Why nerf the worst performing MBT?

No good Mag pilot would solely sidestrafe when trying to evade, no good Mag pilot would sidestrafe in one direction consistently, no good Mag pilot would attempt to brawl with a Vanguard unless it's already hurt, no good tanker would engage without having some nearby cover.
Hitting people who do all of the above is easy, they're predictable. Usually you hit them once and they'll start strafing in the other direction, you spend enough time in a tank you learn exactly how your opponent thinks. Liberators for example, when they're hit by a shell they'll immediately bank in the opposite direction the shell came from while hitting V-Thrust, the second shot is easy when you know exactly what they're going to do.

Next point. Vanguards should still run Recon, every tank should run Recon, or they'll have to play cautiously. A Vanguard might beat two 1/2 tanks, but it's not beating two 2/2 tanks. Just because it has the shield doesn't mean it's invincible, so running around expecting to smash everything is ********.
You know what makes good players good? Picking their battles, playing as close to the edge as possible.

I said flank. Which was supposed to imply the Prowler caught the Vanguard unawares and landed the first shot. The Vanguard isn't winning a DPS race, even with the shield up.
Oh, and even though a Vanguard can beat an AP Prowler that's Anchored in a DPS race if they both land their hits at the same time, it's still ******* ********. You'd be leaving yourself open for something else to come along and finish you very easily.
You want to be efficient, you want to hurt the enemy and prevent them from hurting you.

I shouldn't have to make up an argument to begin with, its a fact that the vanguard base, with no ability, is the worst of the MBTs, why shouldn't it have the best ability to make it actually competitive? You already have to cert it to make it not garbage, why nerf it so that it's garbage no matter how many certs you put into it?

Stop trying to make up ridiculous arguments to defend the fact that the magrider gets to pick and choose its engagements almost all the time, and even gets to drive up mountains: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/46306538/Balance.png

Even if it was true (and I'm considering fully certed tanks), which I don't agree with, it's a broken premise.
But if it was true (again, I don't agree), then do something to the tank, don't make an ability "mandatory" in this way.

By the way, before they got nerfed I drove harassers up to that spot.
Was it more broken than if I'd used a Liberator? Hell no.

What is reading comprehension?
I said out of the bay the vanguard is the worst hands down.
fully certed, it's good at killing tanks. THAT'S IT!
I'm completely fine with the shield getting nerfed if they buff the vanguard somewhere else, god knows I wish i could farm infantry like a mag/prowler can.

Everything is trash out of the box.
I also stick to comparing certed vehicles as those who care about making good use out of their vehicle -should-, or will spend the certs in it.
And to repeat myself, if the VG is only good at AV, that means something should be done so it can also do other things fairly well. NOT by making it flat out superior at AV.

It's almost like the majority of NC here don't want to have a more even tank.
Funny how the situation has turned so drastically in the last year.

I think the problem is that people are not telling them how they would buff it, and only how they'd nerf the shield.

I think everyone would like their vanguard to be able to kill infantry.

You'd be surprised. There have been people who've said they don't want better AI, as a justification to have flat out superior AV.
Without ever taking some time out to consider just what it is that they are asking for/want.

Ohhh, you would be vulnerable after a tank fight? Welcome to the world of Prowlers/Magriders, where taking out 2 2/2 MBTs in quick succession relies SOLELY on them being ******** since normal tank fights leave you with less than 20-30% HP. In a Vanguard, you can actually win two such fights in succession without repairing.

Now you are also just saying to kill a Vanguard all the Prowler has to do is move in close and Anchor in a flanking position. Right, and the Vanguard is terrible and has how little situational awareness? If such a scenario happens you SHOULD die, no matter what. Except, that doesn't always happen, at least not if the Vanguard has positioned itself correctly, and remains situationally aware. I have yet to lose my Vanguard to being flanked by a Prowler deploying. Having Stealth and using the terrain to my advantage really helps. So how do you propose a Prowler combats me? Using terrain correctly, I can usually ensure that the enemy has to be within 50m to bait my shield, meaning they are at a severe risk of being exploded soon after if I deem it necessary.

What's next, you argue that the Vulcan is perfect to use against Vanguards like SkepticJerry did ?