The IS-6--Premium Tier VIII Heavy

I figured that I did my first tank review on the Tier VIII JadgTiger 8.8 cm, so I thought it'd be more appropriate to follow up with the IS-6.
I really like this tank. I really do.
That is, until I bump into Tier 8's and 9's.
On paper, this tank is utter shit. 100mm of frontal and side armor? 60mm of rear armor? only 150 on the turret front? Really?
What people don't really notice, however, is the fact that this "frontal armor" is sloped back at about 60 degrees, thus doubling the effective armor thickness.
So if you bump into Tier 6 and 7's, you will wreck them so hard that they will feel the damage in the next battle.
However, if you bump into tier 9's...they will punch through you like paper. If you bump into tier 8's, chances are, you will be pelted with HEAT and APCR.

As for my actual opinion of this tank?
Not bad. Really, I like it. It's comparable to your IS-3, but without the double angling of the frontal armor. The two tanks are pretty similar in armor thickness and gun.
This tank is good at being the lead tank if you're top tier.
If you are not top tier....back the hell off.
It's as simple as that.

Anybody who looks at the tank will note the cheeks of the armor to the right and left of the upper glacis. These can become weak spots if you angle too much, so I've pretty much given up on angling the armor altogether. If you do want to angle, it has to be a very shallow degree, and it isn't worth the effort to me. Tell me in the comments below: Do you guys angle the armor on the IS-6?
In addition, it's worth noting that this tank's lower glacis (like the IS-3 and its successors) it NOT a weak spot. If you meet an IS-6, DON'T shoot the lower glacis. That thing packs 120 mm of armor, I believe, and is angled back like the upper glacis.

Now, onto the gun.
It is your run-of-the-mill Russian heavy tank gun. Pretty much the same gun you had on the KV-1S, IS, and up to before the BL series. 300-500 damage, with 131-219 mm of pen.
Honestly, I don't ever do 300 damage, and I rarely do 500. So expect on high 300s to 400s. It's pen factor isn't too great either...so you will need to pack APCR.
In a matter of fact, I've just been getting into the habit of loading APCR any time an IS-3 or 6 is going to be in front of me. I know I'm not penning with AP, but i will with APCR.
The gun...you get Russian accuracy. 0.46 dispersion. However, sometimes, the hand of Stalin will guide a shot onto its mark at full dispersion.

Onto mobility.
Actually, not bad. The American Heavy tanks were pretty maneuverable up to the T29, and I thought the IS came in with the best mobility (with a half decent gun). Packed with the Tier IX engine, the IS was pretty maneuverable. Likewise, the IS-6 is actually not bad, according to my standards. Maybe I've been playing too much T29, ISU-152, and T-150. With a tonnage of 52.2 tons and 700 hp, this tank has an appreciable 13.4 hp per ton. Better than the Super Pershing, at least. This tank has the same engine as the IS and IS-3 tier IX engine, so it's not bad in that aspect.

Final thoughts:
This tank is great, really. Honestly, a very capable tank and one of the few heavies that I've been able to flank in. This tank can absolutely carry a game, but only when your team and the opposite team are both idiots. Invest in safe playing early on. Do not lose too many health points early in the game--you WILL need them later in the game. The longer you can keep that gun in the battle, the more dangerous it becomes, because at the end, you can inspire a breakthrough and flank the enemy.
All the armor on this tank is NOT THICK. It is NOT a Tiger. But it is ingeniously angled. Looking at the armor all around the tank, it's made sense why TD's have bounced off my ass when I was retreating and they called me a hacker. Even the rear armor is highly angled. This tank features some pretty nice side skirts, making this tank VERY good at side scraping. Use that to your advantage.
Lastly, equipment and consumables:
I always keep Gun Rammer, it is just customary to fit it. This tank can fit vert stabs, so you should ALWAYS fit that if your tank is compatible. It is very helpful with this thing's bad accuracy. The final equipment is your choice: Vents or Enhanced Gun Laying Drive. I chose the Drive due to the fact that I could fall asleep before the gun was fully aimed (I actually never fully aim it; don't have the patience).
As for consumables, I always take an automatic extinguisher, multi-puporse restoration pack, and adrenaline. While costly, this trio makes sure you're covered in all situations. When you need that gun loaded, somebody is flanking, or the entire enemy team is in front of you, do not hesitate to hit the adrenaline.

That's it for me, but I want to hear what you guys think! Respond in the comments below on my advice and critique me! In addition, add any other information you guys would like to share, if you are an IS-6 owner. If you have any questions, post them, and I will try to answer it soon!

How much do I like the IS-6?

Well...

...if it was the only tank in World of Tank Blitz, I'd still play. And enjoy it. Seriously - I've got over 1000 games in it.

It's a brawler. A shot ricochetter. A speed demon of a heavy. A money maker. Which allows you to be a gold spamming fool in it! When I see tier 9s, I blow them up. When I 'toon and see tier 10s? I still bounce their shots...and I blow them up too (albeit less so.)

I run Rammer, Vert stab, and Gun laying drive. Also Adrenaline, Repair kit, and Multi-kit.

How do I stand up to the higher tiers? I do a little dance while I wait for my gold round to load. Really. Most of them bounce off me and you can do some serious damage at 400hp a pop.

If you want a premium for fun factor - you can't beat the IS-6. Just remember to load half your ammo at least as APCR and that you won't be making a ton of credits with how ofter you have to fire it. (Credits? Get a T34...)

-PoD