T7 Ranked Ship Choice Guide by Win Rate

[ckupf]

 

This is the second consecutive season I’m making a guide like this, last time ranked was T8 so I figured it was time to make a new guide. I used the last two weeks category which I realize misses the first few days of ranked, but that’s no big deal, the exact win rate is not super important.

 

I am not the sort of player who usually cares about ship choices. In season 3 of ranked I used a Blyskawica to reach Rank 1 even though I was facing off against Bensons (and other T8s). I made it work. That being said, I am the guy who goes for the glory of a ram or sacrifices himself defending a cap, because if you are afraid to sink in the game then that’s a problem.

 

Ranked is different from random, nowadays everyone is the same tier, and some ships are, for better or for worse, superior to others. Some ships that are great in ranked are not quite as good in random and vice versa. Radar and smoke are even more valuable in ranked than they are normally.

 

This post is not at all authoritative and is just my opinion about which ship perform best in ranked, and why. If you choose a ship that is far down this list, I might keep an eye on you, but I won't yell at a player for choosing a ship that I don't feel is competitive, I (a solid but not a great player) made a T7 work against T8s. If you choose a bad ship AND play badly I may get a little salty. I broke this list into separate categories (one could call them "tiers") based on performance.

 

This list is full of personal notes and anecdotes about the ships, seeing as I have played almost every ship (excluding Myoko clones, which I will address separately below) and personal experience and observation allows me to see why ships do better or worse. I play to win, and I choose ships accordingly in ranked, not necessarily the #1 ship each season, but the ships that I enjoy and excel in the most.

 

Also remember, a good captain is worth 10x as much as a good ship.

 

The Elite Four (52%+)

 

Saipan (54.24%) – Contrary to what many players think the Belfast is not the best overall ship in ranked, CVs have disproportionate influence on the game as we all know, and the Saipan, as one of the most powerful CVs in the game tier for tier is #1 on this list. Strike is clearly the way to go as strike Saipans have amazing damage potential and can still control the skies, the 9 DB group just can’t be counted on enough, and the extra fighter group seems to be somewhat wasted, especially with the sheer number of cruisers this season.

 

Belfast (53.11%) – The most powerful ship WG has sold and not immediately realized was too powerful. The Belfast is king of T7 cruisers, particularly in ranked, the combination of smoke, radar, and hydro make her the ultimate ranked cruiser. Her lack of armor and high placement on the water matter little as a good Belfast player will rarely be shot at. She can nuke DDs, citadel cruisers, and burn BBs to the ground. Her AA is good even though she doesn’t have defensive fire. She is my ship of choice this season (I had expected 75% Blysk, 25% her, instead it’s the reverse). I play her with my Minotaur captain which means she’s not even as scary as she could be, IFHE and DE would not be out of place on her.

 

Hiryu (52.65%) – An excellent CV that would be considered one of the best tier for tier if not for the Saipan. I am currently grinding her, and if I felt I were good enough at CVs and had a higher level captain I would definitely give her a shot. She is a fun and versatile CV, carrying six squadrons. She has better damage potential than the Saipan, but the sheer number of cruisers and the power of Saipan fighters make her lower HP planes vulnerable. She does admirably, but is slightly outclassed by her premium American counterpart.

 

Shiratsuyu (52.50%) – God knows why WG thought this ship was a good idea. 16 torps in 5 seconds. Several times a game. I guess she makes up for the massive weakness of every other IJN DD at a tier that matters (except the decent Akizuki). My former favorite line is mostly dead at this point. She has decent guns for an IJN DD which allow her to press the occasional advantageous situation. She has good concealment and a solid stealth-fire range to boot.

 

The Trifecta of Not Quite OP Premiums (51%+)

 

Blyskawica (51.36%) – One of my absolute favorite ships in the game, she carried me to Rank 1 in Season 3 in barely 100 battles when T8s were allowed, then again in the horror season that followed. My most played ship, I have over 1.5 million elite XP on her in over 500 battles of all types. Her 7 guns on a stock 6.5s reload with 8% fire chance are absurd for her tier. The meta is not as good for her as it was in previous seasons though. The large number of cruisers and influx of a quality low concealment T7 have weakened her status. She is still king of the gunboats. But her weak torps and poor concealment mean she is not was good as she once was. Her large stealth fire window make her scary as an indefatigable harasser in drawn out battles when she has time to harass and burn down BBs and the occasional cruiser.

 

Scharnhorst (51.17%) – Another of my favorites. She is versatile, with tweener guns on a quick reload. Her torps are particularly useful in this seasons meta, which favors closer engagements in and out of smoke. Her guns are particularly lethal for me in random when she is not uptiered, so ranked is perfect for her. She is a great cruiser killer and can hold her own against most BBs. Her lower caliber and quicker reload (to go with above average secondaries and torps) make her the best BB at the tier against DDs. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t taken her out more, except for the fact that I almost never see BBs carrying in this season’s meta.

 

Flint (51.12%) – Why does the Flint not do as well as she does in random? Several reasons, some of which have to do with the Flint’s absurd random statistics, and some that don’t.

 

1. Her excellent AA is not as valuable in ranked.

2. She is super soft and vulnerable, a single radar is plenty of time to kill her in smoke. Her HP is lower than the T3 tech tree cruiser, and the lowest for any cruiser above T5 I believe.
3. Terrible shell arcs make her less valuable in a ranked scenario when players are paying more attention
4. Better players who have her (myself included) know she is not as good in ranked and don’t play her. Most of the players I’ve noticed playing her this season are players who took several hundred game to get to rank 1 at least three seasons, and not the best of the best. That being said some good players still play her.
5. No radar.
6. Lacks British acceleration for surprise attacks and anti-DD work.

 

Yeah that’s a lot of reasons. She does fine, and the average player who uses her is still above average, but she is not as magical as she is in random, where she is usually played by the best of the best.

 

The Best of the Rest (50%+)

 

Fiji (50.98%) – An incredible ship marking the second step of the transition of British cruisers from powerful to overpowerful. 12 guns that fire every 7.5s to go with good concealment, solid AA, smoke, heals, and hydro. British penetration to boot. 3 torps aside are also useful on occasion. She is so so good, I honestly think that I could get more out of her than my Belfast if I used my Minotaur captain on her. I just love that British cruiser AP so much, it eats up DDs and the broadside of anything that moves.

 

Leningrad (50.87%) – The Russian take on a torp boat. Solid concealment for what she is, good guns, but they rotate slowly and there are only five of them. Her speed allows her to dodge most of what is fired at range, but she can’t cap well enough and she can get caught with her pants down. She does fine, but I like her better in random than ranked. She has the Blysk’s flaws but better torps, she just doesn’t have the guns to match.

 

Nagato (50.73%) – The second best BB in ranked, somewhat to my surprise as I’m a Gneisenau fan. The Gneis is significantly better in random. The Nagato’s accuracy and ability to make small openings on enemy cruisers count is important to her success. Her slower reload is less important in ranked, her HP and gunnery are what matters. Because of the meta of this season she will not eat a lot of citadels so her weakish armor is not super problematic. As long as her team holds up around her she can excel. She can’t carry as well as the ships ahead of her, but she is scary when working in concert with a competent team.

 

Myoko (50.52%) – The One True Myoko. She does better than any and all her clones, I guess camo matters after all. I’m surprised the Myoko does as well as it does, I guess it has the best broadside power at the tier and solid AP to go with her excellent HE. Weak armor is partially offset by the largest health pool of any cruiser at tier 7. Good Myokos seem to stay at range and huck HE like no tomorrow and then work with ships with smoke to lay torp traps and citadel cruisers.

 

Atlanta (50.51%) – My beloved Atlanta, I think I have 700k elite XP on her. I used her occasionally in season four when there were CVs in queue. Now that I have a Flint I don’t play her as much as I used to. Who would think that one of the most hated ships on the server is doing well? Her Radar is useful, her AA is good for those rare CV games, her torps can get her out of a jam, and she can gun down destroyers faster than any other ship at the tier. Her AP is surprisingly effective (I have put up double digit citadels in her ON A SINGLE VOLLEY). With the right commander skills (some combination of BFT, AFT, DE, CE, and IFHE, no manual AA in ranked unfortunately) she can hold her own and then some.

 

Sims (50.34%) – When the Sims was put for sale for the second time, a year after her initial sale, I was told not to buy her. I ignored what people said and got her anyway, I am first and foremost a DD player after all. My Gearing captain isn’t a great fit on her unfortunately for the ranked meta and she just isn’t as scare as my Blysk as I learned in the hell that was season four. My random stats in her are frankly absurd, she is the queen of death by a thousand cuts. Weak torps, only 4 guns, but quick fire, decent concealment, good range, and great maneuverability make an interesting package.

 

Leberecht Maass (50.28%) – I am still on Gaede and have yet to play her. Since she is fairly new and I didn’t play much between the introduction of the German DD line and the inception of this ranked season I am far from an expert on her. She seems solid and hydro on a DD is a dumb concept that is pretty useful in ranked. She seems to get killed fairly easily though. Solid torps and decent guns make her a bit of a tweener. She can’t outgun USN or Russian DDs usually, and she can’t torp as well as IJN DDs. Nonetheless she does fine.

 

Gneisenau – Whenever I look back at my stats in the Gneisenau I’m a bit surprised. I was absurd in her. Win rate over 70% and average damage over 90k, I remember her as a decent but inaccurate ship with the exception of the time I did 223k in her, I guess she does okay. Her low DPM and accuracy are problematic in ranked, she cannot nuke broadside cruisers with any consistency. Her good armor isn’t as useful because a lot of the damage in ranked comes from torps and DoT. She does fine, but she is better in random.

 

The Tech Tree Russkis (49%+)

 

Shchors (49.59%) – Why is this ship spelled like this? One of my absolute favorites, the first cruiser I cracked 200k in and a witherer machine at a tier where that isn’t a thing. Pure arsonists aren’t as useful in ranked as in random, she dies quickly when focused and lacks either radar or Her AP can make short work of enemy cruisers, if they are foolish enough to show broadside. 4km torps are purely defensive, she does okay, but not spectacularly.

 

Kiev (49.55%) – She has neither the health nor the concealment to survive well, she is not good at capping. She can be outdueled by Mahans, Sims, and Blysks. Leningrads have better concealment and torps. Her speed helps but the fact of the matter is I am surprised she is as good as she is. She does okay, but she is probably brought up by a handful of power users, that’s always how the Kiev has been, some players just kick [edited]in her, but more players just think they are doing well because they are shooting at things and going 45 kts.

 

Weak DDs and my Beloved Colly (48%+)

 

Akatsuki (48.78%) – Slightly better than the old T7 DD Hatsuharu, she still stinks. Her torps are overrated, but she gets 9, guns and concealment are meh at best. I’m not super happy when I see her on my team. She, like the entirety of her line, is not that good at tiers that matter.

 

Mahan (48.54%) – The USN line is pretty good, I still maintain it’s the best of the bunch, but the Mahan is the weakest point above T5. Her torps have decent range, but not much else, she has the same guns as her predecessor and a slightly increased health pool. She is fine, but not great. The USN line takes its second big step forward right after the Mahan, but it just isn’t there yet.

 

Colorado (48.17%) – I love the Colly. I just love her. I get that she isn’t good, she was even worse when I started playing many eons ago. But I love her, got some 300k elite XP on her. I even took her out in ranked a couple times in the hellscape that was season four. Her guns have pen for days but her role of mid-range brawler and cruiser killer doesn’t work in the ranked meta. Too much smoke and not enough health make her the weakest BB choice. Some players can work her, most can’t.

 

The Ships You Should Not Play, Three Americans and the Yorck (48% and less)

 

The drop off to this group is steep, and unsurprisingly ¾ of this group is American ships, which as we know were gutted in World War Two in the US’s defeat in both oceans, wait that’s not right…

 

Indianapolis (47.23%) – It turns out that the New Orleans wouldn’t even be good at T7. Radar is important in ranked, but it is not sufficient to making a ship good. USN 8” guns just aren’t good enough despite being considered the most fearsome of their type and era. AA is not super useful in ranked. Soft and sits high on the water to boot.

 

Pensacola (47.09%) – I always thought she was a bit underrated, but she isn’t good no matter what you think. One extra gun, but no radar puts her just behind the Indy, again AA is not helpful 85% of the time in ranked. Why WG won’t give her torp launchers that she had historically I don’t know. Another soft ship that sits high on the water. I once gunned one down at 4km with an Atlanta, 2 volleys, 17 hits, all citadels.

 

Yorck (47.04%) – The worst cruiser by just a hair is somehow not American. This is a testament to how bad the Yorck is in competitive play. She has been buffed since I played her, but as an HE German cruisers she just doesn’t consistently do anything. She has no tricks up her sleeve and notoriously slow turrets and shells. Her torps are solid but rarely used. She just isn’t that good.

 

Ranger (44.36%) – An abysmal piece of crap, I haven’t gone past the Bogue in the USN CV line, because why would I want to? Fix these things already, they have way too much influence on the battle, and when they suck like USN CVs there is a major issue.

 

The Unmentioned Myoko Clones

 

Win rates below 50% in all cases, the players who play these ships play them for reasons other than competition, since they are inherently worse than the tech tree variant. That is their prerogative, but doing it at high levels of ranked bothers me a bit. Ranked is competitive play, once you get to rank 10 you should act like it. God knows why you’re there for any other reason, it’s not like the rewards are worth anything this season.

 

A couple other notes on ranked.

 

1. Bring camo. It's competitive play, especially at high ranks I would like to see it treated that way.

2. Bring detonation flags. If you have them, use them, especially in a DD. As much as I loved a match where 2 enemy DDs detonated in season five, that should not be happening.

3. Don't bring a stock ship. This should go without saying. But players still do it.

4. Ranked is not a play to learn or grind. Ranked is a place for competitive play, don’t troll, don’t ruin other players experience.

5. It’s still a game, don’t berate players, be friendly and communicate like a human being. People screw up, it happens. The salt will flow don’t let it consume you.

 

Note #5 being said, I have no problem with people doing whatever they want in random, but take ranked seriously, most of your teammates do. And they do not appreciate unnecessary fails. I have seen far too many team kills this season.

 

Good hunting.

 

I probably screwed something up so feel free to let me know/rage at me with disagreements. I expect there are typos galore.

 

 

[Royeaux]

T8 Ranked Ship Choice Guide by Win Rate

 

This ranked season doesn't involve Tier 8, so your thread title is pointless.

[ckupf]

 

This ranked season doesn't involve Tier 8, so your thread title is pointless.

 

Fixed. Thank you

[GiN_nTonic]

Kiev can be "outdueled by Mahans, Sims, and Blysks"...?  

 

[ckupf]

Kiev can be "outdueled by Mahans, Sims, and Blysks"...?  

 

Simss? Simses? Simsi? Simoleons? There's a Sims, and there's another one!

[SireneRacker]

I don't understand the problem you have with the Pensacola, but she is a very good Cruiser in her own niche. When acting as an anti-Cruiser unit she can use her full potential to crush any Cruiser which enters her sight. Does not matter if it's a Belfast or a Myoukou clone, any Cruiser she faces will perish.

[YukonHunter]

Fiji - with a fresh captain no less - Took me to 11. After that?Its just not worth the effort.   Pretty sad when premie ships take most of the top slots.  Typical WG Pay2Win mentality.

[ckupf]

I don't understand the problem you have with the Pensacola, but she is a very good Cruiser in her own niche. When acting as an anti-Cruiser unit she can use her full potential to crush any Cruiser which enters her sight. Does not matter if it's a Belfast or a Myoukou clone, any Cruiser she faces will perish.

 

I don't have a problem with the Pensacola, the numbers do and I explain it. I enjoyed the Pensacola and ruined plenty of enemy cruisers with her. 1 v 1 with players of equal skill she will lose to any other T7 cruiser except maybe the Atlanta. Belfast, Fiji, and Flint all get smoke, Yorck has more powerful guns and better armor, Myoko has better firepower, more health, and sits lower on the water. Even the post-buff Pensacola isn't exactly stealthy. Just because you and I liked her doesn't mean she does well in a larger sample.

[YukonHunter]

 

I don't have a problem with the Pensacola, the numbers do and I explain it. I enjoyed the Pensacola and ruined plenty of enemy cruisers with her. 1 v 1 with players of equal skill she will lose to any other T7 cruiser except maybe the Atlanta. Belfast, Fiji, and Flint all get smoke, Yorck has more powerful guns and better armor, Myoko has better firepower, more health, and sits lower on the water. Even the post-buff Pensacola isn't exactly stealthy. Just because you and I liked her doesn't mean she does well in a larger sample.

 

So True. Pense was bad when she came out and even worse with the immense power creep of this game. Too bad too, she was one of the ships I wanted when I started this game, for historical reasons.

[Compassghost]

I saw a person buy a Saipan and try it for the first time ever in Ranked. No Randoms, no coops, just straight up dropped in on Ranked in the 10 queue. What a massacre.

[shootieboats]

I saw a person buy a Saipan and try it for the first time ever in Ranked. No Randoms, no coops, just straight up dropped in on Ranked in the 10 queue. What a massacre.

 

Did you even look at the winrates he posted? Saipan OP, just queue up and free win for sure, so no need to test it, duuuuuuh.  

[comtedumas]

This is the second consecutive season I’m making a guide like this, last time ranked was T8 so I figured it was time to make a new guide. I used the last two weeks category which I realize misses the first few days of ranked, but that’s no big deal, the exact win rate is not super important.

 

I am not the sort of player who usually cares about ship choices. In season 3 of ranked I used a Blyskawica to reach Rank 1 even though I was facing off against Bensons (and other T8s). I made it work. That being said, I am the guy who goes for the glory of a ram or sacrifices himself defending a cap, because if you are afraid to sink in the game then that’s a problem.

 

Ranked is different from random, nowadays everyone is the same tier, and some ships are, for better or for worse, superior to others. Some ships that are great in ranked are not quite as good in random and vice versa. Radar and smoke are even more valuable in ranked than they are normally.

 

This post is not at all authoritative and is just my opinion about which ship perform best in ranked, and why. If you choose a ship that is far down this list, I might keep an eye on you, but I won't yell at a player for choosing a ship that I don't feel is competitive, I (a solid but not a great player) made a T7 work against T8s. If you choose a bad ship AND play badly I may get a little salty. I broke this list into separate categories (one could call them "tiers") based on performance.

 

This list is full of personal notes and anecdotes about the ships, seeing as I have played almost every ship (excluding Myoko clones, which I will address separately below) and personal experience and observation allows me to see why ships do better or worse. I play to win, and I choose ships accordingly in ranked, not necessarily the #1 ship each season, but the ships that I enjoy and excel in the most.

 

Also remember, a good captain is worth 10x as much as a good ship.

 

The Elite Four (52%+)

 

Saipan (54.24%) – Contrary to what many players think the Belfast is not the best overall ship in ranked, CVs have disproportionate influence on the game as we all know, and the Saipan, as one of the most powerful CVs in the game tier for tier is #1 on this list. Strike is clearly the way to go as strike Saipans have amazing damage potential and can still control the skies, the 9 DB group just can’t be counted on enough, and the extra fighter group seems to be somewhat wasted, especially with the sheer number of cruisers this season.

 

Belfast (53.11%) – The most powerful ship WG has sold and not immediately realized was too powerful. The Belfast is king of T7 cruisers, particularly in ranked, the combination of smoke, radar, and hydro make her the ultimate ranked cruiser. Her lack of armor and high placement on the water matter little as a good Belfast player will rarely be shot at. She can nuke DDs, citadel cruisers, and burn BBs to the ground. Her AA is good even though she doesn’t have defensive fire. She is my ship of choice this season (I had expected 75% Blysk, 25% her, instead it’s the reverse). I play her with my Minotaur captain which means she’s not even as scary as she could be, IFHE and DE would not be out of place on her.

 

Hiryu (52.65%) – An excellent CV that would be considered one of the best tier for tier if not for the Saipan. I am currently grinding her, and if I felt I were good enough at CVs and had a higher level captain I would definitely give her a shot. She is a fun and versatile CV, carrying six squadrons. She has better damage potential than the Saipan, but the sheer number of cruisers and the power of Saipan fighters make her lower HP planes vulnerable. She does admirably, but is slightly outclassed by her premium American counterpart.

 

Shiratsuyu (52.50%) – God knows why WG thought this ship was a good idea. 16 torps in 5 seconds. Several times a game. I guess she makes up for the massive weakness of every other IJN DD at a tier that matters (except the decent Akizuki). My former favorite line is mostly dead at this point. She has decent guns for an IJN DD which allow her to press the occasional advantageous situation. She has good concealment and a solid stealth-fire range to boot.

 

The Trifecta of Not Quite OP Premiums (51%+)

 

Blyskawica (51.36%) – One of my absolute favorite ships in the game, she carried me to Rank 1 in Season 3 in barely 100 battles when T8s were allowed, then again in the horror season that followed. My most played ship, I have over 1.5 million elite XP on her in over 500 battles of all types. Her 7 guns on a stock 6.5s reload with 8% fire chance are absurd for her tier. The meta is not as good for her as it was in previous seasons though. The large number of cruisers and influx of a quality low concealment T7 have weakened her status. She is still king of the gunboats. But her weak torps and poor concealment mean she is not was good as she once was. Her large stealth fire window make her scary as an indefatigable harasser in drawn out battles when she has time to harass and burn down BBs and the occasional cruiser.

 

Scharnhorst (51.17%) – Another of my favorites. She is versatile, with tweener guns on a quick reload. Her torps are particularly useful in this seasons meta, which favors closer engagements in and out of smoke. Her guns are particularly lethal for me in random when she is not uptiered, so ranked is perfect for her. She is a great cruiser killer and can hold her own against most BBs. Her lower caliber and quicker reload (to go with above average secondaries and torps) make her the best BB at the tier against DDs. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t taken her out more, except for the fact that I almost never see BBs carrying in this season’s meta.

 

Flint (51.12%) – Why does the Flint not do as well as she does in random? Several reasons, some of which have to do with the Flint’s absurd random statistics, and some that don’t.

 

1. Her excellent AA is not as valuable in ranked.
2. She is super soft and vulnerable, a single radar is plenty of time to kill her in smoke. Her HP is lower than the T3 tech tree cruiser, and the lowest for any cruiser above T5 I believe.
3. Terrible shell arcs make her less valuable in a ranked scenario when players are paying more attention
4. Better players who have her (myself included) know she is not as good in ranked and don’t play her. Most of the players I’ve noticed playing her this season are players who took several hundred game to get to rank 1 at least three seasons, and not the best of the best. That being said some good players still play her.
5. No radar.
6. Lacks British acceleration for surprise attacks and anti-DD work.

 

Yeah that’s a lot of reasons. She does fine, and the average player who uses her is still above average, but she is not as magical as she is in random, where she is usually played by the best of the best.

 

The Best of the Rest (50%+)

 

Fiji (50.98%) – An incredible ship marking the second step of the transition of British cruisers from powerful to overpowerful. 12 guns that fire every 7.5s to go with good concealment, solid AA, smoke, heals, and hydro. British penetration to boot. 3 torps aside are also useful on occasion. She is so so good, I honestly think that I could get more out of her than my Belfast if I used my Minotaur captain on her. I just love that British cruiser AP so much, it eats up DDs and the broadside of anything that moves.

 

Leningrad (50.87%) – The Russian take on a torp boat. Solid concealment for what she is, good guns, but they rotate slowly and there are only five of them. Her speed allows her to dodge most of what is fired at range, but she can’t cap well enough and she can get caught with her pants down. She does fine, but I like her better in random than ranked. She has the Blysk’s flaws but better torps, she just doesn’t have the guns to match.

 

Nagato (50.73%) – The second best BB in ranked, somewhat to my surprise as I’m a Gneisenau fan. The Gneis is significantly better in random. The Nagato’s accuracy and ability to make small openings on enemy cruisers count is important to her success. Her slower reload is less important in ranked, her HP and gunnery are what matters. Because of the meta of this season she will not eat a lot of citadels so her weakish armor is not super problematic. As long as her team holds up around her she can excel. She can’t carry as well as the ships ahead of her, but she is scary when working in concert with a competent team.

 

Myoko (50.52%) – The One True Myoko. She does better than any and all her clones, I guess camo matters after all. I’m surprised the Myoko does as well as it does, I guess it has the best broadside power at the tier and solid AP to go with her excellent HE. Weak armor is partially offset by the largest health pool of any cruiser at tier 7. Good Myokos seem to stay at range and huck HE like no tomorrow and then work with ships with smoke to lay torp traps and citadel cruisers.

 

Atlanta (50.51%) – My beloved Atlanta, I think I have 700k elite XP on her. I used her occasionally in season four when there were CVs in queue. Now that I have a Flint I don’t play her as much as I used to. Who would think that one of the most hated ships on the server is doing well? Her Radar is useful, her AA is good for those rare CV games, her torps can get her out of a jam, and she can gun down destroyers faster than any other ship at the tier. Her AP is surprisingly effective (I have put up double digit citadels in her ON A SINGLE VOLLEY). With the right commander skills (some combination of BFT, AFT, DE, CE, and IFHE, no manual AA in ranked unfortunately) she can hold her own and then some.

 

Sims (50.34%) – When the Sims was put for sale for the second time, a year after her initial sale, I was told not to buy her. I ignored what people said and got her anyway, I am first and foremost a DD player after all. My Gearing captain isn’t a great fit on her unfortunately for the ranked meta and she just isn’t as scare as my Blysk as I learned in the hell that was season four. My random stats in her are frankly absurd, she is the queen of death by a thousand cuts. Weak torps, only 4 guns, but quick fire, decent concealment, good range, and great maneuverability make an interesting package.

 

Leberecht Maass (50.28%) – I am still on Gaede and have yet to play her. Since she is fairly new and I didn’t play much between the introduction of the German DD line and the inception of this ranked season I am far from an expert on her. She seems solid and hydro on a DD is a dumb concept that is pretty useful in ranked. She seems to get killed fairly easily though. Solid torps and decent guns make her a bit of a tweener. She can’t outgun USN or Russian DDs usually, and she can’t torp as well as IJN DDs. Nonetheless she does fine.

 

Gneisenau – Whenever I look back at my stats in the Gneisenau I’m a bit surprised. I was absurd in her. Win rate over 70% and average damage over 90k, I remember her as a decent but inaccurate ship with the exception of the time I did 223k in her, I guess she does okay. Her low DPM and accuracy are problematic in ranked, she cannot nuke broadside cruisers with any consistency. Her good armor isn’t as useful because a lot of the damage in ranked comes from torps and DoT. She does fine, but she is better in random.

 

The Tech Tree Russkis (49%+)

 

Shchors (49.59%) – Why is this ship spelled like this? One of my absolute favorites, the first cruiser I cracked 200k in and a witherer machine at a tier where that isn’t a thing. Pure arsonists aren’t as useful in ranked as in random, she dies quickly when focused and lacks either radar or Her AP can make short work of enemy cruisers, if they are foolish enough to show broadside. 4km torps are purely defensive, she does okay, but not spectacularly.

 

Kiev (49.55%) – She has neither the health nor the concealment to survive well, she is not good at capping. She can be outdueled by Mahans, Sims, and Blysks. Leningrads have better concealment and torps. Her speed helps but the fact of the matter is I am surprised she is as good as she is. She does okay, but she is probably brought up by a handful of power users, that’s always how the Kiev has been, some players just kick [edited]in her, but more players just think they are doing well because they are shooting at things and going 45 kts.

 

Weak DDs and my Beloved Colly (48%+)

 

Akatsuki (48.78%) – Slightly better than the old T7 DD Hatsuharu, she still stinks. Her torps are overrated, but she gets 9, guns and concealment are meh at best. I’m not super happy when I see her on my team. She, like the entirety of her line, is not that good at tiers that matter.

 

Mahan (48.54%) – The USN line is pretty good, I still maintain it’s the best of the bunch, but the Mahan is the weakest point above T5. Her torps have decent range, but not much else, she has the same guns as her predecessor and a slightly increased health pool. She is fine, but not great. The USN line takes its second big step forward right after the Mahan, but it just isn’t there yet.

 

Colorado (48.17%) – I love the Colly. I just love her. I get that she isn’t good, she was even worse when I started playing many eons ago. But I love her, got some 300k elite XP on her. I even took her out in ranked a couple times in the hellscape that was season four. Her guns have pen for days but her role of mid-range brawler and cruiser killer doesn’t work in the ranked meta. Too much smoke and not enough health make her the weakest BB choice. Some players can work her, most can’t.

 

The Ships You Should Not Play, Three Americans and the Yorck (48% and less)

 

The drop off to this group is steep, and unsurprisingly ¾ of this group is American ships, which as we know were gutted in World War Two in the US’s defeat in both oceans, wait that’s not right…

 

Indianapolis (47.23%) – It turns out that the New Orleans wouldn’t even be good at T7. Radar is important in ranked, but it is not sufficient to making a ship good. USN 8” guns just aren’t good enough despite being considered the most fearsome of their type and era. AA is not super useful in ranked. Soft and sits high on the water to boot.

 

Pensacola (47.09%) – I always thought she was a bit underrated, but she isn’t good no matter what you think. One extra gun, but no radar puts her just behind the Indy, again AA is not helpful 85% of the time in ranked. Why WG won’t give her torp launchers that she had historically I don’t know. Another soft ship that sits high on the water. I once gunned one down at 4km with an Atlanta, 2 volleys, 17 hits, all citadels.

 

Yorck (47.04%) – The worst cruiser by just a hair is somehow not American. This is a testament to how bad the Yorck is in competitive play. She has been buffed since I played her, but as an HE German cruisers she just doesn’t consistently do anything. She has no tricks up her sleeve and notoriously slow turrets and shells. Her torps are solid but rarely used. She just isn’t that good.

 

Ranger (44.36%) – An abysmal piece of crap, I haven’t gone past the Bogue in the USN CV line, because why would I want to? Fix these things already, they have way too much influence on the battle, and when they suck like USN CVs there is a major issue.

 

The Unmentioned Myoko Clones

 

Win rates below 50% in all cases, the players who play these ships play them for reasons other than competition, since they are inherently worse than the tech tree variant. That is their prerogative, but doing it at high levels of ranked bothers me a bit. Ranked is competitive play, once you get to rank 10 you should act like it. God knows why you’re there for any other reason, it’s not like the rewards are worth anything this season.

 

A couple other notes on ranked.

 

1. Bring camo. It's competitive play, especially at high ranks I would like to see it treated that way.

2. Bring detonation flags. If you have them, use them, especially in a DD. As much as I loved a match where 2 enemy DDs detonated in season five, that should not be happening.

3. Don't bring a stock ship. This should go without saying. But players still do it.

4. Ranked is not a play to learn or grind. Ranked is a place for competitive play, don’t troll, don’t ruin other players experience.

5. It’s still a game, don’t berate players, be friendly and communicate like a human being. People screw up, it happens. The salt will flow don’t let it consume you.

 

Note #5 being said, I have no problem with people doing whatever they want in random, but take ranked seriously, most of your teammates do. And they do not appreciate unnecessary fails. I have seen far too many team kills this season.

 

Good hunting.

 

I probably screwed something up so feel free to let me know/rage at me with disagreements. I expect there are typos galore.

 

I think you should consider this, WoW just gave away one of those Myoko Clones like three weeks ago.  Wonder why?  I bet it is at least partially to give newer players a Tier VII ship they can use in Ranked.  So those players might not have anything better right now.  

 

[ckupf]

I think you should consider this, WoW just gave away one of those Myoko Clones like three weeks ago.  Wonder why?  I bet it is at least partially to give newer players a Tier VII ship they can use in Ranked.  So those players might not have anything better right now.  

 

 

Interesting point. I hope that's not why. T7 is already too accessible, they should up the requirements to get access to things like ranked battles so players need 200 games as opposed to like 30. Also you probably did not need to quote my 6 page post for that

 

I saw a person buy a Saipan and try it for the first time ever in Ranked. No Randoms, no coops, just straight up dropped in on Ranked in the 10 queue. What a massacre.

 

 

Did you even look at the winrates he posted? Saipan OP, just queue up and free win for sure, so no need to test it, duuuuuuh.  

 

Great point. Exactly why I said captains matter 10x more. This post is about the ships because I can't go through every player and evaluate them. If you're response to this post was to buy a ship because it's high up the list that's not the goal. Play a ship you are good in and know well. Ship choice explains maybe 10% of results, the other 90% is player and RNG. There are however some ships you shouldn't play, like the Ranger, because a 90th percentile Ranger player is worse to have as a teammate than a 30th percentile Hiryu player.

 

 

[SireneRacker]

I don't have a problem with the Pensacola, the numbers do and I explain it. I enjoyed the Pensacola and ruined plenty of enemy cruisers with her. 1 v 1 with players of equal skill she will lose to any other T7 cruiser except maybe the Atlanta. Belfast, Fiji, and Flint all get smoke, Yorck has more powerful guns and better armor, Myoko has better firepower, more health, and sits lower on the water. Even the post-buff Pensacola isn't exactly stealthy. Just because you and I liked her doesn't mean she does well in a larger sample.

 

Pensacola has superior AP and firing angles compared to ships like Myoukou, but that is something most players (from what I can observe) don't realise or seem to forget. I could write books about how many people tend to fire HE into Cruisers that are even showing their flat sidemultiple times.

[Clubbers_Club]

I think we under estimate peoples playing styles too. I got a Belfast with 10pt cap out of a supercontainer a few days back which I saw as divine intervention, worked hard on random to learn the ins and outs and transferred XP from a 19 pt cap to get the captain up to 18 points. Saw the 50+% win rate on sites and the Warships podcast and thought this was my moment. Played terrible so I went back to Gneisenau and went from 11 to 8 in a day, lost 2 but kept the star as being top earner. Had a great time doing it too.

[AVR_Project]

A while back, there was a rumor they were going to do something about HE spamming in smoke.  We saw nothing obvious happening.

That, until everyone gets a Super Container with some strange module in it.  Spotter Mod 1 ????

...

Well, some folks found out what it's for.  It's for pin-pointing the gun flashes in smoke, and returning accurate gun-fire to beat the snot out of those annoying <edited>ers.

This upgrade coupled with premium spotter and Superintendent (faster reload) makes the Shchors a very nice 'NO SMOKING' sign.  I played with it a bit in Co-Op and Random last night.  In Random, I nearly wrecked a Belfast and Leningrad in smoke -- from long distance, outside their range.  The battle came down to 1v1 and we lost by a hair.

The 'Spotter Build' results in a spotter plane more than 1/3 of the time.  Russian cruisers are probably the best, but IJN and German Battleships are also an option.  Unfortunately, the ROF is much slower for Battleships, and the secondaries are no help.

[Taichunger]

I don't understand the problem you have with the Pensacola, but she is a very good Cruiser in her own niche. When acting as an anti-Cruiser unit she can use her full potential to crush any Cruiser which enters her sight. Does not matter if it's a Belfast or a Myoukou clone, any Cruiser she faces will perish.

 

At the ranges of Ranked, Pensa is especially weak. She can't use her nimbleness to dodge. Her ROF is still too slow and her armor is non-existent. She brings no skills like radar or smoke. Why bring Pensa when you can bring a more useful ship?

[hipcanuck]

While I got some nice in game stats out of the Pensacola, even a couple of 90k games, its not really capable of being a game changer and gave up on her for ranked with an abysmal record lol.

 

Nag is my ship of choice, went 9-0 at one point with her and am sitting at 70% WR, mind you Im only at rank 10 lol.

[steelrain97]

 

Simss? Simses? Simsi? Simoleons? There's a Sims, and there's another one!

The correct way to pluralize words that end in an "s" is to add an appostrophe. So the the plural of Sims is Sims'.

[ckupf]

The correct way to pluralize words that end in an "s" is to add an appostrophe. So the the plural of Sims is Sims'.

 

No... that makes it possessive. Apostrophes are only used to pluralize in a handful of very specific situations, usually after an abbreviation. 

[DATABRAT]

 

This ranked battle stuff is a joke. One huge joke. It doesn't matter which ship you use and it doesn't matter how good of a player you are. All that matters is that you spend hour after hour, day after day, week after week playing wows on their site and that's truly all that matters.

Random teams will keep most players from ever reaching an individuals goal of achievement based on random teams and not the individuals skill level so there is nothing really random about the outcomes.

Now if you're a really good player all you can ever hope for is rank 12 to rank maybe 9. Rank 12 is irrevocable so that's what most of us always ends up back on.

After 560+ ranked battles, all I can say is that I am at the same rank that I was almost 3 weeks ago rank 12 and that is not only ridiculous but its inconceivable.

I have however almost made it to rank 8, but losing teams always takes me right back to rank 12.

Ranked battles is nothing but frustration that ends in disappointment, and trust me, that's not just one persons opinion that's from countless peoples own experience. Game chat has already proved that fact.

I do believe after attempting to accomplish something after 560+ times not only shows the dedication it takes to achieve rank 1 or anything at all for that matter but it also proves a persons ability in not being a quitter.

I had two close friends already uninstall and quit wows altogether over ranked battles and "just move on to better things" as they call it, and I must say, it might just be easier to walk away than it is just to keep torturing myself with an un-accomplishable goal like this ranked battle crap.

So if you're reading this and you like playing wows, your best bet is to not do ranked battles, it'll turn you off, burn you out and it ends in regret.

It sure has for me and quit a few others as well,,,,

 

[Spyde]

Fiji - with a fresh captain no less - Took me to 11. After that?Its just not worth the effort.   Pretty sad when premie ships take most of the top slots.  Typical WG Pay2Win mentality.

 

odd i went the other way.

 

Soon as i hit 5 que i hardly used prems and went with Tech tree ships.

 

 

[Spyde]

This ranked battle stuff is a joke. One huge joke. It doesn't matter which ship you use and it doesn't matter how good of a player you are. All that matters is that you spend hour after hour, day after day, week after week playing wows on their site and that's truly all that matters.

Random teams will keep most players from ever reaching an individuals goal of achievement based on random teams and not the individuals skill level so there is nothing really random about the outcomes.

Now if you're a really good player all you can ever hope for is rank 12 to rank maybe 9. Rank 12 is irrevocable so that's what most of us always ends up back on.

After 560+ ranked battles, all I can say is that I am at the same rank that I was almost 3 weeks ago rank 12 and that is not only ridiculous but its inconceivable.

I have however almost made it to rank 8, but losing teams always takes me right back to rank 12.

Ranked battles is nothing but frustration that ends in disappointment, and trust me, that's not just one persons opinion that's from countless peoples own experience. Game chat has already proved that fact.

I do believe after attempting to accomplish something after 560+ times not only shows the dedication it takes to achieve rank 1 or anything at all for that matter but it also proves a persons ability in not being a quitter.

I had two close friends already uninstall and quit wows altogether over ranked battles and "just move on to better things" as they call it, and I must say, it might just be easier to walk away than it is just to keep torturing myself with an un-accomplishable goal like this ranked battle crap.

So if you're reading this and you like playing wows, your best bet is to not do ranked battles, it'll turn you off, burn you out and it ends in regret.

It sure has for me and quit a few others as well,,,,

If you have done 560 battles this season and not ranked out.. Then there is 1 common thing..  You.

[ckupf]

If you have done 560 battles this season and not ranked out.. Then there is 1 common thing..  You.

 

Not trying to be mean, but exactly. If you are a good player you will rank out in a reasonable amount of time. It's never taken me more than 300 games and only once has it taken me over 150 (although this season might break 150, it won't break 200).

[Valdez_Raptor]

I like to rank out and honestly, I did.  Took 224 battles.  Half that of last season, and not as good as the 2nd season the first time I did it.  (yay flint here I come).   I did it my Maass.  I wanted to do rank the way I want but helpful to the team.  I want to see if I could do it.   I learned the ship and played to its strengths.  Was fun, though at times frustrating.