Since the title of this thread is "3050-3052 Clan Advantages vs Inner Sphere", it appears that's the version of the Clans we're talking about.
The current rules apply to all BTU eras, which changes the dynamics of warfare and scenarios. If the OP included "using 1990's rules" I might agree but the BTU universe has evolved from the Mad Max era of the 1980s, as well, where a lance of mechs could conquer a world. Going back to the BTU of the 1980s, battles without UAVs, tight-beam laser transmission, cell phones and other modern tools are unthinkable. If a player could justify a technology that should exist in the game and define parameters, I have no problem with its incorporation.
Writer fiat is sometimes all we could go on, regarding Clan behavior -Clan Smoke Jaguar was prone to horrendous blunders and errors in judgement.
An example with the Battle of Luthien, where the appearance of two huge units, unaccounted for in the bidding process, would have allowed them to revise their bids or revisit the bidding process, and the way they fought against two mercenary units with the same honor standards allotted to IS regulars. Their inevitable defeat was a conscious choice.
A second example was the battle for Huntress, where the Jags scraped for units to fight the invading IS forces, even though they possessed warehouses filled with off the production line omnis that were earmarked for units that no longer existed. Again, CSJ chose the terms of their defeat. These are the most glaring strategic faults which manifested in the other Clan factions to one extent or another, so proposing that "What if the Clans weren't the Clans?" is a silly question.