[2022] brawl mode really showcases the huge flaws in game balance

The game certainly changes when the number of players per side changes!
Do you folks remember the Tier Eight 1v1 Brawl? Everyone thought Tirpitz would be King, and it was in many ways, but Prinz Eugene beat Tirpitz 9/10 times . Then you started to see more Massachusetts' to counter the Prinz Eugen spam, then the Tirpitz' came back to counter the Massa's....
If you're playing a cruiser at Tier Five, the one thing you REALLY lack is armor. Few, if any, of the T5's have armor that can bounce BB shells regardless of angle. Unironically, the Krasny Krym has one of the best armor layouts for charging a T5 BB with 25mm protecting the lower hull - meaning that it won't get overmatched unless you're fighting something with 380's at Tier 5 - which is rare. Furutaka DEFINITELY has the best armor layout for this though.
If you want to bring a cruiser, I suggest you bring something with smoke, or something with enough range that it can stay at a distance and farm the BB's - which is not a strategy fit for small-map brawls I'm afraid.
It doesn't mean the game isn't balanced - it just means certain ships excel at certain game modes

13,000+ battles and I still get stuff wrong...
Thank you!