Agree totally. I am amazed at the team assembling at low level. I found I could cope on a 4/5 man team ok, but often the leader would then add more (and they would never be support types) and expect me to run in and take an alpha.
It can do. Not every team plays their part well enough to meet your expectations and add to that there could be plenty of other people who have more hp than you waiting for you to run in.
Best thing to do for more reasons than one is to be the one making the team and lead it. I always get taunt and remove alphas when possible.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
Shannon you are right perhaps I should set out to lead small teams more often.
@Boy Wonder
Quantum Flash - Ill/Kin Controller
Leader of the Legion of Heroes
A low level tank can take the alpha for an 8-man team just fine, as long as they have decent support.
With the right support charachter you wont face plant but then the problem with the early game is even if the support charachters are doing there jobs..There's a tendancy for inexperience to counter act that. By that I mean as my rad setting up RI only to find someone KBing the anchor somewhere else or people genrally think its a target me sign. In which case suddenly the tanks finds him self being hit a lot more. The reason why must high level team survive is nt only because of having more tools to choose from. Its also down to people being more experienced. =)
So little people know the power of Sonic defenders 
All my tanks i solo'ed during the 1-22 run, i dont like the 'u are tank, u tank everything' or the 'waaah your tank is stupid weak' comments in teams.
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Agreed Sin... I've just made my first Tanker and having Fiery Aura as my primary it's been very very helpful to have a Sonic on the team for that extra +Res 
On the US server my WP/stone team alot with a sonic/sonic defender, downside at first was having no healing, but once you get RotC, SO sloted shields and big bubble and sonic gets the -res toggle, fun really begins 
Afterwards, i think WP/fire was a better choice for more AoE madness.
50)Sinergy X/(50)Mika.
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Sign the petition, dont let CoH go down! SIGN!
[ QUOTE ]
On the US server my WP/stone team alot with a sonic/sonic defender, downside at first was having no healing, but once you get RotC, SO sloted shields and big bubble and sonic gets the -res toggle, fun really begins
Afterwards, i think WP/fire was a better choice for more AoE madness.
[/ QUOTE ]
At level 33 my WP/Fire is fairly nice AoE, but it feels too much like a furyless brute really
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
My rule of thumb
The Role of the Tank
Level 1-11
Tank goes in first, and that it.
Level 12-21
Tank goes in first
Tank make sure Boss is attacking Tank
Level 22+
Tank goes in first
Tank make sure Boss attacking Tank
Tank aim to get 80-90% of aggro
All of above is dependent on rest of team make up, and level of support, but its a fair rule of thumb of what you should / should not expect of a tank, i think.
I have been in teams that would make a low level tank strong amongst +4s or even 5s and then I have been in teams that cause the opposite. You have to work with what you got, and cooperate as much as possible. My thing was to say "look I can keep everything, you wont need your insps, so if ya want we pass acc to so and so, dam to so and so, lucks and greens to me" and work on it. If I failed to keep aggro and in this its nice to consolidate then they can stop trusting me. Only as a Firetank faced against say stormies would I not say this. I can't ask for accs, everyone needs it. For me there is no strict guideline only ones own terms. Decide on them.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
Does any one else find that a teams expectations of a low level tank far exceed their actual ability to deliver? I mean taking the alpha and absorbing the agro between lvls 1-20 seems to me to be a recipe for death and debt. Of course not every team has a defender capable of watching your back either.
@Boy Wonder
Quantum Flash - Ill/Kin Controller
Leader of the Legion of Heroes