Advance Wars Dual Strike
By: Tronn Bonne
Guide - CO Sonja
Copyright 2005 Tronn Bonne
Version 1.4
=================
Table of Contents
=================
1. Version History
2. Copyright and Disclaimer
3. Purpose of this Guide
4. Introduction to Sonja
5. Statistics
6. Sonja's Abilities In-Depth
7. Factors to Strategy
8. General Strategies
9. Tag Strategies
10. Countering Sonja
11. Sonja vs Other COs
12. Opinions on Sonja
13. People I want to thank
===================
1. Version History
===================
Version 1.0 [9/18/05] Guide Completed
Version 1.1 [10/5/05] Included Several Contributions
Version 1.2 [11/7/05] Made Various Additions and Corrections
Version 1.3 [12/22/05] Made Many Changes and Corrections
Version 1.4 [8/30/06] AWRev authorized to use this Guide
===========================
2. Copyright and Disclaimer
===========================
This document is (c)2005 Tronn Bonne. This may be not be reproduced under any
circumstances except for personal and private use. It may not be placed on any
web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission.
Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
The only sites authorized to use this guide are gamefaqs.com, neoseeker.com,
awrev.com, and warsworldnews.com. If you want to use this guide, please e-mail
me at the following address:
[email protected]
Sonja, Advance Wars Dual Strike, and all related characters are copyright of
Nintendo.
========================
3. Purpose of this Guide
========================
This guide is not designed for beginners to Advance Wars Dual Strike. If you
are unfamiliar with the basics of the game then I suggest you read the opening
section of one of the walkthrough guides for Advance Wars Dual Strike posted on
GameFAQs or Neoseeker.
This guide is a sequel of my recent Sonja Guide that I wrote for Advance Wars
2: Black Hole Rising. Much of what I wrote in that Guide for Sonja still holds
true for the Sonja in Advance Wars Dual Strike. However, there some major
differences between the old and new Sonja. Also, Advance Wars Dual Strike
introduces the completely new game mechanic of Tag Battles along with several
new units which can be utilized in different ways by the various COs. If you
have read my AW2 Sonja Guide you will notice that entire portions of some
sections are copied verbatim from my old guide. However, almost all of the
sections have been altered or added to in some way. Furthermore, there is now
a new section which deals specifically with the AWDS tag system.
Feel free to e-mail me at the address in the Copyright and Disclaimer section
if you notice any mistakes or have any comments with this guide. Please
contact me if you wish to use any of the information in this guide or its
format for a guide/FAQ of your own. Also feel free to e-mail me if you wish to
submit a strategy that works well with Sonja or if you would like to share your
opinion of her. I reserve the right to select what material I will and will not
include in this guide. I will give full credit to the authors of any outside
material that I do decide to include.
========================
4. Introduction to Sonja
========================
Who is Sonja? She is a CO in the Yellow Comet Army and the daughter of Kanbei,
the Emperor of Yellow Comet. A master strategist, she was instrumental in
repelling Black Hole's invasion of her homeland in Advance Wars 2: Black Hole
Rising. In Advance Wars DS, Sonja is part of the Macro Land reinforcements that
arrive just in time to save the overwhelmed forces of the Allied Nations. Her
analytical skills prove invaluable in uncovering the Bolt Guard's ultimate
objective, The following is the in-game description of Sonja. I have included
information in brackets that is not apparent in the normal description.
Name: Sonja
Country: Yellow Comet
Kanbei's cool and collected daughter who likes to plan before acting. She
excels at information warfare.
Hit: Computers
Miss: Bugs
Skills: All units have an extended vision range [by one space] in Fog of War.
Keeps HP intel hidden from foes. Manipulates info to reduce enemy terrain
effects by one. [She also suffers from 10% bad luck to her attack power.]
CO Power Meter: oooOO
CO Power: Enhanced Vision
-Increases the vision range of all units by one space and allows them to see
into woods and reefs. [They can not see hidden Stealths or submerged Subs]
Reduces enemy terrain effects by two.
CO Super Power: Counter Break
-Increases the vision range of all units by one space and allows them to see
into woods and reefs. [They can not see hidden Stealths or submerged Subs]
Counterattacks are stronger. Reduces enemy terrain effects by three.
Tag Affinity:
Sami: *
Kanbei: ***
Lash: *
How to Unlock: Initially available for use.
Sonja was one of the hardest COs to use effectively in the first two Advance
Wars games. Outside of FOW she often found herself at a disadvantage against
her foes since most of her abilities dealt specifically with FOW. However,
Sonja is more versatile than ever with the new balance system in Advance Wars
Dual Strike along with her new skill of reducing enemy terrain (which came at
the small sacrifice of her counterattack bonus).
I believe that, despite her new skills, Sonja can still be a difficult CO to
use. In FOW Sonja is extremely formidable, even overpowered, but she is more
balanced outside of it. Regardless, she still requires a lot of careful
thought when fighting battles because she is not capable of simply overpowering
her opponents. I hope that this guide will help players to gain a new
perspective on Sonja's unique skills and how to use them to win battles.
Below are the four main reasons why I think Sonja is an outstanding CO.
1. Sonja's abilities are wholly unique. No other CO has increased FOW vision,
can reduce enemy terrain stars, and hide their units HP from human players.
2. Sonja is a balanced CO, unit wise, which means she can easily change her
strategy to meet the requirements of the level and of her opponents. Also, as
you will see later on she can be just as effective outside of FOW despite the
fact that some of her abilities cause her to be "specialized" for fighting in
FOW.
3. Sonja is a good CO to have as a partner for team games that take place in
FOW. Your ally will be able to benefit from Sonja's increased sight range and,
therefore, be able to use her intel to better implement their strategy.
Furthermore, as you will see later she is also capable of sharing her terrain
reduction skills with her allies.
4. Sonja is an outstanding Tag Partner. Her short CO Meter helps her Dual
Strike often with any CO. Furthermore, she is also excellent at finishing a Tag
Power because of the counterattack abilities of Counter Break.
=============
5. Statistics
=============
All of Sonja's units are, at first glance, normal strength. This means that
they all have 100/100 stats. The first 100 indicates attack strength while
the second 100 indicates defense strength. Defense strength reduces the damage
a unit takes and can, of course, be increased by terrain stars (10% per star).
Both attack and defense strength can be temporarily increased by 10% when using
either of the CO powers.
Every CO has a 10% good luck modifier to their attack strength when attacking.
Sonja is one of the few COs that also incurs a bad luck modifier, in this case
5%, to her attack power. If an attack reads 55% damage, most COs can deal 55%
to 65% of damage. This means they will deal additional damage from time to
time. Sonja in an attack that reads 55% damage can do between 50% and 65% of
damage. Thus, she might deliver less damage than normal. However, because bad
luck is not favored any more than good luck Sonja's attack damage still tends
to be slightly higher than normal. In other words, Sonja will usually deal the
damage you expect of her.
The stars that appear in the Tag section of a CO profile are there for more
than show. Every tag affinity star equals +5 day-to-day luck if those two COs
form a tag team. This luck bonus affects both COs equally so it does not matter
which one is currently in command. Thus, the Sonja/Kanbei team gets +15
day-to-day luck while the Sonja/Sami and Sonja/Lash teams get +5 day-to-day
luck.
Counter Break does not directly increase the counterattack strength of Sonja's
units. Instead, it has the important effect of allowing her units to strike
first when attacked. The battle animation does not show this but you will see
the difference in the amount of damage that you and your opponent sustains.
Whenever a CO uses their CO Power they will, assuming they have it, use about
one more star in addition to the COP's cost. That means that if Sonja uses her
COP when she has her COP Meter fully charged at five stars she will actually
use four stars instead of three stars. This will leave her with only one star
still charged.
Sonja has the following Tag firepower modifications:
Sami: 110% [Girl Power] +5 day-to-day luck
Kanbei: 130% [Battle Standard] +15 day-to-day luck
Lash: 105% [Brainstorm] +5 day-to-day luck
Sensei: 105%
Von Bolt: 90%
Listed below are the number of terrain stars Sonja's enemies will receive per
terrain type.
NOTE: Properties refers to Bases, Ports, Airports, Labs, Cities, and
Com Towers.
Normal
-----------------------
Plains/Reefs 0 stars
Woods 1 star
Properties 2 stars
HQs/Mountains 3 stars
Enhanced Vision
-----------------------
Plains/Reefs 0 stars
Woods 0 stars
Properties 1 star
HQs/Mountains 2 stars
Counter Break
-----------------------
Plains/Reefs 0 stars
Woods 0 stars
Properties 0 stars
HQs/Mountains 1 star
Below is the attack strength, defense strength, and vision ranges of Sonja's
units.
Normal
---------------------------
Infantry 100/100 vision 3 (6 when on a mountain)
Mech 100/100 vision 3 (6 when on a mountain)
Recon 100/100 vision 6
Tank 100/100 vision 4
MD Tank 100/100 vision 2
Neo Tank 100/100 vision 2
Megatank 100/100 vision 2
APC 0/100 vision 2
Artlry 100/100 vision 2
Rockets 100/100 vision 2
A-Air 100/100 vision 3
Missiles 100/100 vision 6
Piperunner 100/100 vision 5
Oozium NA/100 vision 2
Fighter 100/100 vision 3
Bomber 100/100 vision 3
B Cptr 100/100 vision 4
T Cptr 0/100 vision 3
Stealth 100/100 vision 5
Black Bomb 100/100 vision 2
Battleship 100/100 vision 3
Cruiser 100/100 vision 4
Lander 0/100 vision 2
Sub 100/100 vision 6
Black Boat 0/100 vision 2
Carrier 100/100 vision 5
Enhanced Vision
---------------------------
Infantry 110/110 vision 4 (7 when on a mountain)
Mech 110/110 vision 4 (7 when on a mountain)
Recon 110/110 vision 7
Tank 110/110 vision 5
MD Tank 110/110 vision 3
Neo Tank 110/110 vision 3
Megatank 110/110 vision 3
APC 0/110 vision 3
Artlry 110/110 vision 3
Rockets 110/110 vision 3
A-Air 110/110 vision 4
Missiles 110/110 vision 7
Piperunner 110/110 vision 6
Oozium NA/110 vision 3
Fighter 110/110 vision 4
Bomber 110/110 vision 4
B Cptr 110/110 vision 5
T Cptr 0/110 vision 4
Stealth 110/110 vision 6
Black Bomb NA/110 vision 3
Battleship 110/110 vision 4
Cruiser 110/110 vision 5
Lander 0/110 vision 3
Sub 110/110 vision 7
Black Boat 0/110 vision 3
Carrier 110/110 vision 6
Counter Break
---------------------------
Infantry 110/110 vision 4 (7 when on a mountain)
Mech 110/110 vision 4 (7 when on a mountain)
Recon 110/110 vision 7
Tank 110/110 vision 5
MD Tank 110/110 vision 3
Neo Tank 110/110 vision 3
Megatank 110/110 vision 3
APC 0/110 vision 3
Artlry 110/110 vision 3
Rockets 110/110 vision 3
A-Air 110/110 vision 4
Missiles 110/110 vision 7
Piperunner 110/110 vision 6
Oozium NA/110 vision 3
Fighter 110/110 vision 4
Bomber 110/110 vision 4
B Cptr 110/110 vision 5
T Cptr 0/110 vision 4
Stealth 110/110 vision 6
Black Bomb NA/110 vision 3
Battleship 110/110 vision 4
Cruiser 110/110 vision 5
Lander 0/110 vision 3
Sub 110/110 vision 7
Black Boat 0/110 vision 3
Carrier 110/110 vision 6
=============================
6. Sonja's Abilities In-Depth
=============================
Just like the majority of COs, Sonja has several built in abilities which are
augmented by her CO powers. Unlike most COs, Sonja is able to overcome the
disadvantages of FOW and is one of the best COs to use if you want to play mind
games with a human opponent. Furthermore, she also excels at attacking units
taking cover in terrain. What she lacks in power she makes up with her ability
to bend the rules and confuse her enemies.
Hidden HP
---------
The first, and most important, of Sonja's abilities that should be addressed
is the hidden HP ability. This distinct ability is useless against CP opponents
but it is a game winner against human players. The only way you are going to
really be able to overcome some of the better COs in the game that are being
controlled by a human player is if you can force them to waste precious
firepower on injured units. Thus, you should not value your soldier's lives too
much. The best way to accomplish this is to have multiple units of same kind
near one another. During your turn you can switch the places of your units
(perhaps even combining some injured ones while leaving others wounded) and can
often cause your human foe to lose track of the targets they had just damaged.
All that extra firepower Grimm can muster is useless if he sent his MD Tank to
destroy your 1 HP instead of your 7 HP MD Tank. Because of this ability you
will want to slightly outnumber your human opponent to make good use of
survivors as decoys. Also, try to fight in woods and plains to decrease the
chances of your full strength units from being wiped out in one shot.
Alternatively, you can also use this skill to have your opponent attack full
strength units when they think they are attacking an injured one. This can be
very effective if your opponent sends an injured unit to finish off one of your
units that turns out to have full HP and destroys their injured unit in the
counterattack.
Increased Vision
----------------
Sonja is at her best when FOW is on or when it is raining. Although the one
space increased sight range is small it can make a big difference. The most
obvious difference is that you will be able to see and, therefore, attack an
enemy unit that another CO would not have seen. This gives Sonja a greater
chance for first strike and presents her with a larger choice of targets. The
increased sight range of one space is also helpful if your Recons get wiped
out. While another CO might find his forward units in the dark, Sonja's army
will still be able to manage an effective offense and defense until another
Recon is sent to the front lines. After all, in FOW one of Sonja's Tanks will
see almost as far as another CO's Recon. Finally, Sonja's vision bonus counters
the vision decrease of rain and allows her to function like a regular CO during
normal FOW.
Reduction of Enemy Terrain
--------------------------
Sonja's ability to now reduce terrain by one star is a welcome addition to her
arsenal of skills. It is far easier to implement and take advantage of than
her counterattack bonus in AW2. This new skill is basically a firepower bonus
for Sonja's units. It robs an enemy unit of a 10% defense increase that it
would normally receive with a terrain star. It does not help her with air
battles and will only help counter reefs and ports at sea. However, it does
give Sonja an advantage in land battles because only three types of terrain
(roads, bridges, and shoals) do not provide terrain stars. This new skill is
another reason why you should always try to keep Sonja's units in woods, on
properties, and on plains whenever possible. This will enable her units to
function with a 10% defense increase over the opponent while their units will
have little or no increase in their defense. Also, don't be too hesitant to
attack enemy units in heavily fortified positions (on properties and in
mountains). This skill enables you to level the playing field and you can also
use Sonja's COP or SCOP to further reduce the benefits of enemy terrain. This
skill also helps Sonja slightly when she is counterattacking because the
enemy's terrain will always be one star less when they are fighting her. Thus,
Sonja's counterattacks are still slightly stronger if the opponent is attacking
from terrain that provides defense stars. This skill also means that Sonja is
extremely effective against Lash because the loss of terrain stars will reduce
Lash's offense along with her defense.
The Terrain "Glitch"
--------------------
Although the word "glitch" is debatable for this effect, it is still very
peculiar and I doubt the game programmers intended it to be this way.
Regardless, it exists and I will discuss it now. Sonja's ability to reduce
terrain is not exclusive to her own units. So long as Sonja is a CO on the
battlefield (not a tag partner who is currently not commanding the army) all
terrain is reduced by one star with the exception of her own units and those
of her allies. Thus, in a 2v2 match the CO allied with Sonja will also reduce
enemy's terrain by a star but their terrain will not be reduced by the enemy.
In a FFA, all COs except Sonja will have their terrain reduced by one star.
So if Andy and Adder attack one another, they both will reduce each other's
terrain by one star even though neither one is allied with Sonja. This shared
terrain reduction will be increased when Sonja uses her CO Powers. Thus,
everyone besides Sonja will have their terrain reduced by two stars when Sonja
is using Enhanced Vision. Things become very strange when multiple Sonjas are
on the battlefield at the same time. The effect is cumulative and Sonja is able
to counteract the loss of only one terrain star. Thus, in a four way FFA where
all four COs are Sonja then all terrain will be reduced by three stars. Yet,
if one CO is not Sonja then his or her terrain will be reduced by three stars
but the Sonjas will have their terrain reduced by two stars, regardless of
whether it was another Sonja or the fourth CO that attacked them. This "glitch"
makes Sonja even more attractive as a ally and it is particularly useful for
luck based COs (such as Flak, Jugger, Nell, and even Rachel) because terrain
can greatly diminish the potential of their attacks.
Bad Luck
--------
The only time that Sonja's bad luck becomes noticeable is when she fails to
finish off a target that she, normally, would have killed. One way to manage
it is to have her units close enough to the target so that if one does fail
to finish off a particularly important unit she has a reserve that can complete
the job. Overall, it is more of a nuisance than a devastating penalty and it is
not at all a bad trade for reducing enemy terrain stars (not to mention all of
her other abilities.)
Size of COP Meter
-----------------
With her CO Power Meter being a total of five stars, Sonja's CO Meter is tied
with Adder, Koal, and Hachi for being the shortest in the game. This means that
Sonja can use her SCOP more often than most COs and, therefore, it is easier to
factor into her strategy. It also makes her an excellent tag partner because
her short CO Meter helps her use more Dual Strikes with her partner.
Counter Break
-------------
At first glance the counterattack abilities of Counter Break is extremely
difficult to utilize. You can't force your opponent to attack you but you can
certainly put them in a very uncomfortable position with Counter Break.
Attacking Sonja might be costly but leaving her alone for the day might be
even more costly. Most players will, however, opt not to attack and will wait
a day. Therefore, it is best to view Counter Break as a deterrent rather than
something designed to devastate the attacking foe. It is best used when you
don't want your opponent to attack you. As I stated earlier, I will discuss a
good way to use Counter Break later on in the General Strategies section.
Rank Skills
-----------
Ranks skills are additional benefits that can be given to a CO as he or she
rises in rank. Since Sonja is a balanced CO, there are only a few rank skills
that I feel the need to comment on. The two vision bonus upgrades can be
worthwhile choices for a FOW mission since they will further augment the
already impressive vision range of Sonja's units. The skill that can be
immediately disregarded is Mistwalker since it gives the same counterattack
bonus as Counter Break to a CO's SCOP. Also, I find the Star Power skill to be
a bit of a waste on Sonja since her CO Meter is so short. The Prairie Dog and
Pathfinder skills are very useful for any CO on most maps. However, they are
particularly helpful for Sonja in FOW because they help her units reach targets
in the woods that her CO Powers have revealed. Luck can also be a worthwhile
choice because it will help counter Sonja's bad luck.
======================
7. Factors to Strategy
======================
What abilities, and to a certain extent strategy, Sonja can use depends on two
key factors. The first is whether or not the FOW is on or off. The second is
whether or not you are facing a CP or human opponent. These conditions affect
Sonja more than they do other players because of the nature of her skills.
FOW on
------
You can fully utilize the tactics I mentioned above for your normal increased
vision in FOW vision to maintain a strategic advantage over your opponents.
However, remember that it is Sonja's CO powers that really enable her to
dominate a FOW battle. She is the only CO in the game that can see and
immediately attack units hiding in woods and reefs. Thus, Sonja's CO Powers
enable her to easily overcome ambushes. Because Enhanced Vision gives the same
sight bonuses as Counter Break I suggest using Enhanced Vision more during FOW.
Counter Break is critical for certain strategies which I will discuss later in
the General Strategies section. However, you will always want to be able to
counter your opponents efforts to conceal their forces in woods and reefs.
Don't neglect Recons because your other units see farther than normal. The
sight range of six for the Recon vehicle is essential to giving you a better
overview of the progress of the battle. Be sure to utilize woods well for both
hiding Indirects and Direct Fire units. Getting your opponent caught in a game
of hide and seek in the trees works to your advantage because of your CO
Powers. It is also easier to confuse your human opponent with your hidden HP
since they will most likely not know what units you have in reserve. Players
often assume any new unit they see heading toward them is at full strength or
close to it. Subs are good naval units for Sonja to use because they are superb
scouts that can track down and sink enemy Battleships and Carriers. Battle
Copters are excellent for her air force due to their low cost, good firepower,
and vision range. Be very wary of the range and location of enemy Indirects.
They are the bane of your existence because they ignore the counterattack bonus
of Counter Break. If you think some trees or a reef might be hiding an Indirect
then go ahead and use Enhanced Vision. Better safe than sorry. Thankfully, even
if FOW is not turned on it is still possible to use Sonja's increased vision if
the weather is set to rain, random, or if Drake is on the battlefield. Rain
causes FOW for a turn and will reduce the vision range of all CO's units by one
space. Setting the weather to rain is basically the same thing as having FOW on
but if the weather is set to random you will get the occasional rainy day. Take
advantage of it because Sonja will be affected by the rain the least. Also,
Drake's SCOP will cause it to rain for one day as well.
FOW off
-------
Ok, Sonja is far from useless when FOW is off. In fact, she really has not lost
any ground at all when it comes to her strengths. Sonja's advantage in FOW
boils down to her ability to overcome it and gather better intel. Thus, no FOW
means Sonja loses a situational advantage but you are not really handicapped in
her strategy. Your biggest loss is some of the usefulness of her CO powers but
Counter Break is still effective for the counterattack bonus and you still
receive the additional reduction to enemy terrain stars with both of her CO
Powers. This means that even Enhanced Vision, in the right situations, is
useful when FOW is off. Also, you must capitalize on Sonja's hidden HP power
against human opponents and her ability to reduce terrain stars. Be sure to
keep many units of the same kind near one another when fighting a human player
so you can try to confuse them by switching their positions. Continue to fight
in plains and woods whenever possible. Effective and frequent use of Counter
Break is the key to victory when FOW is off. However, a good use of Enhanced
Vision is when the additional reduction to enemy terrain will result in wiping
out the target rather than leaving it barely alive. This is especially true
when attacking enemy units resting on properties that will repair them at the
beginning of their owner's turn. Continue to check the range of enemy
Indirects. It is arguable that, due to the decreased effectiveness of her CO
powers, there are sometimes better COs besides Sonja to use for a mission when
FOW is off. Still, as long as you make full use of her other abilities you will
find that Sonja is just as effective and enjoyable to use outside of FOW as she
is to use in it.
Human Opponent
--------------
When fighting a human opponent you must fully utilize the hidden HP skill.
Everything I said about this skill in the Sonja's Abilities In-Depth section
should be applied. That means making sure you have multiple units of the same
type and keeping them relatively close to one another. This will most likely
take the form of Tanks because their decent armor and firepower comes at the
affordable cost of 7,000. Don't repair or join units if they can be better
used as decoys.
CP Opponent
-----------
The loss of the hidden HP ability considerably alters Sonja's strategy. You
will no longer be able to use decoys in the same way as you could against a
human opponent. However, all is not lost for Sonja. She can still count on
reducing enemy terrain and CP opponents respond in a very predictable fashion
when you use Counter Break. The computer will typical move its units next to
yours but not attack unless you have units with innate low defense such as
infantry, the computer has very powerful units such as Neo Tanks, your units
have been weakened in comparison to its, or the computer has units, such as
Bombers or Indirects, that do not need to fear a counterattack.
=====================
8. General Strategies
=====================
Every CO has their distinct personality and abilities that match it. Playing
"in character" with any CO is a good idea with this game. With Sonja, be
cautious and calculating in your approach to fighting. Do not be reckless with
her and keep your sights set on the big picture: victory. Minor losses here and
there are acceptable if they are not strategically important.
Army Composition
----------------
Being a balanced CO with no specialty troops, Sonja is fully capable of using
any unit in the game to achieve victory. She can creep along slowly and rely on
Indirects, focus on building a mighty air force, dominate the seas, or conduct
a blitzkrieg campaign on land with Tanks. There is no set army composition for
Sonja and it is generally best to take a balanced approach when constructing
her army. However, some very specific strategies will require you to produce
more of one unit type than you normally would. Furthermore, you will generally
want to have the majority of Sonja's units be Direct Combat units because they
benefit from the counterattack bonus of Counter Break. Also, Sonja's Indirect
unit of choice should be the Mobile Artillery because it is far easier to
deploy in forests for FOW use than Rockets. Yet the decision is ultimately
yours so feel free to experiment with Sonja's army composition.
Forest Combat
-------------
As I stated earlier, you should always take advantage of forest combat
regardless of whether or not FOW is on or off. With FOW on you can set up a
lot of Indirects in the woods, hide Tanks with the intention of ambushing the
enemy or a combination of the two. Furthermore, your CO Powers will allow you
to easily detect enemy units that were taking cover in the trees in FOW.
Without FOW Sonja's units will still deliver more damage because the enemy
will have their terrain reduced. Making full use of woods (or any terrain)
is necessary to achieve victory with Sonja.
Reserve Units
-------------
This is another general strategy that I have stated earlier but I will
reemphasize it here. When fighting a human opponent keep several units of the
same kind near one another so you can swap their positions in an attempt to
confuse your foe. Furthermore, it is a good idea to attack the most threatening
enemy unit first just in case you do suffer a drop in attack strength. That way
you can use a nearby unit to finish off the injured enemy unit. Just be careful
that your enemy does not use a missile silo, Rachel's SCOP, or Von Bolt's SCOP.
All three of these can devastate your forces if they are too close together.
Mind Games
----------
So how do you force your opponent to waste their fire power? Besides the mixing
and matching of injured units to cause your foe to lose track of them here are
two tips that can help you make the most of hidden HP against a human foe. As
I stated earlier, your opponent will always assume that new unit they see
coming toward them is at full strength. Having units your opponent has not
injured recently, and therefore forgotten about, or has not fought before, if
it is a multiplayer game, take the center of your line is a good way to cause
your foes to waste their firepower. Another good way to play mind games is to
leave injured units in areas with low terrain values. If your opponents have a
choice between what they think are two full HP Tanks that are equal distance
from their units, they will usually attack the one on the road rather than the
one on the city.
Countering Meatwalls
--------------------
Since Sonja does lack a strong attack power bonus, meatwalls (Infantry and
Mechs being used to shield other units) can be a problem. However, they will
at least not get as large of a defense bonus from terrain as they normally
would. This will make it easier for Sonja's A-Airs to open up a gap in the
enemy meatwall that her other units can exploit. Furthermore, activating
Counter Break can also delay an enemy counterattack if she does fail to break
through the enemy line. Utilizing a lot of Infantry and Indirects is another
option when confronted by a meatwall. However, the best solution is to use a
Dual Strike but that is only applicable if the battle is a tag team match.
Breaking Chokepoints
--------------------
Like meatwalls, chokepoints (holding a piece of narrow terrain, like a bridge
or mountain pass, that can not be easily flanked) can also be a big problem for
Sonja because of her lack of increased attack power. The best way, for most
COs, to break a chokepoint is to use air units to flank the enemy's defense
line. If air units are not an option than it might be necessary to fall back
and try to meet the enemy on open ground. Some COs are capable of shattering
a chokepoint with their CO Powers but Sonja's will not help much unless if the
enemy chokepoint is on terrain that gives a significant defense boost. A Dual
Strike is, like with an enemy Meatwall, the best way to break a chokepoint.
However, the ideal option is to prevent the enemy from holding a chokepoint to
begin with. Pay attention to the map and if you see a strategic chokepoint,
try to occupy it before your enemy can.
FOW Recon Strategy
------------------
This commonly known strategy should be used to take full advantage of Sonja's
superior scouting abilities. What you do is build a Recon early in the game
(one per enemy) and send them to the perimeter of your foe's base. Once there,
hide it in some trees that are a little off the beaten track but within sight
range of your enemies production facilities and/or supply routes. Be sure to
not let your enemy see your Recon as it moves into the forest. Keep your Recon
stationary and use their intel to get continuous updates on what type of units
your foe is producing and deploying to the frontline.
Advantages:
-Provides vital intel about enemy army composition that can make a huge
difference during a FOW mission.
Counters:
-This strategy can be very difficult to counter unless you take the time to
check every wood around your base for any hiding Recons. Otherwise, most CO's
will just have to ignore it. If you are Olaf, Hawke, or Drake then your CO
powers can inform you of a Recon's presence. If you are Sonja then your CO
powers will instantly reveal any hiding Recons within sight of her units
(which is why a counter recon strategy does not work well against her).
Leap Frog
---------
This strategy is one that I designed for Sonja's SCOP and does a good job of
using it to its fullest potential. This is also a strategy that you can
implement in almost any circumstance (CP or Human opponent, FOW on or off)
with almost any composition of direct combat troops (Although Tanks supported
by an air force works best). The idea is that you condense your forces in an
region within movement distance of some enemy or neutral cities. You also must
either have your SCOP ready or almost ready. Be sure to also have some Infantry
and/or Mechs in Transports. When ready, launch a massive attack and move all
your forces into the contested region. Activate Sonja's SCOP the second you
can if you could not activate it before the attack. Unload the foot solders on
or near cities while resting as many of your Tanks and other direct combat
units in woods, plains, or cities. Also, try to attack as many enemy units
(especially Indirects and Bombers) as possible but don't let a unit end the day
on a road unless if it was necessary (such as to destroy an Indirect).
Remember, the overall goal of this strategy is not to wipe out the enemy but to
gain control of good terrain. With your SCOP activated, your troops holding
good terrain, cities under threat of being captured by your units in a few
days, and your foes Indirects and Bombers destroyed or damaged, your enemy has
really only three choices, all of which are beneficial to you. The first is to
go ahead and attack your forces. Your foot soldiers will typically be the
primary targets. However, by doing this your opponent has left a portion of
his forces within striking distance of the rest of your units. The second
option is to withdraw his forces with the intent of attacking you the
following day after Sonja's SCOP ends. This means that you can consolidate
your position, begin capturing cities, and move your Indirects forward.
Thus, in one day you can completely remove your opponent's army from a region
that he thought was firmly under his control. The third is a combination of
the two and basically takes the form of your foe sacrificing some units to
attack your infantry and reduce their capturing rate. This strategy
demonstrates how Sonja's SCOP can be used "offensively" in gaining and holding
new territory rather than defending ones already under her control.
Advantages:
-Gain a lot of ground in one day.
-Completely disrupt your foe's front line.
-Gain more cities.
-Can force your foe to retreat from the region.
-Can be initially devastating to your enemy's Indirects and reserves if your
foe does not expect you to move your units so far forward in one day.
Counters:
-There best way to counter a Leap Frog attack is to be highly aggressive and
prevent Sonja from organizing her troops. The second is to you have an
effective chokepoint that prevents Sonja's units from achieving their target
destinations. However, a Sonja player would be foolish to try to implement this
strategy in a narrow playing field without taking measures to ensure her units
will break through (ie using Bombers and Indirects to shatter your blocking
troops).
-The best way to deal with a successful Leap Frog, assuming Sonja did a good
job of taking out your Indirects and Bombers, is to sacrifice some Tanks to
attack and reduce her foot soldiers capture ability, which buys you some time,
and pull the rest of your army back with intention of attacking in a few days.
Other Strategies
----------------
Being a balanced commander, Sonja can perform almost any strategy that is not
dependent on another CO's COP. Feints, Blitzkrieg's, Ambushes, Pierces, and
Flanking maneuvers (to name a few) are all within Sonja's power to successfully
implement. You should experiment with Sonja and if you have any other
strategies you think work particularly well with her then please let me know.
=================
9. Tag Strategies
=================
Sonja excels in tag battles for several reasons. The first is that her short
CO Meter can help her Tag Power often with her partner. Even if her partner has
a long CO Meter, it still means that she can sit on the side lines and her CO
Meter will be fully charged around the same time as the other CO's. However,
when performing a Tag Power it is often best for Sonja to be the second CO in
the tag. The reason for this is Counter Break. The first CO can launch the
attack and Sonja can continue it while reinforcing the team's position with
the special counterattack bonus of Counter Break. I have listed below several
COs that Sonja tends to work particularly well with and have provided
strategies for not only Tag Powers but also how to manage the team day-to-day.
However, since Sonja is balanced she can work well with all of the COs.
Sami-Sonja Team
---------------
This is a good tag team because the two of them get a firepower bonus, +5
day-to-day luck, and Sonja's SCOP greatly helps Sami's foot soldiers. One
approach to this team is to use both COs day-to-day and switch between them
when one's skills will be more useful than the other's. Thus, it is best to
use Sami early on because her superior capturing capabilities will help secure
a solid economic foundation for the team. However, Sonja will start to become
more useful if most of the fighting occurs in woods or if their army is no
longer composed mostly of foot soldiers and Indirects. The other approach is
to let Sonja sit on the sidelines and just use Sami for the day-to-day
fighting. This means producing more Mechs, Infantry, and Indirects than normal.
Be sure to not overuse Sami's CO Powers because you want to wait until they can
perform a Dual Strike. Counter Break is extremely useful for Sami's usually
fragile foot soldiers and the opponent will have an even harder time recovering
from Victory March if they can't counter attack during their turn without
incurring significant losses. Of course, using Sonja first in the Tag Power can
get Sami's foot soldiers within striking distance of more properties.
Kanbei-Sonja Team
-----------------
This is a very devastating team if only for the fact that they get such a high
firepower bonus (one of the highest in the game) during their Tag Power and +15
day-to-day luck. Such a high attack bonus of 30% will enable the team to easily
smash its way through chokepoints and meat walls, especially if it is
Kanbei's turn in the Tag. However, they also work well together day-to-day
because Sonja can be used early on in the game and, therefore, can buy units at
normal price. Kanbei can take command when enough units are on the field and
the fighting becomes more intense. Of course, you might want to continue using
Sonja day-to-day if several of their units are destroyed or if FOW is on. They
are also interesting during their Tag Power since they both give counterattack
bonuses to their troops. It is probably best to have Kanbei complete the Tag
simply because his units have such a high a defense bonus during his SCOP.
Lash-Sonja Team
---------------
Sonja and Lash are like night and day. One counters terrain while the other
uses it for a firepower boost. It is no surprise that they are an extremely
flexible and effective tag team despite getting only a 5% firepower boost along
with +5 luck. Day-to-day you can switch back and forth between the two as
necessary. Sonja can be used to push the enemy out of good terrain and Lash can
then use that terrain to the team's advantage on the following turn. The same
is true for their Dual Strike. However, it is sometimes better to end the Tag
Power with Lash because she doubles terrain and, therefore, can get an
extremely high defense if her units end the day on good terrain. You will
always have to respond to the nature of the battlefield with this duo. Be
wary of any enemy Sonjas because they will reduce Lash's terrain effects.
Sensei-Sonja Team
-----------------
Sensei is a worthwhile team member for very similar reasons as Sami. Yet,
Sonja's Counter Break will also help defend Sensei's B-Copters from A-Airs
and other B-Copters. The two of them also get a small firepower bonus for
their Tag Power. Furthermore, Sensei's B-Copters will greatly help the team
break through chokepoints and his good transport movement will help them
capture more properties early on. I suggest following the two general
approaches I outlined for Sami when you are pairing Sensei with Sonja.
Grimm-Sonja Team
----------------
This is a good day-to-day team because Grimm makes up for Sonja's lack of
firepower. If there is a chokepoint, Grimm is the one that can break
through it. Of course it is a delicate balancing act with these two because
of Grimm's low defense. You will have to time your CO swaps very carefully.
Don't swap to Grimm if you see several dangerous enemy units within striking
distance of Sonja's and Grimm's units. Thankfully, Sonja's increased vision
will help you spot these units when FOW is on. It is best to end the Tag
Power with Sonja so her units get the advantage of Counter Break.
Koal-Sonja Team
---------------
Koal is a surprisingly good team member for Sonja. Not only is his CO Meter
short, which will help the pair use their Tag Power more often, but Koal also
compensates for two of Sonja's weaknesses. The first is that Koal gets his
attack bonus on roads which is often the most prevalent of the three types of
terrain that Sonja's terrain reduction skill is useless for. This means that
if the battle is forced to occur mostly on and around roads, Koal is the best
one to be in command. However, if it occurs on plains and woods, Sonja is the
best one to be in command. This makes them flexible day-to-day. Koal also
helps compensate for Sonja's difficulty with breaking chokepoints. More often
than not, a chokepoint will have a road leading to it (sometimes through it)
and Koal's road based attack bonus of +30% during his SCOP is usually enough
to allow the team to break through. Of course, if the chokepoint is not on
roads then it is probably on plains and in woods which Sonja can counter with
her abilities. Like Lash, you will have to react to the terrain of the
battlefield with these two and decide which one's terrain skills are most
useful for the next day. As for the Tag Power, the standard formula of having
Sonja finish the tag is even better with Koal because of the movement bonus he
will give to their units. This will help get more units within striking range
for when you switch to Sonja during the Tag Power.
Drake-Sonja Team
----------------
This odd pair is a good match mostly for their Dual Strike. Day-to-day Drake
will not do anything for Sonja's air force but he can greatly help her navy.
Thus, if the map requires a lot of naval action then Drake is the best to
command. Yet Sonja is best if you are using mostly air or land units. Drake
should always go first during the Dual Strike. His ability to cause rain during
his SCOP will leave the enemy army blind, even on a FOW map since rain reduces
vision by 1. However, the rain has far less effect on Sonja and when you tag
her in she will largely be able to overcome the effects of the rain while
simultaneously reinforcing the team's position with Counter Break.
Kindle-Sonja Team
-----------------
Kindle, like Lash, can be a good team member for Sonja since she is able to
utilize terrain offensively. However, in Kindle's case her bonus is limited to
properties. Day-to-day you should try to fight near cities and use Sonja to
remove the enemy from any properties they occupy. You can then switch to Kindle
and have her finish off the remaining enemy units by using the high firepower
boost she receives while on cities. Kindle's SCOP can also be useful for
breaking chokepoints if the team controls enough properties. As usual, Sonja
should end the Dual Strike because of Counter Break.
Honorable Mentions
------------------
The following COs also perform fairly well with Sonja but are not as compatible
as the ones listed above. They are: Andy, Max, Olaf, Jake, Jess, Rachel, and
Grit. Andy, the mechanical boy wonder, is perhaps the most universally useful
Tag partner because the +5HP, +1 move to all units, and 20% attack boost of
his SCOP is useful to all COs. Only problem is that Andy does nothing for
Sonja day-to-day. The attack boost of Olaf's and Max's units during their
powers will enable the team to easily break through chokepoints and meatwalls.
Jake and Jess are both very useful if Sonja is engaged in a land war and the
attack boost their units receive can enable the team to break through a
chokepoint or meatwall. Rachel is useful for her SCOP because it is capable of
greatly diminishing the strength of an enemy chokepoint or meatwall. Finally,
Grit can make a good partner for Sonja in FOW because Sonja can use her vision
powers to counter enemy ambushes. Grit can then put his artillery in position
and form very deadly traps for the opponent. The only problem for this team is
that Indirects do not benefit from Counter Break.
====================
10. Countering Sonja
====================
Sonja is very difficult CO to counter because her units have no weakness that
you can easily exploit (You never know when the drop in attack power will
occur) and there is no way to fully overcome the hidden HP ability. If you
don't already do so I would suggest leaving the battle visuals on when you
fight Sonja so you have a better idea of how much damage you (and other
players) do to her units. If you are not sure how much health a unit has then
send a weaker unit rather than the Neo Tank to find out. Use Indirects and
Bombers to bypass her SCOP. Don't rely on woods too much in FOW or else that
18,000 you spent on Indirects might be turned to scrap metal before your eyes.
If you are intent on utilizing the woods in FOW then be sure to guard your
Indirects. However, terrain of any type can be a liability because your troops
will gain less benefit from it than hers. Try and keep your battles on and
around roads as much as possible. Besides these few things, you can really
only focus on your strengths and use your skills wisely. Even simply
overpowering her with your CO Powers might not work if Sonja makes effective
use of decoys.
======================
11. Sonja vs Other COs
======================
Sonja is fully capable of adjusting her strategy to match the strength and
weaknesses of her opponents. Below I have listed the other COs in the game
and what you should be aware of while fighting them with Sonja.
Jake
----
Day-to-day, Sonja is evenly matched when fighting Jake on plains. His 10%
attack bonus is comparable to Sonja's skill that reduces his terrain by one
star. Therefore, you will not be at a disadvantage if you engage him out in
the open but it is best to engage him in woods or from cities when possible.
His CO Powers are rather interesting because they can increase the range of
his Indirects and the movement of his vehicles. This means destroying his
Indirects should be an even higher priority on your list than usual. Keep a
close eye on his CO Meter so you are fully prepared for this extra Indirect
range and vehicle movement. Also, his CO Powers give his units an even greater
firepower boost on plains so you should avoid fighting him on them when he
has his CO Meter charged. Besides that, no special strategy is needed when
facing Jake.
Rachel
------
Her ability to repair quickly means that you should focus on finishing off
any damaged units she has placed on properties. Because of Sonja's bad luck,
you might need to have a spare unit available to finish the job incase the
first one failed. Rachel is also very interesting to fight against because her
COP and SCOP do completely different things. Her COP gives her the same edge
as Nell's, Flak's, and Jugger's luck powers. However, you do not know when she
might use it so it is even harder to be prepared for. Just be wary if you see
her gladly sending her cheaper units (like Tanks) against your more expensive
units (Like a Neotank or Megatank). It could mean she is planning to use her
COP in hope that it will enable her to wipe out your elite forces. Her SCOP is
extremely dangerous and if you are playing with Force Rank Skills on I highly
recommend getting Missile Guard. Grouping your units can be a very bad idea
if she has her SCOP almost charged or fully charged. This means that Sonja's
normal grouping strategy can backfire and you should try to keep your units,
especially expensive ones since Rachel's SCOP tends to target them, spread out.
Andy
----
Being the jack-of-all trades there is no real special strategy needed when
facing Andy. The only thing you should pay attention to is your ability to wipe
out his units. Always try to have some reserve units that can finish off</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
targets that you don't want getting healed by his CO Powers. Also, Andy's SCOP
is very powerful and can easily turn the tide of the battle in his favor. Keep
an eye on his CO Meter and be prepared for the extra movement and firepower
(Not to mention the 5HP) Andy can muster when he is in trouble. Other than
that, just use basic counters combined with Sonja's other abilities.
Max
---
When facing Max you might want to save up for a MD Tank and use it to block a
chokepoint. Once you have accomplished that you can then focus on building
Indirects and blast away his direct combat units. Decoys also work well but be
sure to keep your units in terrain because Max's attack strength is high enough
that he can destroy many of your units in one shot if they are exposed. Also,
in FOW don't be overly surprised if Max hides some artillery in woods to try
to catch you off your guard. Be very conscious of how far properties are from
nearby trees and weather or not Max's Artillery could hit them.
Sami
----
While Sami has superb Infantry and Mechs, her true strength is her ability to
capture properties quickly. Her high capture rate makes it very difficult to
stop her soldiers from capturing a property once they started. Therefore, you
must try to keep Sami from capturing too many properties early on. The best way
to do this is to place Recons on properties toward the middle of the map (or
somewhere half-way between you and Sami). This can often buy you some time
because Sami will have to counter your Recons with either some of her own or
transport Mechs to the cities you garrisoned. For the later stages of the game
always keep your forward properties, bases, and HQ occupied when Sami's SCOP is
nearly charged. Victory March when used correctly can cost you the game in one
day.
Nell
----
Nell is a dangerous opponent and there is nothing you can really do to counter
her luck skills. Be aware that her CO Powers can enable her cheaper units
(such as infantry) to deliver considerable damage to your more expensive units
(such as MD Tanks). Thus, quality is often not the best strategy against her.
Try to always have reserve units incase she gets a lucky turn and wipes out
most of your forward units.
Hachi
-----
He's a CO with no weaknesses, inexpensive units, and has a COP Meter that is
the same length as Sonja's. If you are not careful, he can overwhelm you with
superior units. More importantly, his SCOP enables him to quickly reinforce his
front lines by building units in cities. Use decoys well, occupy forward cities
to help counter his SCOP, and counter him the best that you can.
Olaf
----
Olaf is a very tricky opponent because of the snow factor. He can cause it to
snow for two days which gives him an attack bonus and causes you to burn fuel
at an increased rate. A cunning Olaf player can also use his COP almost twice
in a row to give him four days of snowfall. Thus, Sonja should build more APCs
and Black Boats than normal so she can keep her army supplied. Also, Olaf's
attack bonus during snow can be devastating so either try to strike first or
fall back into the terrain and prepare for a counterattack. Besides that just
watch him carefully, make full use of your unique skills, and counter what he
throws at you.
Grit
----
In the right circumstances Sonja can perform really well against Grit. Most
Grit players will rely on woods in FOW to shield their Indirects and your
the only CO that can fully counter this. Since your opponent is probably aware
of this fact he or she will then try to find a chokepoint and hold it until
they can spam enough Indirects. You can counter this by using Recons early on
to harass Grit's foot soldiers and slow up his attempts to capture cities. This
strategy is not fool proof because Grit only needs 6,000 funds to produce one
Mobile Artillery. Yet harassing his foot soldiers and keeping his Indirects
occupied near his base can buy you enough time to reach a chokepoint before
he does. Also, produce more direct combat units than normal when facing Grit.
Colin
-----
Cheap units means Colin will have a hard time finishing off Sonja's units
which equals more decoys to throw against him. Of course, Colin will also be
throwing more units at you than most other COs can. The best approach is
battle him early on for properties (His cheap infantry and transports can
enable him to expand quickly). If you gain an economic advantage over him then
you can start producing quality units an gradually crush his army. However,
remember that since his units are 20% cheaper you will need to gain a 20%
economic advantage over him.
Sasha
-----
The new money CO has a very different fighting style than Colin. She will
have a slight economic advantage over you which means you need to focus on
preventing her from gaining too many cities. She will not necessarily be
able to swarm you like Colin can but the extra money can be used to soften
the expense of repairs or buy slightly more expensive units than she normally
could afford. Her COP is particularly dangerous and it can keep you from using
Counter Break. There is not much you can do, besides hurting her economy, if
Sasha decides to always use her COP to prevent you from using your CO Powers.
Her SCOP can also be dangerous when she is attacking but there is, again, no
real counter for it. However, if she is saving up for her SCOP it means you can
also save up for Sonja's. Furthermore, Counter Break will greatly reduce the
economic benefits Sasha's SCOP would normally give her when she attacks your
units.
Kanbei
------
Getting into a fight with your father is not the best idea. Kanbei is one
tough CO because he is able to overpower his foes with quality units. Your
best tactic is to try and take dad down before he can get enough cities and
start producing MD Tanks and Aircraft. A good idea is to use Recons
aggressively early on to slow up his capture rate. Besides that, decoys and
Indirects work well.
Crystal Guard 292 adds: The key against him is to get as far out into his half
of the map as possible, and keep a monetary advantage on him. If you have
enough of an advantage, you'll be able to play counters against him (AA vs.
Copters, tank vs. AA, ect.) and his stats won't mean much. Another key point
against Kanbei is that he is built to make the most out of his attacks, so any
attack of his you can waste through him not knowing how much HP something has
is well worth it. Kanbei's Samurai Spirit will blow right through Counter Break
though, so save that for after SS, or don't give him many opportunities to
attack with it (retreating out of range, etc)[.] It could make the player
procrastinate it's use [for] a turn or two, Kanebi players tend to be picky
with power use. Kanei is also horrible at destroying meatwalls on 2 star
terrain, seeing as he has to invest in powerful units, or his SCOP to get
through. Kanbei players also fear artillery. I'd make proper use of indirects
and make sure to grab the good terrain so SS doesn't make your next turn utter
crap. Another strong point against Kanbei is forcing him on multiple fronts.
Start getting B-ships out there, and make him build a navy, his prime weakness.
The Naval triangle will ensure success against him there because you will
outnumber him. Keep AAs on hand because Kanbei's copters are pretty ruthless
if you aren't careful.
Sonja
-----
Fighting yourself is a bit tricky. You should follow the advice in my
countering Sonja section. Just remember that you will have a hard time
ambushing an enemy Sonja player in FOW.
Sensei
------
Sensei is a lot like Sami but his air force is a lot better. He is also capable
of expanding quickly because his Transports move one space further than normal.
For the most part you should fight Sensei the same way you would fight Sami but
don't underestimate his Battle Copters which are often capable of wiping out
(or coming very close to it) your units in one attack. Furthermore, his CO
Powers can give him immediate reinforcements in the form of Infantry or Mechs.
A-Airs are especially useful against Sensei but his normal ground forces are
nothing to scoff at either. You will, however, be able to outclass Sensei's
navy so, if the map allows it, building a strong navy instead of an air force
might be the best approach.
Grimm
-----
The thing to remember about fighting Grimm is that he emphasizes first strike.
Because of his low defense and extremely high offense, whoever attacks first is
going to be the clear winner in the combat and you need to always bear that in
mind. Thus, a cunning Grimm player will use a handful of units as bait in order
to lure you into attack range of the majority of his units. Conversely, you
will also have to try to do the same. Fortunately, Sonja's skills are better
suited for laying ambushes and luring opponents than Grimm's are. Use her
skills well and always check the movement range of his units.
Eagle
-----
Unfortunately, Sonja's ability to reduce terrain is useless against air units.
However, you can still counter Eagle's air force with a standard mix of A-Airs,
Missiles, and even Cruisers and your ability to reduce terrain can give you an
edge against Eagle's ground units. But what makes Eagle a truly devastating CO
are his awesome CO Powers. Try to form your battle line into layers and make
full use of FOW if it is on to hide your units and monitor his air force. Be
aware that in FOW Eagle will probably send Recons forward to scout out your
units and then use the high mobility of his CO powers to overwhelm you.
Therefore, be sure to place your Indirects in woods when Eagle's SCOP is nearly
charged to make it harder for him to find and destroy them. Also, if you think
Eagle is about to use his CO Powers then use your SCOP. If your ground forces
are not capable of destroying his air units then you might want to consider
producing Jets. An air force is also expensive so focusing on his properties
can starve him of necessary resources.
Crystal Guard 292 adds: The basic idea against Eagle is that if he makes a
mistake with his air units, they can get annihilated instantly. In air battles,
Counter Break renders you pretty much invulnerable to his force. If you bunch a
lot of Anti Airs together, then Eagle can't be sure what's a threat and what
isn't. If you keep tanks around too, he can't effectively attack them to find
out. The idea is basically to play to Sonja's main strategy, and to make sure
that he doesn't know what is what. Sonja's land forces should make quick work
of Eagle's as well, but she's pretty much superior to him when it comes to the
skies. Outside of a pure air battle, Sonja's SCOP will help far more than
Eagle's will. The main thing to be wary against is Lighting Strike though. The
best counter to Lighting Strike is to, again, make sure he doesn't know what is
what. If you've got several AAs, and one is very low HP, move a fully HP unit
to where is was, or join onto it. It'll throw Eagle off quite a bit.
Drake
-----
Drake is a very annoying CO to fight. His CO Powers not only hurt your units
but also reduce their fuel. This makes it more difficult to overcome him with
a strong air force. However, an air force, when applicable, is still the best
option so just make sure that you have plenty of APCs and Black Boats around.
His navy is, of course, very powerful and you will have a hard time competing
with it. Overall, Drake is only average on ground so use standard counters
and Sonja's unique skills.
Jess
----
Jess is a tough and versatile CO. You will probably be dragged into a vicious
ground war with her but don't be surprised if you start seeing air or naval
units in abundance. She is the most balanced of the specialist COs so there is
really no special strategy you need against her. Just be aware of the
refueling, reloading, and movement benefits of her CO powers.
Javier
------
With his emphasis on Com Towers, Javier's great strength is also his great
weakness. If the map has no Com Towers, he will only be able to boast about
his higher defense against Indirects and he loses much of the offensive
capabilities he normally would have received with his CO Powers. If the map
does have Com Towers, then capturing them should be Sonja's top priority.
Letting him get too many Com Towers can result in him overpowering Sonja's
army. Also, building a lot of Indirects is not a very good idea against Javier
because his Indirect defense bonus is considerable. This means Sonja will have
an even harder time breaking a chokepoint held by Javier if you do not have
an airport. Thus, you need to prevent him from getting too many towers, stop
him from fortifying a chokepoint, and build more direct combat units than
normal when fighting Javier.
Flak
----
Like Nell, Flak is dangerous because of his ability to deliver serious damage
with weaker units while using his CO Powers. However, day-to-day he can
experience a drop in attack power but he is also capable of delivering more
damage too. Like against Nell, quality might not be the best approach. Other
than that no specific strategy is required against him.
Adder
-----
Adder is a very flexible CO and will often gain the first strike with his
powers. Yet his movement also allows him to reinforce his lines faster and to
retreat further away if necessary. Furthermore, because his CO Meter is so
short he will be able to use his extra movement quite often. Trying to hold a
chokepoint against Adder is a good strategy because his movement will not help
him break through (Unless he has air units). Also, be aware that Adder is
capable of using his COP twice in a row.
Lash
----
I consider Lash Sonja's arch-enemy. They are both tactical geniuses who rely
heavily on terrain. However, Sonja has the advantage over Lash in most
situations. Sonja's ability to counter terrain will not only reduce Lash's
defense but will also reduce her offense. Furthermore, Sonja also helps counter
Lash's SCOP because Lash doubles the terrain stars she currently has when it is
activated. This means that if Lash is fighting Sonja in woods, Lash's units
will only have 1 terrain star from the trees and her SCOP will double that to
two stars. Lash's COP is still dangerous because of the movement she gains but,
that aside, Sonja is a very good counter for Lash.
Hawke
-----
With Hawke's superior attack value he is a difficult opponent to overcome.
However, his CO Meter is very long which means he won't be using his powers
that often. It also means you will be dealing with less CO Tags when you face
him. Be offensive because Hawk does not gain a defense bonus along with the
attack bonus. Be sure to make effective use of Sonja's usual bag of tricks
(hidden HP, SCOP ect...) along with standard counters.
Jugger
------
Jugger is almost exactly like Flak with only two noticeable exceptions. The
first is that his day-to-day dispersion is slightly higher which means his
attacks are even more erratic. The second, more important difference, is that
Jugger's SCOP is one star longer. This means Jugger can usually use his COP
twice in a row. That gives Jugger good flexibility because he can use his COP
once and save his other COP for later if you pull your units back or if you use
Counter Break. Therefore, try not to waste Sonja's SCOP when fighting Jugger.
Koal
----
With Adder's movement benefits, Koal can be very good at gaining first strike,
positioning his units well, reinforcing his frontlines, and running away when
needed. Yet his road based attack bonus can also make his first strikes more
devastating and, since you reduce terrain anyway, the Koal player has another
reason to use roads as often as possible. Therefore, you will have an even
harder time dragging Koal into fights in woods and on plains than the other
COs. Furthermore, holding a chokepoint with a road running through it is not a
good idea against Koal because (as I mentioned in the Tag Strategy Section) the
road based attack bonus he receives for his CO Powers is strong enough to allow
him to break through in most cases. If you do hold a chokepoint point then do
so at a bridge since he does not get any firepower bonus from them. Finally,
Koal's COP costs one more star than Adder's which means he will be more
conservative with his CO Powers than Adder will be.
Kindle
------
In urban combat, Kindle is going to win. Her extremely high attack bonus on
properties will enable her to wipe out units with ease. Since Sonja reduces
enemy terrain, you should do everything you can to gain first strike with her
when attacking Kindle's on-base units. Furthermore, Kindle has no weaknesses
to exploit when she is away from properties. Her COP is also particularly
dangerous since it can waste precious repair time and resources, soften up,
your on-base defense units, and slow your capture rate of properties.
Furthermore, her SCOP will grant her units (regardless of where they are) a
considerable attack bonus if she controls enough properties. The best way to
fight Kindle is to try not to let your units end the turn next to a city that
Kindle can use to attack them from during her turn. Also, do not attack her
on-base units unless you are sure you can damage all of her dangerous units
around those properties. I recommend supporting such offensives with Sonja's
CO Powers, even if it is Enhanced Vision, because any extra damage you can
cause to her on-base units can make a big difference.
Von Bolt
--------
While not as frightening as AW2 Sturm, Von Bolt is still a very dangerous
opponent. His day-to-day increase in the defense and offense of all is units
gives him a constant edge over Sonja and helps to counteract the loss of
the terrain defense. His only real weakness is that he has no COP. His SCOP,
however, can be dangerous and you should start spreading Sonja's units out when
it is almost fully charged. Overall, you will have to utilize Sonja's skills
to their fullest extent in order to beat Von Bolt. Also take comfort in the
fact that you will be dealing with less CO Powers and Tag Powers from Von Bolt.
=====================
12. Opinions on Sonja
=====================
This section of my guide will include opinions on Sonja in addition to my own.
Please contact me if you want to share your opinion on Sonja.
My Opinion on Sonja
-------------------
Sonja is a well rounded CO that has host of unique abilities. She does not
deserve her reputation for games that do not have FOW on. Her hidden HP, for
human opponents, and terrain reduction skills function just as well outside of
FOW and keep her from being a bland CO. Finally, to win with Sonja you have to
be strategically flexible and use your head. The specialist COs can often get
away with implementing one strategy over and over again that utilizes their
best troops to overcome their foes. Meanwhile, COs with particular good CO
powers can often slap together several units, activate their CO power, and
overpower the foe with ease. Sonja must try new things and react accordingly
to the terrain around her, the type of opponents she is facing, and the rules
that are currently in play for that battle.
Red Dragon Slayer's Opinion on Sonja
------------------------------------
I have to admit Sonja is not the biggest powerhouse and that the bad luck
sometimes leaves units you would do 100% on with 1 HP, but her other skills
really make up for it. I really love harassing other human players with the
hidden HP skill (placing low HP units near full HP units to create a chaotic
confusion). She is really awesome in fog of war, especially with both vision
increasing skills on (Having a standard 9 vision on recons makes you see
almost the entire map and with her CO power it even becomes better by showing
units hidden in woods and reefs). The best strategy with Sonja is to build a
major direct army to get the best out of her SCOP. A good placed Megatank in a
narrow space with SCOP on makes it a great wall of defense (since most direct
units get totally obliterated by full health Megas). She counters Lash's powers
really well with her [terrain] star reducing skills (especially SCOP) and turns
a 8-star defense from Lash's SCOP on HQs and mountains into a disappointing 2
stars. Playing with Sonja is more for the defending side of attacking than the
'destroy anything' tactics from Grimm, Max, and other direct boosters. Her
short power meter is absolutely awesome for quick SCOP or even mass Tag power
use (She gets a great firepower bonus with her daddy, comes in handy if you end
with Sonja). The only really annoying opponents for Sonja are long range
fighters (Grit of course) and Bomber/Stealth uses (Eagle can be devastating).
==========================
13. People I want to Thank
==========================
Xenesis for the incredibly helpful CO Stats FAQ and for clarifying how Sonja's
Bad Luck functions. Thanks Xen!
Crystal Guard 292 for organizing and supporting the FAQ writers at Wars World
News. We all appreciate it Crystal.
Terragent and ThrawnFett because their excellent FAQs inspired me to start
writing my own.
ThrawnFett (again) for inviting me to join Wars World News in the first place.
Chicobo for contributing to the Sonja vs Colin section and for noticing an
error (to put it lightly) with the Sonja vs Grimm section.
Imano Ob for noticing a typo I made with the Sonja vs Jugger section.
Crystal Guard 292 (again) for contributing to the Sonja vs Kanbei and Sonja vs
Eagle sections.
Red Dragon Slayer for contributing an opinion on Sonja.
Finally, this CO guide is dedicated to all soldiers eaten by Ooziums.
============
End of Guide
============
