A few tips on using/placing mines as the soviets

Ok to begin with i d like to say that i am not a strategist or pro so if there is some better player that disagrees with me feel free to correct me , this topic is mainly for the newer players but given that a lot has changed perhaps some vcoh veterans could benefit as well .

Mines win games !!! That was a phrase that casters used to say when commentating and it certainly was the case , i am not going to get in to any details about that since its yesterdays news , instead lets focus on the soviet mines .

1st Description

The Soviet mine is a lot like the vco mines of old , that means its planted in a small space and its not a minefield , the soviet mine is very effective against vehicles since it does a considerable ammount of damage and often does a critical , it also can be used against infantry killing a couple of squad members or lowering the overall health of the squad

1.5 Why do you want to use mines : a)killing shock units with lesser/ equal counters , b ) stealing time from your opponent , c ) mp drain in the mid and late game ( very important it eithr slows teching or gives you the field leading to relatively faster teching and/or more high tier units )

2 Changes in map design and game mechanics

So far the beta maps are mostly open spaced that coupled with the vaulting reduces the usefullness of mines .

2.5 Captain Obvious wanted to say these :
On Pripiyat there are a few surefire spots like the railway lines , the bridges and the river crossings . On Koldny there are also a few roads especially on the northern part of the map which due to the vp and the fuel point are guaranteed to see lots of movement . Placing mines (defensively ) there at the right timing ( a bit before you think your opponent has gone t2 (not before you dont want to tip him off with an early sweeper cause he cancels both you wire and your mines ) can really help to blunt an offensive of flametrack and/or pgrns laslty one or 2 mines around the cut offs can spare you of rushing 1 of you inf to reclaim it and thus increasing the chances of succesfull combat . .

3 Winter Maps

As you all know winter maps are subjected to blizzards , which makes fires and houses really important for winter survival , so in that case what you want to do when y are ahead is mine the entrances of the buildings ( that is usefull on pripiyat south and north vp where the buildings are key to holding lots of points ) and try to hold them untill the blizzard , afterwards just offer him a cocktail , incase you have a couple of engies around fires when a blizzard is happening ( or before ), it pays of to have them build a mine close to the fire and then leapfrog to another fire , so far i have witnessed mines destroying campfires which means that your opponent will have to certainly flee in fear of losing one squad member too many ( if your not too good in blizzard survival only use this offensively not defensively ) . Another thing i have done on kolodny north is to break the wooden wall next to the fuel , then mine the passage , that gives me both a flanking roote and a bait .


4 Cover Baiting

mine behind places your opponent is likely to take cover , its usefull to mine behind your sandbabs as well , then charge with ouraah to finish the job

5 Pripiyat south

On pripiyat i have observed that at the south vp the space is pretty good for tank combat + that it leads to lots of relatively easy to cap points so i usually mass 2/3 of my armor and mobile infatry for an attack or counter atack at the cut offs , unfortunately the damned stugs are op once again ( act surpised ! ) so it pays of to have a couple of mines just in case .

Lastly that kind of mine placing might not suit your playstyle or doctrine , i incorporated and developed these tactics because i like using the guard motor coordination doctrine 3 cons 2 engies with t2 - t3 and backtech to t1 with all conscript upgrades , inflicting mp damage and containing my opponent untill i get my t34s and guards . As i will play more i will continue to update this .

Feel free to discuss

Is it just me or do the soviet mines suck. I mean they do damage but they don't suppress nor pin infantry and does minimal damage to tanks. Everytime I lay a mine I just see enemy squads run into it, take 1 casualty and no damage to the rest of the squad. Then they just keep going unfazed and keep capping. Not only that but usually when I lay mines since they're so many mortars being spammed that they just detonate all the mines making it all a waste of munitions.

Imo soviet mines need a buff before they're worth it.

Is it just me or do the soviet mines suck. I mean they do damage but they don't suppress nor pin infantry and does minimal damage to tanks. Everytime I lay a mine I just see enemy squads run into it, take 1 casualty and no damage to the rest of the squad. Then they just keep going unfazed and keep capping. Not only that but usually when I lay mines since they're so many mortars being spammed that they just detonate all the mines making it all a waste of munitions.

Imo soviet mines need a buff before they're worth it.

I disagree, I don't think Soviet mines have been tested enough to determine whether they need to be buffed or nerfed. Some people use them, but especially in the current COH2 shoutcasts, few mines are used. I don't believe it's because they aren't useful. Players haven't tried to experiment much with mines since there are so many other things to use munitions for, and it can be difficult to place a mine that your opponent will surely walk over. Until mines are used more in high-level games, or until there is a public outcry for mine buffs/nerfs from the general public, I wouldn't say they are in any state to require adjustment.

I've found mines quite useful, and for only 30 munitions (less than the cost of a grenade from Guards Rifle Infantry or Shock Troops), they can wound a squad or cause a critical onto vehicles. For the cost, mines shouldn't be doing considerable damage to vehicles anyway, and they seem to do more damage than a single tank shot along with the useful critical (which is typically a cripple). They're basically stationary panzerfausts that do more damage, for a very slightly increased cost. If you have replays of games where your mines have done very little damage, please share them so that we can look at what you mean. In any case, all of the games I have watched and played in with mines have shown them to be powerful.

If mortars are destroying mines, that doesn't mean mines are bad. Your opponent is countering your mines appropriately. Either kill off their mortars so you can place mines, or place mines in places that won't be bombarded.

The soviet mines should at least be like the ones in Coh1 where they suppress and pin troops and deal destroyed engines to anything as light as a halftrack.

The soviet mines should at least be like the ones in Coh1 where they suppress and pin troops and deal destroyed engines to anything as light as a halftrack.

Agreed. That's the biggest reason why I rarely use them. That and mortars destroying them.

The soviet mines should at least be like the ones in Coh1 where they suppress and pin troops and deal destroyed engines to anything as light as a halftrack.

agreed but that doesnt mean that they shouldnt be used , esp with guard motors coordination which gives you fewer options to spend lots of munitions than the rest of the doctrines