Exciting New Soviet Team Yankee List Ideas

November 20, 2020 | Tom Gall | BattleFront Games, Team Yankee

By Tom Gall

Christmas comes early for Soviet Team Yankee players in the form of the book with its impressive array of new units and new formation options. In this article, I’m going to share with you what I’m thinking about in terms of list building ideas, how I’m planning to supercharge my Soviet Team Yankee armies to dominate the battlefield.

No matter if you are a new or experienced Team Yankee player, you’re probably looking to do your best to win some games. With the new book, Battlefront is giving you additional tools towards that goal. I’m going to come at this from a few different angles. One is what if I was an entirely new player, what would I recommend you buy to put together a fun and competitive force?  As an experienced player, how will I modify my existing lists?  Last what older lists might I refresh and bring out again?

For the New Player

One of the best new values just coming out is the Soviet Starter Force T-80 Shock tank company. The box at $100 USD includes 5x T-80 Tanks, 2x BMP-3s, 2x Gaskin AA Vehicles, 3x Spandrel Anti-tank, 2x Mi-24 Hind Helicopters, and 2x SU-25s. It also includes a rulebook, unit cards and other goodies that taken together make for a great deal.

Building off of this box, you’ll want infantry, at least one Soviet Company, and enough transports to support them. Your options are BTR-60s, BMP-1s, BMP-2s, or more BMP-3s if you bought the starter box. A box of transports tends to have about 5 models in them. The motor rifle companies can be fielded in 3 different sizes, needing 4, 9, or 12 transports. Additionally, if you throw in some options like the Gremlin (an auto-include in my opinion) or a grenade launcher you’ll need one additional transport per option added.

You’ll need artillery 2S3 Acacias and/or some of the new TOS-1 Thermobaric Rocket Launchers will be fun. The Acacias are able to fire smoke, while the TOS-1s do not. Smoke can be a very useful tactic so for me personally, both are good to have. No matter the artillery option you take, you absolutely need a single BMP-1 observer. Soviet skill is pretty awful so that 1 benefit for ranging in from an observer is super important.

You’ll want to have a unit of recon which gives you what is called a spearhead movement at the beginning of the game. This allows you to get closer to your enemy before the game starts. Not all missions allow you to take advantage of this kind of movement, but a number do and recon can really help you win the game. BDRM-2s is what I like to use altho the BMP-2 and new BMP-3 recon options can certainly work too!

The AA options in the starter box, the Gaskins I find are a little underpowered. The new 2S6 Tunguska I’d recommend or Gophers or Shilkas. The joy of larger point value games, you can field more more more! The downside of AA is not everyone puts helicopters or strike aircraft into their list. If they don’t field those kinds of units against you a dedicated unit like a Gopher is just going to sit sad and lonely on the battlefield. While a Tunguska or a Shilka can also fire at softer ground targets.

You’ll find as you play more and more you’ll probably start to look for tanks that have a smaller point cost than the T-80. The new T-55AM, the t-62, the T-72, the T-64, all are generally good options each with their own pluses and minuses. I’m a fan of the new T-55AM and T-64s.

Modified my current Lists

My absolute favorite is a BMP Motor Rife Battalion horde which depending on the point value of the game I’ll size up / size down accordingly. Not so long ago Team Yankee was in a place where Soviet Armor just was too easy to kill so my thought was a flood of infantry and missile laden BMP-2s equaled a whole bunch of awesome sauce. A typical list I’d run would be something like:

  • Medium-sized BMP-2 company (add in Gremlin)
  • Medium-sized BMP-2 company (add in Gremlin)
  • (potentially a small or medium BMP-2 company)
  • Storm unit (3)
  • 4 Gophers
  • 4 Shilkas
  • 2-4 BDRMs
  • Observer and 3-6 Acacias
  • Some number of T-64s is leftover points

Now with the BMP-3s added into the mix and especially the RPG-7VRs it’s time to revisit and make this kind of formation even better.

A medium-sized BMP-3 company is 4 more points than a BMP-2 company of the same size. The new RGP-7VR  tank teams are in my opinion an absolute auto-include. A cost or 2 points to upgrade the unit, is a steal for a 19 AT and 2+ firepower. Come at me Nato bro!

The other very key ability the BMP-3 brings over the BMP-2 is the ability to fire its missile on the move. For meeting engagements where the fateful first die roll gives you the first turn, now you can fire your missiles instead of being stuck unable to shoot. Unfortunately for my list above, this means I need to find 6 points per mech company to field that kind of hardware. The other down side to BMP-3s is that while the frontal armor goes up to a 5, they’ll still be easy to take out.

The storms will be the first thing I’ll drop. I’ve always held out hope that battlefront would modify their stats such that they could more effectively fire and return or blitz and shoot. They are meant to be tank hunters after all but have none of the abilities that Nato tank hunter type units have. Even with the new missile they can take in the new book, these have fallen to be a pretty poor unit in my opinion.

For artillery, the TOS-1s really looks like a great choice. Since they aren’t trucks, French gazelles can’t just brew them up. For taking out infantry, at either a 10 or 20 point investment this is definitely the way! As I normally field 6 Acacias it’ll likely be an even swap at 10 points for 10 points.

The one disappointment to the BMP formation, I was hoping that a single BTR-60 option might be added. Nope. I’ve always liked the BTR-60 company for its ability to add the Spigot missile teams. At RoF 3, AT19, they can take out a fair share of soft targets for little investment.

What is coming out of retirement?

Af-nasty! I’m of course referring to the Afgantsy Air Assault Battalion. Like the other Russian infantry companies, the addition of RPG-7VRs is awesome. The Hinds gain the Spiral-2 missing for effectively 2 more points. With them 4 more inches of range plus an increase to 24 AT, that can get some work done, presuming, of course, the AA fire doesn’t decimate your ranks. Maxed out you’re able to field 12 Hinds, crazy impressive on the tabletop and great fun to play.

Speaking for myself I’m bringing this list back out and mixing with some of the new options, I think has the potential for a competitive list again. The BM-27 Hurricanes mixed in to disrupt enemy AA by dropping a salvo should help to even the odds. It has a 4 AT and 3+ firepower. It also has minelets built right in. With 6 for 14 points, or 3 for 7 points, they’ll be interesting but also a priority target for Nato.

If not going with a full-on Af-nasty the next option that could be interesting is the Hind Assault Helicopter company and Hind Assault Landing company. It’s Af-nasty light, with 6 Hinds at most in the company.

What is new I can’t wait to try out?

SHOCK!  The T-80 Shock Tank Company more than crinkles an eyebrow. The tanks are expensive at approx 10 points per T-80, but across the unit the very low skill (3+), decent assault (4+) and counterattack (4+) is interesting.  The formation also includes a Shock Motor Rifle company that you can field in either BMP-2s or BMP-3s. Unlike the other infantry companies, the Shock Rifle Company only comes in two sizes. Either 6 AK teams, 5 RPG-7VRs teams, and an LMG team for 24 points or 4 AK teams, 3 RPG-7VR teams for 15 points.

To fill out the minimum requirements this formation has 48 points in T-80s (5), then mix in say a 24 point Shock Motor Rifle, 9 points of BMP3 recon and 8 points of 2S6 Tungunkas, and some amount of artillery, you’re at about 100 points for a pretty “elite” unit. The question is what can they stand up well against? The 20 frontal armor of the T-80s is nothing to dismiss, but in many ways, this is just catching up with new NATO armor options.

The recent American Bradly lists & TOW-2s is what I think I’d worry about most.

In Summary

As a Soviet player, there is a lot in the new book and upcoming new units to be excited about. It’s a great upgrade which should make you want to organize a parade or two in your own red square. It is great to have a Soviet tank in the T-80 which is more competitive. The new artillery options are fantastic. The upgraded RPG-7VR makes Soviet infantry scary once again to any main battle tank and positively deadly for lesser tanks like the Leo I or M-60s etc. The new BMP-3 looks interesting and there are good reasons to field them over other APCs, they still will brew up in quantity.

Soviets didn’t really gain much when it comes to air options. Strike aircraft didn’t pick up an impressive salvo option and the Kh-25 was already more than good enough. Hinds really aren’t that much better either, unfortunately. Those facing Soviets will I think continue to be faced with the conundrum of should they or should they not field a bunch of AA.

Still, as an almost exclusively Soviet player in Team Yankee, this is the kind of book and set of upgrades that doesn’t happen often but when it does, it’ll have an impact. Time to refresh lists, try out new units, and try to chalk up more wins.