[2v2] No-Volks Strategy vs Penal blobs

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  ★★ §Royal Weapon§ ★★ Fuzzeh!

  Lacostel Nicolae Ceausescu

  Trying out No-Volk Strategy: Fail to blobs

  by: William Christensen map: Road to Kharkov

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So I was trying out a new strategy that I have heard long ago and haven't truly test it out: The No-Volk strategy, which basically means Panzerfusilliers replace Volks as main-line infantry. And to be honest, I can see a big potential in it, but there is a problem: Blobs (Penal blobs in this case).

So I hold out early with 2 Sturms and 2 Kubel fairly well. My initial expectation was too hold out, but end up pushing pretty far. I think I did good in passing through the hardest part of the strategy: Hold out till Panzerfusilliers come out. However, the hardest part is not yet to come.

The Soviet player come back with a huge Penal blob (Like 4 squads... 4 FREAKING SQUADS) and just steam roll me. I did manage to hold out with MG34s and inflict quite a lot of MP bleed but that just not enough! They have way better indirect-fire weaponry while also still be able to get rocket arties (Katy) while I, however, can only get Stuka but unable to get ISGs.

I know some mistakes I made like lost the Schwere, lost 2 Pumas for not paying attention. However, I still can't see a way where I can deal with that massive Penal blobs. Hope someone can help me out here.

Also, I'm RoyalWeapon in the replay.

P/s: This is kinda off-topic but the Soviet dude still claimed OKW to be the strongest faction. Like, seriously!? I'm sorry but after writing a post about people's mentalities toward OKW, that just make me feel even more outrageous!!

I will take a look at this replay this afternoon. Please note that if you try a strategy and it begins to fall apart you need to be ready to modify your strategy. Don't allow a pre-planned strat prevent you from thinking about how to beat your opponent all game.

Saw the game and here are my recommendations:

I don't think it is viable to wait until 2cps to get mainline infantry, especially if you are going to play so defensively with your SPs. Ultimately you lost because you were relying on your ally to cover you until you could build up enough units, which never happened, and they tour you apart piecemeal.

You must have your units survive, you are getting wiped constantly which is extremely punishing for OKW since they depend on high vet level squads.

You must also be aware when your opponent is present and when they are not. You had large portions of the map capable at different times but pushed slowly even though you could see mass retreats were underway.

You left your ally to cover for you in the early game, which devastated him. You need to keep pressure up to keep him from being punished so severely.

You lost a number of vehicles and your schwer needlessly. Since you are going heavy on the PFs you don't need obers, and you have the heaviest TD in the game without tech. What you need is pumas and stukas. Use the Puma defensively until he overextends and then have it roll in and wipe a unit.

Really focus on having squads survive and retreating at the right time. His penal blob was not very impressive other than it could raw DPS you from the front, but it was because you had so many squad wipes at that point. Had squads survived you would easily have been able to fight him toe to toe.

Sweep for mines if you are going to dive, otherwise things might go poorly.


The point at which his blob beat you was late in the game when indirect fire was plentiful. You need to at least force him to spend some resources on something other than arty or you will lose. You lost when he got to set the tone for the game and decided to do an arty match, which he won because of the advantage in squads and fuel.

I see my mistake now, mainly need to improve my units preservation. 

Just 1 question: With the most open-minded state you can achieve, do you think this tactic could see daylight? Or basically, do you think this strategy could work?‎

I think you could do a modified version of this strategy, but it would be very vulnerable to T1 because of the scout car.

I think if you want to try it get at least 1 or 2 volks after you get your 2 SPs and your 2 kubels. You would use the kubels to scout so your SPs could always close in and deal good DPS. When you got the volks you would ensure a faust (your first truck would not be far behind) and a good way to sit in cover and buy time for for repairs and flanking.

I don't think it wrong to get 2 or even 3 fussiliers after that since they are so cost efficient and their vet gives them really powerful long range sniping in a squad that is very difficult to wipe out.

I should have mentioned it before, but try to save your munitions so you can get G43s on all your PF as soon as you deploy them. You might not even upgrade the volks so that you can pick up any dropped weapons.

If you see them going heavy into T1 I might consider seriously modifying this strategy since you will be vulnerable to scout cars. In that case fall back to the volks and get a truck converted quickly, or get a rakenten to deal with the cars.

No strategy will work without vet on your units though, so make sure you get really good at getting those squads back to base. I think you will find that as you get units with higher levels of vet you will easily be able to punish blobs because as they try to close you will rip squads apart. A vet 1 MG34 is amazing, just keep loading up those inc rounds every time the blob approaches, it will get vet very quickly. In fact, you can load the rounds just as they enter the firing arc to make sure they close the gap even a little further.

I think you could do a modified version of this strategy, but it would be very vulnerable to T1 because of the scout car.

I think if you want to try it get at least 1 or 2 volks after you get your 2 SPs and your 2 kubels. You would use the kubels to scout so your SPs could always close in and deal good DPS. When you got the volks you would ensure a faust (your first truck would not be far behind) and a good way to sit in cover and buy time for for repairs and flanking.

I don't think it wrong to get 2 or even 3 fussiliers after that since they are so cost efficient and their vet gives them really powerful long range sniping in a squad that is very difficult to wipe out.

I should have mentioned it before, but try to save your munitions so you can get G43s on all your PF as soon as you deploy them. You might not even upgrade the volks so that you can pick up any dropped weapons.

If you see them going heavy into T1 I might consider seriously modifying this strategy since you will be vulnerable to scout cars. In that case fall back to the volks and get a truck converted quickly, or get a rakenten to deal with the cars.

No strategy will work without vet on your units though, so make sure you get really good at getting those squads back to base. I think you will find that as you get units with higher levels of vet you will easily be able to punish blobs because as they try to close you will rip squads apart. A vet 1 MG34 is amazing, just keep loading up those inc rounds every time the blob approaches, it will get vet very quickly. In fact, you can load the rounds just as they enter the firing arc to make sure they close the gap even a little further.

I think I will try out 2 Volks and 2 PFs combo then. 

What about the Sturm Offizier? As far as I know, his aura give accuracy buff and reload time reduction, and the Mark Target ability seems pretty niche. However, do you think he actually worth it till late game? He can be good earlier on to wipe some squads (If use properly) but later on into the game, do you think he still worth it?‎

I find the Sturm officer only useful early game before the build up of indirect fire, and near meaningless against units such as the American mortar. His mark target is quite powerful but he functions most effectively only after all your PFs get G43s. If my opponent went heavy into shock troopers I sometimes get one so I can MT the shocks every time they appear and really lay into them.

I have seen him used to good effect if he is allowed to sit well behind the troops and really boost their DPS without risking any form of retreat. Having said that it is a pretty big MP investment and at that point you may find you're build order is quite full. If you are winning it will probably push you over the top, but if you are even or losing it may be quite hard to afford this unit.

Feel free to try it out, but be very careful because it will force your ally's troops to retreat as well as your own. The unit is awkward because it encourages blobbing, but then punishes it with mass retreats.