Sure, I can play tank hunters with T34s, but if my opponent will be able to contain me and survive 15 mins it will be like mining rocks with your nails when I'm forced to use just stock armor.
...
Again, call-in disease applies almost exclusively to soviets. I never feel handicapped when playing other army. And god I hope new army won't suffer same problems.
Here's a replay of what tank hunter tactics games go like usually-
http://www.coh2.org/file/7732/kats.rec
Game before I went T34s, but I find (and I think most people find) that since you're locked to spamming essentially T3-ostheer-equivalent units with no further advancement possible with either soviet high tiers, T4 is a better choice- especially on the narrower 2v2 maps. T34s fall off after the first two or three unless you really break the axis there and then, but kats just get stronger and stronger. Your ally can do the call-ins for mobile armor, which kats complement nicely.
1v1 though, massing T34s with TH is perfectly fine, as long as you don't lose too many (more than 1) before the call-ins hit, I think.
Also, if you aren't feeling pigeonholed with the other factions, maybe you just aren't playing at a level where going non-conformist strategies tends to mean losing unless you significantly outplay the enemy. You can go stugs or brummbars maybe against weaker opponents, but once your opponents start playing guard motor coordination or 3 rifle, LT, M20, flamers and sherman to their maximum potential, your alternate playstyle almost certainly will not cut it.