Editing IS-2 (section)

==Flames of War==
===IS-2===
[[File:Is-2 statcard.webp|thumb|left|Da Statistika]]
Being introduced in 1944, the IS-2 is only available in Late War.

The IS-2 is pretty much the epitome of the Red Army playstyle, with rather impressive hard stats balanced by a whole host of soft stat issues that the player needs to work around to get the most out of their points investment. 

The most glaring one is the cannon: AT14, FP 2+, and Brutal. This would all be relatively impressive (even if it's ahistorically weak) if it wasn't for the (historically accurate) Slow firing rule. This means that your tanks are going to have a really hard time killing things on the move, but whatever they do hit tends to die. Fortunately, the IS-2 has some important features that help mitigate this issue. The first is the next of it's impressive hard stats: Front Armor 10. This is some of the heavier armor in game, making it capable of standing up and dueling with the Tigers and Panthers that German players love to bring (you save on a 3 at range). This will let you roll up, take a round of shooting, then dish it back in equal measure. The second is the 3+ skill rating on your crew, letting you use movement orders like blitz and shoot and scoot along with terrain to protect your tanks until they're ready to fire (though the 3+ cross will fail you more than you'd like). The mobility is ok, letting you get where you need to, but try and avoid area terrain, since 3+ cross will result in you probably leaving behind a valuable tank or 2.

You are left with a peculiar tank that requires a very particular style of play to maximize its great strengths against its plethora of weaknesses and make its points back. Fortunately, these weaknesses give you a tank that is relatively cheap for what it brings at a bit over 7 points each. This makes it actually feasible to build a list out of at tournament conditions (looking at you, Tiger). And a phenomenal support vehicle for any list. Roll them up, relying on artillery to take care of enemy anti tank guns, and use terrain to block enemy lines of fire until you get in range. Use your skill to mitigate your slow firing rule through blitz checks, then assault infantry on the objective. Chances are, your opponent will focus on those heavy tanks moving on their objectives, leaving the rest of your army a lot of room to maneuver. Focus your IS-2 on dealing with enemy heavies; this will remove something they're uniquely suited for and help them make their points back. The IS-2 isn't like German heavy weights, able to operate with minimal support, but rather a cog in a well oiled machine. When it works with the rest of the army, it can contribute well beyond its weight. When isolated and left alone, it will die and not do anything.
===IS-85===

The IS-85 represents the older model IS tanks with the weaker 85mm gun. In game, they have worse AT, worse firepower, and fewer machine guns, but the flexibility of a rate of fire 2 cannon and their 2+ cross means they end up more expensive than their IS-2 counterparts. While they are somewhat worse at dueling enemy heavy tanks, AT12 is still no slouch, and with the heavy armor the IS-85 excels at hunting enemy medium tanks and support vehicles while still being an incredibly potent assault tank. 2+ cross also makes you more flexible for dueling enemy tanks in dense terrain or assaulting objectives in woods.

===IS-2 (Late)===

The IS-2 (Late) represents the later version of the IS-2, which replaced the stepped glacis hull front of the original IS design with a 100mm thick front plate at a tough angle. In game, this adds a point of frontal armor, bringing the tank up to a glorious front armor 11. Additionally, the tank can upgrade to take bedsprings for additional protection against infantry antitank weapons. Otherwise, it is identical to the earlier model IS-2s above.

So what do these upgrades mean on the tabletop? While 1 extra point of frontal armor may not sound like a lot, it's an extra point in a very strategic armor bracket. With the release of US 90mm cannons and HVAP ammo, cheap German big cats, and British APDS armed 17 pdrs, there is significantly more AT13-15 available to deal with your heavy tanks. Armor 11 means that now you're tying AT14 (like the panther or tiger) on a 3 up close, and halves your chances of being penetrated at range! This can very well be worth the fraction of a point per tank, especially if brigade panthers or tigers are common in your area.

The bedspring armor is particularly useful for a tank that should be up close and assaulting, particularly with Germany getting widespread access to limited 2 panzerfausts. If you have the spare point, it can really help, taking your chances of having a tank disabled on the charge down from 2/5 to 1/4, which can be a critical boost to capturing a key objective.

It's important to note that, even with these boosts, you're far from invulnerable. German AT17 cannons are more plentiful than ever, and can go through you rather easily, especially considering that you're aggressive. If you don't shove those panzerfaust infantry off fast, they're going to take a toll on you. Use your tanks in concert with infantry and artillery to suppress enemy guns, recon to get close, and medium tanks or tank destroyers to help handle enemy tank destroyers. Their job is to brawl with enemy heavy tanks and push enemy infantry off objectives, and the extra protection just helps with that.

===Hero IS-2===

The hero IS-2 takes everything the IS-2 does and cranks it up to 11. Compared to the regular Late IS-2s, your tanks are fearless (2+ counterattack), Veteran, careful, but now they cost as much as the veteran tiger crews those Germans have been touting for so long. What does this mean and how do these tanks compare?

Being careful has some significant benefits, but among those is that now you can land assaults even more consistently: you have a 1/5 chance of getting a tank disabled on the charge with bedsprings (bit over 1/4 without) and your tanks love being there thanks to their 2+ counterattack and 3+ assault. On top of that, you still trade equally or favorably brawling with tigers and panthers thanks to your better armor despite your low rate of fire per point.

That brings us to the big concern. Where tanks like the tiger or regular IS-2s aren't as good at landing assaults and have a slight disadvantage in a head-on fight, they bring a much higher rate of fire for the cost. This makes them much more flexible at dealing with medium tanks or cheaper tank destroyers and lets them stand alone much better. These tanks don't have that capability. Taken as a blackbox support platoon, they can do a great job assaulting infantry and distracting enemy heavy tanks (the IS-2s main jobs), but you'll need to give them an army that can fight enemy medium tanks and AT guns efficiently or they'll fall apart.