Adder

Black Hole

Adder is the Co-star of Totally Flaked!, and quite often gets beat, shot, impaled, devoured, exploded, or degraded. This snake likes to hisssssssss and play nice and sneaky tricks on YC COs. He is not in the AW:DS campaign unfortunately, but his spirit live on in vs. mode.

Appearance
Man he’s weird. Adder’s body is flexible in ways I hadn’t though possible. He has spiky purple hair, (which is entirely natural, according to resident expert, AtS) and a face that resembles that of a vampire. His coat is black with purple outlines, and he has tall black-and-purple boots with… high heels. Very high heels.

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

All units: 100/100

Other business: Nada.

CO Power
Sideslip **
Effects: Boosts all units’ move by +1. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

The minimalist of powers. Very simple, and very powerful if used correctly. 1 move can be great in air battles when those bombers are always 1 space away from your fighters. Boom! Dead bombers. This power can be used an awful lot, and has many uses which I’m sure you can find out just by playing as Adder. If you are in a tag combo, I’d save up for that, but if you are alone, this is a great power.

Super CO Power
Sidewinder **XXX
Effects: Boosts all units’ move by +2. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

I wouldn’t mind seeing this come down in price by a star. That would make Adder truly awesome. Anyway, this is another cheap power that gives a nice little movement boost. If you need to run your tanks over to kill those pesky AAirs, be my guest. If you can tag, Adder is very good at it because of his short gauge, so I suggest doing that.

Tag Affinities
Koal – 110% Creepy Crawly (*)
Flak – 105%
Lash – 105% (#)
Hawke – 105% (#)

Recommended Tags
# For Lash and Hawke the boost is only in effect if Adder starts the tag. (Thanks to Adder~the~Snake for that info.) Of course, Adder should start the tag anyways, normally. Adder can tag well with just about anyone, especially his good friend Koal…

Koal – The fastest tag in the game. Well, technically Sonja is down there too, but anyways… It’s rather amazing how quickly you can achieve this tag. Though it might not give huge stat boosts, you get a nice 120/110 stats (plus Koal’s road bonuses) and two attacks. This is faster than Eagle’s SCOP, and does a whole lot more stuff. You will be able to move your units amazing distances, and blow stuff to pieces. Koal should start the tag and attack from the roads, and Adder should move to more defendable positions. Other COs are soft. Like cotton candy.

Sonja – OK, so the other fastest tag in the game, and will give Adder some VERY nice defense to work with. Adder should go first, as always, and attack, yadayadayada, Sonja gets the counterattack, and all that shiz. This works very nicely in FoW.

Just about anyone else – Feel good, Adder tags good with you. The speed and excellent supportive nature of his tag makes him nice with everyone. And he has no negative tags! Go Adder!

Changes from AW2 to AW:DS (Rhinofeeder)
With the exception of the 10/10% boost all COs get when they use their CO Powers, Adder didn't change at all.
(Syz: Tagging has been kind to this snake.)

Strategy
Adder’s power lies in tagging. Plain and simple. Though Koal is probably better (Koal has road boosts on top of movement, and all that Adder has over Koal is a slightly shorter COP), Adder can use his COP very often and also enjoys mixing things up with force powers. He works much better with directs than indirects, because indirects can’t really benefit from extra movement. Basically, practice with Adder, learn how to use his powers, and play to your opponent’s weakness. Geez, I sound like a broken record.

Andy

Orange Star

The main character of the first advance wars game, Andy’s wrench has become the symbol of the advance wars games in general. He is a mechanical genius, and somehow manages to magically add another tank into an injured tank unit. Generally considered stupid, he gets confused easily and likes BBQs. It is unknown what he is doing during the AW:DS campaign, but one popular theory is that he is back in Macro Land, engaging in unimportant land wars with Flak and Adder. None the less, Andy has come to represent Advance Wars in general.

Appearance
He wears a red shirt that is the same shade as his pants, which have gotten progressively longer throughout the Advance Wars series. He holds a lone wrench in his hand. (My guess is that max ate the other before the second game.) Nothing else is out of the ordinary. He has brown hair and a strange suspender-like shirt.

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses
All units: 100/100

Other business: None

CO Power
Hyper Repair ***
Effects: Heals all damaged units up to 2 HP. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Compared to Andy’s Super, this seems rather ordinary. However, it does have its uses. Your best bet with this power is to use it in retaliation to another CO’s super power, namely Drake’s, Olaf’s, and Hawke’s. It is truly wonderful to nullify a nine-star SCOP from Hawke with a simple three-star COP. Other than those kinds of situations, you are best to save up for your super.

Super CO Power
Hyper upgrade ***XXX
Effects: Heals all damaged units up to 5 HP. Boosts all units’ attack by +30%. Boosts all units’ move by +1.

To make up for his boring stats, average tags, and rather useless power, Andy is blessed with one of the best SCOPs in the game. On top of the attack boost which allows his powerful units to once hit kill nearly any non-MD/Neo/Megatank on any terrain. The move further increases his deadly power, allowing you to reach those far away losers. The biggest part of his power, however, is its ability to take an injured unit and revitalize it to full strength (Above full strength, actually) with no cost to you. Where any other CO would have to join or heal (at a hefty price and length of time) two five-health neotanks, Andy can heal them for free. Deadly.

Tag Affinities
Eagle – 115% Air Lift (**)
Max – 110% Power Wrench (*)
Hawke – 105% Shaky Alliance (*)
Nell – 105%
Sami – 105%
Von Bolt – 90%

Recommended Tags
Andy does not have any amazing tags, but he has many average ones, so he is versatile. Pick whoever fits the situation best, and you should be good.

Eagle – Not bad. The 115% is the biggest deal here. You can attack, attack again, and then heal all damage from the first two attacks and attack again with a move bonus. You will want to have Eagle out for the majority of the time, to fill their gauges semi-equally. As with all Eagle tags, the strike will be powerful, but take a long time to charge. Also, make sure Eagle starts the tag or course.

Max – 110% never hurt anyone. If you go for the tag break, make sure Andy goes first. Heal all of your units to full health, and do some major damage. Then take the enormous attack boost and wipe out any opposition. Be sure to, as is normal with max, to focus on directs, and not worry about indirects much. This is a really nice combo in open fields and multi-player battles.

Hawke – This is not a great tag combo, but worth mentioning. The tag, though worse than Eagles for the same price, does superfluous healing. Mainly, you will never need to heal you units 7 HP. The 2 damage is not as useful either. Not an amazing tag.

Von Bolt – Don’t do it.

Changes from AW2 to AW:DS (Rhinofeeder)
Well, there aren't really any changes to Andy. He's just a little better from AW2, but that's only because of the 10/10 boost all COs get from their CO Powers now. So now he gets 130/110 units in Hyper upgrade.

Strategy
Do to the uses of Andy’s super power, it is evident that Andy favors stronger units in smaller numbers. They will take damage, instead of getting killed in one hit. They are also more expensive to heal, so you will save much more money with your powers. He slightly favors directs, due to the movement bonus of his SCOP, but that is not very important, so balance your troops. Andy is well rounded, so play to the map or to your opponent’s weakness. His power lies in his versatility, so utilize it.

Colin

Blue Moon

Blue Moon’s little rich boy CO. He came as a n00b in AW2 but has since established himself as a powerful and productive commanding officer. When your friends call Colin “cheap,” they are speaking the truth. You’re exactly 20% cheaper then them. He his uptight and respectful. His hand is frozen in a permanent salute. Gussied up in a nice military outfit that his parents undoubtedly bought for him, he is ready for war.

Appearance
What a short kid. He looks like a war veteran, only half the size. His coat is blue with red highlights and a plethora of gold buttons and other ornaments, including a belt and some sleeve outlines. He wears a tight gold belt as well. He is either very fat, or his coat is just enormous on him. His hat is too big for him, and is blue with red and gold as well. He wears black boots.

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

All units: 90/100

Other business: All units are 80% of normal price.

CO Power
Gold Rush **
Effects: Increases available funds by 1.5. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

This power, along with Colin’s super, can either be really great or really worthless. It all depends on your amount of money. If you have 50000g, then you get a very nice 75000g. A free neotank and more for only two stars. If you were to save up more, you’d get more. However, if you can’t afford to save up for a few turns, this power will be rather useless to you. Your SCOP will be even more useless. The only problem is, that this power gives you not stat boost at all. It cannot help you in combat until a few turns after you use it, so be prepared.

Super CO Power
Power of Money **XXXX
Effects: Increases attack depending on the amount of available money. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

I am not sure on the exact amount of power increase. Help is appreciated. This can easily be one of the most devastating powers in the game, if you have enough money. Though it has been nerfed since the last game, it’s still quite deadly. Basically, save up for a few turns, and then unleash this. Your units will be amazingly powerful. Two battle copters can take down a MD tank. Your fighters can make one-hit kills on other fighters. It all depends on your amount of money.
Bonus: Make a design map and give yourself tons of income, and have some fun with your B copters doing 300+% damage to A-Airs. It’s quite enjoyable.

Tag Affinities
Sasha - 130% Trust Fund (***)
Olaf - 105%
Grit - 105%
Lash - 90%
Von Bolt - 90%

Recommended Tags
Aside from his extremely amazing tag with Sasha, Colin will not get much of a boost from tag breaks. However, he works well with anyone in the game aside from possibly Von Bolt and Lash.

Sasha – Quite possibly the most devastating tag combination in the game. Just take a look at the Break. Not only is Trust Fund a sweet name, but it seems to work perfectly. Sasha starts the tag. Her 140 attack units reek havoc, killing everything and gaining money for everything they kill. Then it’s Colin’s turn. On top of 130 attack units, he gains precious attack power for every unit that Sasha just wiped off the face of the planet. This is one of the few breaks where you will want until after both turns to spend your money. Trust me, it’s worth it. Also, you might want to stick to normal COPs. No powers for the enemy and tons of gold rushes for you. Fun.

Anyone else – Colin works well with anyone, because he can buy the units, and then swap to a CO who is good with them *coughkanbeicough*. For this reason Colin is likely to be banned from most online games and important battles. Like I said, he’s “cheap”.

Von Bolt and Lash – Don’t do it

Changes from AW2 to AW:DS (Rhinofeeder)

Colin's SCO Power, Power of Money, was lowered in effect a little bit. I'm not too sure of the exact stats however.

Strategy
Colin works best on maps with little properties, as he can build many more things than his opponent. He also works well on maps with many properties, which make his powers unbelievably powerful. He also works well on maps with an average amount of properties, because his units are much cheaper than enemy’s units. So in general, Colin can be good just about anywhere you put him.

Drake

Green Earth

Ahoy Mateys! Captain Mop is here. Or Drake or whatever. Yes, Drake. The fat pirate who is always strangely happy and makes strange puns about the sea. Punny. He has a superb personality, and is simply fun because of his appearance and lovability. We luv’ya, Drake.

Appearance
Drake needs a new shirt. It is too small and always has been. At least his tie sticks down. In the last game it stuck at a near-90 degree angle to his belly. He has a blue shirt and pants and a blue tie. He has a happy smile on his face and a nice sailor’s hat on top of it. He really needs to lose weight.

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

Ground Units: 100/100
Air Units: 90/100
Naval Units: 120/100

Other business: None

CO Power
Tsunami ****
Effects: Deals 1 damage to all enemy units (cannot kill). Cuts all enemy units’ fuel in half. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

This is what makes Drake good. His mediocre stats are made up for by his amazing gas-cutting powers. One damage is nice, but its true power lies in the gas. Enemy air and sea units will need APC support to prevent from crashing and burning. So kill the APCs. On sea battles, enemy subs will have a hard time surviving, leaving your powerful battleships to wreak havoc. Use this power often and more often.

Super CO Power
Typhoon ****XXX
Effects: Deals 2 damage to all enemy units (cannot kill). Cuts all enemy units’ fuel in half. Makes it rain. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

I do not find this to be as useful as Tsunami. It simply does not have the gas-cutting power because of its cost. And you get fog of war just like your opponent. (unless you wait till the end of your turn to use it, but then you don’t get the benefit from the two damage…) Overall, if you want to get a nice tag like Eagle, Olaf, or Sonja, then go for this, but alone, I suggest you stick to the COP.

Tag Affinities
Eagle – 115% Stormwatch (**)
Jess – 105%
Hawke – 90%
Von Bolt – 90%

Recommended Tags
Well, nothing too great. He does have some good un-boosted tags, though.

Eagle – This combination is like Grit/Max. You will have powerful units half the time, but only half the time. I do not recommend this, because your boats will own while your planes suck, and vice versa. Also, Drake’s power would be nice to start the tag with, but you can’t do that, of course. At least it has a cool name.

Jess – It will be quite a problem for your opponent; always having to worry about fuel while you never have to. I don’t know if I would break with this. It might be more useful to keep using Tsunamis, and to the offensive stuff with Jess.

Olaf – In the last game, this would have made a terrible tag. In this game, however, it is quite the opposite. Start the break with Drake and endure the vision loss. It is a small price to pay. All units take two damage and have fuel cut in half. Then Olaf goes, rain stops, two more damage, and your opponents can hardly move for fear of running out of fuel. Your opponent now has a ton of 6 HP units with next to no fuel, fighting an enemy with supped up units for 2 turns. Deadly.

Sonja – The break is pretty nice here. Drake goes and gives the enemy FOW. Then Sonja comes out, basically eliminates the FOW, and ends the turn with a nice counterattack bonus. The only problem is it gives rather pathetic stat boosts. So if you like to deal your damage indirectly, it is the tag for you.

Von Bolt – Don’t do it.

Changes from AW2 to AW:DS (Rhinofeeder)
Drake got better and worse at the same time. His naval units now possess 120% attack instead of 120% defense. His air units now have 90% attack instead of 70%, and his CO Powers, with the addition of Fog of War to rain, can either benefit you or work against you. (Syz: Also, Drake’s naval units no longer have their movement bonus. I would say that Drake has improved due to the increased power of the navy in general.)

Strategy
Drake’s power lies in his… powers. Constantly draining the enemy of the ability to fly/sail. Thus, though it may seem strange, Drake is actually good on maps with air units. His are only slightly weaker, contrary to the last game, and you can really stop enemy units in their tracks. And of course, your boats are amazing. Drake needs to be played intelligently, stopping attacks with a power or two, and aiding onslaughts with some helpful FoW. Get some practice, and you should do great.

Eagle

Green Earth

Ah Eagle. The egotistical characternym we all know and love. He has been in every game, and enjoys reading truckfuls of n00b fan-mail everyday. Including myself, until about a week after I found AWBW. Anyway, he likes his lucky goggles, and has an interesting relationship with Sami, which is evident in their conversations throughout the games. Overall, he’s cool, collected, and has a really great quote. The Eagle soars above you!

Appearance
Eagle stands in his arrogant position for the third game in a row. He wears black boots, dark blue pants, and a blue jacket. His “lucky goggles” are strapped around his collar, and his arms are crossed. His stylish silver hair is streaked back in it’s usual position, and his expression is saying, “Are you joking? You don’t stand a chance. I rule.” I miss his scarf from the first game, but his look has improved since AW2.

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

Air Units: 120/100
Ground Units: 100/100
Naval Units: 90/100

Other business: All air units use 2 less fuel per day.

CO Power
Lightning Drive ***
Effects: Allows all units except foot soldiers to move again. Reduces air unit offense by -60%, reduces naval unit offense by -45%, and reduces ground unit offense by -50%. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

This is quite an interesting power. It gives you a double attack for a very cheap price, but you’re attack will be horribly underpowered. Unlike AW1, it does not lower the defense of your units, so they will not take any more damage on your opponent’s turn, though their counterattacks will be seriously lacking. With air units, that is not an enormous problem because most attacks to an air unit will OHKO or severely disable it. Your ground units, however, will suffer a blow. This is a good power when you have a few more units to kill, or have some pesky missiles or other anti-air units to take out. I do not suggest using this in Fog of War. It could cause some problems. Use this, but don’t abuse it. I would consider Eagle’s SCOP and tag to be better.

Super CO Power
Lightning Strike ***XXXXXX
Effects: Allows all units except foot soldiers to move again. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Though nerfed since last game, this still a very devastating power if used correctly. It gives you another turn. You can kill half his units, and then kill the other half the next turn. Make sure that you plan to use it. Do not use it out of impulse, you must strategize. On your first attack, do not worry about being in range of anti-air units. On your second, make sure that they are all dead. Rather simple. If used correctly, this can be the most devastation SCOP in the game. You can unload some units from landers or carriers, and then attack with them. You can move and attack with indirects. Deadly. Remember, foot soldiers CANNOT move again, so it does not matter if you move them before or after the strike. Also, remember to build units BEFORE you use this, so they can move again next turn.

Tag Affinities
Sami - 120% Earth and Sky (***)
Drake - 115% StormWatch (**)
Andy - 115% Skylift (**)
Jess - 105%
Lash - 90%
Von Bolt - 90%
Hawke – 70%

Recommended Tags
Wow, Eagle has quite an assortment of nice tag combinations. And quite an assortment of sucky ones. Make good use of these powers. Of course, with all of Eagle’s tags, Eagle must go, then start the break, and then have the other person go. Lightning Strike does nothing at the beginning of the turn. Thus, all of Eagle’s tags allow you to move your units a whopping three times (foot soldiers twice). Enjoy.

Sami – One of the most feared and deadly tags in the game. Imagine this. You load an infantry into a transport copter. The transport copter moves 6 spaces. Tag. Lightning Strike. The transport copter moves another 6 spaces, and drops off the infantry. Switch. Victory March. The infantry moves 5 spaces, and captures the unguarded HQ, for the win. From 21 spaces away. Not only that, but Eagles bombers raise to extreme power, and Sami’s mechs gain 210% attack on the Victory March. However, it is a VERY expensive tag break, with 9+8 stars. Your problem is going to be getting the power to start the tag, because mechs and air don’t work too well together. Mechs are in danger of air units, so be sure to put some fighters with your mechs. That should keep enemy bombers at bay. Set all your power up for the tag, and go for the win.

Andy – Not bad. The 115% is the biggest deal here. You can attack, attack again, and then heal all damage from the first two attacks and attack again with a move bonus. You will want to have Eagle out for the majority of the time, to fill their gauges semi-equally. As with all Eagle tags, the strike will be powerful, but take a long time to charge. Also, make sure Eagle starts the tag or course.

Drake – This combination is like Grit/Max. You will have powerful units half the time, but only half the time. I do not recommend this, because your boats will own while your planes suck, and vice versa. Also, Drake’s power would be nice to start the tag with, but you can’t do that, of course. At least it has a cool name.

Jess – 105 is nice. Basically, even though you have a slight decrease in fuel usage for Eagle, your air units will still run low in fuel and ammo. Especially stealths. With Jess’s powers, you will be able to keep them in the air for quite a while, and loaded at that. Very nice. Also, remember that Eagle has normal-strength land units, and Jess’ air units are only slightly weaker, so do not be afraid to build both types of units. The break will be very nice, resupplying your units after the second attack. A powerful combination indeed.

Hawke – Definitely don’t do it.

Von Bolt – Don’t do it.

Lash – Seriously. This wouldn’t even be a good combination anyway.

Changes from AW2 to AW:DS (Rhinofeeder)
Eagle now has his good old, 2 turn lightning drive CO Power instead of his AW2 CO Power that just boosted attack. And Eagle no longer gets a power boost from Lightning Strike. His air units also have 120/100% attack now.
(Syz: Tagging also has nice things to say to Eagle. 3 attacks = your friend.)

Strategy
Eagle is cool. His planes are deadly, and he now has some pretty amazing tags to work with. The noob’s biggest problem is: they build all air units. Yes, Eagle has powerful and environmentally friendly (TG go!) air units, but his ground units are just as strong as Andy’s. One A-Air can take out a bomber, but one tank can take out an A-Air. Also, realize that Eagle’s boats are no longer useless. They are far from great, but 90/100 isn’t too bad. Carriers work VERY nicely with your air force, and cruisers protect carriers. Play to the map, and make sure you do a lot of damage with the SCOP. Nine stars isn’t cheap. Eagle can be very powerful.

Flak

Black Hole

Be proud Flak, you have an entire comic to yourself. Ah yes, Totally Flaked!, the comic that has immortalized this mediocre CO for the whole AW online community. Flak is not in the AWDS campaign! What a shame. He must be playing Super Famicom Wars on his SNES or something… Well, I might as well crush down this intro and crush through the rest of this crushing guide. Wow, that was terrible.

Appearance
Flak. He’s so hot right now. Um… never mind. Flak is an ape-man. He’s bent over in his primordial state, and has his fists nicely clenched for crushin’ stuff. He wears a brown shirt that he lacks either the energy or the ability to button up, and his head holds a nice black helmet with spikes and red goggles.

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

All units: 100/100

Other business: Flak’s dispersion rate is +25/-10. (Thanks to Chessrules for all dispersion info.)

CO Power
Brute Force ***
Effects: Boosts dispersion rate to +50/-20. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Yaaarrrrrggggggghhhhh! I’m outta control! Obviously. Flak’s units will be able to do up to 5 more damage or 2 less than the expected damage. This can be deadly. You need to always be prepared for a sucky hit. 5 extra damage is a lot, and on average, an infantry will do about 2 damage to a megatank on a road. Not bad at all, Flak. It’s about 50/50 between this and the SCOP. Use this if it would be a nice situation, but I suggest saving up for the SCOP or tag.

Super CO Power
Barbaric Blow ***XXX
Effects: Boosts dispersion rate to +90/-40. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Wow. It’s not much compared to Nell, but it’s quite an amazing dispersion range. You can do up to 9 extra damage, or down to 4 less. Just always have a back up. Have an extra unit ready if you do less damage then you should, and always be pleasantly surprised when you do a lot more. When you do this, I suggest (and it’s a lot of fun) you go berserk. Pull a Flak and attack everything you can see, no matter if it’s a recon vs. a megatank. You’ll like what you find out, I think.

Tag Affinities
Lash – 110% Bruise Cruise (*)
Adder – 105%

Recommended Tags
Wow, not much to work with. Meh. I think Flak works best going solo.

Lash – Not good. Lash works best on maps with much defensive cover, Flak is the opposite. I do not suggest this tag.

Jugger – Russian Roulette (AWN). Quite insane. With huge dispersion rates for both of the breaks, you will do some major damage. Simply play as you would normally, only more so. Flak and Jugger are so similar, its kind of like tagging with yourself. Either way, it’s a whole lot of fun.

Changes from AW2 to AW:DS (Rhinofeeder)

Flak did not change one bit. And as for the default 10/10 boost all COs get from their CO Powers, I don't see how his dispersion could have changed.

Strategy
Flak is crazy. Though far from the best of COs, he is a lot of fun, especially if your friend/s is also Flak/Jugger. I can’t stress enough the need for backups. Flak (except during his SCOP) requires an immense amount of strategy to play as, because there are so many random factors. Practice, and get a feel for Flak. You just might find yourself liking it.

Grimm

Yellow Comet

Lightning Grimm. The most obscure nickname I can think of. Grimm looks like the very opposite of lightning to me, assuming lightning is fast. Grimm is very fat and likes to eat donuts. A lot of Donuts. He is also very subject to getting poked fun at in sprite comics. Um… other than that, he has a great personality, great music, and great hunger, so without further ado, I present, Grimm the Great.

Appearance
First of all, he’s really fat. Had I mentioned that yet? His enormous belly is supported by some ridiculously small legs. He wears big dark green clothes with brown straps. His arms are crossed, and his face holds an enormous smile. Small dark sunglasses cover his eyes. Also, there is an X-shaped scar on his forehead. Interesting…

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

All Units: 130/80

Other business: None.

CO Power
Knuckleduster ***
Effects: Boosts attack by +20% It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

OK, so it makes Grimm’s units 160/90. That is pretty impressive for such a small power, considering that Overdrive only gives slightly more attack, for nearly twice the price. Your defense is still sub par, but that is not a huge factor. The biggest flaw in this power is that, like Max, it does not give a movement bonus. It is still a very nice power. Use this when you need to do some more damage. I would suggest this power over the super, because it has power already, and 132% does just as much damage as 102%.

Super CO Power
Haymaker ***XXX
Effects: Boosts attack by +50%. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

190% is a lot. A whole lot. A “my two battle copters just killed your neotank” lot. Basically, this is a more powerful Knuckleduster, and it packs some punch. Your goal with this is to destroy as much as possible so they don’t have anything to attack you back. What’s dead can’t hurt you (Unless it’s undead! ZOMBIES!). Your units will be absolutely deadly, but make sure you have enough to destroy the majority of the opponents near-by force.

Tag Affinities
Sensei – 110% Rolling Thunder (*)
Sasha – 105%
Javier – 105%
Von Bolt – 90%

Recommended Tags
Grimm eats tag partners.

Sensei – Not an amazing combo, but worth mentioning. Nothing special. Your copters will get weaker when Grimm is out, and you can choose on Grimm’s bonuses for all of the other units. For the tag, Sensei should go first of course. His newly-made mechs will be deadly, but only up to 5 spaces away. Other than that, it’s not a great tag. You might want to try someone else.

Von Bolt – Don’t do it.

Strategy
Grimm is not very good, in my opinion. I enjoy having my units survive, but that’s just me. True, you will do very well on your turn, but when you’re opponent is up to bat, your units will drop like flies. Use strategy to make sure you don’t put yourself in a bad position. Grimm is good in FoW, because you can hide you units to keep them safe. Always stay on your toes.

Grit

Blue Moon

His laidback style masks his dependability. That’s such a great line. Grit has grown out of his hillbilly attitude, and has gained a much cooler persona. It is said that before AW1, he used to be with Orange Star, before he went to Blue Moon. He does not get along with Olaf, due to Olaf’s paranoia. He also has one of the best quotes in AW2. “This ain’t for show.”

Appearance
Grit must have an amazing chiropractor, because he seems to have fixed the slouch that he had in the first game. He wears a sweet yellow trench coat with a sweeter yellow hat, and the sweetest goatee I’ve ever seen. In AWDS he holds his hands in his pockets, but everyone knows that he is only concealing his revolver from the second game. He has blue pants (probably jeans) and brown shoes.

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

Foot soldiers: 100/100
Directs: 80/100
Indirects: 120/100

Other business: All indirects have +1 range.

CO Power
Snipe Attack ***
Effects: Boosts indirect range by +1. Boosts indirect attack power by +40%. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

A solid power for your army of indirect. Along with boosting your rocket’s range to 3-7, it gives your indirects that oomph needed to take the kill, instead of leaving enemy units with a few HP. Your artillery will become much better than normal rockets, and your battleships will be deadly. I prefer to use this power over Super Snipe, as it gets the same attack, and one range is already a lot, when added with your natural boost. A very nice power.

Super CO Power
Super Snipe ***XXX
Effects: Boosts indirect range by +2. Boosts indirect attack power by +40%.It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Battleships with range 2-9!? Artillery with range 2-6!? Carriers with range 3-11!?!? This is a truly devastating power that allows your units to damage the enemy from across the stage. However, it gives no more attack than Snipe Attack, and it is twice the price. Personally, as much fun as this power is to use, I prefer to use Snipe Attack multiple times, rather then this. Entirely personal preference.

Tag Affinities
Olaf – 115% Snow Patrol (*)
Max – 110% Big Country (**)
Colin – 105%
Von Bolt – 90%

Recommended Tags
Grit has an average array of powers.

Olaf – This tag would have been much better in the last game, when Olaf’s powers restricted movement. Now, however, it is not as useful because the enemy can still move in and attack your units. 115% doesn’t hurt, though. It does not matter who goes first in the break, because Grit will not be moving many units anyway. I suggest first going with Olaf, attacking with directs and moving your indirects into position. Be sure to take into account the +2 range bonus. Then, attack with Grit and destroy everything. A very useful combination on navel maps with air, because your battleships/carriers will be very deadly.

Max – Some love this combination, but I doubt its effectiveness. Its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. You will be amazing with one type of units, but your other units will be rather bad. When your directs are deadly, your indirects will be useless, and when your indirects kick butt your directs will get their butts kicked. They do, however, have a rather deadly tag break. All of your units can be deadly… for a turn. I’d try to stay away from this combination unless it has significant strategic use to you.

Von Bolt – Don’t do it.

Changes from AW2 to AW:DS (Rhinofeeder)
Grit's only change is the default 10/10% boost that all COs get during their CO Powers.

Strategy
Grit works best on small maps, maps with fog of war and many forests/reefs, and chokepoint-rich maps. That includes a vast number. He also excels on maps with many natural boundaries, like a mountain range or a pipeline, that he can easily shoot over, and will protect them from directs. Make full use of this advantage. Also, Grit can out snipe any other CO’s indirects, so thus, you can attack an artillery with your artillery without fear of him attacking next turn. Remember, though Grit’s indirects are amazing, his directs are not terrible. Do not to be afraid to build a tank or five. They are a necessary part of your army. Also, DO NOT neglect meatshields (weak units to take the brunt of the attack leaving the attacker open for indirect fire). Infantry and APCs can work wonders.

Hachi

Orange Star

Good ol’ Hachi. He owns an interesting shop that sells maps, the ability to use COs, clothes for COs, and special game modes. An interesting shop indeed. In AW2, we learned that not only was he a shopkeeper, but also a retired CO, who was respected in his day. Now, he seems to have the best of both worlds. He can still give sales, but on the battlefield instead. Also, he seems to have merchant friends all over the world in every city that can buy him some war machines. Pretty sweet.

Appearance
Hachi’s green bandana mostly covers his grey hair. His face contains a happy and carefree expression, and his arms are crossed. His white shirt matches his pants of the same shade. A green utility belt is wrapped around his waist, and it holds many different hanging pockets and pouches. He also wears a brown neck strap that holds a pouch as well. To supplement his carefree look, he wears a pair of green sandals on his feet.

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

All units: 100/100

Other business: All units are 10% cheaper to deploy.

CO Power
Barter ***
Effects: All unit deployment costs drop to 50%. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

This would be a very deadly power, if it were not so overshadowed by Hachi’s super. It makes all of your units half-price to deploy, so in essence you can deploy nearly twice as many units for the same price. Until you run out of bases. Though this is a solid power, your best bet is to save up for the super or tag.

Super CO Power
Merchant Union ***XX
Effects: All unit deployment costs drop to 50%. Ground units can now be deployed from any allied city. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Quite possibly the most overpowered thing in the game. For a measly five stars, the same price as Adder’s SCOP, you can deploy half price Neotanks from every city you own. In one turn, you will be able to build an entire attack force. Save up for a turn or two, and let this one loose, and it’s all over for you opponent. Wow.

Tag Affinities
Sensei – 100% Grizzled Vets (**)
Von Bolt – 90%

Recommended Tags
I hate named tags without a power boost. Hachi really doesn’t really have much to work with, as far as power boosts, but his SCOP makes up for it.

Sensei – Sensei goes first and builds lots of mechs, which he then combines to get lots of money. Then Hachi goes and deploys expensive units out of those same cities. Realize that combining 4 mechs means a free neotank. That got your attention. Also, they get a nice +10% luck to make up for their 100% tag power.

Kanbei – Cheaper units that are more powerful. Build units with Hachi, and switch to Kanbei to attack. Very broken, but powerful nonetheless. And imagine the tag break. Hachi produces Neotanks on all of your cities. They Kanbei comes and uses all of those now Samurai Spirit’d units do dominate everything. It’ll make your friends cry, but it’s not too bad in Hard Campaign…

Adder/Koal – You will be able to tag break VERY often, and your newly built units will have an easy job moving to the enemy to attack them. Hachi can tag with nearly everyone else in this way, so pick your partner to fit your needs.

Von Bolt – Don’t do it.

Changes from AW2 to AW:DS (Rhinofeeder)

Hachi has absolute no changes except the default 10/10% boost that all COs get from CO Powers.
(Syz: He also has more new and powerful and expensive units to get nice and cheap.)

Strategy
In my opinion, Hachi can safely be considered the most overpowered CO in the game. He is good on nearly all maps, especially those with either many of cities near chokepoints, or a low money supply so he can build many more units than the opponent. I would suggest sticking to using him in Campaign, as your friends will not like you very much for playing as someone so cheap (literally). Hachi can be good anywhere. Do not underestimate his power.

Hawke

Black Hole

Hawke is the game bad*** (and has a license to prove it). He killed Sturm in AW2 and took command of Black Hole, which was all fine and dandy for a while until the Bolt Guard came along... He thinks himself superior to all others, and has great quotes like, “Farewell.” Nice and simple.

Appearance
Hawke has a huge black trench coat that goes down to his feet, dark boots, and huge dark gloves. His eyes are cast forward, as if he were searching for something… He’s got a tuft of white hair that sticks above the rest of his mostly-shaved head.

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

All units: 110/100

Other business: Nothing.

CO Power
Black Wave *****
Effects: Deals 1 damage to all enemy units (cannot kill). Heals all of your units up to 1 HP. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Terrible. This COP costs as much as Sonja’s Counterbreak. Outrageous. It is simply not worth it’s cost. I suggest saving up for Black Storm, because that actually could disrupt enemy strategies.

Super CO Power
Black Storm *****XXXX
Effects: Deals 2 damage to all enemy units (cannot kill). Heals all of your units up to 2 HP. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Would you rather have this, or Eagle’s SCOP? That’s what I thought. Sure, 2 and 2 is nice, but it’s not worth 9 stars. I guess you might as well use your stars, so go with this. It can do money damage to the opponent, or set them up for a nice strike on their base.

Tag Affinities
Lash – 110% Rebel Yell (*)
Andy – 105% Shaky Alliance (*)
Eagle – 90%
Drake – 90%
Jess – 90%
Kindle – 80%
Von Bolt – 70%

Recommended Tags
Hawke doesn’t have many friends either. Basically, Hawke sucks at tagging. Not many partners, and way too many stars. Stick to solo, Hawke

Lash – This is a pretty long tag. Hawke should go first and do some damage, and then Lash should finish up and end in a defendable position. I’m not too fond of Hawke tags, so there’s not much I can say.

Andy – This is not a great tag combo, but worth mentioning. The tag, though worse than Eagles for the same price, does superfluous healing. Mainly, you will never need to heal you units 7 HP. The 2 damage is not as useful either. Not an amazing tag.

Von Bolt – Don’t even think about it.

Changes from AW2 to AW:DS
Hawke no longer gets his defense boost, only his attack boost. His units are 110/100.

Strategy
Everyone who says Hawke is overpowered is wrong. Dead wrong. His very slight boost in attack in no way makes up for his expensive and overrated CO powers and his sucky tagging. Play Hawke just as you would anyone else, playing to your opponent’s weakness, and make sure you take advantage of that +10% attack. It’s just about all that Hawke has going for him. I’m sorry if I seem pessimistic, but I hate Hawke.

Jake

Orange Star

Jake. Ah Jake. No one else in the game would be caught dead saying something like “Smackdown soup.” His headphones have nothing to do with communications. They are simply hooked to his I-pod. His love for modern music is evident when you look at some of his powers, including Block Rock and Heavy Metal. Even though he might be a punk, he learns much faster than Andy.

Appearance
The first thing one would notice is his bright orange headphones, complete with wires running down his shirt. Contrary to the common belief, he is not a DJ. He is turned sideways, and has orange hair. He wears a white shirt (with ragged sleeves, of course) and matching pants. He’s also got some rad brown gloves. OMG he’s my hero!

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

All units: 100/100

Other business: All units get a +10% attack boost with on a plain tile.

CO Power
Beat Down ***
Effects: Boosts attack boost on plains to +20%. Boosts indirect range by +1. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Not an amazing power, but rather OK. It gives your indirects that extra oomph they need to attack those pesky stay-one-space-outside-the-range lusers. Your plain units will become powerful, but they will still be vulnerable. Use this power when it would helpful, but I suggest saving up for the SCOP.

Super CO Power
Block Rock ***XXX
Effects: Boosts attack boost on plains to +40%. Boosts indirect range by +1. Boosts movement by +2. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

This is what you get when you take a gazillion powers and smush them all together. You can do a lot of stuff with it. Your units on plains will be very powerful, but they will still be vulnerable the next turn. You shouldn’t have any problem getting to the enemy, with your move, and you still get the nice indirect boost. Use this power in a nice open space with lots of plains when you need to do lots of damage. Also, make it a tag, if possible.

Tag Affinities
Rachel – 120% Orange Crush (**)
Jess – 110% Heavy Metal (*)
Sasha – 105%
Kindle – 90%
Von Bolt – 90%

Recommended Tags
Tagging is where Jake really shines, because he doesn’t need to leave his troops open after his SCOP. Rachel and Jess have some nice stuff.

Rachel – OMG does this mean they have a crush on each other!? I don’t think so. Well, you get a nice power boost. In this one, I actually suggest having Rachel go first, because Jake’s forces might screw around with the AI’s selection of targets, and have them fire on some useless forces. So have Rachel send out some nice missiles, and Jake can run in and blast things away with a mighty 170% attack on plains. That’s cool.

Jess - This would be used on all-ground maps. Air and sea would complicate things. Day-to-day, there is no reason to use Jake, because Jess’ units are stronger even on plains. I suggest just keeping Jess out all the time, and using a Turbo Charge before going for the break. That should get them up there at about the same time. The break will make your ground units deadly. I would suggest starting with Jake, as usual, and attack from the plains. Then switch to Jess and move to stronger terrain. Quite powerful, if you can survive without any help from Jake for most of the battle.

Strategy
Jake doesn’t get anything amazing day-to-day. The plains boost is nice, but not extremely powerful. Also, notice that Jake’s air units also get the boost from being on a plain. Don’t ask me how, I have no idea (Lash has been trying to steal that technology for years. Little does she know that Koal and Kindle have it too!). That means that your air units can get the boost and not suffer any penalty (they don’t get defensive cover anyway). Overall, Jake does not do very good in chokepoints, which are usually covered in roads, but likes the open plains, where he can crush stuff with his far-moving CO Powers. Overall, stick to the plains if possible, and play to your enemy’s weakness.

Javier

Green Earth

“Huh. I am Javier. I am too cool to put my sleeves in my coat. And I also have the coolest moustache ever.” Anyway, I think that Javier ruined Green Earth. They were nice and cool with their respective units, but Javier came and ruined it with his ‘tower power and indirect immunity.’ Well, perhaps now each GE member has their own property, and Javier gets the tower. Huh.

Appearance
Javier wears a green coat but doesn’t put his arms in the sleeves. He has some nice medieval plate armor on, but I don’t see how that will protect him from a tank shell or bazooka. He brown hair, a pointy goatee, and an amazing moustache that curls nicely. He also wears a green hat.

Battle

Day to Day Bonuses

All units: 100/100

Other business: All units have +20% defense against indirects. All units have +10% defense for every tower in Javier’s possession.

CO Power
Tower Shield ***
Effects: Increases defense against indirect units by +40%. Doubles boosts from towers. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Perhaps the ultimate chokepoint holder in the game (aside from Javier’s SCOP, of course). Especially if you have towers (which, of course, is the reason that you picked Javier, right). Say you have 2 towers. That would mean that you have 190% defense from enemy indirects, and 150% defense from directs. The more towers, the better. This is best used on the chokepoint-and-tower friendly maps that Javier is so good on.

Super CO Power
Tower Power ***XXX
Effects: Increases defense against indirect units by +60%. Triples boosts from towers. It also adds the natural 10/10 boost.

Wow. Just wow. Nothing will be able to bust through your chokepoints. Given 3 towers, you will get an astounding 280% defense from indirects. Please realize that this also triples the attack that you get from towers. That would mean +30% attack per tower. 3 towers will take you up to Grimm levels. Listening yet? Yeah, do not underestimate this knight on maps with towers.

Tag Affinities
Jess – 110% Green Flash (*)
Kanbei – 110% Code of Honor (*)
Sensei – 105%
Grimm – 105%
Von Bolt – 90%

Recommended Tags
Nothing amazing. I would say that Javier is more of a loner, but he can tag if he needs to.

Kanbei – The best defensive combination in the game. All combinations with Kanbei are rather overpowered, but this is interesting. I just find it simply redundant. Both COs allow amazing defense, but only one CO can end the tag. So you pick, depending on how many towers you have. I seriously think you can find a better tag.

Jess – I suppose you could use this on maps with lots of towers and many chokepoints. You can have good attack and defense at the same time. Start the break with Jess, and destroy all opposition with your power and move. Then Javier can come and make sure you don’t take any retribution for all the damage you gave. Don’t underestimate it.

Von Bolt – Don’t do it.

Strategy
Javier is good on maps with many chokepoints and towers. Without those, he is not very useful. So simply hold your chokepoints against superior forces, and save up some nice units to kill your opponent. Basically, Javier is a great choice on certain maps, and really sucks on other ones. Play well. Huh.