The Lasher light tank is the Yuri main battle tank in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge.
Official description
| “ | The Lasher Tank is Yuri’s base tank unit, comparable to the Allied Grizzly and the Soviet Rhino. Like its counterparts, it is designed to attack and defend against enemy armour. - Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge manual(src) |
” |
Background
As the main battle tank of Yuri's Forces, the Lasher Tank has a narrow chassis, a turret armed with a light cannon, a completely decorative mine-sweeper-like cylinder in the front, and a bronze painting like many other Yuri's vehicles. As a light tank, it could not stand much punishment with a hit point equal to that of an Allied Grizzly. The Lasher, like most Yuri vehicles, could enter a tank bunker to supplement its weak armor. Due to its fairly low price, it was easy to mass produce and overwhelm the more expensive tanks of the Soviets, an advantage that was negated if their enemy was equipped with an Industrial Plant.
The Lasher, along with the Yuri's Army as a whole, was erased after the Soviets meddled with the space time continuum.
Game unit
In real-game combat, the Lasher is almost the same as the Grizzly tank, except the Lasher's gun projectile moves faster. Therefore, it served a similar role of a main battle tank, and can effectively deal damage when facing other vehicles. However, it has light armor and therefore a lower hit point compared to the Soviet Rhinos, and would quickly fall facing most anti-armor units. Therefore, it shoule serve more as an escort for the fragile Mind Control units of Yuri or as a emergency defence line shuold the psychic units fail.
In addition, it was Yuri's only dedicated anti-armor vehicle. Therefore, for all of its disadvantages, it was essential for Yuri's commanders to keep a division of these tanks not only for protecting their vulnerable mind-control units, but to defend their bases from enemy tanks should the base's mind control defenses fail.
Counters
Like most conventional tanks, the Lasher light tank is vulnerable to all air units, and to uncrushable and anti-tank infantry, such as Tesla troopers, Guardian GIs and rogue Brutes. Lasher tanks could also be mind controlled by rogue Yuri Clones.
In the game's code, the Lasher replaced the unused light tank from Red Alert 2.
AI behavior
Lasher Tanks controlled by the AI have the following attack patterns:
Easy
- 3x targeting vehicles, accompanied by 1 Gattling Tank
Medium
- 2x targeting vehicles, accompanied by 1 Gattling Tank and 1 Mastermind
Medium/Hard
- 2x guarding Slave Miners, accompanied by 1 Yuri Clone and 1 Gattling Tank
- 5x targeting vehicles, accompanied by 2 Gattling Tanks
- 2x targeting base defenses, accompanied by 4 Brutes, 2 Gattling Tanks, 4 Magnetrons and 1 Mastermind
Hard
- 5x targeting vehicles, accompanied by 2 Gattling Tanks and 1 Mastermind
- 4x targeting vehicles, accompanied by 1 Gattling Tank, 1 Magnetron and 2 Masterminds
- 6x targeting vehicles, accompanied by 3 Gattling Tanks and 2 Masterminds
- This strike force will only be constructed if the AI owns a Psychic Dominator
Quotes
When selected
- We will puncture through.
- Lasher tank ready.
- Yuri's tank division.
- Where is battle?[sic]
When moving
- Turn up the speed.
- Take me to frontlines.[sic]
- Yes, master Yuri.
- The hunt is on!
When ordered to attack
- Gonna make some scrap metal!
- We can whip 'em!
- They will not escape!
- Bow to Yuri!
- Prepare for your lashes!
Gallery
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Installer slide -
Voxel -
Early concept art by Phil Robb -
Final concept art by Phil Robb
Cameos
| English | French | German | Korean | Chinese |
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Trivia
- Elite Lasher tanks use the Tank Destroyer's firing sound instead of their own.
- Due to an oversight by Westwood Pacific, the unused vanilla Red Alert 2 light tank barrel displays on the Lasher tank. That unit is also entirely overwritten in code and art in Yuri's Revenge, as the Lasher uses its "LTNK" label.
- The "Where is battle?" line was originally meant for moving, and the "The hunt is on!" line was originally meant for attacking.
See also
 Yuri Third World War Arsenal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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