The BZ-75 and the CW/Advances Metagame

TLDR: The BZ-75, as it appeared in 1.19.1 public test 1, had the potential to challenge or augment the Chieftain meta and finally changed the competitive scene.

I, and my clan mates, were very disappointed when 1.19.1 public test 2 introduced nerfs to the BZ-75, most of all by the 5 kph forward top speed reduction. As it originally appeared the BZ-75 had some crazy potential in competitive WoT, however the speed nerf as it stands mostly kills any chance it had to challenge the Chieftain meta.

The BZ-75's main strength was similar to the CS-63's; it got to take positions virtually uncontested and use them to get one or two free shots into the enemy team before the fight even began. In my experience in Advances positioning is key, and control of impactful positions will improve your odds of winning. On most maps you have to fight over these key positions, which is why the Chieftain tends to do so well.

The Chief is faster than other hull-down heavies, allowing it to beat its contemporaries to the fight. It also has very reasonable dpm and exceptional hull-down armor, meaning it will likely out-brawl its contemporaries once in position. In short, it's both the fastest to get into positions and the best once it gets there. However, the BZ-75 was considerably faster than the Chief, allowing it to reach those key positions well before a Chief could even get close. In testing done by my clan we found that the BZ-75 could reach the windmill on Malinovka while the Chief was still only halfway up the hill. On Serene Coast the BZ-75 got to the C1 hill about 1.5 map squares ahead of the Chief.

The BZ-75 had the potential to beat the Chief in the speed category, which would open up new possibilities on maps where the race to hull-down positions was key. However, after the speed nerf in 1.19.1 public test 2 the BZ-75 can no longer create such a huge lead when moving to position, on Serene Coast it gets to C1 at the same time the Chief does and only has a modest 1 map square lead on Malinovka. The gun handling and armor on the tank hardly mattered; its speed was what could have given it a niche in the competitive metagame.

A metagame where Chiefs are complemented by BZ-75's would have been a fresh change to competitive gameplay and increased accessibility of competitive modes to new players. There would finally be a reason not to take 13-15 Chieftains on pretty much every map, as a pack of Chieftains would likely lose a fight to 10 Chieftains and 5 BZ-75's. Imagine a ridgeline not swarming with Chief's but instead Chiefs, BZs, and maybe even S Conqs if the meta shakes out that way. The BZ-75, as a tech tree tank, is more accessible to the playerbase than the Chief and can also be nerfed and buffed at WG's leisure, giving WG more control if the vehicle ended up being overpowered (and if can all be honest, the BZ-75 wasn't even close to being OP in public test 1).

Given the rather lackluster turret armor, derpy gun handling, and modest dpm on the BZ-75 I'm honestly baffled why WG felt the need to nerf the vehicle at all. Sure the BZ-176 has been terrorizing the lower tiers for a few weeks now, but tier X is a totally different than tier VIII and I doubt the BZ-75 would have had the same impact tier-for-tier. I can only hope that WG reverts the speed nerf before release, as otherwise the BZ will have about the same impact on competitive modes as the Minotauro; basically none.

I know this subreddit had a low opinion on pre-nerf BZ in pubs, but I am curious what the competitive players out there thought of the BZ's potential? I will admit, I am a relative newcomer to clan wars/advances, so I'm curious to hear what some of the more established players thought of the tank pre-nerf.