Not sure about great, but it certainly isn't shabby. Contest money really helps.

I'm one of the very few people without any alts.

Wasn't always like that, apparently. I think in the old Tanki you started with Smoky-Wasp.

I don't know anybody that would be crazy enough to play against Gizmos at WO5. I was just noting that I'm at the point where I can play with any rank higher than me.

Ranked up. I'm at the minimum rank to play with Generalissimos now, so I guess this is the starting point for me to be a medium rank player.

First, I don't have a high account, and the test server is closed. Second, I meant equally balanced in the sense that they're both effective to the same extent if used correctly, i.e. Smoky at closer ranges and Thunder at medium range. Some maps are better suited to Smoky, and some to Thunder.

I don't really like M0 Twins. For whatever reason, it seems quite weak when I try to use it.

I think he has a high account, just FYI. I think MUs are OK right now. They give you a good edge and have no rank requirements once you've purchased the item in question, so it's natural that they're somewhat expensive.

Tactically speaking, Shafts are the best long-range defenders you can get as long as you can get good sniping positions. They can lock down large parts of the map, hence why they're so annoying, especially if there are many of them. You still need some close-medium range defenders too in case somebody sneaks up from behind. If you can do parkour, Shafts become even more powerful, especially on maps like Highland. There's a ridiculously OP sniping spot on a ledge on Red Team's side where you're essentially invulnerable if you duck into cover with Wasp.

He ranked on too, from WO5 to 3rd Lieutenant. I wonder why.

I'm probably going to rank up tomorrow. M1 Thunder nets me a lot of kills, so, yeah.

Nope. At M1, the difference in health is 23 points. That's about 1 shot from Ricochet, or 2 from Twins; not much. The difference in speed is 0.82, which is quite a bit higher. The difference in turning speed is 5.5, which contributes a lot to the handling. At the M1 level (which is what you're going to be using for a while), I'm pretty sure that Wasp is better than Hornet. It also unlocks 2 ranks earlier and is about half the price.

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M1 Railgun can be more useful than you think. I use it quite often, and it can be exceptionally dangerous even against M1 and M2 hulls. If you're in CTF or CP, let your teammates soften up targets before you deliver the killing blow. In TDM, it doesn't really matter who gets the kill, so every Railgun shot will net you quite a few points. I'm not good at using Railgun in DMs, but if you decide to do so, pick off weakened targets. For instance, let's say two people are fighting each other. One of them will win, usually. Immediately shoot him/her with Railgun. They'll usually have sustained enough damage to net a 1-shot kill.

Having a few Shafts as sniper support can be really useful in larger, more open maps.

I suppose Smoky does what it does best better than Thunder, but Thunder does what it doesn't do the best better than Smoky.

...or self destruct, that's always a risk. I think the Smoky vs. Thunder question goes down to the map and your gameplay style. For moderately close range combat, Smoky fits the bill, thanks to the rapid rate of fire, heavy knockback, crits, and no self damage. If you prefer to attack from longer ranges, Thunder will suit you better, thanks to the splash damage, longer range, and more reliable damage. I like Smoky a little bit better, but both are great.

I wish there was a Smoky kit. Maybe a Hunter kit as well. My ideal kit would consist of the following: M2 Smoky M2 Hunter Hohloma Winter Loam 25 of each supply Unlocked at Colonel

Gizmos/higher ranked players are a lot tougher to deal with. I've played against several of them in the test server, and these people know what they're doing. However, I did pretty well against them, actually.

...Godmode_ON did the same thing, so...

I went on a killing spree on a Rio TDM. I used Smoky-Wasp with Tundra, and it was a full battle (at least 10 people on each team). It was HILARIOUS outsmarting the many Hornet-Railguns and Viking-Railguns on the enemy team; even the M1 Hornet-Rails were easy prey for my trusty M1 Smoky. Heck, even drugging M0 Hornets were no problem. I decided to counter drug once, and with some Isida support, I single-handedly managed to clear out the enemy base, even getting a few spawnkills. The Hornet-Rails decided to leave (I wonder why...) and somebody on the other team switched to M0 Hornet-M1 Smoky (coincidentally my best combo from Master Sergeant-WO3). Well, that guy didn't stand a chance either. The lesson here: respect Smoky.

I'm definitely going to be missing the sale. Ah well, I can save up on crystals and get M1 Hunter and possibly M1 Freeze/Dirty paint on the next 50% sale as I rank my way up to the good M2s.

Clay is pretty ugly, but it has good stats. At max MU, you get 50% Ricochet, 50% Thunder, and 50% Railgun. You'll be protected from 2 out of the 3 most common mid-range turrets and 1 of the long range turrets. I like Picasso more for general purpose protection, but Clay definitely has its merits.

Got a gold box in a Seruphov CTF today. Wasn't much combat in the center, surprisingly.

If you have excellent offensive Shaft skills, this is actually a viable tactic.