Magnetron

The Magnetron is a Yuri artillery vehicle in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge.

Background
The Magnetron is very useful against enemy vehicles and ships. The magnetron beam raises them and draws them towards the Magnetron. Some useful applications of this are forcing the Magnetron to disengage while a vehicle was over water, on a structure or on another vehicle, while ships can be drawn to the ground. Furthermore, because the Magnetron has great range, it can pull a unit out of a group and bring it near a mind control unit. This is of particular use against Prism tanks, forcing them into the range of a Psychic Tower or a Yuri Clone. The Magnetron is also effective against buildings, ripping all the metal out of support structures and foundations. The Magnetron should always be accompanied by support units, as it has no real way of attacking of its own.

Counters
The Magnetron is helpless against infantry and aircraft. Realistically, Magnetrons themselves cannot harm units. They may only attack one unit at a time, so swarming them with a group of tanks may also be effective. Guardian GIs and Tesla troopers are a particular threat to it, since they are both anti-tank specialists. Magnetrons are also incapable of crushing infantry.

Tactics
However, Magnetrons are effective in one other way: tanks and ships levitated by it are vulnerable to anti-air attack, so it is wise to accompany Magnetrons with Gatling Tanks. Magnetrons can also be used, under certain circumstances, to move other vehicles over otherwise impassable gaps, such as cliffs, quickly.

Changelog

 * Yuri's Revenge patch 1.001:
 * when a Magnetron levitates and then drops a vehicle over a high bridge, the vehicle no longer falls through the bridge.
 * Magnetron will no longer become confused and continuously pick up and drop an enemy vehicle.
 * elite Magnetron's firing range is no longer shorter than that of a standard one.

When selected

 * Magnetron on standby.
 * Magnetic field commencing.
 * Need a little force?
 * Generators ready.
 * Point me in the right direction.

When moving

 * Shifting polarity.
 * Opposites attract!
 * We need no compass!
 * My power is irresistible.
 * Moving within range.

When ordered to attack units

 * Reel them in!
 * This is a tow zone!
 * Coils powering up!
 * Let's bring them closer to us!
 * Maximum charge!
 * Enemy locked.

When ordered to attack buildings

 * Coils powering up!
 * Maximum charge!
 * Enemy locked.

Trivia

 * The Magnetron is similar to the Disruptor that GDI used in the Second Tiberium War, only differences being the Disruptor fired sound waves, not psychic-"magnetic" waves that only lift target-vehicle, not anything and everything within range like regular magnetic waves would.
 * If a Magnetron lifts a landed NightHawk Transport or siege chopper, the pilots of those units will scream when dropped as if they were shot down.
 * A magnetron is actually the part of a microwave oven that heats up the food (by heating up the polarized molecules in the food; like water and sugar molecules, but not fat molecules since their very molecular structure, long chains of Hydrogen and Carbon makes them non-polar. The reason butter still melts (and may explode) via microwave oven is because of the water molecules in the butter).
 * By that logic, this tank should be cooking infantry, either burning them alive or heat them to the point where the water molecules go so hot they separate (like butter explodes in microwave when it stays too long) but be harmless to vehicles.
 * At most cause some sparking on tank chassis where it has pointy bits (arcing between protrusions; the higher the voltage/energy given by EM-waves the bigger arc) and/or deflect the EM-waves to the target tank's surroundings (flat metal surfaces reflect/deflect EM-waves, and if those surfaces are flat enough they even reflect back the visible part of the EM-wave and function as a mirror).

Cameos
In order: English/French/German, Korean, Chinese.