Conscript into Penals

Hello there

The penals op is pretty popular right now
- 1 combat engineer into t1 then 3 penals , so you get 5 infantry.

Its weakness is the slow start and low capping power, the combat engineer is to mitigate that slow pacing, from what I understand.

I was testing a few things and I did actually saw someone using it
- the starter engineer builds t1
- you build a conscript meanwhile

Then you try to lockdown a chokepoint with both units to wait until your first penal so you get things going from there. From there I can get AT nades or even double conscript to hold light armor, skipping T2 and -maybe- T3. You'd be at 1 engineer 2 cons 3 penals. Lend Lease, Counter Tactics and the T34/85 commander worked well here. I wasn't able to get an IS-2 out of it tho.

I've had a P4 rush into this build on Crossroads, I was able to flank the P4 and send it back to repairs with 2 conscript rushing AT nades on it and a fake satchel (the jukes). I could back tech and get a SU76 just as fine.

your opinions on this one? I'm just trying things. The conscripts late game have so much utility that I think soviets shouldn't skip at least one.

1. Conscript are going to make your manpower bleed -> less units on the ground
2. AT nade is so fuel expensive that it's going to make you very late on the armor race (first one to get light tank get a freaking big advantage)
3. You want to skip T3 because you got conscript AT nade and a few penals ?

conscript has been badly balanced (or not even balanced at all ?) by relic, in every single case it's going to put you on disadvantage if you get conscripts.

Just focus on the poorly balanced units (penals / pzerfusiller / ...) and abuse their OP cost effectiveness like everyone else do, that's all coh2 is about.

If you want capping power you should go for another CE. Cons still suck and there's no reason to use them with penals, but at least engis are cheaper and having an extra means another flamer/sweeper and repair abilities. You also don't need at nades because ptrs penals. There's literally no reason to build conscripts except as meat shields for t2 openings, which there is also no reason for because of penals + dshka meta. It's meta for a reason.

There you can see an opening close enough to what I said. I said 2 cons rushing any armor and AT-nading it, supported by Penals trying to satchel. Hector goes for Guards instead, but it does what I had in mind.

The difference is I had in mind the conscripts to rush anything late game and be a nade-throwing-meatshield