General Deck Building Guide for New Players

Based on recent Steel Division experience, conversations, and reading guides in the community, I wanted to share how I approach deck building. I am focusing this post on folks new to the game or may agree that the following fits every phase's need to not run out of units. This stems from a conversation with Flower Class Corvette. I recommend visiting their post Some tips/ tactics for new players. It is a great post for those who do not know all the quick keys to push their units to the fullest.

For newer players starting their deck building in Steel Division 2, I would look at the breakdown below and work on using a well-rounded deck that will allow you to use ample resources to branch off and specialize in future iterations.

Keeping the base game in mind, I would recommend 84-ya Gv. Strelkovaya or 2-y Gv. Tankovy Korpus for ALLIES & 20th Panzer or 14th Infantry for AXIS. These four decks have a nice mix and cost for most card slots, and leaves you space to take advantage of their specializations in future deck builds.

The main thing I would argue that a new player should bring is the following 3 things:
--Have a mix to answer arty, 2k AP/tanks & close quarters combat needs.
--Probably have a little higher reliance on Recon (seeing is winning, in my opinion)
--Over 60 squads of infantry split over all three phases, so you never run out of troops.

( Note: I will be adding some photos in due time.)

Match Distinction: 10v10 versus Regular Play

First, regular play means matches that are 4v4 and lower player counts, where the income of your match is higher demanding for more longevity from your deck. In 10v10s income is reduced due to the amount of players and assets on the field. Additionally on how this work, I would recommend reading Flower Class Corvette's Some tips and tactics for new players.

Therefore, in 10v10 you will need less C phase cards as your A & B phase cards are more likely to have units remaining to fill the gap in C. One caveat; if you have maxed your veterancy on more than 50% of your deck's units, then you have a higher likelihood of running out of assets by the time phase C starts.
Here are some limitations to keep in mind:

For 10v10 matches:

• You have more freedom to build however you want as more than 1 other player is doing the same and will ignore the importance of maintaining a front (I.E. Arty man & air player, please don't be these people without communication skills, more on this later)
  
• Generally, build similar to a smaller scale or regular play deck and understand that income comes in slower, thus resources are less whereas your assets are more readily available.
  
• Have a good baseline for all categories as the variability of a match may demand it.

For regular or "small scale" matches:

• Further breakdown of "small" would be 4v4s, 3v3s, 2v2s, 1v1s or competitive 1v1s, plan accordingly.
  
• Specialization is more welcome here as that may be the strengths to overcome a deck's weakness.
  
• Be mindful that income is normal, so plan to build your deck with the intention of lasting the full 60 minutes.
  
• Having variety for units and veterancy but be conscience of what phase you call them in.

Keep these limitations and differences to matches in mind, so you can meet a demand in-game. This guide will focus Regular Play deck building, which in many situations may carry over and still be used in 10v10s.

Recon

Arguably the most important, in my opinion. Seeing what may be hidden and being aware of what is hidden can illuminate what you are facing.

Let me elaborate with an example: you have a ZIS-2 or Pak 40 sitting in light woods. Artillery suddenly starts showering around you and peppering your AT gun. You do not see any enemy units in front of you, and there is a decent amount of open ground. There is likely a small recon unit out there that is out-spotting your AT gun.

Having good reconnaissance with different sizes & optics is important (insert preview here) as they can help spot & identify enemy units faster, letting you get the advantage by firing first. To build recon, I would suggest the following:

• 2 to 4 cards in phases A & B, with different degrees of veterancy.
  
• Have varying sizes of units from vehicles, 2-man squads to 11-man squads
  
• Unless it is a vehicle or large squad, don't use recon for engagements, have them on "Return Fire".

This first section is simple, but the most important. Having a unit that prioritizes spotting over anything else can help the remainder of your deck get an advantage in engagements. Look at Recon as an extension to the Support tab, where the exceptions are vehicles like the BA-10 or large squads like Fusiliers who can more readily engage in combat or are too large to stay stealthy.

Infantry

In all deck building, this should be the bulk of your deck. You'll see varying accounts on the quantity needed for this category, and I would argue that many of them are correct. The primary concern you should have when building is: "Do I have enough?" If you plan on being a Soviet player, reenacting Stalingrad, then you will likely never have enough.

Jokes aside, the Infantry tab is where you should have the highest amount of units coming into the match, depending on the number of cards you are taking. A safe zone would be 60 to 70 squads with varying degrees of veterancy. Here's how you should approach, broken down by each phase:

Phase A

• This is where you establish your lines; it is important to meet every needed scenario: CQC squads, regular infantry, and leaders.
  
• Have enough infantry to hold a front line. The support tab can help ensure this, but treat it as keeping your enemy are arm's length or up close and personal.
  
• Phase A is a good opportunity to have specialized units be your main assault force.
  
• Have about 1 card of CQC, 2 cards of regular infantry & 1 card for a leader (Interchangeable as I sometimes go 2 CQC & 1 regular infantry)

Phase B

• Here lies where the bulk of your infantry should be.
  
• Have 2 cards of CQC, 2-3 cards of regular infantry & 1 card for a leader (radio recommended for artillery support).

Phase C

• This is the sustain phase, so you will not have to fill this out as thoroughly.
  
• Have 1 card of regular units, and if available, 1 card of CQC.

One thing I want to clarify is the way I am describing "regular infantry". I look at regular infantry as being anti-infantry (Engineers/Pioneers) and anti-tank (Rifles/Grenadiers). It is important to have a balanced mix of these infantry types, as the anti-infantry can hold ground and use grenades to temporarily halt enemy advance, whereas the anti-tank can be used to punch through any daring vehicles. I would prioritize having the anti-tank mix above anti-infantry unless you can afford it. Simple reason, Rifles/Grenadiers usually come with 1-2 MGs, and that will kill any infantry advance with suppression.

The last part I would like to include here is that not all decks can run a comfortable amount of infantry. Those tank decks, we all know you love… yeah, I’m looking at them. We’ll break this balancing challenge down in the next section, but in armored decks, I would advise lowering the veterancy of infantry to accomplish the quantity needed to have enough infantry presence.

Armor

For many, armor is the most important, and it is very understandable... a King Tiger is unstoppable unless the player uses it foolishly. The ISU-152 goes boom and can address armor as well, plus the IS-2 being plentiful. To field a comfortable amount of armor, have between 12-25 tanks. It’s important to consider different designs (light, medium & heavy tanks) as it'll help you learn health, armor fronts, angling, etc… Let’s break this down:

Phase A

• Have a card of light/medium armor in A & some heavy armor
  
• Bring one leader card, in light of a missing infantry leader.
  
• Attempt to have 1 card of 2k AP, if cards permit.
  
• 1-2 card of light/medium armor, 1 card of heavy armor, & 1 (optional) card for a tank leader

Phase B

• Prioritize your 2k AP range here; this will make it so that your main stopping power carries into the late game.
  
• Bring one armor leader tank here and support with armor ahead of them.
  
• 2-3 cards of long range & medium/heavy armor & 1 tank leader card

Phase C

• This is it, the final time for a push; if you haven’t already, bring all your big tanks here.
  
• 1 card of long range & medium/heavy armor

More can be added for armor, but there are so many different armor decks that all have their flavor and, in my opinion, demand different levels of micromanagement. Each one can be fun, but the thing to remember here is where your tanks are facing, as your frontal armor will always be this tab’s strongest asset (shortly followed by the loadout).

Support

This is the section that probably has the most variability. Depending on match type, whether 1v1 to 4v4 or 10v10s, you’ll want to change your Support calls based on the number of players and what you think you need to better influence each of your other tabs.

I’ll keep this fairly general, as most calls I make for this section are centered in A or B Phases. There are very few things that I would say you NEED in this section, but bring the 2k HE options, if they are available. I would recommend at least one card of supply. Here’s how I would break it down:

Phase A

• Flamers are always a safe option, I would bring those, plus a support gun platform (MG or howitzer), and a leader.
  
• If you are arty heavy, bring a card of supplies.
  
• Bringing a commander is always helpful (experience wins championships), but not necessary in games that are smaller than 10v10.
  
• 1 card of flamers, 1 card of HMGs or light HE platforms, 1 commander (optional), and 1 card of supplies (optional)

Phase B

• Imperative to bring a card of supplies here (refills arty, good time to repair armor damage, etc)...
  
• 1-2 cards of HE support would be useful here, as that will keep your enemy's infantry at range.
  
• Any deck special units are a nice addition in B
  
• 1 card of HE, 1 card of supplies, 1-2 cards of deck special units (may replace HE option)

Overall, the support tab does exactly what its name says it does. It can help give flame & supporting fire to your infantry, it can suppress with long-range, direct HE, and improve the veterancy of all units with the commander. That’s not to mention how valuable supplies are in this game.

In all honesty, you can treat Support as a canvas, call a commander, and a card of supplies, then call it done… just as easily.

Anti-Tank

This section is probably the most straightforward, as you’ll want a degree of long-range AT at all times. Couple that with a card of bazookas, and you’ll be able to make armor want to keep its distance. Here’s how to break it down for your call in:

Phase A

• 1 card of bazookas (you can call them in B, but A has caught my opponents off-guard so many times that they don’t realize what knocked out their armor)
  
• Imperative to have 1 card of 1,750-meter range AT, as that is generally the standard.
  
• If available, call 1 card of 2k meter range AT (have one available in B).
  
• 1 card of AT in a quick transport. This is generally lower caliber, but getting an AT gun in a crossroad or dark woods, looking at the enemy’s infil route, will make it so that they’ll need to immediately retreat and pay attention to that very visible issue.
  
• 1 card of small caliber AT or bazookas, 1 card of 1,750 or 1,500 meter AT, 1 card of 2k meter range AT

Phase B

• 2k AT, minimum of 1 card
  
• The AT available tanks (this will help support you if your tank tab is not thorough)
  
• Card of standard AT
  
• 2 cards of AT (whether it is armor or a field piece)

Phase C

• More 2k AT, keep them at their line and don’t let them approach you.
  
• A card of AT tanks helps mix in with your armor
  
• 1 card of the longest capable range AT, 1 card of AT tanks

Again, it is my belief that the AT tab is the most straightforward. Bring as much 2k ranged AT so that your opponents cannot infil or make an armored push, while also maintaining bazookas in case armor is attempting to rampage in a city. Small caliber AT can be sneaky, as you may quickly place them in positions to kill troops before they can deploy.

Note: The most complex part to AT is knowing the strength of your AT guns & pen. I would defer to several other resources outside of this guide to learn more about Penetration, as that will be your hallmark to know how you can get shots through enemy armor.

Anti-Air

Depending on the deck you select, this should be called AA & AT, as a tab. Simply because a lot of your higher caliber AA guns will be able to provide direct gun support. There is also a difference in effectiveness in AA guns that you should pay attention to.

Lower caliber, like .50 cals & 20mms, can suppress a plane in good quantities. However, don’t expect a plane to go down unless those quantities are excessive. Mid-caliber AA guns tend to get the most kills (37mm & 40mm guns are examples) as they have a more precise shot and are generally able to deliver that killing blow. Lastly, higher caliber guns are the best answer to suppress planes (76mm & up). Keeping this in mind, you’ll mainly want AA in A & B phases, so we will exclude the C phase for this section. You should only need AA in C if you have somehow gotten all your guns blown up or used them improperly.

Phase A

• 1 to two cards of small to medium caliber AA
  
• If available, then call a higher caliber AA piece
  
• Call 2 cards of AA, all calibers for A Phase.

Phase B

• Repeat of A phase, but use mid to high caliber more in this phase.
  
• Call 1 card of medium caliber & 1-2 cards of high caliber

Again, look at the AA tab as being able to service both anti-air capabilities as well as a dual-purpose role with higher caliber guns. Some may say that it isn’t worth it to use it as a dual-purpose device, but in certain ways, I completely disagree. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen a well-placed German 88mm or Soviet 85mm was able to knock out multiple pieces of heavy armor.

Artillery

Artillery is a bit tricky because we can look at 10v10s, and you have players who only bring arty. Don’t be that person. Use your artillery strategically and help the whole team out with counter-battery and pointed strikes against certain positions.

A quick note on effective artillery. Your artillery leader can reduce the artillery dispersion for tube artillery. That does not count for mortars or MLRS. It's a very strong way to help the team with the above points. It also makes it important for radios, as you then get corrected shots.



Phase A

• For soviet lists, you have a serious lack of radio. I’d recommend the radio team as a replacement for one of your recon options.
  
• Calling mortars in A is very effective to pinpoint enemy gun platforms (AA or AT), as well as suppress enemy troops
  
• Keep your artillery options lean in A; 1 card of mortars, 0-1 card of radiomen, 0-1 of artillery

Phase B

• This is where I would recommend bringing in your artillery leader. This way you’ll have enough for your artillery and may be able to use some as front line leaders.
  
• Plan to use most of your tube artillery here. Some you should transport with dedicated supplies.
  
• If you call MLRS devices, be sure to call dedicated supplies.
  
• 1 card of artillery leaders, 2-3 cards of artillery (tube or MLRS)

Phase C

• Keep it simple, call 1 card of preferred artillery.

There is a distinction that needs to be observed here, as corrected shot does not happen unless your unit specifically shows or you have an artillery leader (the difference is shown if the unit has a radio (ie. Radios are OP)). Additionally, MLRS are not affected by corrected shot, so it is important to be cognizant of their range, as the closer any artillery piece is, the more accurate they are. An argument can be made that MLRS sees even stronger shot concentration the closer they are to their target.

Air

I’ve had too many games that were ruined either by artillery-only players or air-only players. I said it in the prior section: DON’T BE THAT PERSON. Use air effectively and plan it accordingly. Don’t just throw planes in the air all willy-nilly, thinking they are going to be effective in every situation. AA is considerably strong if planned correctly, in each phase.

This will be the only section that I will not break down by phase. Suffice it to say, it is fine to bring 1 card of fighters (aim to have a plane with mm-sized cannons). With this, you can play with AT planes, rocket planes, and bombers.

There are some plane divisions where that is their focus, but again, be sure to build a well-rounded force, or else you’ll be overrun. This is a game of holding points to win. Destruction is fun, but killing 1-2 infantry squads is nothing if you are losing your plane in the process.

Economy Blurb

This will be just a quick section regarding the importance of picking an accompanying economy for your division. For many, I believe that using standard is fine as it is, but in reality using different economies will help push your objectives and get more important units out when need be. We'll break this down in small (4v4 to 1v1) matches versus large matches (10v10).

Small Matches

Picking the right economy is significantly more important here, where it'll set the tempo for much of
the match. To kick things off:

• For Maverick or Vanguard; those are push hard in the beginning and if the push does not bring a conclusion to the match, you'll need to hold.
  
• For Standard or Juggernaut, you are slowly building up and holding your positions.
  
• Flatline deserves its own option as you are not able to afford heavy tanks, but you are consistent throughout the entire match.
  
• V for Victory, easily the most interesting and potentially most challenging option. You forgo the middle of the match for beginning and the end.

Large Matches

For large matches, your economy will be less punishing. This is where you'll be more readily able to test what economies work for you and how they may best be applied across the field/division. You'll want to see just how impactful each economy is as they will vary on how much you need to rely on your fellow teammates.

My only negative comment here is do not pick Juggernaut so that you may load on all your points, just to call only artillery or Air in C phase. That means you leave your allies at a disadvantage and are playing a man down on the front lines.

Conclusion

After building your first deck, test it out! Testing newly built decks is probably the best part of this game (in my opinion), as you can revisit and allocate your points differently for areas that didn’t work or that you want to emphasize.

I want to stress: this is a baseline of deckbuilding so that you may have coverage in every category for anything thrown at you. Of course, this does not always yield answers! That’s where playing with more experienced players and watching your replays will help you learn to become a better player.

And so now you’ve built your first deck! Here’s what you can expect:

• Remember arty man & air player? Don’t be like them. Contribute and help your teammates out, and then you’ll be able to form teams and work in even more coordinated ways.
  
• Play moderately in your first attempts, don’t over-extend or push. Some players will do scout car rushes and although they may be successful at first, that success is usually fleeting.

If you do wish to expand and get DLC with more deck options, my recommendations would be the following, as my favorites:

• ALLIES: 4th Canadian Armored (Tribute to Normandy ‘44 DLC) and 7-y Mechanizi. Korpus (Black Sunday DLC).
  
• Below is the 3rd VDD, a great infantry deck and heavy artillery:

• AXIS: 2nd Panzer (Tribute to Normandy ‘44 DLC) and 4th Fallschirmjager (Tribute to the Liberation of Italy DLC)
  
• Below is 4. Fallschirmjager, excellent infantry and great support:

Please feel free to add your thoughts and how you would approach deck building for new players!

[Frenchyfouqoui]

@Flower Class Corvette thank you again! CQC is a complete and high micro sort of dedication, but done right can bulldoze through an opposing player's forces. There are aspects to CQC that are ever evolving (with updates), such as a Saperi squad can beat & be more successful against dedicated flamer squads (like Sturmpioneers), if micro-d correctly. However, more often then not some counter-micro will see to that fight going the way its supposed to go.

It's certainly something that I could do, and I'd have to think about it, as there are a lot of nitty gritty details that need to be included. I will say that line of sight, veterancy, and range- are king for winning cqc fights.

[Flower Class Corvette]

@Frenchyfouqoui you're welcome! And thanks also for the CQC tips: maybe CQC could form the subject of a further guide one day? It sounds like you could cover that really well. Anyway well done again, hope you get lots of likes in due course and the positive feedback this kind of helpful content deserves!

[Frenchyfouqoui]

Cheers @Flower Class Corvette!! Appreciate it and I would recommend bringing at least a card of CQC uints in B then. For the simple reason of towns. Towns can be both a micro nightmare and a blessing to simply send CQC units and have them sit in a building.

I would argue that it is the one way to kind of break from Recon's sight as so many buildings on top of each other breaks line of sight. Therefore, if you are at the mercy of an enemy assault or counter-attack, then your CQC troops are ready for the grind. I cannot tell you the number of times a surprise Sturmpioneer or Automatchiki has melted enemy squads. Couple those CQC troops up with a leader, so that they are up-vetted, then their rate of fire and accuracy go up. Another example I've seen this just make me giggle is like the Parachudisti D'Assolto as they have the extra range and then just melt numbers, even when outnumbered.

Ultimately, it is a challenging aspect regardless. Thank you again!

[Flower Class Corvette]

Anyway, well done for finding the time to share your expertise and publishing your insights in guide form! I know this will be a great resource for new players especially the next time SD2 goes on sale and we welcome a wave of newcomers.

[Flower Class Corvette]

Looking back, I was clueless about deck composition when I started (and I'm not an expert now, which is why my guide doesn't attempt to cover this vital & fun topic). My philosophy is, don't think of your first deck(s) as a tool for winning, think of it as a vehicle for learning the game - which is the first step towards winning & having fun!

I used to avoid bringing proper CQC units in my early builds because I wasn't confident in my ability to micro them under pressure: would you advise new players to skip micro-intensive units like I did, or is it better to persevere with them and hope to learn from the struggle? I'm still not sure what advice I would give on that dilemma now...

[Flower Class Corvette]

@Frenchyfouqoui great guide, full of direct & practical advice! I wish this had existed back when I started playing the game, it would have given me a lot of confidence when getting started. I particularly liked your emphasis on balance/ moderation in all aspects i.e. avoiding extremes when building a first deck so that you can deal with any situation.

You are also right to emphasize the importance of extra recon for new players: finding out what's killing your troops is the first step towards doing something about it! Detecting the unit that's been causing you grief can be a victory in itself, regardless of the overall outcome of the battle.