ADVANCE WARS: DUAL STRIKE *
TAG POWERS FAQ v. 1.0 *
BY THEUNRULY1 *
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COPYRIGHT 2007 THEUNRULY1
Yeah, yeah, no ASCII. Whatever.
Table of CONTENTS:
How to Use This Guide [HOW]
Eagle and Andy: Air Lift [AIR]
Kanbei and Sonja: Battle Standard [BAT]
Grit and Max: Big Country [BIG]
Flak and Lash: Bruise Cruise [BRU]
Kanbei and Javier: Code of Honour [COD]
Adder and Koal: Creepy Crawly [CRE]
Eagle and Sami: Earth and Sky [EAR]
Jugger and Kindle: Fireworks [FIR]
Kindle and Koal Flashpoint [FLA]
Sonja and Sami: Girl Power [GIR]
Jess and Javier: Green Flash [GRE]
Hachi and Sensei: Grizzled Vets [GRI]
Jess and Javier: Heavy Metal [HEA]
Jake and Rachel: Orange Crush [ORA]
Jugger and Koal: Power Surge [POS]
Andy and Max: Power Wrench [POW]
Hawke and Lash: Rebel Yell [REB]
Sensei and Grimm: Rolling Thunder [ROL]
Hawke and Andy: Shaky Alliance [SHA]
Olaf and Grit: Snow Patrol [SNO]
Eagle and Drake: Stormwatch [STO]
Sasha and Colin: Trust Fund [TRU]
Rachel and Nell: Windfall [WIN]
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HHHHHHHH [HOW]
HHH HHH ow to use this guide
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Entry Info
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POWER - the Power boost that the COs get, on top of all the other boosts from
the Powers, when they use a Tag Power together.
CO AFFINITY - the amount of stars listed in the game for the two COs. Each star
gives the other CO an extra 5% Luck. Only COs with Stars have named Dual
Strikes.
CHARGES - the amount of time that the CO's Powers take to charge up. Each star
in-game is filled up by receiving 9,000 G worth of damage. Your Power meter
charges up at twice that length from damage you do to the enemy. The highest
charge is always listed first.
EFFECTS - What each of the CO's Powers do.
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Things to Know
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Eagle and Hawke have the longest CO Power Charges - $81,000 or 9 Stars.
Koal, Adder, Hachi, and Sonja all have the shortest charges - $45,000 or 5
stars.
The CO not on the battlefield gains Power slower.
ALL CO Powers, on top of EVERYTHING else that raises Power and Defense, Powers
give +10% Power and +10% Defense.
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Eagle & Andy: Air Lift [AIR]
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Power: 115
CO Affinity: 2
Charges: $81,000 (Eagle), $54,000 (Andy)
Effects:
All non-infantry units get a second turn.
All units +20% Power, +1 Movement, restore 5 HP.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Always start this power with Eagle - his power does absolutely
nothing when you use him as the second CO (you're getting another turn anyways)
*****
This power simply rocks - it might just be the best combat-oriented power in
the game. I will use a map to illustrate simply how awesome this is - a big
direct-combat brawl. You fight Max. Your Fighters, Copters, and Tanks have
taken a beating. You decide to send them out on a souped-up last stand - and on
your THIRD turn of using them, they're rejuvenated, ready to kick butt again.
And that's what this power is about - kicking your enemy hard in the a** by
making him watch all his efforts to counter your two-turn ownage get washed
away.
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Kanbei and Sonja - Battle Standard [BAT]
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Power: 130
CO Affinity: 3
Charges: $63,000 (Kanbei), $45,000 (Sonja)
Effects:
All units +40% Power and Defense. Counterattacks are double strength.
All units gain 1 Vision and can see through woods and reefs. Counterattacks are
stronger. Reduces terrain stars by three.
****
This Tag gives a HUGE power boost, and makes Kanbei a god of war (70% Offense,
40% Defense? OUCH!). Kanbei crushes the opposition, while Sonja amplifies the
Power. In Fog of War, Sonja should lead. Kanbei gets to show off his stuff at
the end and during the enemy's next turn. Plus, this helps you (with the huge
vision) to get your bearings on the battle before the big sweep. Outside of
FOW, if you're still using Sonja for one reason or another, keep Kanbei at the
end for the extremely beefy counterattacks. The reaction your enemy will get
will mostly consist of "Why the hell won't I do any damage?!". If the enemies
use this on YOU, just skip your turn, it's much better than trying to fight
Kanbei on this power.
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Max and Grit - Big Country [BIG]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 2
Charges: $54,000 (Max & Grit)
These two COs rely on each other, since they're opposites. On Max's turn, you
position your indirects and own with your directs. On Grit's turn, you position
your directs (into a shield) and own with your Indirects. The question is, who
leads? That's tough. If Grit leads, Max gets to hit back hard on the enemy
turn. if Max leads, he can position the indirects for Grit. Grit seems like the
better choice, so make sure you're all set before you use it. It's a pity Max
traded his +2 Movement for higher power since AW2, 'cuz that would make this
power awesome.
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Flak and Lash - Bruise Cruise [BRU]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $63,000 (Lash), $54,000 (Flak)
Effects:
Dispersion increases. Can do up to +95% Power or as low as -45% Power.
Terrain stars are doubled (each star = +5% power). Movement costs are always 1.
****
Lash owns at being last in Dual Strikes. Just get Flak to blast onto some tough
terrain, and Lash to hold it. The nice thing is, if you're around this tough
terrain, Lash can cover up Flak's bad luck. It's great for taking strategic
land, like taking a factory area and pushing your enemy away from it. Other
than that, it's another meh-ish power. Great for infantry (cities and
mountains), and great forcapturing cities while pushing the foe away from them.
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Kanbei and Javier - Code of Honour [COD]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $63,000 (Kanbei), $54,000 (Javier)
Effects:
All units +40% Power & Defense. Counterattacks are stronger.
Units gain triple bonuses from com towers. All units +60% indirect defense.
****
Bah. Javier's only good with com towers, right? True. His power's presence in
this Tag is rather useless unless you have the towers. If you do, though, it's
breathtaking watching the two most unstoppable fighters the game has to offer
team up. Regardless of how many com towers you have (yes, even, say, 6, like
Megalopolis), end it with Kanbei. Why? Well, on the first turn, Javier's mad
skillz let him prepare for the Emperor's arrival by owning while taking no
damage. On the second, Kanbei makes the enemy have to deal with double
counterattacks. This power will commonly generate the "Why the hell won't I do
any damage?!" and "How'd you do so much damage?!" reactions.
(Side note...on Javier's turn here, INFANTRY usually stand off against NEOTANKS
while taking NO DAMAGE... o_O;;;)
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Koal and Adder - Creepy Crawly [CRE]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $45,000 (Koal & Adder)
Effects:
All units +2 Movement. Bonus on roads becomes +30%.
All units +2 Movement.
****
Seriously, this is just weird. These COs are IDENTICAL, except for Koal's Road
boost. Therefore, it doesn't matter who leads, but Adder might be better
because Koal gets his bonus on the enemy turn. Anyways, your units will be very
mobile indeed on this Power. Use it to run, charge, or my favorite, make your
Infantry run marathons to capture far-off cities, including the HQ. Aside from
these things, you could run Indirects up to the front line and then fire or fly
your air force a hell of a long way (Fighters 22 MOVE? OMGZ). It's very
verastile, but weird. Charges quickly, too.
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Eagle & Sami: Earth And Sky [EAR]
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Power: 120
CO Affinity: 3
Charges: $81,000 (Eagle), $72,000 (Sami)
Effects:
All non-infantry units get a second turn.
Infantry +70% Power, +2 Movement and can capture in 1 turn.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Always start this power with Eagle - his power does absolutely
nothing when you use him as the second CO (you're getting another turn anyways)
*****
Holy hell, where do I start? Known as the best Tag Power in the game, not only
do you get three turns in all (like Eagle's two other awesome powers), but on
the last you have the potential to win the game just like that. This CO Pairing
often produces an instant victory on this Power, and is often forbidden for
players' "Hard Challenges". The way to play it is simple; HAVE A TRANSPORT
READY!! On Eagle's turn, play out the battle, taking the win from your
opponent. Move your T Copter into position, you have 12 spaces of movement to
comply. Unload the Infantry by the HQ, and on Sami's turn, BAM! You just won.
Get what I mean? Of course, it's good for other pwnage things, like smashing
into enemy territory and taking all their cities.
The only drawback? This power takes excruciatingly long to charge up. Both COs
have huge power meters, taking up vast amounts of stars. But you know the
saying - you get what you pay for. More, in this case!
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Jugger and Kindle - Fireworks [FIR]
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Power: 105
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $63,000 (Jugger), $54,000 (Kindle)
Effects:
Dispersion increases. Can do up to +95% Power or as low as -45% Power.
Base power becomes +130%. +3% Power for every city owned, including the HQ.
****
Just another meh-ish power with one perk...this is the absolute best power to
use when in a base-blocking situation. Over double the standard power on cities
can hurt your opponent a hell of a lot when they're trying to get you off their
base. Jugger, with his luck, can easily break onto a base. Once he gets a unit
on the base, Kindle just hangs out on top of it, smashing up things that try
and stop her. It's that cool.
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Kindle and Koal - Flashpoint [FLA]
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Power: 105
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $54,000 (Kindle), $45,000 (Koal)
Effects:
All units +2 Movement. Bonus on roads becomes +30%.
Base power becomes +130%. +3% power for every city owned, including the HQ.
****
The larger the map, the bigger the ownage. Here, Koal gets to truly show off
his incredible Tag leading skills. The 2 Movement and Road bonus put Kindle in
Position A - roads are never far from cities, making this a marvelous "HQ
Invasion" power. An interesting mechanic is put into play with Kindle's Power
of Cities ( =D ), so get your capturing half-done before you use the Strike. If
we're taking this to be one of those HQ Invasions, you'll want to do some
base-blocking, and you'll own at that, but not to the magnitude that you would
with Fireworks. Get Koal to bust onto the bases and Kindle to solidify on top
of them.
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Sonja and Sami - Girl Power [GIR]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $72,000 (Sami), $45,000 (Sonja)
Effects:
Increase vision by 2 and can see through woods and reefs. Counterattacks are
stronger. Enemy terrain stars reduced by 3.
Infantry +70% Power, +2 Movement and can capture in 1 turn.
****
This is, hands down, the ultimate Fog of War power. The strategy is simple to
use and often produces in instant win, just as Earth and Sky. The way you pull
it off takes full advantage of the COs' abilities. You station yourself by the
HQ with Recons and Infantry. Sonja leads - as she should - and you get full
vision to the HQ. If it's clear, on the switch you do the whole "BAM! You WIN!"
thing. If it isn't, well, clear it up with the lowered terrain stars and power
boost.
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Jess and Javier - Green Flash [GRE]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $54,000 (Jess & Javier)
Effects:
Vehicles +50% Power. All units' fuel and ammo is filled up.
+60% Defense against Indirects. Com tower effects are tripled.
****
Javier is a useless partner if there aren't com towers, but here we take a
situation where there are (otherwise, you wouldn't use him, right?). Starting
the power with Jess is the smart choice, that way the ammo and fuel is topped
up and Javier can keep his defenses through the opponent's next turn. Don't
forget about Jess' movement bonus on vehicles, because that helps you get
Javier into charging position.
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Hachi and Sensei - Grizzled Vets [GRI]
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Power: 100
CO Affinity: 2
Charges: $54,000 (Sensei), $45,000 (Hachi)
Effects:
Units are reduced to 50% price and can be built from any city.
B Copters +30% Power. Mech units with 9 HP appear on all your cities, ready for
orders.
****
Very strange...the COs have a 2 star affinity yet the power is still 100%.
Never mind that - it's awesome. Either of them can lead at the others'
disadvantage - Hachi is the one producing the least disadvantage. What could be
better than pumping half price units out of any city you like and then using
them all in one turn? That's a true showing of how broken Hachi is. If Sensei
leads, he gets Mechs on the cities, moves them, and then Hachi can build his
cheapo city units - but can't move them on the "same turn" like what would
happen if he led. It's your decision, a cheap shot or a bunch of Mechs.
Personally, I like the cheap shot.
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Jess and Jake - Heavy Metal [HEA]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $54,000 (Jess & Jake)
Effects:
Vehicles +50% Power, +2 Movement. All units' fuel and ammo are filled up.
Vehicles +2 Movement, +1 Range. Bonus on plains becomes +40%.
****
These two COs are very much alike...they both become well-rounded after the use
of the power (110% Power overwrites Jess's penalties), but with heavy emphasis
on vehicles. You can play this power as a more all-around version of Grit
(Jake) and Max (Jess). Grit (Jake) goes first, moving the vehicles into
position and attacking with some indirects (moving the others into range). Max
(Jess) goes next, pulverizing with the vehicles that were placed by Jake (but
unlike Max, also pulverizing with the Indirects).
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Jake and Rachel - Orange Crush [ORA]
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Power: 120
CO Affinity: 2
Charges: $54,000 (Jake & Rachel)
Effects:
Bonus on plains is raised to +40%. Vehicle Range +1, Movement +2.
Three missiles are launched at the enemy.
****
This power is an amazing show-off of how incredible Rachel is in Dual Strikes.
Her power is awesome for any situation and deals oodles of damage to the enemy.
You might be thinking you wanna lead with Rachel, huh? You're sure right - hit
the enemy with the missiles, get Rachel to finish them off, and mow down the
other half of the army with Jake.
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Jugger and Koal - Power Surge [POW]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 2
Charges: $63,000 (Jugger), $45,000 (Koal)
Effects:
Dispersion increases. Can do up to +95% Power or as low as -45% Power.
Bonus on roads is +30% Power. All units +2 movement.
****
Koal always leads. The movement helps Jugger get the selection he wants when
attacking. And an important selection it is, because if he gets lucky, Jugger
can put a hole in any army. Let Koal deal with all the roads, and keep Jugger
on hard terrain so you can't get clobbered when your luck messes up. Jugger and
other COs like him are good at the end of the power, because they have the
potential to strike back very hard during the enmy's next turn (which often
involves a retaliating CO power).
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Andy and Max - Power Wrench [POW]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $54,000 (Andy & Max)
Effects:
All units +30% Power, +1 Movement, restore 5 HP.
Directs +70% Power.
****
It's kind of like Eagle and Andy, but instad of a second turn, your directs get
really, really strong. Either way, you have to maximize Andy's healing
effectiveness. If this power is born as a result of the enemy crushing you,
then Andy should take the lead, so he can fix the units up for Max (and Max can
fight back with his superpowers on the enemy turn). If it built up because
you're doing the crushing, Max should start the power, so he can rampage and
then Andy fixes the units up afterwards.
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Hawke and Lash - Rebel Yell [REB]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $81,000 (Hawke), $63,000 (Lash)
Effects:
All units +2 HP. All enemy units take 2 damage.
Terrain stars are doubled (each star = +5% power). Movement costs are always 1.
****
Just as with all people who raise defenses during their powers, Lash should
end so the boost conitnues over into the next turn. Hawke's power actually
helps Lash a fair bit, because the 2 Damage coupled with the terrain boosts
could make for more 1-hit KOing on Lash's part. It's a perfect power to rush
an HQ with (okay, maybe not as good as Flashpoint), because Hawke softens them
up and Lash can own around the city area.
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Sensei and Grimm - Rolling Thunder [ROL]
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Power: 110
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $54,000 (Sensei & Grimm)
Effects:
B Copters +30% Power. Mech units with 9 HP appear on all your cities, ready for
orders.
All units +60% Power.
****
This power has an incredibly simple execution style. Grimm owns with his 200%
Power, Sensei then comes in to mop up. You may disagree, saying "the Mechs get
an extra turn if you lead with Sensei!", but trust me, you don't want Grimm
hanging around during your opponent's turn after a Dual Strike - a turn where
they typically have a significant amount of steam to let off. You'll get
pulverized if this "steam" means they have full CO Power meters.
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Andy & Hawke - Shaky Alliance [SHA]
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Power: 105
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $54,000 (Andy), $81,000 (Hawke)
Effects:
All units +30% Power, +1 Movement, restore 5 HP.
All units restore 2 HP. All enemy units lose 2 HP.
****
The power might be low, and they might have a "shaky" alliance, but this power
is the ultimate tideturner - you can wrest yourself out of almost anything when
you recover 7 HP and do 2 Damage. The only problem is, who should lead it?
Andy. You get the biggest regeneration first, 1 extra Movement, and a firepower
bonus. Hawke's subtler HP mods recover you from the battles you had on Andy's
turn - the other injuries were long gone from Andy's power. Hawke then mops up
the hurt enemies after his Power. Next turn, the battle situation is completely
different - you're on top.
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Olaf and Grit - Snow Patrol [SNO]
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Power: 115
CO Affinity: 1
Charges: $63,000 (Olaf), $54,000 (Grit)
Effects:
Snow falls for two days, giving a +20% Power bonus. Enemy units take 2 damage.
Indirects +40% Offense and +2 Range.
****
If you've got your mind wide awake, you can tell that Grit should start this
power so he ain't affected by the Snow that Olaf causes to drop (and then Olaf
is switched in on the snow next turn, instead of switching out of it). Well,
what can I say. Artillery with the range of Battleships compliment the fact
that any standing foes will be forced to march through snow next turn. It
withers away your enemy like hell to have indirects raining, supplies draining,
and enemies gaining. =D Definitely a worthy power, especially with the
moderately large power boost.
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Eagle and Drake - Stormwatch [STO]
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Power: 115
CO Affinity: 2
Charges: $81,000 (Eagle), $63,000 (Drake)
Effects:
All non-infantry units get a second turn.
All enemy units take 2 damage and their fuel is halved.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Always start this power with Eagle - his power does absolutely
nothing when you use him as the second CO (you're getting another turn anyways).
****
An incredible power - whatever's left after your sweep gets hurt and disabled.
The fuel especially hurts the enemy's air units (ironic). The only disadvantage
of this power is that Drake and Eagle like different units and can't take
consecutive turns without some good placement. This Tag is great for breaking
up a large army and/or invading the area around a base.
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Sasha and Colin - Trust Fund [TRU]
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Power: 130
CO Affinity: 3
Charges: $54,000 (Sasha & Colin)
Effects:
50% of the damage you inflict is added to your funds.
All units +3.33% Power for every 1,000 G you have.
****
This power is just too cool - you should ALWAYS lead with Sasha, and it shows
why. Let's recap: On Sasha's turn, you GAIN MONEY by ATTACKING. On Colin's
turn, you USE MONEY to gain ATTACK. Their chemistry is so perfect, they
deserve, like, a 5-star rating. There's really not much more to it - Sasha
targets the expensive units and Colin takes care of the owning. Say you gain a
modest total of 15,000 G in your turn - that's already a free 50% Power. Often
you'll find yourself earning upwards of 25,000 G, and that lets you rock the
house with Colin with over 100% power on the next turn.
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Rachel and Nell - Windfall [WIN]
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Power: 130
CO Affinity: 3
Charges: $54,000 (Rachel & Nell)
Effects:
Three missiles are launched at the enemy.
Luck can do up to 100% extra damage (possible instant kills on anything).
****
Well, this power's different from Orange Crush...you DON'T want to lead with
Rachel. Weakening all the enemies before Nell brings in her Lady Luck minimizes
the effect of her power. Nell is a lot better, and can show off a hell of a
lot more, when the enemies are fighting fit. Once they're bruised, Rachel's
nukes can clear up the unlucky battles' remnants. Nell simply pwns in this
power - she gets an outright 30% boost, and therefore has a 30% chance to
instant kill.
