Nice excuse, bro.
Nah, i don't even spam snipers myself, but from observation this is the only strategy that works consistently.
I go conscripts, M3s and then get t-34/76s. I substitute gaurds with m-42 mini anti tank guns. It's not a very good strategy, but it's alot more fun that spamming snipers and gaurds.
Cons, penals are so bad that they just bleed manpower to the point its not even worth having them vs OKW
M3s get easily countered by 6 minute pumas
maxims are somewhat competitive strat and gives you good map control in the early game, but later on in the game they simply get wiped by OKW infantry support guns and elite infantry againts decent players.
Shocks are decent, but gaurds are better in every way on most maps. Gaurds are pretty much core infantry for the soviets- great faction design when your core infantry is doctrinal.
soviet T4 is completely horrible, T3 is decent for t-34/76s , but completely overshadowed by t-34/85s which are cheaper than t-34/76s. ISU-152 works too on some 1v1 maps.