I'll absolutely die on that hill.
Cold War had a big positive reception. MWZ even had a great following, though definitely a different audience.
Vanguard was the first time (in my opinion) where it really felt like they were willing to compromise all standards and expectations to put out "something".
Obviously, I'm sure everyone who worked on it wanted it to be the best it could be.
But the situation and mere existence of it, truly broke the trust and good will of the community more than anything before or since.
I personally think they've won back that trust in BO6 and BO7, but if we never Vanguard, I think the sentiment is a whole lot more positive than it already is today.