Anyone ever play around with encirclement doctrine?

I have been experimenting with this doctrine, but it just seems to munitions heavy for an already munitions heavy faction.

I managed to pull off an amazing victory by baiting my opponent into taking territory on semoskiy and then using one stormtrooper squad to take his north fuel, and then a stuka bomb combined with a stormtrooper squad to take the point on the narrow land bridge. Activated close the pocket and his entire army died.

It felt very gimmicky, and I pretty much played for that strategy the entire game (It took three games with good cutoffs to get it to work too).

Anyone else have good experience with this doctrine? Strategies and stuff. Otherwise if I use it, I just try to keep a hidden storm trooper squad to continually harrass rear points and cutoffs.

I really want to find a way to make it work, I really really do...

But I'd rather just build grenadiers, equip them with LMGs, tech to T2 and hold out for Tigers.

Seriously though, how was your teching and build order? I'm interested in seeing what you did, do you have a replay?

Cast this game pls ^^

I didn't save the replay. But I teched like normal and avoided using the doctrine until I hit 12CP. essentially I hid Stormtroopers when I had some extra MP waiting for the moment to strike. I did not tech to T4.

Try it. You are basically gambling the whole game on 280 munitions, because you have to make your opponent think he is winning, so your last attack looks like a "final desperate push" before you close the pocket.

Kappa ostheer cheese

Anyone else have good experience with this doctrine? Strategies and stuff. Otherwise if I use it, I just try to keep a hidden storm trooper squad to continually harrass rear points and cutoffs.

well i wouldnt waste munition on stuka on the second cuttoff, i would play this doctrine like a normal ostheer meta, get panther.. and use breakthrough rush it all the way to his cutoff ( sweep for mines or pray RNG) if cutoff is cahced u can use the tank shots.. tanks can decap pretty fast in breakthrough mode.. then call in dooms day. breakthru costs fuel but you can save ammuniton this way.

This strat should be added to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German_cheeses

Cast this game pls ^^

+1 (or anyone)

Panthers + capture with tanks + best artillery in the game = GG

When I use this commander I allways try tu use the artillery, is like Stuka bombs, howitzers, panzerwerfer and mortars in all the map, is too OP need nerf =P

http://youtu.be/DPdw1kSWuZc it is my game with that doc, enjoy

I got my ass kicked by da encirclement doc shortly after it came out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dezxi2KhF5Q

the good in this doctrine is Close Pocket arty only.

There are few maps only where Wehrm player are able to use this arty.

I get the impression this thread is for 1v1. If so, yes I have played around with Encirclement Doctrine extensively. In general there are other doctrinal choices which are clearly superior, however Encirclement gives you an interesting style of play.

For 1v1 the only 2 things that this doctrine that is readily available being Sprint and Stormtroopers. The other abilities being Blitzkrieg, Stuka bomb and Close the pocket are more tended to team games. For 1v1 you can only use Blitzkrieg if you vechile preservation is very good, since you're alreaday behind in fuel contention against meta-game USF/SOV. Don't even bother saving munitions for the Stukabomb + Close Pocket rape combo. Munitions is better spent earlier on infantry upgrades, abilities, mines and sprint to keep you in the game.

Sprint is a great ability that you can use defensively and offensively.

• Defensively, if you're caught in a bad position with your infantry just sprint out rather than wasting time on retreating, healing, map control and unecessary MP drain.
  
• Offensively, though this ability can let you kill support weapons and retreating squads easier. Snipers and/or stormtroopers sprinting forward to finish off a retreating squad is something opponents typically don't account for and you can punish them for a late retreat.
  

Stormtroopers are the bread and butter of this doctrine in 1v1. Don't bother with the panzershreck upgrade though, these guys should be used primarily for their STG44 upgrade. I typically do not purchase a stormtrooper squad til I have the munitions readily available for the STG44 immediately. Stormtroopers without this upgrade are just grossly overpriced grens, you must always have it!

The stormtroopers play 3 roles for me after this including:

• Defending isolated territories - On the sides of the map which are typically not constantly in engagements you can get some easy squad kills, esepcially when your opponent orders shift-cap commanders to cap the map. Just wait til your opponent is capping, engage the STG44 ability, take off hold fire to cut them all down. Try do this when you know they are distracted elsewhere!
  If the capping squad is Shocks or Paratroopers (tommie upgrade) it is best to throw a a grenade on the biggest cluster. You can engage the STG44 ability after that to get the squad kill if required.
  
  
• Defending support weapons - When your opponent is going for a flank on your MG42 or pak40 you can quickly cut them down with the STG44 ability. If they try to throw a grenade at the support weapon they will probably lose their squad. Obviously suprise them with cloak/hold-fre here as well.
  
  
• Killing retreating units - This takes patience and self control. Wait for your opponent to overcommit squads in an engagement against your main line (gren, HMG and/or armour) and as they retreat with low health kill them all with the STG44 ability. Alternatively if you can't sneak behind their lines or predict their next offensive push position, a quick sprint into position can have a similar effect. Especially in areas where fencing/walls will force them to have a longer retreat path and you've got time to move up.
  

Additionally avoid using Stormtroopers as main-line infantry as tank/infantry at long ranges will cost effectively destory you. I typcially just make 1 Stormtrooper squad for the whole game to avoid huge MP drain.

Hope this helps!

Pretty much as above! Nice post aussie lad.

You have to use the camo+hold fire and advance fire ability with the STG44's or your basically paying a 100 munitions for a call in Gren/Pgren squad.

So I suggest you hotkey them as you'll have to use hold fire and pay close attention, similar to a sniper in some ways. They do allot of burst damage and can wipe squads by catching them out of position due to the camo.

Be wary of popping the STG44 ability around squads with a short nade time throw, e.g. Shocks/Paras etc, as your squad moves slower.

I've tried the sniper with this doctrine, and with sprint, he works really nicely, but an issue is, that without call in's, you have to invest in tech, so balancing your army composition is a bit trickier.

Mind you, if you ever want bait, just babysit an Ostheer sniper with upgraded storms. I can assure you, the sniper will be bumrushed in no time by cons/rifles, into the waiting embrace of hot lead from the storms

Just watch out for those nasty light vehicles as ever and don't stick them so far out that your sniper is overly exposed. (Sprint helps allot though!)

Edit: Against con spam which is common enough, a handy trick to delay your tech, grab a stormtrooper squad instead and upgrade them as they don't require the tier upgrade, unlike LMG grens. Then tech. It's a bit risky though, as your banking on snaring some cons with the ambush from cover, otherwise you would have being better off teching normally for a halftrack and flamer pio..

I managed to pull off an amazing victory by baiting my opponent into taking territory on semoskiy and then using one stormtrooper squad to take his north fuel, and then a stuka bomb combined with a stormtrooper squad to take the point on the narrow land bridge. Activated close the pocket and his entire army died.

Reminds me of that famous video which appeared as soon as doctrine became available through free commander rotation.

The best use I've found for them, and it's pretty situational, is to use the Stormtrooper shrek upgrade as a way of skipping T2 completely. Basically you're going T1 - Storms / shreks - fast PIV

As I said, risky and situational but it can work nicely. You're gonna need a muni cache though.

It felt very gimmicky

Took the word right out of my mouth. The doctrine IS a gimmick doctrine. But I still like it.