You wonder why we rush clown car? Because its the only fucking thing we can do to win early game and get ahead!
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But seriously,
I almost NEVER build T1 as russians, and in the 15 or so 1v1 games I have played since launch as soviets( I do mostly Ostheer 1v1 and soviet 2v2 ) I haven't lost a game yet by going T2->T4 and some doc with shock troops. Also I don't generally go maxim guns! Most times I just build 2x engi, 2x script, 1x AT gun( or mortar, depending on how i feel ), 1x su76(barrage!), and then call in katushas if I need AI, shocks if I need AI and capping power, or su85 if I need AT( since su85 is such a boss. SU85 + 2x mine combo has saved my ass from DOUBLE panzer IVs more times than I can remember ).
There are many potent strats (some very OP) currently in the soviet arsenal and clown cars are just one of them haha.
I played a game the other day where I was mopping the floor with a guy(2v2). I had good unit preservation in the first half and he/she lost probably 7 squads ( scripts, guards, flamers ). About mid game my team had 2/3 of the map and things started going to shit. Guy spammed indirect fire units along with guards. 120mm mortars (3 of them) and later some katushas. Almost every damn time one of those mortars would hit, I would lose a full squad. I was even command queuing units to run in circles around points to try and stay alive, but that mortar fire would still take away my models. I built an leFH16 gun to counter but never could kill the last man in the mortar teams ( since 120 mortar can survive with only one model for some reason ). I was forced to build 2x panzerwerfers JUST to counter the mortars and they still were not totally effective at decrewing when firing in unison.... Probably the lamest game I have played in memory and the last 2v2 I played as Ostheer. Have been maining soviets since and haven't lost yet.