Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Sami FAQ
April 7, 2005
V. 1.0
By: Danny Bourque (Ebooz)
E-mail:
[email protected]
Copyright 2005 Danny "Ebooz" Bourque
********TABLE OF CONTENTS********
1. Legalities
2. Introduction
3. Sami
4. Sami's Powers
5. Sami's Units
6. Strategies
7. Facing other COs
8. Closing
********LEGALITIES********
This FAQ is copyrighted by me, and should not be found on any other site of
GameFAQs. If you want it on your site, you'll have to e-mail me. If I don't
respond to you within a week, try e-mailing again.
********INTRODUCTION********
Hi, I'm Ebooz, and, at this point, a newcomer to the GameFAQs board (though
I've been visiting GameFAQs for a number of years now). I've been playing
around a year's worth of Advance Wars at thispoint in time with my friends at
school (though I didn't actually get the game until a few months ago, due to
the fact I didn't have a GBA until recently).
Regardless of the genre of game, I've always enjoyed close-combat; when I
first started playing Advance Wars with my friends, I started using Sami and
Max a lot. However, despite Max's overall power, a lot of other small benefits
of Sami began to have her take precedence over Max for me: the fact that she
could use very basic and inexpensive units to inflict high damage, her faster
capture rate, and her intimidating CO powers (especially her SCO power).
The strategies in this FAQ are not the be-all, end-all way to use Sami;
however, I feel I am a pretty good strategist, and I will be glad if somebody
finds a tip or strategy that they can incorporate into their own battle plans,
whether or not they are a Sami user.
Without further ado, the FAQ!
********SAMI********
Sami's personality is very appealing to me: her bravery, willpower and
foresight are qualities that I like to see in people, and is also one of the
reasons I enjoy playing as her. Chances are, with most COs (and characters in
other games, as well), their personality will reflect their fighting or
playing style as well, and Sami's playing style itself has a lot of strengths
that jump out to me.
STRENGTHS
1. +30% attack power for infantry and mechs.
2. 150% capture rate (rounded down).
3. +1 move for transportation units (APCs, Transport Copters and Landers;
does not include Cruiser).
STRENGTHS IN-DEPTH
1. The game's most basic and inexpensive units are very powerful with Sami,
and her foot soldiers are probably the best overall in the game. Of course,
while Sensei has 10% more attack than Sami with foot soldiers, her infantry
and mechs have higher capture rates and can gain even more power and move
range with her powers.
2. A higher capture rate means that Sami's troops can take more punishment
while capturing properties; while she, too, needs at least 2 days to
capture a property (unless Victory March is in effect), she only needs a
total of 14 HP to capture a property; anyone else needs 20 HP total to
capture a property in 2 days.
14 HP CHART:
(10 * 1.5) + (4 * 1.5) = 15 + 6 = 21
(9 * 1.5) + (5 * 1.5) = 13 + 7 = 20
(8 * 1.5) + (6 * 1.5) = 12 + 9 = 21
(7 * 1.5) + (7 * 1.5) = 10 + 10 = 20
As you can see, the fact that Sami doesn't need full health to capture a
property makes her much more reliable for taking big chunks out of the enemy's
income while adding to her own.
3. Getting additional move for transportation units means that you can get
your troops to where they need to be quicker; always a plus.
WEAKNESSES
1. -10% attack for non-infantry direct combat units.
2. SCO Power takes a while to charge (8 stars).
WEAKNESSES IN-DEPTH
1. Sami's recons, tanks, medium tanks, neotanks, anti-airs, battle copters,
fighters, bombers, subs and cruisers get a small attack drop; however, its
nothing devastating, and her directs should still be able to dish out good
damage.
2. Victory March takes a long while to build up; however, there are really
only a few times when you should use it (as discussed later), so that
should not be too huge of a problem.
MISC.
1. Indirect units have no strengths or weaknesses (Artillery, rockets,
missiles, battleships).
OVERALL
To use any CO effectively, you should exploit your strengths and cover your
weaknesses, while being prepared for anything. For example, Sami's mechs can
outdamage her tanks, so mechs would make up more of her main force, generally.
However, that does not make her tanks useless compared to her mechs; I will
explain uses for her tanks later on.
********SAMI'S POWERS********
CO POWER : DOUBLE TIME
Cost : 3 Stars
Benefits : 1. Infantry and mechs gain +20% attack (totalling 150%).
2. Infantry and mechs gain +1 move.
Double Time is rather underrated, in my opinion; it's not a bad power at all.
It's just very situational, and usually, by the time a scenario appears that
would require the use of Double Time, Victory March would already be charged,
and it would more than likely be a better choice of power for a particular
strategy.
However, there are times when Double Time would be a good choice:
-If there are a large number of enemies or cities nearby, your infantry and
mechs can reach them; also, Double Time can be useful if your mechs are
standing just outside the range of several artillery (not including Max's or
Grit's; Max's have less range and mechs can get by them easily, while Grit's
have more range, preventing this tactic from working), you can use Double
Time and devastate the many artillery your opponent has without going into
their range at all.
-A Double Double Time is possible (=P); however, I can't seem to see much use
for it aside from the fact that your units will have +10% defense for 2 turns
in a row. 2 Double Times have the same increased move range as 1 Victory
March, as well. I mention this only so that someone else may be able to find
a strategic use for it.
SCO POWER : VICTORY MARCH
Cost : 8 Stars
Benefits : 1. Infantry and mechs gain +50% attack (totalling 180%).
2. Infantry and mechs gain +2 move.
3. Infantry and mechs can capture ANY property, regardless of HP.
In the hands of a strategic player, Victory March is one of the most
intimidating powers in the game. Infantry get 5 spaces of move, while mechs
get 4, and their attack power is devastating. The most noticeable benefit of
this power is the new capture rate; you can capture anything, regardless of
HP.
The timing of Victory March is very important, and there are times where your
Power Bar may be filled for a long time before its use. Sure, you could use
Victory March and capture those 2 or 3 cities and demolish those few tanks...
but you could wait a turn or two, when you might be able to capture 6 or 7
cities and demolish dozens of units in one turn, instead. Of course, be
reasonable, too. It may not be so great an idea when an army of bombers is
coming to destroy you and block you from accessing properties if you wait too
long. It's really more of a judgement call, but try to make the best use of
your power and use it when you can get the most out of it, by capturing as
many properties and taking down as many enemy units as possible.
This is what makes Sami so devastating in a number of ways; she can break
stalemates a little easier with Victory March, by not only taking down her
enemies' troops, but their production levels, as well. Just having it charged
can make your foes fear your foot soldiers as much as your bombers and
battleships. :D
********SAMI'S UNITS********
INFANTRY
You'll be using these early on for capturing purposes until you have enough
saved up for mechs. While they do get 5 spaces for Victory March, their
movement cost over mountains and rivers (2) can hurt, so keep that in mind.
Still, they pack quite a punch to other infantry and mechs with Sami's
30% attack bonus.
MECHS
Undoubtedly, the backbone of Sami's forces. They're strong on their own, and
their strength becomes extremely beastly under the effects of her powers.
They only have 3 ammo for their primary weapon, but I don't see it as a huge
problem; more often than not, I'm joining hurt units together or capturing
properties with them, so they hardly run low on ammo for me. Of course,
though, other units WILL be required to back them up, since their move range
is very small (only 2). Fortunately, though, their movement cost over all
terrain that they can cross is 1 (unless it's snowing), so they can almost
always move 2 spaces.
RECON
You probably won't be making much use of these on your offensive force; I
usually just put some in forests where there are no nearby mountains for my
mechs in Fog of War, so I can keep an eye on things, but usually, my mech
flood handles a large portion of the reconaissance. =P Also, I use them
in my "Early Recon" tactic (explained later).
APCS
Handy early on for capturing too far away to reach normally. Handy later on
for refuelling units. I usually have any of my leftover APCs trailing along
beside indirect units such as rockets to keep them in top condition. Also
handy for giving air and sea units more fuel. An extra space move is
also a very useful thing to have.
TANKS
Of course, Sami's mechs do outdamage her tanks. However, her tanks are still
very useful. Their defense and move range (6) are much better than a mech's
is, and they are great for guarding properties and clogging choke points.
Depending on the terrain, have a tank or two accompany your main force. I
personally find that Sami's tank units should be used for defensive purposes
rather than offensive; of course, her tanks are still strong, but as I said,
I prefer using them defensively.
MEDIUM TANKS
I really don't use these too much; for Sami, they're a little too expensive
for me, and I would probably put the money toward something else, such as a
bomber (terrain advantages), or rockets (range advantages). Still, I would
use them in the same manner as tanks, although they are much stronger,
offensively and defensively than a normal tank.
NEOTANKS
Similar to the Medium Tank usage, although they are tougher and have better
move than a medium tank.
ANTI-AIR
It's good to have a few of these in your main force if there are airports and
the terrain consists of mostly land (as opposed to islands). On top of taking
down aerial threats, they are very strong against foot soldiers.
ARTILLERY
Artillery are handy to have during a mech flood, as they can soften up your
foes before the mechs strike. However, during a mech flood, I find that the
mechs take up a good deal of space, and since mechs do die easier than tanks,
your artillery may not get great range, since more mechs will be needed to
cover them, due to the mechs' low defense. I usually just leave them in
certain areas next to APCs as snipers, as a result; however, this doesn't
mean that they should be considered unusable in your main force.
ROCKETS
Rockets have a greater range than artillery, which would make them ideal to
go with mech floods (also, since mech floods are not incredibly expensive,
rockets may be easier to purchase). Just remember to keep an APC nearby,
whether they're sniping or part of the main force to keep them refueled.
MISSILES
I usually keep these handy for island warfare where planes are a factor; keep
some near your important properties, and some on your main force, so that you
can be ready for any aerial menace that crosses paths with you.
TRANSPORT COPTERS
These function in the same way as APCs, except they can cross any terrain
(except pipes) and they can't refuel other units. Once again, the additional
move range is helpful here.
BATTLE COPTERS
These little darlings are awesome for a few reasons. First, they're effective
against almost any unit. Second, they can move over any terrain except pipes.
Finally, they come out at a low price of $9000 (or the cost of 3 mechs). Great
to have a good number of these handy, but don't ignore your mechs for these;
they ARE your main force in this, after all.
FIGHTERS
When airports are around, I find it best to keep around 2 or 3 of these handy
(when you get the money, that is). They are more than likely the best way for
dealing with those bombers that are harassing your mechs.
BOMBERS
I love these things to death; their power and terrain advantages are amazing,
and the fact that very few units can hurt them put them on a whole other level
from other units. I usually get these to support my mech flood by taking out
some of the heavier oppostion (medium and neotanks).
LANDERS
Very useful for taking up to two units long distances; I usually stick with
transport copters, if available, unless I need to take rockets or tanks
somewhere, though. The extra move is also invaluable for, depending on the
map, getting your units where they need to be on time.
SUBS
Useful for recon in Fog of War, and also great for handling enemy battleships.
In naval battles, I always make sure I have some near the enemy's navy and
some near my battleships as protection.
CRUISERS
Great for enemy subs, and for protecting T Copters (and any soldiers inside)
from missiles and fighters. Make sure to keep some near your battleships to
protect them from subs, battle copters and bombers.
BATTLESHIPS
Very awesome, indeed. Their huge range is great for both injuring enemy units
at great distance and for scaring away enemy rockets (unless the opposition
is Grit). Try to get several of these to back-up your main force.
********STRATEGIES********
MECH FLOOD
There is more than likely no FAQ out there that does not have this strategy
for Sami. =P It's a simple strategy in itself; build as many mechs as possible.
Of course, since mechs are rather inexpensive, you can easily save up for
other bigger units, such as rockets, battleships, fighters and bombers. Use
rockets and battleships to slam enemy units and soften them up for your mechs,
and use fighters and bombers to get rid of enemies that cause too much trouble
for your mechs.
MANAGING A MECH FLOOD EFFICIENTLY
Of course, managing a mech flood is very important, as well. To make a mech
flood at peak efficiency, make sure that you see what the mechs furthest away
are able to attack, rather than check what the ones closest can go after.
Example:
M - Mech
E - Enemy
- - Terrain
= - Impassable Terrain (for mechs)
Layout:
======
======
MM-EE-
======
======
If Front Mech attacks first:
======
======
M-M-E-
======
======
As you can see, the back mech can only move forward one space, and no one can
attack the remaining enemy. However...
If Back Mech attacks first:
======
======
-MM-E-
======
======
Then the front mech can now attack the enemy behind it.
======
======
--MM--
======
======
This is a very simple example, but it's very important to keep in mind when
you may be managing around 10+ mechs, and there are multiple enemies
everywhere, so that you can defeat or damage as much of the opposition as
possible.
Also, if you can get a mech to move to more defensive terrain (even if its
going from roads to plains) without interfering with the rest of the mech
flood, do it. It's best if the mech from the safer terrain attacks before
any from other terrain, so that the first attacker sustains less damage.
One last thing: take advantage of Sami's improved capture rate and go for
properties with your mech flood, as well. It helps to hurt the enemy in their
wallet, as well as their armies.
EARLY RECON
This is a tactic I only use at the beginning of small maps with a good deal
of road. If you can afford it, make a recon (or 2, if you feel you can handle
it), and send them up ahead to prevent the enemy soldiers from capturing
properties (this will be a little more difficult to pull off if your opponent
is also Sami). This can help slow down enemy forces, and the enemy may make a
mech or a tank or any other more expensive unit in response, as opposed to
infantry, to deal with the recon. Even though your recon may die, you may buy
enough time for your mechs to get there and demolish the other infantry trying
to capture properties as well as easily dispose of the recon killer/mech/tank.
Not a tactic to rely on, but I had fun using it. =P
MECH FLOOD GROUPINGS
It's best if you have several different groupings of mech floods to deal with
all sides of a battle. For example, in Spann Island in the War Room, send
mechs both north and east in two different groups to surround the opponent.
This way, you can deal more damage to the enemy army in total, because you
have more units doing damage.
Example:
One attack
M - Mech
E - Enemy
- - Terrain
= - Impassable Terrain (for mechs)
One sided attack:
=================
=-----------EEEE=
=-----------EEEE=
=----=======EEEE=
=----=======EEEE=
=----=======EEEE=
=----=======EEEE=
=---MMMMMMMMEEEE=
=---MMMMMMMMEEEE=
=================
In the example, only 2 mechs can fight at a time, while the others sit there
and do nothing (obviously, you would have indirects for such a situation, but
I am just trying to show a simple example of what I mean).
Two sided attack:
=================
=-------MMMMEEEE=
=-------MMMMEEEE=
=----=======EEEE=
=----=======EEEE=
=----=======EEEE=
=----=======EEEE=
=-------MMMMEEEE=
=-------MMMMEEEE=
=================
Here, 4 mechs are attacking the enemy, surrounding the enemy. Like I said,
this is a very simple example. In general, make as many groups (which SHOULD
include more than just mechs) and have them deal with each major area. If the
enemy is hardly guarding one area, your mech group can easily take it out and
capture the area.
********FACING OTHER COS********
VS ANDY
When facing Andy, make sure you destroy the units you face, rather than weaken
them (unless he just used his powers, or has nearly nothing charged up), or he
can restore up to 5 points to each for free (7 if they're on a town, though
this costs money for him), saving him a lot of time and money for repairs and
getting his army to be fully functional with increased attack and move. Make
sure you chase that escaping bomber or fleeing neotank, or you will pay!
VS SAMI
Ugh. Facing yourself... -_-. This can be tricky, and you may have to use more
tanks than usual to handle the mechs and guard your properties. Also, nothing
can discourage a mech who snuck in back to Victory March your HQ more than a
huge Neotank to guard it. =P
VS MAX
You may want to build more indrects than usual, since your indirects can
scare his away. =P Also, his direct units may be a little too much for your
mech flood, so even more indirects can help. Have some tanks on standby to
help defend against his beastly strong powers (and don't forget Max's
increased move range with his powers).
VS NELL
I actually face off against Nell quite a bit when playing the CPU. Her power
is plain deadly, and her super power, more often than not, seems to be an
instant death power to my mechs and takes more than a chunk out of any copters
and tanks I build. Even weakened units of hers are devastating. Like Andy,
kill what you can before she uses her powers.
VS HACHI
Yeah, Hachi... the guy who can build on cities with his SCO. Luckily for you,
Sami's strength is taking properties. =P If his SCO is charged or nearly
charged, make sure you have units of any sort blocking his cities; this may
prevent a human player of Hachi from using it.
VS OLAF
Watch out for his powers. That mech nicely positioned for a Victory March 4
spaces from HQ won't be able to win you the game if Olaf uses Blizzard and
slows it down. Against Olaf, think a few steps ahead of your opponent and
try to see how he plans to use his powers to devastate you.
VS GRIT
Oh, boy... this guy can clobber mech floods easily, since his artillery's
range is so great, a mech can't get ANYWHERE near him without getting
clobbered (unless you use Victory March). Make use of battle copters and
tanks, since they got a great move range, and battle copters can't be hit by
artillery (missiles are a much different story). Take down as many indirects
as possible, or he will destroy you with Super Snipe. O_o
VS COLIN
His units are slightly weaker, but then, he gets more money to buy other units
and enhance his powers. Take properties when you can; the less money Colin has
access to, the weaker his powers will be.
VS KANBEI
Kanbei can be pretty tricky to fight. Indirect units are handy for dealing
with his super tough units. Air units can devastate a lot of his ground
units, too (since most can't counterattack them). Remember that Kanbei's units
are very expensive, so make every kill count. Also, be careful when attacking
him when he uses Samurai Spirit; it may be better to just get indirects to
attack and get your mechs to go after any weakened units (so it may be best to
damage many of his units rather than kill them, at times).
VS SONJA
Watch out for Sonja's strong counterattacks. You may want to build more
indirects to deal with this.
VS SENSEI
His foot soldiers are a little stronger than Sami's, so make sure you get the
first strike on any mech floods he has. Also, cover/capture any cities you can
to lower the effectiveness of his powers. Keep some anti-air, missiles or
fighters handy for his powerful copters.
VS EAGLE
Lightning Strike is VERY scary (as scary as Victory March IMO O_o), and it may
be best to weaken as many of his units as possible before he can use it, so
his offense won't be as effective, or he may just not use it at all (human
player).
VS DRAKE
Drake's powers can be quite annoying, but it shouldn't bother your mech flood
too much. Like I said earlier, I usually join some of my weakened mechs
together, so they can get their health and their "fuel" back. Of course, keep
an eye on other units (especially air and navy) and keep a few extra APCs
handy.
VS JESS
My second favourite CO. :) All of her land units (save foot soldiers) are
above average, and her air and navy (except battleships) are as strong as
Sami's. Keep a few tanks handy for defense and don't forget that Jess' powers
completely refuel all of her units (ammo included).
VS FLAK
You can face Flak the way you would face Nell, though toned down a lot more.
However, don't underestimate Flak (actually, you shouldn't underestimate
ANYBODY), as Barbaric Blow can seriously devastate you... or it might not
(though I find he has more of a chance to do normal or improved damage).
VS LASH
Watch out for her added offense from terrain, and go for indirects that are on
cities or her HQ first. Her Super Power can completely destroy you if you are
within range, so keep a space of distance from mountains, and stay out of
range of any indirects on cities, HQ or in forests and reefs when her Super
Power activates.
VS ADDER
He gets his powers quite often, so prepare for his units to have higher than
normal move and +10% defense more often than other COs.
VS HAWKE
His units are above average, but his CO powers take a while to charge, meaning
you don't have to worry too much about his powers at first. Be careful,
though, as Black Storm can heal his units (making them stronger, in that
sense) while weakening yours, so be wary of any large forces or nearby
powerful units.
VS STURM
Well, we all love facing off against Sturm, right? Well, some of us... I
guess. Mech flood groupings are very important here; when Strum uses Meteor
Strike, you'll need to get a nearby group to back up the old group. Also,
watch out for his increased offense and defense. Don't forget: even a mech
pounded by Meteor Strike can Victory March Sturm to death. =P
********CLOSING********
This is my way of using Sami to face off against the oppostion in Advance Wars
2; this does not mean that my way is the greatest, or the worst. It is up to
you to experiment and incorporate anything I mentioned in this FAQ into your
strategy and keep in mind any other things I mentioned. This guide is here to
help people realise things they may not have thought about and to improve
any aspects they feel need improving.
Thanks go to CJayC for GameFAQs. A great place, indeed. :D
Jax Omen's Advanced Tactics Guide gave me a new look at playing Advance Wars
2, the same way I want others to look at the game from my guide.
Terragent's and ThrawnFett's CO FAQs were what made me want to write a CO FAQ
to begin with, and their deep CO analysis was inspirational to me, and made
me want to do the same with Sami.
And, finally, to my friends, who got me hooked on this game to begin with.
Thanks. =P
Happy Victory Marching. =P
Danny "Ebooz" Bourque
[email protected]
Copyright 2005 Danny Bourque
