I'm 100k from Khaba in WoWs, and Tashkent has never been trashkent for me (I never used her in her T8 incarnation though, it sounded really painful)
She used to be much worse, but I didn't and still don't like any of the hueg Russian DDs honestly. In my view a DD that has no way to scout or try and poke caps before 75% of the enemy team is dead isn't much of a DD at all, and if I wanted to play a cruiser I could play a proper cruiser. Trashkan and the Kabob can put up damage numbers that look good, but it's mostly trash. They're just doing chip damage all game from the back.
They're not contesting caps, denying areas, or strongly punishing the unwary consistently. There is a reason no one ever uses these Russian ships in any organized competitive setting. I don't even play my Khab anymore since it was reduced to having suicide torps.
I wonder how many of the girls would be amused that she's monikered "the Blue Cruiser" and she's bullshit fast that Shimakaze is likely going to cry. Although why do I get this feeling that her mod 2 is basically her gear becoming Khabarovsk despite that lumpy DD's template is her.
Reminds me, its rather funny how she can dominate Fletcher in a range battle but she cries so hard when in melee where the former can out-DPM the living hell out of her in Ships.
She used to be much worse, but I didn't and still don't like any of the hueg Russian DDs honestly. In my view a DD that has no way to scout or try and poke caps before 75% of the enemy team is dead isn't much of a DD at all, and if I wanted to play a cruiser I could play a proper cruiser. Trashkan and the Kabob can put up damage numbers that look good, but it's mostly trash. They're just doing chip damage all game from the back.
They're not contesting caps, denying areas, or strongly punishing the unwary consistently. There is a reason no one ever uses these Russian ships in any organized competitive setting. I don't even play my Khab anymore since it was reduced to having suicide torps.
I went up the other RU DD line first, til I turned myself into a 60% WR Grozovoi prebuff. Udaloi was a keeper as well (also 60% WR) and I took my time in her. Because of that, I got a looot of practice cap contesting and scouting in DDs seen from space, so I actually take my (heal, not smoke) Tashkent to the caps at start to bait and to act as firepower for piss-scared teammates.
Obviously you're right though that most RU DD players are damage farmers that don't contribute to victory, and that it would be stupid and irresponsible to use one in a competitive match. But for randoms, if you're at least as good as me, she's mad fun *and* effective. I can't wait for Khaba because I figure I can still keep up the same playstyle since most random players are potatoes who never even take a shot at them.
Downside to capping as a Tashkent though is that if I meet a player of equal to skill to me in a cap or while scouting and they're in an actual proper DD like a Fletch, or even Yugumo, I'm just plain toast and my teammates get steaming mad. Luckily I'm an above average DD player so people who should rightfully be shitting on the idiot taking the Tashkent in the cap are few and far between. I mean for god's sake, I still regularly meet Fletchers who never use their guns or Kageros without CE that also use the target acquisition mod.
She does still handle like a pig though, so my cap-contesting Udaloi has a 60% WR, while my Tash gets a piddly 52% (NA server average is 48%, yeesh). My WTR is 1400 for Tashkent and it's mind-blowing because rather than me being good it's more like other Tash drivers are ineffective -- my damage and kill numbers in Udaloi are about the same but it only registers as 1100 WTR.