A Nutcase's Guide to Finland

How to bring leeks, snow, and proper social distancing to the enemy!

Introduction

So you wanted me to make guides for all the minor nations? Well, time to do one and probably forget about doing the rest! Since the most recent request was Finland, here we are!

You knew it was coming didn't you?

Finland is what you'd call bullying Poland in paid DLC form. While they're besties in a coalition together, a real FinPol deck is like 80-90% Finnish, and truly the only vital Polish unit is the Serria.

As a minor without Poland though, Finland brings a lot of things to the table, with an excellent recon and infantry tab. Their main drawbacks are a sparse tank tab, limited CAS options, and no real AGM plane.

!! DISCLAIMER !!
The most recent update by Eugen that Old Yeller'd the Mac/Linux community also murdered the Camera Mod. All the photos in this guide are as a result of poor quality. I apologize in advance.

Logistics

Eugen pretty much had logistics totally figured out by the Finnish DLC.

I'd by lying if I said I didn't miss writing these.

Anything goes, just have two to three cards of command units and some supplies.

Infantry

Infantry is where the Finns are fun. You have the ability to do pretty much anything with high end choices for all purposes.

Real Finnish chads fire wheeled recoilless rifles from the shoulder. I still remember when Eugen said the TOW was too heavy for infantry. Don't think I forgot, or that I will forgive.

So first question you might ask: are Finnish MANPADs worth it? No. See, you already have a MANPAD, it's elite, has 10 HP, and an RPG and optics to boot, and it's in the recon tab, silly!

As for Jaakari, I'm sure you can tell, the only difference between the '75 and '90 versions is the launcher upgrade, and it's free. The only downside is you get fewer of them, but then again, does that really matter with line infantry? Take the '90.
To continue the fun of DLC unit pricing, take a look at the BTR-60PB and the XA-185KT. They're both 15 pts, but one is probably around three times better than the other. There is no reason to ever use the BTR, and the XA-185 is one of the best vehicles in the game for its price. Abuse it, charge it around like a madman. It has one of the best cannons you can get on a lightning fast APC that floats for bonus. Sure it only has one armor on the front, but that's its only drawback. Either use the 185 or the 5 pt tracked vehicle for max spam value with Jaakari.

Before we continue, a quick comment on the Mi-8 and why you shouldn't use it. This is a basically unarmed variant of the old Mi-8, which means it's an undesirable one. The advantage of Russian transport helos is they usually come armed to the teeth and have the HP to take hits, however, their main drawback that applies here is they're considered "big" which means they're easy to hit and also take noticeably longer to land than a "small" or "medium" helicopter. All those put together mean that the helo is pretty much inferior to a small 15 pt transport and is too slow to land to really be worth it over a wheeled transport like the XA-180.

Kaartinjaakari are of dubious worth in a competitive sense. Due to the way 15 man shock/elite infantry is priced, they will always be inferior to 15 and 20 pt shock options in terms of cost effectiveness. Are they decent? Yes, they certainly are worth a hard look, and if you're not sure of what else to take, they are an acceptable option to duel in cities and forests.

The Panssarjaakari are a fun vehicle focused shock unit. While pretty average as far as damage against infantry is concerned, the APILAS is easily one of the better AT weapons for massacring armored enemies. 23 AP at 20 RPM is nothing to sneeze at, and you will really mess up pretty much anything that isn't a super heavy (even those if you get them in the side). Just remember that they are not top tier when it comes to dueling other shock infantry, so don't waste them in fights they cannot win.
Of note with these, is the BMP-2. While the USSR BMP-2 options kind of suck because the Konkurs is expensive and frankly just not accurate enough to really be worth the price tag, the version you get here without the ATGM is in fact a very solid choice. At 4 armor it can eat a shot from a lot of lower end weapons and in a forest it has the 2nd most lethal autocannon in the game. The 2A42 can't hit too much at a distance but close up it will delete enemies, APC and infantry alike. Personally I like to take Musti squads in the BMP-2 as a specialist support option.

Time to talk about Finnish ATGM teams. The Konkurs is an alright ATGM option, however the low accuracy means it misses a little too often for my taste. Generally you want ATGM teams to hit what they shoot at because the enemy will take them more seriously. Which means I like using the Spike MR alternative more. It has less range, but the added AP and accuracy make it more satisfying to use. Plus it goes f a s t.

If the Kaartinjaakari squads are expensive, the Rannikkojaakari are even more so. At 30 and 35 pts, these guys cost an arm and a leg to deploy and kind of are not worth the money most of the time. Just look at FSK, they cost the same but have an MG3 and Eryx instead. If you somehow run out of recon APILAS elite teams, then these can serve as backup, or if you want a lot of elite KTs.

The Raskas..............yeah no I'm not spelling that.
The Musti squad is a devilishly fun unit to use as the Musti is a very lethal recoilless rifle with 2 HE and 16 AP. Sure the ammo is low, but its heart is big, and the ability to pin Maglans even bigger!

Support

The Finns are blessed with a very lethal support tab with some of the best AA to go around and arty that's no slouch either.

Boy I sure miss the camera mod, don't you? Anyway, ITO 90 OP, make the French cry for selling you a better version of their own AA missile to shoot their planes down with.

The ITO 79 and 96 are basically just copies of existing AA systems (NK and USSR respectively). Of the two the 96 is functional and serves nicely as long range AA if that's your speed.

The ITO 90 is Finland's strongest AA unit. Using the Crotales as seen on the La Baguette, this AA piece will make quick work of the enemy.

The Marksman T-55 is fun, but it's not that necessary in a Finnish deck. Take it for flavor, but the armor really leaves a lot to be desired.

The Telak 91 is a MSTA but without armor. Which means it's a modern SPG that can't survive counterbattery fire. If you want to use it, just don't get shot back at.

Rakh 76 through 91 are all fun. Of the lot, the 91 is my favorite, but the 89 is handy for denying forests from the enemy by setting the whole thing on fire.

The Sergei Mod is a hilariously fun SPAAG truck. More than capable of shredding a Cobra, it is handy to throw around as flank protection or even for fire support in a pinch.

The Telak 84 is a pretty normal modern SPG. It does a solid job of target removal and is a viable alternative to mortars if you want something with more oomf and aren't planning on smoke spamming. As it's the Israeli SPG, it has a longer aim time than usual for its class but more armor to survive counterbattery.

Of all the mortar options my personal favorite is the 84 (120mm one). 120mm has a much nicer HE splash than the 81mm one does but also isn't hampered by the ROF of the larger 160mm prototype.

Tank

I wasn't kidding about the sparse tank tab. You're supposed to supplement with Polish tank options, but here we are, and there isn't a single winged hussar in sight.

Isn't the Eugen modeling team such trash a fantastic group of lads?

The Charioteer is a meme tank. Pretty decent bang for your buck at 15 pts. It's annoying to kill and still does stuff for how dirt cheap it is.

The T-55 Matti is a pretty low end glass cannon. With respectable AP but pretty mediocre armor, this thing will damage a medium but will get slapped in return. Use them wisely and don't throw them to their deaths, run them back when they get hit.

All the T-72s are interesting choices. As they all have medium optics, they have the ability to operate somewhat without recon, and they all have 2275m range too. There's a lot to like here really.
The M1 has decent all round stats for a T-72 and serves as a pretty nice medium. Still not as beefy as say, a Merkava, but it gets the job done.
The M1PAIV is a high end glass cannon, with a modern sabot second only to the M1A2. Same rules with the T-55M apply, you just punch heavies instead.
The FINMOD is basically a Moderna except you trade the autocannon for a gun that actually hits most of the time. It will clap enemy heavies with ease but gets shredded in 1v1s with top tier super heavies that generally have slightly more armor.

Again if you want more options, go play FinPol. Not that you need much else besides the Twardy though.

Recon

The Finnish recon tab is basically the result of the established RD meta being distilled for the DLC nations plus a little extra flavor Finnish fanboys wanted that really doesn't help or make much of a difference.

Haha T-55 go brrrrrrrrr.

The recon helicopters are pretty boring. If you really like recon helos, take one, not much to say here.

Now for the fun part, vehicles. You get two BMP-1 options, of these the one with the autocannon is superior. I realize the other one has a Konkurs, but the Konkurs makes me die a little on the inside every time it misses. The Busmaster II on the other hand, will murder helicopters, tanks, and infantry all the same. It's to die for.

Freaking Finns and their long words...THE ELITE RECON INFANTRY is essentially a hyper lethal recon squad that can also slap helicopters for bonus points. They will shred regulars and some shock infantry and delete vehicles that drive and fly. Do not underestimate them, and definitely take both cards. However, remember that since they lack a MG, they will die against other elite infantry.

Unarmed recon jeeps are dumb.

Another line of recon armor, what joy! While the PT-76 is sad and outdated, the T-55 is plenty for shreking on poor hapless NATO fools that never specifically classified their tanks as recon. Sit in a treeline and plink with your magic stealth shells.

Sissi are a pretty nice shock recon unit. While their launcher leaves a little to be desired (50% at that short range is pretty oof), the sniper still works just fine. Normally they sit in a treeline all game, but they have the ability to walk into the enemy spawn and give the enemy a minor heart attack all the same.

Vehicle

There are only three units here worth talking about. One per row.

Eugen really got into throwing super old vehicles into DLC nations. Finns driving StuGs around and Yugos riding in Hellcats.

The XA-185 carrying the TOW-2 is entirely acceptable. The ironic thing about this unit is a lot of BLUFOR has essentially a worse version of this unit that evaporates to GLATGM. However, this is faster than most of them, has armor, and floats. Most importantly though, most NATO tanks don't usually have ATGMs. That means this doesn't instantly die most of the time (unless you're playing against Israel, Maglan will steal your lunch money). This still suffers from the issue of being kind of expensive for how easy it is to blow up. Use with care.

The Sturmi StuG is cheap and kind of also a meme vehicle like the Charioteer. The difference is this one is cheaper and has an MG, so it's more versatile. Kind of runs out of gas as soon as it leaves spawn though, so be aware of that.

The Musti truck is also cheap like the StuG and punches tanks a little harder. Still evaporates when looked at sternly but it's funny all the same.

Helicopter

Probably another place where Poland really helps out now that I think about it. Still, AA has gotten so lethal over time that what Finland does get is mostly fine for the job.

I miss the camera mod.

The HH-10 is like any other little bird TOW platform. Since it has TOW 2's, it's a pretty lethal buzzard but it will die to literally any AA. No harm in taking it, but don't buy it unless the enemy is actively rushing you without AA.

The Mi-8T KT has rockets, which are nice, but it also has two autocannon pods with frankly blistering ROF. They will delete infantry and light vehicles. As with all helicopters, they die to AA really easily, but these are actually worth being aggressive with, the autocannon is really just that good.

Air

So the thing with Finnish air is you get some fun ground strike options, but like none of them have ECM so they are very prone to death. You don't even have SEAD to fly cover with.

I spent like 5 minutes on this meme.

The Avia 28 is essentially a mini B-5. It doesn't have as big a kaboom but it still wipes a lot of stuff under it. Plus its cruise height means it usually only gets shot at by long range AA. Definitely a solid choice, just realize it will die pretty fast against a real AA net.

The CM.170 is the reason why you need to play FinPol for Finland to be viable. AS-11s are so incredibly sad it pains me to look at it.

The HAWK 51 has a decent payload and at least some ECM, but even so, you might as well invest in artillery instead.

All of the Drakens have no ECM. It's a bad time. if you want panic planes that you can buy to throw to their deaths on suicide runs, the rocket one does a decent job, but seriously, don't expect to use them twice.

MiG-21s are useless.

The funny thing with the MiG-29 and F-18C is while the F-18C is a lethal top tier ASF, the MiG card is so incredibly good that it's hard to justify taking the Hornet over the MiGs. The MiG ripple fires its R-77s and then bails, making it really safe and incredibly lethal. Genuinely terrifying to head to head with, the MiGs will serve you well, and if you have room to spare, the F-18 doesn't hurt as extra muscle to really send the message home that the enemy doesn't get to use planes on your watch.

Tactics

Woo, tactics, my favorite.

TOWNS

Finnish infantry are good, but they aren't Minimi tier good. This means that you will generally struggle against meta NATO infantry in urban combat. Finland's strength lies in their ridiculously versatile IFVs and cheap armor killing ability. Generally this means towns are not your friend. You can play in a town, but they are best to avoid when you're deciding where to deploy.

FORESTS

The fun part of playing Finland. Here, you can levy all the options you have in vehicles. It's honestly kind of incredible how violently fast stuff dies to Bushmaster II's. Take no prisoners, and remember to keep your vehicles close by, and the artillery hot.

FIELDS

Hah, no. Park an ATGM team in a building and forget about it. Maybe even a TOW XA-185 if you're feeling spendy.

HEDGEROWS (think the middle of Bloody Ridge for an example)

XA-185 KTs are like little piranhas when dashing from cover to cover. Use your recon tanks to get eyes on, and send the KTs into the fray and watch them mulch anything that isn't a medium tank or heavier, those are up to your sniper tanks to handle.

COUNTERS
-Medium Spam
-Lots of air (like a lot, more than your Mistrals can handle)
-Superheavy player who's better than you
-Minimi/MG3 squads
-Highly accurate infantry AT (XA-185s don't have 2 AV so they die to infantry easily if you don't space properly)

There's a lot to like about Finland, but you have to be pretty smart to play it without the Polish units that flesh it out into a full viable nation. Play to your strengths, being good light vehicles and infantry. You can swap between being infantry and vehicle centric depending on the enemy you're facing. Always try to counter their weaknesses, and don't play to their strengths. Finland give you the options to do this with most adversaries in the right terrain.

Conclusion

So, I'm back in RD, who would have thought? Not me, that's for sure.

Whether I will finish a lap through all the minor nations remains to be seen. If I have the time I'll try and get it done, and hopefully someone makes a hotfix for the camera mod so I can get you some nice pictures again.

Until next time, kivaa päivää!

[Dževad Hadžipekić]

Hey, mind giving me the deck code for this kind of deck and helping me out by making me only make some minor choices to tweak my deck to my playstyle. I just bought finland pack and really don't want to make a deck from scratch. Thank you! (Also if you have a baltic front deck code that is meta please send :D)

[ONDIER]

It's "physical distancing". "Social distancing" is what you do to your grandmother on Facebook.

[bubba's real burgers 1776]

10/10 best Fin guide ever

[LoneWaffle]

Mig 21 is good for Hilos man

[SirDarj5th]

sweet

[CoreTax Officer]

Benis

[Katti]

Formoza are Polish.

[LS Swapped RX-7]

Mig 21 is not useless dafaq. Good helo hunter.

[Israeli overlord]

poor switerland :(