Hi. Merkava Mk.3 is awfully underperforming. It is at the same BR as the Type 90, which has a better armament and mobility - and in the game even a better armor, despite the fact that this is just a Gaijin skill issue (not modeling armor for Merkavas). The TURMS has a better armor a whole BR bracket lower. Anything that shoots the Mk.3 everywhere will one-shot it like nothing. The armament is just avarage and the mobilty is terrible. It often sees Leopard 2A7 etc. while being way worse in every single aspect. Not only that, it’s also the oldset tank a top tier - 1989. Have fun with that poor Israeli mains, because that’s your only way to get the Merkava Mk.4!
Gaijin, what the hell???
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Almost no coverage.
T-72A level armor.
Good luck shooting the turret and it creating no spalling.
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Type 90 fires a significantly worse round.
Merkava Mk3 is more survivable in urban environments as well.
Never had issue with Merkava Mk3 personally.
M322 is superior to 3BM60.
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They like to eat 30mm APFSDS from the side where they have no armor, so hard pass.
They are penatrable to 30 mm frontally ingame for some reason.
It doesn’t matter, because the M322 isn’t good enough for 12.0 anyways.
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I was one-shot in the turret so many times.
It takes way more shots to kill a 90 than a Mk.3.
I never tanked any 120 mm with the Mk.3.
Oh, no; it pens, it just has no post pen damage.
It’s a free kill from the front if you shoot the drivers hatch. (Even with 105)
MK.3 should be 10.7 with the Namer imo
Type 90: 1 shot.
Merkava Mk3 if you can see its rear: 1 shot.
Demanding Israel bias… lol
I agree about the armour being ridiculously bad but the gun is powerful as hell
Thats not true, very bad mobility, front engine combined with far back sitting turret makes it very bad.
I don’t think it’s bad, i think it’s realistic it can be frontally penned by a pz4.
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Mobility is fine. 26kph reverse gear, neutral steering.
It’s not going to be fast cross-country, and that’s okay.
I got one-shoted today in the Mk.3C, by a 105 mm DM33 into the front turret, loader side.
It’s about the power/weight ratio, not top speed.
400+ mm of pen, yeah, makes sense
The Merkava 3 should be at 11.0, and here’s why.
I agree it’s pretty strong for 10.7, but it’s also way too weak to face the broken 12.0 meta as often as it does.
At 11.0, it would mostly face the 2PL or similar, while avoiding the 2A7V and its equivalents. There’s already a big gap between the 2A7 and its peers versus tanks like the Ariete or even the Merkava 4. Let’s not make that gap even wider.
In terms of mobility, armor, and FCS (auto-loader, third-gen thermals, similar pen), the Merkava 3 is, in many respects, inferior to the Chinese ZTZ99s at 11.0.
10.3 tanks can take on and destroy the Merkava 3 without too much trouble. Its only real advantage is its great ammo, but the armor is so lacking that it’s not a true advantage. Take a matchup with a TAM 2C and a Merkava 3—what edge does the Merkava 3 really have over a TAM 2C or a Boxer MGS? Basically, it’s whoever fires first that wins. The Merkava 3’s only advantage against 10.3 tanks is as a hull-down sniper. However, it’s so slow that reaching good positions is difficult, and its playstyle ends up being very limited.
The Merkava 3 is far closer to the 2A4 than the 2A7 in performance, yet it encounters the 2A7 more often than the 2A4.
Another issue is the Namer’s lineup at 10.7—whenever you bring it alongside the Merkava 3, it ends up dragged into the 12.0 meta. If the Merkava 3 were 11.0, the Namer could join it without getting annihilated.
Finally, consider the size of the Merkava 3 and how cramped the crew is in the turret.
Too slow, too big, not enough armor, and a slow reload—all for good ammo? Honestly, the best way to balance it would be to give it 2PL-level ammo and a lower BR.
The Merkava 3 with 530mm penetration could definitely sit at 11.0. Even with 480mm pen, it could fit in at 10.7. Take the Vickers Mk.7, for example—it’s 10.7 with 470mm pen, high mobility, and decent protection.
I think 11.0 is the best option, especially since 10.7 is pretty crowded right now.
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