Tier and Commander questions

hi all. So ive decided I think I like the soviets the most, I had question on tiers.

is it worth it to go all of the tiers? t1 2 3 +4? i play mostly 3v3 and 4v4. to me it looks like its worth it to go t1 and t2, they dont cost much, I do find alot of guides saying you need to pick thou. Penals dont look very good, a sniper can be nice thou.

Also, ive been playing around with commanders, and am trying to figure out their pros and cons. Shock rifle frontline seems go, as well as guard mortar and guard mortar Heavy. There is also combines arms. These seem to be the best all around, which is what im really looking for. I dont know the details of the abilities thou and want to know what to expect.

-Is the anti tank gun ambush camo good? will it help give me extra damage?
-I really suck using guards, I prefer Shocks MUCH more, however it seems to me guards would be more useful if used correctly. How good are they with the upgraded guns? It seems so many commanders utilize guards, and yet I just cant figure out how to use this unit properly. they dont seem good at any 1 thing.
-Also, guard mortar heavy has the isu152, which I dont think id have a good time with. It looks like it takes forever to get, and its kind of limited. Im bad enough as it is microing a su85 which also lacks a turret.
-Also, the t34/85 seems like a good all around tank, but vs armor would i just be better off with the su85 and learn how to micro it properly?

Thanks for the help. I really want to get my skill up, however I need a solid strat, commander, idea, 1st. i like using infantry and going t1, however I have the BIGGEST problem with tanks...

thanks!

I'll point you here to get started:

http://www.coh2.org/guides/43308/red-army-101-common-commanders

is it worth it to go all of the tiers? t1 2 3 +4? i play mostly 3v3 and 4v4. to me it looks like its worth it to go t1 and t2, they dont cost much, I do find alot of guides saying you need to pick thou. Penals dont look very good, a sniper can be nice thou.

You want T2, or at least to have at available just for the Zis, especially if starting.

In larger modes you can tech to T3 but not necessarily build anything from it and go straight to T4

-Is the anti tank gun ambush camo good? will it help give me extra damage?

It's ok, but it's not worth picking a Commander just to get it. It doesn't give extra damage

-I really suck using guards, I prefer Shocks MUCH more, however it seems to me guards would be more useful if used correctly. How good are they with the upgraded guns? It seems so many commanders utilize guards, and yet I just cant figure out how to use this unit properly. they dont seem good at any 1 thing.

I haven't used Guards much since the patch, they are supposed to be better now. They will drive off light armour and will help against the heavy stuff, need to be static for the LMG.

And they need the LMG upgrade to unlock button

-Also, guard mortar heavy has the isu152, which I dont think id have a good time with. It looks like it takes forever to get, and its kind of limited. Im bad enough as it is microing a su85 which also lacks a turret.

Needs the right map and good flank protection, but hard countered by Elephant and Jagdtiger. Not a very common part of the meta these days and I wouldn't recommend taking it as the only Soviet player on the team. So if you have a hard time using it right it's not you

Also, the t34/85 seems like a good all around tank, but vs armor would i just be better off with the su85 and learn how to micro it properly?

Or use both, you say you like Guard Motor. So you have access to Mark Target, enemy tanks go down very fast when marked.

Thanks for the help! I made a new post comparing my 2 fav commanders, id like to hear what you guys think about them..