The Game Plan: Team Efficiency’s Tier X Format Overview
Welcome to The Game Plan! Take a trip down memory lane with Spawnster from Team Efficiency and see how the format of WGL APAC-ASIA has changed over time, culminating in the new Tier X Format of today. Plus, get inspired for your next game with a look at the hottest tank picks of the Season!
The new Season of WGL APAC-ASIA 2015-2016 is well underway as the most exciting iteration of eSports gaming by Wargaming that we have seen to date.
The earlier, or should I say first iteration, was played with a 7/42 format, where you would see combinations of 5 Tier VIII tanks with 2 Tier I tanks or 1 Tier II tank – a distant memory to most, and nostalgia to some. Gameplay was more static and drawn-out as the Tier Is were mainly used for scouting in a bush somewhere on an exposed flank. Favourite tanks were normally AMX 50 100s, IS-3s, T32s, M26 Pershings, AMX 13 90s and the infamous Tier I tanks, the T1 Cunningham and Leichttraktor.
Then [the tournament format] was changed to 7/54, [with a] maximum tank tier of VIII. Tank line-ups were normally composed of 5 to 6 Tier VIII tanks and either 1 Tier VI or 2 Tier VII tanks. This definitely added more flow and dynamics to the battles, as the lower tiers were better able to hold their own in a fight as compared to the Tier I one-shot paper tanks. Tanks that were favoured were the usual Tier VIII suspects as per the earlier format. However, the new Light Tanks introduced in patch 9.3, like the T-54 LT, RU251, M41 Walker Bulldog and LTTB, were a welcome addition to [standard picks] like the AMX 13 90. The T-54 LT wolf packs were the most devastating tank line-up especially in open maps where its combination of armour and speed made it the preferred choice of top teams.
For the new season, Wargaming has decided to change it up again with a no-holds-barred 7/68 iteration of World of Tanks eSports, where the highest tier in the game, Tier X, is introduced for the 1st time. And my oh my, what a hell of a change this was. This has got to be one of the most exciting changes to have happened to the league, and is sure to garner more fans and interest for World of Tanks.
Though this format has just been introduced for Season II, we are already seeing a more varied tank line-up with favourites like the E100, T110E5, T57 HT, FV215B, AMX 50 B, IS-7 for Tier X, and the Tier IX Conqueror, AMX 50 120 and T10/IS-8, taking the lead as the most favoured heavy tanks. As for the medium tanks, we have seen mainly Obj. 140, Bat. Chatillion 25T and STB-1 for Tier X, and T-54s for Tier IX. Will we soon see an increasingly varied choice of tanks picked for this new format as more teams experiment with other tanks? We have already seen the likes of the WTE100 and FV183 picked by some teams for certain maps.
All in all, this Season promises to be the most exciting and heart-stopping season of WGL APAC-ASIA so far, and shows just how much the tournament scene of World of Tanks has matured.