plus you dont have to pay to get the edge over your enemy

Exactly how long did you play?
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Premium tanks: Make lot's of money, excel in one thing, fail in all others.
Examples: Lowe & KV5
Lowe: Good gun penetration, OK fire rate, crap armor, turtle speed
KV5: Fast firing, low penetration, good armor, slow speed.
Premium Ammo: Primarily used for clan wars, does not give a large margin on increased chance of penetration. My gold rounds bounce just as much as AP in clan wars. The affect it has on game play is negligible.
Premium Accounts: Give 50% more experience and credits per battle.
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Now where exactly are folks paying to be better than other folks?