I went hill along with a tier 4 and two tier 5's, the enemy team pushed half their team hill, we got instantly overwhelmed. 5 shots fired, 2 hits, 1 damaging shot on a Sherman. Still earned more XP than two tier 5's and two tier 4's.     7th battle. Windstorm. Bottom tier vs half the team tier 5's. Got a few good hits on a Pz I C, bounced a regular AP and an APCR shell off of the front of a T1 Heay, disengaged, then got rushed by a T82 and derped. Team lost. Starting to think this challenge to prove that tier 3's can be relevant in tier 5 matches with some effort is going to be more difficult than I anticipated.     Eighth battle. Ruinberg on fire, bottom tier vs more than half the team tier 5's. I head to the little village on the east, but a lag spike and some packet loss cause me to drive into the open, cutting my adventure short. Time for a break.     Ninth battle. Solo play, Erlenberg, tier 4 max. This time it was my accuracy that let me down early game and my team that let me down late game.     Tenth battle. Pearl River, tier 4 match, solo play. Team spread was atrocious, worst I've seen in a long time (2 tanks north, 2 tanks south, 0 tanks middle, rest camp spawn). Somehow the enemy team managed to be even worse, so we still won. I didn't do that much damage, but my presence and the threat of my gun held back a DW2 for a few moments.     Thoughts after 10 battles:   This is more painful than I remembered tier 3 being. Maybe I was just too oblivious to the pain when I actively ground through tier 3 as a noob. Or maybe the meta has changed and power creep has changed the game so far. Or maybe I'm just going through a rough spot with my playing - Odin knows my high tier play hasn't been spectacular lately either.   I really dislike the Medium III, so far. It isn't very mobile apart from some decent straight line speed. The gun is mediocre. The armor nonexistent - anything that hits this thing does damage and autocannons and derp guns just shred it. I've not survived a single battle. No viewrange to scout with, no camo to hide with, mediocre radio range. The tank is just too average without a stand-out quality I can take advantage of.   I'm going to need to start practicing what I preach and hang back and support instead of trying to force breakthroughs / fights.   I miss my expensive equipment and skilled crews. Ah well, nothing to do but soldier on.   Some stats so far:   Battles played: 10 Win rate: 50% Mastery: 2nd class DPG: 180 (in a 280 hitpoint tank...) Survival rate: 0% APCR fired: 1 Battles with a credit loss (assuming standard account): 1 Top tier battles: 4 Battles vs tier 4: 2 Battles vs tier 5: 4 Net profit made (assuming standard account): 28974   Battles 11 - 20   Thoughts after 20 battles: This thing has no staying power outside its hitpoints. No viewrange to spot anything with. No penetration to go through angled tanks with mediocre armor. No camouflage. The two boobs are great big 'shoot me here' targets. I really don't like this tank. But, I'm soldiering on. It's only 30 more battles.   Stats so far:   Battles played: 20 Win rate: 45% Mastery: 2nd class DPG: 196 (getting better, still far from 'good Survival rate: 0% APCR fired: 6 Battles with a credit loss (assuming standard account): 3 Top tier battles: 8 Battles vs tier 4: 4 Battles vs tier 5: 8 Net profit made (assuming standard account): 64835   Battles 21 - 30   Thoughts after 30 battles: 280 hitpoints sounds very good for a tier 3, right? But with the DPM-vs-HP meta at low tiers and the thin armor that serves only to hold the crew inside when you go around a corner, the Medium III suffers against everything. Autocannons tear it to ribbons and derps jut pop the Medium III like a zit. Only against regular single-shot guns can it somewhat hold its own, but it always comes out of any duel bloodied, bruised and broken.   I'm going to be so happy when this challenge is over.   Stats so far:   Battles played: 30 Win rate: 50% Mastery: Ace DPG: 201 (getting better, still far from 'good Survival rate: 3.33% (Yes! I actually survived a battle!) APCR fired: 14 Battles with a credit loss (assuming standard account): 5 Top tier battles: 14 Battles vs tier 4: 5 Battles vs tier 5: 11 Net profit made (assuming standard account): 90786   Battles 31 - 40   Thoughts after 40 battles:   Thoughts after 40 battles:   I think the main problem is not whether or not I can be effective in this tank, but whether or not I feel like I'm effective. I don't. Even when I'm top tier, I feel ineffective. Rare are the games that I do more than my own hitpoints in damage. Out of 40 battles, I feel I 'carried' maybe one or two at most. It might be partially my playstyle, but also WG's way of doing things and balancing. Medium III is a weak tank.   Stats so far:   Battles played: 40 Win rate: 45% Mastery: Ace DPG: 213 Survival rate: 5% APCR fired: 22 Battles with a credit loss (assuming standard account): 6 Top tier battles: 21 Battles vs tier 4: 6 Battles vs tier 5: 13 Net profit made (assuming standard account): 120627   Battles 41 - 50   Thoughts after 50 battles: Thoughts after 50 battles:   This tank is not very intimidating. Nobody is afraid of it. The gun is anemic despite decent pen and ROF, the armor is non-existent, the speed is ok, the viewrange is non-existent, the hitpoints are ok, the camouflage is non-existent. This tank is entirely team and / or luck dependent. I am so very glad to be out of this.   Stats so far:   Battles played: 50 Win rate: 50% Mastery: Ace DPG: 239 Survival rate: 8% APCR fired: 27 Battles with a credit loss (assuming standard account): 5 Top tier battles: 27 Battles vs tier 4: 8 Battles vs tier 5: 15  Net profit made (assuming standard account): 175551   First ace game, 9.4 replay Second ace game, 9.4 replay Third ace game, 9.4 replay