Matross

Analyzing Purple Players
I see a lot of frustration these days from in game chat, mostly when a player sees a good player on the enemy. They look at XVM, see the WN8, look at the win percentage, then type "gg" before the timer even runs out. The problem that this creates is a negative mentality for you and your team. While it is true that a purple is statistically better, it does not guarantee that he will as well as his stats say in any given match. In this article, I will explore how purples tend to play, and give average players tips on how to play with/against better players.
Characteristics of a Purple
First, let's explore the general characteristics of a purple player.
They play good tanks: Purples generally will play a tank that is good in at least one category: damage, armor, burst, mobility. Usually the tanks they drive will excel in two of these categories. So, it should be established that these tanks are formidable, and should not be taken lightly.
They excel at dealing damage: There's really only one way to achieve purple status: high damage numbers. Through good mechanics, tactics, or a combination of both, purples excel at dealing more damage than they take. Their damage ratio will usually be above 2, and really good players won't lose any health until late game.
They have good situational awareness: From my experience, players that have a strong grasp of tactics and strategy tend to be at least dark purple. They know when to relocate to avoid taking damage while also dealing better damage. They know who needs to be taken out first, and know when to use their hp to push. These players will punish you heavily for any mistakes you make.
They think that they're better than you: This is a general assumption. Statistically, this is true, but in practice, anything can happen. A lot of the time, their arrogance can cause them to make mistakes or tilt because things aren't going their way.
Purples on your team There are two kinds of purples that you will see on your team. One wants to win, the other wants to do damage. There are two philosophies among purples that I've seen on forums. The first is: focus on winning, and the damage and stats will come afterwards. The other is do a lot of damage, and the win will come from that. I won't bother arguing about these two opinions, but I'll talk about how you can cooperate with these two kinds of purples.
Support your purples just like you would any other teammate. I'm a big supporter of increased teamwork in pubs, since keeping others alive usually leads to better results. However, you shouldn't try to save anyone who has overextended and doomed themselves to die. Aggressive purples may attempt this often and then rage at their team for not following them loyally. Most of the time, their death is entirely their fault. Either they're tilted, or they couldn't read the battle correctly. It's not your responsibility to babysit a purple the whole game. After all, he is only one tank of 15. Even if he pumps out 4k damage, it still would be worse than 3 other tanks doing 2k damage each. Passive purples are the worst kind that you'll find. They'll sit where TDs sit, farm useless damage, and have terrible winrate compared to their damage per game. Consider these players equivalent to green/blue players. He won't help you, so don't bother helping him.
Purples as Enemies Probably a worse situation is when you meet a good player on the enemy team. However, don't be intimidated just by their color in XVM. While their skills should be respected, it shouldn't pressure you into making irrational moves. Even the best of players aren't immortal.
There are many different exploitable habits that purples tend to have.
They love to farm damage: Some purples get enjoyment out of the game from farming, so much so that they get antsy when they aren't able to deal damage for extended periods of time. If you lock down the firing lanes of a good player, they will become impatient and make mistakes.
They are stubborn: Some purples decide at the beginning of the game to take a certain position whether or not their team supports them. Some also refuse to fall back, then blame their team for not supporting them. As a general rule, if you know a player is isolated, whether it be a purple or red, don't hesitate to jump on it.
They think that they are better than you: Remember, a tank is a tank. All it takes for you to land a shot into him is for your gun to be loaded the moment he pokes over. Good players poke when either the enemy is not looking at them, or the enemy has just fired. If you're sitting with a couple of teammates in an alleyway, stagger your shots to keep the good player guessing your reload times. Assuming you have equal alpha, trading 1 for 1 with a better player will lower his potential carry ability in late game. Remember that purples can recognize and punish mistakes harder than average players can. So, if you're careful and consider all angles of attack, you negate the purple's ability to take advantage of you. Let him be the one to overextend and get nailed by TDs/arty, not you.
Another thing good players sometimes underestimate is the power of platoons. I cannot count how many times a platoon of top tier heavies/mediums on my opposing team has ruined my team either by blitzing early positions to prevent our team from moving from base or rolling an entire flank faster than the other can react. It's very easy to win in platoons. If you give the purple the time to find the right angles and flank shots, there's a chance they can carry. However, a fast push will effectively negate the enemy player's ability to do more damage by shortening the overall game time. Of course, don't push like idiots. Some maps require patience, like Prok. A lot of purples I speak to LOVE Prok when it has no arty. That's because they can take their time and farm the map slowly, rather than have to worry about flanks collapsing.
Conclusion
Better players should not be feared, but treated with caution. Anyone has the capability to have a good game. Purples just happen to know how to be more consistent. Teamwork always beats a pubstar. Always. Some purples are obnoxious and rude, others are nice and friendly.