Bofors vs OKW in 1v1

The Case for the Bofors

The Bofors is a meme unit. Very powerful against unsuspecting infantry, light and even medium vehicles, it can lock down an area of the map pretty efficiently. But it's always seemed to have some glaring weaknesses against both Axis factions. Long ranged AT and indirect fire are very effective counters. So the AEC is always a better choice - right?

That might have previously been the case. But the current meta might offer the Bofors a chance to shine...

What's changed since conventional wisdom relegated the Bofors to the trash heap?

1. Sturmpioneer healing was buffed, reducing the necessity of T1
2. OKW now always wants to start mechanized doctrine in 1v1 due to the power of early PII/ Puma play

Small changes overall, and not enough to require UKF players to remake the meta overnight. After all, an AEC does very well against early PII.

But it doesn't do great against the Puma.

Puma Problems

This post is inspired by watching Helping Hans's most recent replay (Scorched Faymonville - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LAzdMsN-Fg). Hans is rolling his opponent (Bob) and bullying him with his Wasp carrier. Hans thinks about acquiring an AEC, but the threat of a Puma deters him. He later buys a Cromwell, which ends up being pretty effectively countered by the opponent's Puma. The Puma, backed with hordes of infantry, gradually pushes him off the map ("This Puma is causing a lot of grief"). Hans wins the game with his Centaur and Crocodile, but it ends up being far closer than the early game would have suggested.

Few people are as good at using medium tanks as Hans. If even he is having trouble winning with Cromwells against Pumas, maybe there's an easier way.

Enter the Bofors

If the enemy gets a Puma, buy a Bofors. Put it on your cutoff/fuel and protect it with engineers as you upgrade your infantry. You can now use your AT guns aggressively to push, instead of having to keep them near MGs on a cutoff. And you don't need to worry about your defensive MGS being flanked.

What can the opponent do? Panic, probably. They can try to destroy it with Rakatens, which are outranged by the Bofors. They can get a PII to make the most of the fact you don't have an AEC, but using AT guns aggressively (or an AT section) makes this manageable. They can back-tech to get a LEIG, but this will slow down their build significantly and will take a long time to generate value. They can build a Stuka, but this is also pretty easy to deal with using Brace. Either way you are now forcing your opponent to be reactive in response to your defensive unit, since they know that they can't let you sit there and reach endgame.

Anything else?

That's it. Just build Bofors into Puma and test the theory. Happy Aprils Fools.