The Mutant, is it over-rated?

I'll admit that I bought it last night. I was just looking for something a little more "enjoyable" than the T34. So far I've enjoyed it, although my sample size is only 33 battles- 67% W/R, 1.8 K/DR, 1.72 DC/R and just shy of 2k avg dmg caused.

It's armor is definitely workable, even at Tier 9 if you're smart about angling, wiggling, utilizing the great gun depression and only showing the front of the tank. I even bounced three straight shots from an ISUs BL-10 on Arctic Region before he switched to APCR and smashed my turret cheek (He sent me a msg and apologized for using APCR, and I replied that I would have used it too after bouncing the second shot and maybe even the first depending on how I felt). I bounced a little over 5k in a loss as well.

It's actually more nimble than I thought it'd be, especially compared to the T34.

Lastly, it makes bank! I think it prints money on par with my Type 59 and I'm running Cola every battle.

Two word tank review time... It's shite.

Kind of think it's somewhat under-rated by the community at large if I'm being honest. A lot of people just see it as big goofy looking tank and while it is that it's nothing to be taken lightly, one of the more capable tier 8 premiums in my opinion.

I swear, it's the worst tank I've ever ran for getting arty's attention. The buggers just wouldn't let me be. Maybe that's soured my impression of the tank.

Besides it being the shiny new thing it being large and slow with really thin side and rear armor makes it a very inviting arty target. 

I've only played one match so far, I wanted to let the hype die down first. I went up the east river road on Abbey. Of course nobody went with me despite my asking them to. I encountered five enemies coming down the road towards me. I managed to take out only two of the five enemies before getting overrun. I swear it was a bounce festival. The tank blocked 5400 dmg without even trying. If I had even just one TD with me we would've taken the flank. I like it but of course that was just one match and I chose a hard to flank position.

Yeah, potatoes die in it. I took mine tonight against another one, and the other mutant came around the corner at me. He sat there, broadside, bouncing shot after shot off me.

It was like he was thinking "Should I point the nearly 200mm of frontal armour at the other tank? Or should I sit still, not tracked, pointing my 44 mm of side armour at him?

Side armour is stronger, right?"

I have the gun rammer that came with it and vents.What would be a good third option?

If it can mount vert-stabs then go for it.