Disclaimer: This article is the personal opinion of the writer based off FOW V4 rules and speculation from other sites and information publicly available.
Major changes in Team Yankee V2
Team Yankee version 2 is just around the corner, and despite the ongoing British release delays the rulebook should appear as planned. Bringing the rules in line with Flames of War version 4, V2 streamlines the previous edition's gameplay and also brings about major changes to how games are played and how armies are built.
We look at the upcoming changes to the rules and also the top winners and losers from the existing pool of units available to players. If you're wondering whether your milan spam/ t55 horde army makes it unscathed into V2, look no further!
Morale
One of the biggest changes to V2 is the shift of the morale check from the end of turn to the start of the FOLLOWING turn. This is HUGE because it gives tank units a chance to remount before they have to check for morale. Previously, in V1, it was common to bail as many tank units as possible in the hope that they would break and run at the end of the turn. This is now not possible in V2.
Commander re-rolls for motivation checks
Another major change is that Company COs now give a 6inch re-roll bubble for any motivation related tests (Morale,rally, counterattack, remount and follow me). With this change, the presence of a commanding officer gives a massive boost to nearby troops, especially for tank units which will enjoy the remount re-rolls. Additionally, failed morale tests now mean that your CO will not be affected by the fleeing unit, unlike the previous edition where there was always a risk of the CO failing the morale check and running away with the unit they joined to rally!
Net increase in tank survival rates
The above changes to morale now give a substantial buff to tank units, especially large formations and platoons. Bailing tanks now means a lot less than it was in V1, and tanks with 3+ or better remount values will be very hard to force off the table in play. Effectively, this is a soft nerf to ATGMs, which have good AT but a flat FP 3+. 1/3 of all potential kills now have a chance to be ignored in the following turn on good odds BEFORE morale checks. American players in particular will smirk as their mighty tanks remount on 2+ and shrug off massive amounts of AT21 fire.
Last Stand
All these changes come with a price, however. Every unit, infantry or tank, now has to make a morale check every turn if they are in bad spirits! Punishing for 2-tank platoons in particular, this change will see the end to many aspiring buddy-cop teams.
Reserves
The other major change in V2 is how reserves are handled. In V1, this was often a source of confusion for newer players because of the convoluted reserves rule which a) favoured many small platoons and b) forced players to design their list around even numbers of platoons with the token 'spare' platoons held in reserve. In V2, reserves are now a flat 40% of your game points total (i.e. 40points out of a 100point game). This simplifies how reserves are handled and makes it easier for players to understand how it works.
This change is handy for tank commanders, particularly for NATO MBTs such as M1s and Leopard 2s, which come in large platoons often totaling 33-44 points. Being able to squeeze reserve platoons into 1-2 drops is crucial to V2.
Winners:
As with Flames of War V4, a return to predominantly armored lists are the expectation with the new changes to how morale works for vehicle units.
1. IPM1 Abrams
'Murica, F*** Yeah!
The big winner of the V2 changes, the IPM1 Abrams retains its spot as the premier assault tank of the game, and large platoons (4 tanks) will rapidly find favor with USA players as a fire brigade reserve or a high-tech chobham battering ram. While it still suffers from a middling AT value, the new US units should handily solve that issue.
+ 2+ remount benefits from the new morale rules
+ Best assault tank in the game
+ large platoons as reserves block
- Middling AT value
2. Merkava 2s
Mazeltov beeyatches
Fresh from Oil War, the Israeli Merkava 2 remains a top pick. Despite having a lousy AT value and a fixed maximum platoon size of 3, the Merkava 2 eats infantry alive with its brutal guns in V2 and is near impossible to break with the new morale rules.
+ 2+ remount and 3+ morale. Need I say more?
+ A bully tank suitable for mulching dug-in infantry and low-tech armor
- Low AT and 3 tank platoon a limiting factor
3. Leopard 2s (Dutch and German)
*Panzerlied intensifies*
West German and Dutch players will rejoice as their Leopard 2a4 tanks see a revival in V2! With the net increase in survivability, your FA18 Leopards are now marginally more resistant to Milan/TOW fire and are much less likely to run away. However, the prohibitive cost still means that it is impossible to play a full company without major sacrifices in list building.
+ increased survivability
+ Good as a solid 40/44 point reserves platoon.
- cost is still a limitation
- FA18 is still somewhat fragile
Losers:
1. 2-tank platoons / recce formations
Recce formations and 2-tank platoons suffer the most from the rules changes. Running 2-tank MBT platoons runs the enormous risk of your survivors running every turn once they start taking casualties. Expect to see recce formations and 2-tank platoons disappear completely from the game.
- last stand morale rules hurt recce platoons
- 2-tank platoons are practically unplayable
2. Milans, TOWs and other AT21 missiles
"Hans, are we the baddies?"
With the expected increase in heavy tank usage, particularly AFVs with FA18/19+ (heres looking at you challenger), Milan, BMP2 and TOW spam are no longer as effective vs tanks as AT21 is now surpassed by AT23 as the major AT value to look for. The changes to how remounts work also mean that a bailed tank is likely to remount in the following turn, making Milans roughly 17% less effective than they used to be.
- AT21 no longer as effective vs heavy tanks compared to AT23
- Milan/BMP2 spam is finally addressed, albeit in a very indirect manner.
2. Czech T72ms
Sorry Ben!
The Czech T72m, once occupying a slot as one of the most powerful tank spam options, has now been humbled by the new morale rules. With their very poor remount of 5+, the Czechs do not benefit much from the V2 morale rules unless there is a CO nearby to help them back into their tanks. Furthermore, non-HEAT AT21 rounds now stand much less of a chance to deal with the surge in heavy tank use.
- Does not benefit much from new morale rules
- AT21 no longer as effective due to net increase in tank survival rates
+ still cost efficient and can still push for flank shots with decent skill
That concludes the list of winners and losers for the morale and reserves changes to Team Yankee V2! Our next article will cover winners and losers for support units, especially artillery and aircraft. Stay tuned!
About the Writer:
Eddie is an avid painter who also enjoys anime, studying military history and hopes that Girls Und Panzer will come true one day so that everyone can resolve their differences with tank Airsoft.
