I will share some basic strategy I use for fun and profit.
I use very balanced decks, pretty much the same for NATO and PACT. While I do have arty in my decks, it is just the standard default stuff you get, nothing else... And I do not use it (or at least have not used it in the last dozen games or so).
On most maps I will start with 4 cheap tanks and 4 mid range tanks (
Leopard 1A1s and AMX-30Bs -
T-55s and T-62s - I use the M-1 or M-V of the 62 and the B2 of the AMX and sometimes 1A2s or higher of the leopards)
These act as my core tank force... and pretty much the entirety of my tank force.
I support the tanks with 4 each infantry and SAM infantry (
Panzergrenadier+Marder 1 and LAAD Stinger+M2 Bradley IFV -
Motostrelki+BMP-1 and PZRK Strela-3 +BTR-60PAI)
(Notice I use cheap tanks and expensive infantry... Even my 'best' tank is cheap. Simple reason: my expensive infantry is cheaper than your tank. My infantry will destroy your tank. Even if my infantry dies too, I am winning in points.)
In addition I almost always send 2 AA support vehicles (
Marder Roland 2 -
2K22 Tunguska)
These sit right behind my main line and joyfully shoot down helicopters. The AA infantry are nice, but the designated AA platforms are just awesome- between the two of them (and the autocannons on vehicles) I can withstand
any helicopter assault, no matter how committed. [Withstand meaning I may lose my entire force, but they will lose a heck of a lot more points than me since they lose theirs too]
If I can afford them I send 2 to 4 supply trucks (
HEMTT -
URAL-4320)
They supply.
Also if the map (or more so the zone I want to contest) is very forested I will send flamethrower infantry, possibly in place of SAM infantry or my mid range tanks. (
SAPEUR+AMX-10P -
Sapery+BMP-1)
Many, many times will they seriously pay for themselves many times over. NATO players with hard-ons for Delta Force love to send them into woods thinking they are just sooo tough. Delta, meet NAPALM... I'll often leave the flamethrowers behind to cover deep forest command vehicles too, they can fight off any special forces/recon attacks easily and are decent at shooting down helicopters too (in woods, remember... visibility requires the heli to get right on top of your unit to even see it, so the small arms fire will devastate the helicopters, I usually lose most/all of the flamethrowers in the process but a 30 point flame team is cheap, attack helicopters are not- and I still have the vehicle they came in on my front)
I
always,
ALWAYS send recon vehicles with the above force. Usually one light recon on the front, one recon helicopter, and multiple recon vehicles all over the flanks (So usually about 4 recon vehicles and one recon heli) (
SpPz LUCHS and Gazelle AH.1 -
BRM-1 and Mi-9)
The flank recon are normally UAZ-469 and SPz 11-2 KURZ since they are cheaper. Occasionally I'll buy the Gazelle AH.1 SNEB version, to pick on idiot command vehicles.
Above is my main 'attack' force. I send it to the area I want to contest. If possible, I aim for forested zones. I can put the vehicles and tanks in tree lines or hedgerows and unload the infantry into high cover. If possible I send a command vehicle with the force, I often cannot afford one though and just wait to buy it later (while also being sure that the area is safe).
In addition, I
always buy 2 AA support and leave them at my starting zone to protect my FOB and command vehicle. (
Marder Roland 2 -
2K22 Tunguska)
I also like to have a 4 cheap tanks in reserve there, too (
Leopard 1A1sT-55s)
These tanks have saved me (and more often my idiot teammate that leaves their support vehicles unguarded) more times than I can count. The AA even more so. Nothing like watching some dumb enemy send helis at the spawn thinking they are so tough, only to get DESTROYED by my minimal, hidden AA defense.
If I can afford them (and sometimes I will make sacrifices from my main force in order to) I will send recon/special forces units ahead of my main force to secure the command zone. (
Green Jacket+Lynx AH.1 and SAS+Lynx AH.1 -
4 VPZU+Mi8T)
I send two helis of each. The SAS are nice for shooting down enemy recon helis and/or transport helis with the same mission. The Green Jackets I try to use only as eyes and less for fighting, but they do see combat a lot.
(I may or may not use an armed version of the Lynx or better armed Mi-8s or the Mi-17, depending on points)
A recent game I ended up marching my Green Jackets all the way from their initial drop point into the enemy's original zone... I got them all the way into small arms range of the enemy support (4 AA, 12 arty, 7 FOBs) and seeing that the enemy had not a single ground defense unit in place, I charged my entire 'main force' into the zone... Won that 4v4 match with ~26% of my team's kills and only 6% of my teams casualties... it was nice. (The poor Green Jackets got decimated by the enemy AA cannons, though... poor guys)
Mid game I'l usually spawn some infantry to join my cheap tanks in reserve. I also spawn supply vehicles as needed and will bring in supply helis if safe. I rarely buy new command vehicles beyond the one for the zone I am contesting, but if I do take other zones I will bring in AA inf to cover it, and recon to see attacks coming. If I see a force bigger than my limited defense can beat, I will move my command vehicle out of the zone without hesitation (or, if time permits it, reinforce the zone).
Naturally I will spawn in more inf, AA, tanks, etc. to boost and reinforce my main force.
That is pretty much my OOB. I do not use helicopters very often at all, aside from recon... I have Cobras in my deck but rarely spawn them and I normally just send my MI-8s to my supply lines as a deterrent. They may see action destroying an errant command vehicle or AT team caught int he open, though.
After initial spawn, I tend to avoid buying new tanks and rather buy infantry. Infantry are AMAZING. When I first played I tried using combined forces and I found myself sucking when using infantry, That is no longer true. I've realized they MUST be used in forests or for sneak attacks. You can literally send a squad of infantry into RPG/AT range of an enemy force, in the middle of a field, without them being spotted (You
did shoot down their recon heli, RIGHT?). So many players put so many points into AT vehicles that half the time you can advance infantry on an enemy line while only taking fire from a third of it. As soon as you are spotted, advance your tanks and Bradleys or BMPs and focus on the anti-personnel equipped units. Once they are out of the way your infantry can easily clear house while you pull your vehicles back for repair. Or, sneak the infantry up, destroy their AA units (while likely sacrificing the inf) in order to charge forward gunship helicopters (while I don't use helis much, this works to clear for teammates' air forces just as well).
My standard playstyle works very well against balanced decks and helicopter decks. Assuming I can keep the skies clear it is great against artillery decks, too.
The main weakness comes from PACT vehicle rushes. My 4 tank reserve tends to not hold them off well at all. This is normally not a big problem for me because I will just ditch the original command zone when I see it coming (recon, recon, RECON) and the vehicle spam cannot do crap in woods, where I am. The problem is that my teammates tend to ignore it and let the enemy destroy their supply/support/command equipment and then come up behind them in the open. Occasionally I'll fight it myself with infantry, if I can spawn them in if it is a mid/late rush. But, so far I tend to have a losing record against PACT vehicle/inf rushes... but I still blame this on my teammates losing the points, not me.
EDIT:
Oh, last thing.... most important thing:
I watch every single replay of every single battle I am in. I save them all and watch them all; usually right after the battle before starting another. Or later if I don't have time. But the point is: I watch and learn.