So the new Soviet meta is supposed to be:
Buy Penals
Upgrade to PTRS
Get Penals wiped so they drop their weapons
Pick up PTRS with Conscripts in late game
If, by some chance, this new meta doesn't work out, is there a backup plan for the Soviets besides increased maxim spam?
Doesn't really seem to be, the massive nerf they took seems to have made them far less useful, and T1 as a whole is a complete joke with the sniper nerf and the lack of any changes to the clown car.
I really don't see the point of ever going T1, maxim and mortars to guards (which were also heavily nerfed) seems to be the only viable way to play soviets now. Or at least I am having absolutely no luck with the PTRS penals, If the whole point of them was to give the soviets some AT out of T1, they are basically now a crappy unit which scales poorly at AI due to the PTRS, and completely obsolete once guards hit the field. At least before they had utility with the satchel and the flamethrower all the way into the late game.
No idea what purpose they serve now besides being a much shittier version of a guard squad.