CS-52 LIS Quick Review!

The Fox

By:

IrmaBecx

So the Fox is loose. “Lis” means “Fox” in Polish, and this is the second Polish Medium int he game. I just dropped all the gold I owned to get one so I could tell you all about it. That’s not a joke by the way.

You can get the Polish Fox for like six or seven K, and as always thats subjective whether it’s worth it or not. Like 100% of my stash comes from free WG stuff so I’m not really crying over it, but there’s no reason for me to drop all that gold. I could just log in to my press account. But I drove the little fox in testing, and I’ve actually been looking forward to getting my hands on one for myself.

I had no idea it was going to be this easy. Happy birthday, wargaming.

*

So why would I get excited about this unassuming tank? My friend and colleagues say it’s a free tank so don’t expect too much, which is a hundred percent true. But then this is a well put together package, and it has the novelty of a higher than average alpha, which is sure to make a difference at tier VII where Medium tanks more often than not have a 75 mm gun and not a 100 mm like the Fox.

So if you thought the Konstrukta T-34/100 looked too much like a T-34-85 and not enough like  a T-44, then here is your chance to drive a 100 mm with a really raked front plate. Or if you thought your T-44-85 just lacked a bit of punch, this tier VII Medium has a but more power out of the 100 mm.

Me, I love a tier VII Medium. And like I said I drove this one in testing, so I already feel comfortable encouraging you to try to get your hands on it. But I really am excited to do so myself because this is a cool little tank.

How cool is it? Well, it has a thicker front plate than the T-44-85 at a steeper angle, but the whole thing is larger, so the lower plate is a bigger target. It has big fat tracks and side skirts that eat High Explosive rounds, and I mean it’s not really all that fast. Or has good camo. Or DPM. But it’s just not really bad at anything either, and it has that higher than usual alpha that will allow it to trade well and land a few HE shots against flimsy targets. That really is all this tank is about.

You know tier VII is a cesspit, right? I don’t have to tell you why. But it also has some of my absolute favourite tanks in the game; there’s a great selection of Light and Medium tanks, including the “Best Tank In The Game®” T-34-85 “Rudy” as well as the new contender, the T-44-85. Looking at the EU tech tree you have three flavours of higher than average alpha Medium, and the Polish Fox has a lot in common with these tanks I’ve mentioned: big gun, fairly robust armour, and acceptable mobility. If you can drive a T-44-85, you can drive the Lis.

*

I’m running my regular combat setup of speed boost and double repair kits, and the Fox does feel slower than my Russians as I roll out. It’s bigger and heavier, so that’s fair I suppose. I’m quite used to working with six degrees of gun depression, and if you just hide the lower plate and angle up a little you are going to get a few bounces. Except for a little shelf below the turret the sides are completely flat slabs of 70 mm armour, and the tracks and skirts will eat Heavy tank HEAT rounds out to almost 40 degrees side angle. The turret may look sturdy, but any tier VIII Heavy worth it’s salt will punch through the front with ease. Against tier VII it’s a different story; they will need to switch to premium rounds.

And with the celebration going on it’s a mixed bag out there. I end up getting wrecked with low damage a few times, but other battles I manage to put a big enough dent in the red team for us to pull off the win. Once or twice I even have a memorable game.

Driving the Polish Fox you need to pace yourself. Penetration is about average for this kind of caliber, and with AP/APCR the calibration increase isn’t all that much. I get a nine second and change reload dropping around 140 DPM. But like I said it’s all about making those good trades, meaning you put out almost 300 damage every ten to fifteen seconds or so without taking any in return.

That’s all there is to it.

*

So if you’re not a jaded tank philosopher with a penchant for tier VII Mediums, is the CS-52 Lis still worth it?

Yes. If you get it for free, then of course it’s worth it. If you have to pay a small amount of gold, then it’s still worth it. But what about paying almost 7000 gold? Is that worth it?

Maybe. For me it was, because I don’t want to spend time worrying about my damage output right now, and I did really want the tank. I was paying for convenience.

And there is a lot to like about the Polish fox; I keep wanting to call it little fox, but it’s not really all that little, is it? You got that high alpha, and working with a slightly higher than average calibre is more comfortable. The armour plating will get you a few bounces. Mobility isn’t stellar, but it does get there in the end. Personally, I think it looks cool as well.

If you think the tank looks unassuming, then you’re probably right about that. There isn’t really anything this tank can do that you couldn’t find in the tech tree or broad selection of premium and collectible vehicles. But it is a nice tank, and I’m happy to have it all the same.

The CS-52 Lis will put your driving into focus, because it’s not really better than other tanks at anything specific. You have a couple of strong points, but you have to make them work all on your own. You can’t just blast around circling people to death; you’ll need to work from cover, reset camo, angle the armour, and make sure your shots count or it won’t perform.

But yes, I am delighted with the Polish Fox. Tank philosophy seal of approval. Irmabecx says ask yourself if you need a small Polish mammal in your life. You just might find you do.