Overview
Ranked 1v1 can be hard. The map is random. The opponents are random.Here is my summary of the what the current meta is and why. I have outlined 4 trends. Read this if you want to become a better player. Read this if you want to understand the game.
What is Ranked 1v1?
So you decided that you wanted to play an epic real time strategy game, but you find that you’re getting stomped by stacked teams or plagued by leavers.
This is what Ranked Games are for.
You stand on equal footing with your opponent at the beginning of each game. There are no decks specialized for any one map. There are no decks specialized for different team roles. There are no decks specialized for high income or low income.
You know the rules. So does your opponent.
How do you win?
Use the meta.
This guide will analyze the current trends and strategies in the game. It will also showcase some of the best units in the game.
What Makes the Meta
So how do you use the meta?
KNOW THE META.
Ranked games have these traits in common:
Starting Points: 1000
Income: 7
Players per Team: 1
Map: Random 1v1 Map from Map Pool
Decks Permitted: 1 Deck (Chosen without knowledge of the map or opponents deck)
Units Permitted: Based on Deck
These 6 traits shape the current meta. They can be generalized into 4 factors for simplicity. I will continue to refer to these 4 factors throughout the guide.
Point Factor – How income/starting points affect the meta
Attention Factor – How players and their mistakes affect the meta
Map Factor – How map type/size affect the meta
Deck Factor – How deck building limitations affect the meta
Each individual part of the meta is driven by at least one of the above factors. These individual parts of the meta are trends and together, they create a meta.
This means that certain units and strategies wlll be naturally superior because of the 4 factors mentioned above.
The players that create or follow these trends tend to perform much better than those who do not.
This Guide’s Contents
By reading this guide you willl learn 3 things.
Trends in the meta and why they exist.
Strategies in the meta that build off the trends.
Units that are extremely effective in the current meta.
All 3 of those are important to understand. To win your ranked games you will need both a powerful deck and a good understanding of what strategies to employ. However, if your deck limits what kinds of strategies you can employ, you will be in trouble.
Use the trends to understand which units are good to bring along. Use the popular strategies to understand what you will be facing and how to counter them. Use the best units section to get ideas for what units to put into your deck. Good luck!
Trend: Lots of Infantry
Deploying infantry into forward positions is highly effective in the current meta. This trend is caused mostly by the point factor and partly by the map factor.
Point Factor – Infantry is Cost Effective
When both sides are limited to a small amount of points for deployment, cost effective Toyotas are better than luxurious Ferraris. Take a look at the following comparison of the Swedish Pansarskytte and the Russian T-80B.
The Pansarskytte (including the 5pt transport) costs 20pts, 5 times cheaper than the T-80B. Here is what these units can do.
With 1 T-80B, you can attack or defend a medium area.
With 1 Pansarskytte, you can only defend a small area very effectively.
With 5 Pansarskyttes, you can defend a large area very effectively.
The T-80B is useful for attacking and defending, but the versatiliy is expensive. If both units are fighting the open, the Pansarskytte is at a clear disadvantage. However, in cover or buildings, the Pansarskytte will dominate the T-80B. A 20pt unit can stop a 100pt unit.
The problem of encountering tanks in the open can be avoided by deploying infantry faster than the enemy can deploy tanks. Deploying infantry early on with helicopters to well fortified urban zones will often stop or slow down any kind of tank rush. In fact, 2 or 3 Pansarskyttes in a city can take on 5 or more T-80B’s trying to blitz through.
This means that a player can use very few points to defend key positions against enemy attack. This is because infantry in buidlings have some of the best defensive and stealth capabilities. Being difficult to detect, they often fire first against attackers. They also receive very little damage from the weapons of most other units while in buildings.
Deploy infantry early. They will be able to defend key zones and prevent enemies from advancing. This allows you to secure zones to gain points and eventually win.
Map Factor – Most maps have large amounts of cover/urban zones
Unlike certain 2v2 maps, the 1v1 maps in rotation often have many forests and buildings where infantry units can take cover. This favors defensive play, where infantry units can effectively hide from heavier units.
Wonsan Harbour is a great example of a map that contains many urban zones. Tanks are unable to avoid these urban zones.
Tropic Thunder is a map with 2 large, central urban zones. Controlling these zones with infantry prevents most flanking attempts by tanks.
Strait to the Point (Small) is a map with many urban zones placed near chokepoints (such as bridges or narrow corridors). Infantry units can defend very effectively.
3 of the 5 maps in rotation have a heavy focus on urban zones.
TLDR: Infantry are good because they are cheap and the current maps favor them.
Trend: Lots of Heavy Bombers
Bombers are very popular in ranked 1v1 and very effective. In particular, the 1000kg bombers are some of the most effective units in the game. These are heavy bombers who can destroy most ground units in a single run, including helicopters. They excel in 1v1 because of the point factor and the attention factor, but also partly because of the deck factor. Cost-effective, hard to counter, and extremely versatile, I use 3 to 5 of them in almost all my decks.
Point Factor – They are extremely cost effective
This armored convoy consists of almost 500pts of units.
The F-15D Strike Eagle decides to drop 4 1000kg bombs on the convoy.
The 160pt Strike Eagle destroys more than 300pts of units in a single run.
These guys can cover almost any part of the map at great speed. They can easily stop armored pushes or grouped up units. They can also annihilate infantry units in urban zones quite well. Additionally, 1000kg bombs have a very large stun radius, making them very useful panicking enemy units and preventing them from returning fire.
The 1000kg bomber is your bulldozer. It does everything you need to destroy ground targets.
Attention Factor – Most players do not react quickly enough to stop air units
The majority of players will focus on one aspect of the game at time. Moving from place to place, they do not consult the minimap at the top right. If they did, they would see a fast moving dot, which is your F111C.
Interceptors can usually destroy a bomber after its bombing run, sometimes they can stun bombers or destroy them before they drop their payload. That usually does not happen. Many players fail to react in time to high speed bombers like the F111C. Majors, Leutinents, and even Lt. Colonels can become too focused on a battle to notice that their forces are about to be wiped off the map.
F111C snuck around the map and bombed your command infantry? Happens.
None survive. Proceed to rage quitting.
Use this attention deficit to your advantage. Scout out enemy command units and bomb them to death. Some players exclusively use this strategy to win, rather than control zones. No command units means no zone control.
Deck Factor – Super Versatile Units
Heavy bombers can do almost everything. This means that regardless of which deck you encounter, they will always be relevant. The best part about their versatility is how quickly you can deploy them.
Air units can be deployed instantaneously. While most units take time to reach to front before they can become effective, heavy bombers and other air units can be deployed on a moments notice. Good players know this and reserve 200 to 300pts during their deployment phase in order to call in the right type of air units. Sometimes, the enemy will deploy air superiority fighters or lots of anti air units. You can spend those reserved points on tanks or your own air superiority fighters.
Aside from fast deployment, heavy bombers are just good versus all land units. Do they destroy infantry units? Yes. Do they destroy vehicles? Yes. Do they destroy AA units? Yes. Do they destory tanks? Yes. Do they destroy helicopters? Yes, but takes a bit of practice. This is why heavy bombers are superior to cluster bombers or napalm bombers.
This means that a deck can have 1 card of heavy bombers that does the job of 1 card of cluster bombers and 1 card of napalm bombers. When a deck has only 5 cards for air units, this frees up space for other air units such as SEAD or Air Superiority or just more heavy bombers.
TLDR: Heavy bombers are good versus everything on the ground.
Trend: Lots of Versatile Units
In ranked 1v1, you will find many different players. Each player will play each map a bit differently, using different strategies and different units. You might need to counter a tank rush. You might want to use a bit and hold strategy. You might encounter a heavy tank that your atgms can’t damage or a ton of heavy bombers. You will need units to counter each and every strategy and unit that can come.
Versatile units are what you need. You only have so many card slots and activation points available, so each card has to count. Games will be lost because there is a unit or startegy that your deck cannot counter. This is because the map factor and the deck factor require you to prepare for every possible situation.
Map Factor – Each map allows different strategies
There are 5 maps in rotation in ranked 1v1. Each map is different and favors different strategies and different units. When a unit can serve multiple roles, it can be effective in multiple strategies, and then be effective on multiple maps. Planes are a great example of versatile maps. On almost every map and every game, at least 1 player will deploy air units. They are quick to deploy and relevant to many situations. Heavy tanks (like the Leclerc) are only relevant in specific situations, but almost completely useless on Wonsan Harbor.
Having units that are useful in many situations is better than units that useful only in limited situations. Because the maps and players are random, versatile units are better because they can handle more situations.
Deck Factor – Decks have liimited cards and activation points
No deck can activate all available card slots. Most decks want more slots for infantry or planes, but they are limited. Because you do not know what units you will need, you will want to have units for every possible situation. You will need mobile units, armored units, anti tank units, anti air units, helicopter units, recon units, and so on. Most decks cannot provide a unit for every situation because of the deck limitations. This is why versatile units are good.
A versatile unit can often serve 2 or more unit’s roles. If you need a fast recon unit and you need a fire support unit, you can deploy an ASLAV-25 or LAV-25. These vehicles are fast with good optics and decent firepower. They can support infantry pushes, take down helicopters at close range, flank and snipe enemy units, and spot enemy units. They are also amphibious and travel at 100km/h, which is extermely fast. This is a good example of a versatile unit.
Consider these two units (ASLAV-25 FSV and V-150). Together they serve the purpose of a ASLAV-25, but they will occupy 2 card slots and consume more activation points. These card slots or activation points could be extremely useful. By using the ASLAV-25 instead, you can use an extra unit type in your deck.
It is usually better to pay slightly more for versatility.
TLDR: Situations are random and versatile units can handle more situations.
Trend: Less Heavy Armor
Cheaper armor units have become more common in ranked 1v1. This is because heavier armor units are too expensive and too easy to counter. Part of this is because of the popularity of infantry units, but that is really caused by the map factor. Since maps are not heavy armor friendly, cheap armor can serve the same purpose for less points since they will not encounter heavy armor. This results in the point factor also making cheap armor popular.
Map Factor – Many buildings and plenty of cover
One of the first things that players learn is that tanks are very ineffective in cities. However, tanks are also very ineffective near cities. Even if they are outside of a city, ATGM units can fire at tanks while remaining in cover. Sometimes, ATGMs will remain stealthed in cities while firing their missiles. This means that your 100pt tank dies quite fast against a 25pt milan team.
Take a look at the current maps in 1v1. Most of them have very few large open areas. Almost all of them have cities or urban zones covering choke points. The maps in the current 1v1 ranked rotation are not good for heavy tanks.
Point Factor – Heavy Armor is not cost effective
Because the maps in rotation make it easy for cheap infantry units to kill expensive tanks, it is better to grab cheap tanks against those infantry units. Since infantry units take similar amounts of damage from expensive tanks as cheap tanks, there is no reason to pay an extra 100 points for a more expensive ATGM sponge.
Although the T64 can take more damage from ATGMs and shells, 1 T64 is alot easier to counter than 5 T62s (without using a heavy tank like the T64). An Apache attack helicopter kills T64s just as fast as T62s. The same with American F/A 18 Hornets or any nation’s ATGM planes; they would kill your T64 in one run. Having a spread out pack of T62s will be more effective against any non-heavy tank unit than just 1 T64.
TLDR: Heavy tanks suck because the maps make them useless and they are easy to counter
Strategy: Snipe the CV
This strategy is self-explanatory. What is important to note is how much you invest into it.
Some players invest in tons of artillery, planes, helicopters, recon special forces, and other units to try and take down your command units one by one. Other players will invest in a few fast moving recon units and recon special forces to take down one or two command units, but it is not their main strategy. Personally, I use CV sniping as a compliment to my main strategy, but their have been very successful players who use it as their main strategy.
Here is how to snipe a CV.
Remember to deploy your CV sniping unit early on. The best units for sniping CVs in deployment zones are recon special forces. You can use recon vehicles, with autocannons, for sniping CVs closer to the front.
The Lynx helicopter at the top left is carrying a Jaegre recon special forces unit. The red player (me) has no idea it is there.
Now the Jaegre makes his jog across forests and open terrain. Notice that the Lynx is parked well away from the target CV. This is because the Lynx can be easily spotted by planes or recon units because it has very bad stealth. Remember to be patient when sniping CVs; it took a long time to get into position, so don’t mess it up by rushing things.
Now the CV is going to die. It doesn’t matter if the CV was a tank or vehicle because the Jaegre units have an 18 AP rocket launcher. What matters now is how much damage can the Jaegre do after killing the CV.
Since the CV has been destroyed, no more reinforcements can arrive. The longer this happens for, the fewer units the enemy will be able to deploy. But during that time, you can still deploy your units, which can allow you to take over enemy positions. Most people will be very distracted when they lose a CV in their main reinforcing route.
If you have bombers, you can continue to supress and destroy the enemy’s command units by scouting the out with your recon units. Artillery units can also destroy CVs with the help of scouting by recon units. During this time, the enemy will lose control of his zones, granting you more victory points.
You can also send artillery and planes to bomb areas where there is likely to be a CV. Usually, the investment is not worthwhile, but it can result in some lucky CV kills.
Here is how to stop a cv snipe
The best way to stop a CV snipe is to expect it. Always deploy command infantry at your main reinforcement route and deploy a versatile special forces or commando unit nearby. I deploy 1 or 2 Jaegres as the game goes on. Most of the time, a single Jaegre or other recon special forces unit will be able to protect you command infantry if it is in a building. This is because recon special forces destroy helicopters at close range and have a large defensive bonus against incoming fire as long as they stay in the building.
If I had a Jaegre unit in the example above, where I lost 3 CVs, none of that would have happened. Keeping a recon special forces unit close to your command infantry is a good way to keep it alive. If you notice your defensive special forces unit has killed an enemy, it is a good time to move your CV and special forces unit. Some players will attempt to bomb or barrage that location.
Otherwise, know where the holes in your defense are. On maps like Tropic Thunder, there is a massive forest and mountain area where helicopters can easily fly over. If the enemy wants to helicopter rush you, that is likely where it will happen. Prepare for attacks from that area and use your air units to bomb enemy special forces that are in cover or retreating to cover.
Strategy: Bite and Hold
The bite and hold strategy was first used during World War 1. The basic concept is to control a zone and provoke an enemy to attack your defensive position. As the enemy attempts to retake the position, he will suffer great losses as you utilize the defender’s advantage.
In the above example, the blue player bites into Foxtrot and holds his position. He denies the red player control over Foxtrot while maintaining his own control in other zones. The result is that the blue player gains points (slowly) as the red player attempts to displace his opponent. Most players will attack the fortified position at Foxtrot instead of looking for less fortified positions to attack.
This bite and hold strategy plays out in two ways.
Airbourne Infantry Rush – Control key urban zones ASAP
The airbourne infantry rush has been popularized in the current meta because infantry units are extremely efficient at defending positions. By using a fast transport, such as a Lynx, you can insert your commando or special forces infantry into the path of enemy vehicles and key choke points. They will need a very powerful offensive force to displace your infantry units.
These infantry units will be able to hold their position against much more expensive attackers. Later on, the blue player may want to bring in a command unit to capture or deny the zone from enemy control.
Micropush – Push into enemy zones and defend
The micropush has often been overlooked as a viable strategy in the current meta. Most players attempt to push deep into enemy territory or simply do not understand how to push. The purpose of the micropush is to stay true to the original bite and hold strategy of WW1. Bite into a part of the enemy’s command zone and insert your CV, causing him to lose control. This is best done if there are natural choke points and defensive terrain in the area.
Red opens with a very powerful attack straight through the center of the map. The opponent (blue) was caught off guard, losing many forward units to the combined might of red’s forces.
The attack develops into a defensive hold, as red has very little to gain by over extending himself. Blue is now forced to attack into red’s position, but red is very well fortified. Red denies the zone by preventing blue from deploying a CV. Since red’s position covers more than half the zone, he can still deny the zone from blue by deploying his own CV to a safe location.
Be careful of placing your CV in obvious locations. If you push back the enemy a small amount so that you control only a small piece of forest, that forest is going to get bombed as soon as you place a CV there.
Counters to Bite and Hold
Prevention – use units to prevent the enemy from employing the bite and hold strategy. To prevent helicopters from inserting infantry, use 80 point fighters to shoot them down or helicopter anti-air platforms. Against a micropush, the best way to stop it is to scout out the micropush. This inevitably means that to prevent a micropush, you have to push back the front line so that it is further from your command zones. Fortifying your positions with defensive units is also acceptable, but it reduces your force’s ability to respond to enemy attacks and counter attack.
Avoidance – use fast units to bypass enemy defensive positions. Often times, a bite and hold strategy tries to cover key positions and choke points with immobile and defensive units. If you can avoid those immobile units, they will not be quick enough to react to your attacks. With this, you can push into undefended or lightly defended enemy zones.
Strategy: Zergling Tank Rush
Zerglings! They come in the form of tanks.
Many players have had the horrible experience of losing all their M1 Abrams tanks to ATGM teams hidden in buildings or ATGM vehicles like BMP2’s. How do you prevent this from happening?
You don’t.
All tanks are ATGM sponges. Whether they are 22 front armor Challengers or 3 front armor T34’s. The only difference is how many ATGMs can it take. We have already established that heavy armor (160pt) is terrible in ranked 1v1. They will die very quickly to F/A 18 Hornets or other ATGM planes at the moment your interceptors get shot down or leave the map. Supporting a heavy tank is extremely difficult because it is so expensive. Do not push with heavy tanks. Push with cheap tanks.
When you can choose between 16 T34’s or a Challenger, it depends on the situation. If your enemy has deployed expensive tanks, your T34’s will get ripped apart and deal no damage. But, most of the time the enemy will deploy ATGM infantry, vehicles, or helicopters.
The good thing is that ATGMs can only fire so fast and have limited ammo.
While 4 missles can take down your 90pt Abrams tank, it will take 9 or more missles to take down 9 T34’s. Each missle can only kill 1 tank. If you have a ton of tanks, at least some of them will make it to shoot at the enemy units.
But your tanks are not there for taking down enemy vehicles, your own support units are there for that job. The main problem most players have with attacking is that they cannot locate the enemy without taking shots from the enemy. Let your ATGM sponges take shots from enemy units while your heavier units snipe off the enemy. When you are attacking, the opponent will almost always fire first. What matters is not how many units you lose, but which ones you lose.
When you lose a T34, you will most likely know where the enemy is. Drop bombs. Launch shells. Supress and destroy your enemies as they attempt to stop your zerg rush. Bomb out enemy infantry and ATGM vehicles. Use your own ATGMs to snipe tanks and your own tanks to take down infantry. Bring in your infantry to the city edge and advance. Your tanks can help fire at infantry units at the edge of a city. A Zergling Tank Rush cannot succeed without good supporting units to deal real damage to enemies.
Remember that the principle of a Zergling Tank Rush can be applied to many different units. You have transport helicopters sitting around? Fly them over AA positions so your planes can bomb those positions or avoid them or just consume your enemy’s ammo. Mi-8T’s do a very good job at supporting Zergling Tank Rushes.
Use the Zergling Tank Rush to grab onto enemy territory and hold onto it. You can use it to take key positions and change the flow of the game.
Strategy: Helicopter Rush
The helicopter rush is a fairly popular strategy where a player uses only helicopters. Usually, this means redfor mi24s spammed at the beginning of the game with the goal of destroying all of the enemy player’s CVs. Sometimes this is supported by air superiority fighters to prevent enemy planes from shooting down the helicopters.
It seems like a stupid strategy (which it is so I won’t teach you how to use it) that can only be countered if you know the enemy is using it (which is untrue). However, there is a very simple way to counter it for cheap on almost all maps. ManPADs in buildings and command infantry will do the job.
You cannot use normal AA units to counter a helicopter rush. This is because if you deploy enough AA units at the beginning of the game to counter a helicopter rush, you will lose to almost every other strategy. Additionally, you will need to keep your AA at your main reinforcement route, meaning that they will not be providing support for your other units. This is because rushing helicopters have rockets. All AA units will get stunned and panicked by these rockets. They might be able to shoot down a few helicopters before they are stunned, but if the enemy has devoted all of his points into helicopters, he will often have 10 or more left to shoot down your AA.
ManPads in buildings are a different story. They can remain unseen in buildings at ranges of 1000m, even against the best recon helicopters. They can also continue to fire without being seen by enemy helicopters. This means that 2 ManPADs can take down 5 or 6 helicopters before the helicopters get close enough to start shooting. Make sure you grab ManPADs that have 50% accuracy or greater and deal at least 5 damage. Preferably, their range should be greater than 2100m and they should be relatively cheap (20-30pts for the team and transport). Remember that manPADs have different reloading times, making some more effective than others.
If you micro your 2 ManPADs well enough, you should be able to stop a helicopter rush without losing your CV, which should be a command infantry unit. Get command infantry for the same reason as ManPADs, stealth in buildings. You can continously micro from building to building to avoid helicopters as they attempt to find you. This is much better than getting spotted by helicopters and rocketed to death. Note that infantry in buildings also receive a fair amount of cover against incoming fire and that most helicopters cannot use their rockets at close range.
To counter a helicopter rush, keep 2 ManPADs near your command infantry. This is even more effective if those units are near an FOB to resupply.
Strategy: Transport Flood
This strategy usually comes in 2 forms. The first form is pure flooding and the second form is after flooding. Most maps in ranked 1v1 are very infantry friendly, which leaves you with the obvious quesiton of what to do with your transports. Some people get the cheapest transports possible in order to maximize their point efficiency, but others grab versatile transports that can be used for other roles.
After Flooding
Some maps are also fairly wide. A good example of this is Tropic Thunder. Most players will attempt to use infantry units to secure the two central zones. Both players will likely end up with many left over transports, waiting on the sides.
Best Units: Line Infantry
In the current meta, some infantry units prove to be much more powerful than others. Here is a list of the best infantry units, what they are good at, and how to counter them.
We should first assume that most infantry vs infantry battles occur at a range of 500m or less. Quite often, they occur within cities. Most infantry vs vehicle and infantry vs helicopter occurs at the maximum range possible. This means we need to evaluate the accuracy of infantry weapons differently. If it is an anti infantry weapon, it will most likely be employed at close range (200m or so) in cities. This means that accuracy plays a very small part in determining damage dealt by the weapon because of the accuracy bonuses gained from close ranges. Remember this when comparing infantry units.
Before we begin, lets overview some basics about infantry units.
Veterancy – This component should never be overlooked in infantry units. This will often play a major role in determining which units will win over others. The main factor is morale. Most infantry units experience heavy levels of supression when fighting other infantry units. As a unit begins to panick,it begins losing accuracy and firing speed. More veteran units will not panick as quickly, maintaining their accuracy and firing speed. Most infantry units begin to panick within 5 to 10 seconds of infantry vs infantry combat. Usually the panicking is on the side that is less veteran and/or has worse infantry vs infantry weapons.
Training – In addition to veterancy, infantry units also have different levels of training. The levels go from militia to regular to shock to elite. At the higher levels, infantry units deal bonus damage with their weapons. This applies to all their weapons. You may test this out with an SAS or FJB unit notice how much more HE damage they deal with their AA weapons. This plays a big part in shooting down helicopters with small arms fire and dealing massive damage to enemy infantry units.
Stealth – infantry units that are larger in size (10 man) tend to have good stealth and those that are smaller in size (2 man) tend to have very good stealth. Recon infantry units usually have better stealth in 10 man and 2 man teams. Stealth can play a big role as many 2 man teams can remain hidden while firing.
Primary Weapon – All infantry units have a primary weapon that deals a big part of the infantry vs infantry damage. For infantry of the same training level, there are 3 types of primary weapons.
Sub Machine Gun – best at urban combat and super close ranges
Assault Rifle – well balanced
Battle Rifle – best long at ranged combat
In short, try not to have infantry with battle rifles. They tend to be effective only on the edges of large urban zones or that random house in the middle of a field.
Weapon Attributes – secondary weapons play a major role in an infantry unit’s effectiveness. Look for these attributes in secondary weapons.
Stat – may not be used while moving
CQC – this machine gun may be used in urban to urban combat (most macine guns can’t)
GUID – the unit must guide the weapon before firing or moving
NPLM – these weapons are extremely effective versus infantry (check the type of weapon)
HEAT – these weapons are effective versus tanks and other vehicles
F&F – unit may move or fire after firing weapon. Implied (not shown in some weapons).
Best Line Infantry Units
SAS 35pt
They are most useful in Airbourne Infantry Rushes due to their great versatility. They are particularly effective as AA infantry due to their veterancy and training. They are also underpriced as Eugen has not accounted for the beneficial effects that training and veterancy has on ManPADS.
Their main downside is the lack of ammo for their secondary weapons. They will not be able to take on commando units of other countries on equal ground as they do not have a CQC machine gun.
SAS should not be countered with bombers. Instead, attempt to shoot down the transports before they deploy or use ground based anti infantry units.
Pros: Versatile Infatry
Cons: Not able to beat other Elite Infantry units on equal footing
Fallschirmjager and Fallschirmjager ’90 35pt
They are most useful in city combat, with limited application for Airbourne Infantry Rushes due to their lack of speed, versatility, or point efficiency (depending on transport and year). They are also extremely effective at destroying enemy vehicles at close range, but have a slow rate of fire for their AT weapon.
Their main downside is their lack of versatility for the cost. The ’90 version is considerable better than most commando units in infantry vs infantry, but is limited to WGerman of Eurocrops decks.
FSM Jagers should be countered with similar commando infantry or fire support helicopters (with rockets and grenade launchers). Remember that heavy bombers are a good counter for most infnatry units in buildings and outside of buildings.
Pros: Superpower versus everything on the ground at close range
Cons: Doesn’t beat Spetsnaz or Li Jian 90′ (but thats for balancing purposes)
US Marines with LVPT-7A1 Transport
They are most useful in city combat, especially against napalm based infantry (Spets and Li Jian). They are also very useful in forest combat. Their power comes from the combination of a 15 man team and a grenade launching transport. Together, they will be able to defeat most infantry units.
Their greatest downside is that the LVTP is a vehicle. In many situations, the grenade launching transport will deal some damage before getting hit by a HEAT rocket. Using the LVTP inside a city is risky if there are enemy infantry units with AT weapons.
Pros: Not expensive and spammable. The transport is very effective against infantry.
Cons: Not very good versus other elite infantry if the transport is lost.
Mot. Schutzen
East German Mot. Schutzen are non-prototype infantry units. Their base availability is 16/12. They are the most cost effective shock infantry in the game.
Recon Special Forces
Most recon special forces units can also serve as line infantry units. 10 man teams such as the Danish Jaegre unit are as effective as other commando units. They also provide better optics, which can be very useful once enemy infantry units are destroyed. Beware of their low base availability per card, which is 4/3.
Best Units: Specialized Infantry
Anti-Infantry Specialists
Spetsnaz and Li Jian ’90 35pt
They are most useful in city combat, with some application for Airbourne Infantry Rushes, but they lack versatility. They are extremely effective at clearing cities and forests of enemy infantry units and can often defeat FSM Jagers 1v1.
Their greatest downside is their lack of versatility for the cost. They have no ability to destroy tanks.
Spetsnaz and Li Jian 90′ should be countered with vehicles with at least 2 armor, even in cities. Armored vehicles with grenade launchers do this best. Fire support helicopters also help and so do bombers.
Pros: Destroys infantry units in cities and forests.
Cons: Not very effective against vehicles.
Napalm Infantry
Other napalm based infantry units can also be quite effective. However, napalm rocket infantry units have been recently nerfed (increased aim time and decreased HE damage). Napalm flamethrower infantry units tend to be outgunned by Elite infantry in cities, but do fairly well in forests.
Anti Air Infantry
The best anti air infantry units vary between nations/coalitions. In general, there are a few traits that make an AA unit especially powerful, but some traits are specific to ManPADs.
F&F missles tend to have higher firing rates than guided missles. ManPADs are usually F&F or Guided. It is always worth it to pay more for a F&F unit than a guided unit because of the higher firing rate. This only applies to ManPADs because there are many powerful guided missle trucks.
Range, accuracy, and damage are very important. All ManPADs have a high anti helicopter range and a lower anti air range. A manPAD unit should have more than 2100m anti helicopter range because most helicopter rockets have 2100m range. ManPADs should have at least 50% accuracy in order to be effective against air units. Lower amounts of accuracy results in a lot of missed missiles. Ideally, a manPAD system should have 5 damage because that means you only need 2 hits to take down a plane. ManPADs that deal 4 damage should be avoided (unless they are very accurate or fast firing) because they will require 50% more hits to kill a plane.
The best ManPAD systems are the Stinger A systems (available in many NATO countries), the PSAM system of Japan, the Mistral system of France, the Igla-N of USSR, and the QW-1 systems of China. Most other ManPAD systems lack accuracy or firing rates.
Make sure to account for the cost of the transport when deciding on ManPAD units. Most ManPAD transports have very limited use after they drop off their infantry units so you might as well write them off.
May 6th 2014 – Author’s Note
The remaining of the guide is still a work in progress. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.
Best Units: Tanks
Best Units: AA
Best Units: Multirole Heavy Bombers
WIP
Best Units: Fast Attack Vehicles
WIP