How Good Are The Advance Wars CO's?

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🕑 Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:00 Andy
2:22 Max
3:59 Sami
5:41 Olaf
7:34 Grit
10:09 Kanbei
11:48 Sonja
14:32 Eagle
17:01 Drake
19:45 Nell
21:47 Sturm
23:40 Complete Tier List
#switch #advancewars #nintendo
How Good Are The Advance Wars CO's?

[@Mangs1337]

🕑 Timestamps for mobile users! 0:00 Intro 1:00 Andy 2:22 Max 3:59 Sami 5:41 Olaf 7:34 Grit 10:09 Kanbei 11:48 Sonja 14:32 Eagle 17:01 Drake 19:45 Nell 21:47 Sturm 23:40 Outro

[@kelsoji]

I’m

[@TheAdorelis]

Nintendo: *announces reboot of Advance Wars* Mangs: now I have food for a year

[@DemonFox369]

ammo for a year*

[@KnownAsKenji]

A few turns late for the Mechs, but the APCs are finally comin'.

[@susamogus8331]

@@DemonFox369 fuel*

[@pkmntrainerred4247]

@@DemonFox369 Fuel for a year*

[@SaltyCalhoun]

I had a crush on Sami when I was younger so she's obviously SSS rank

[@playerone6995]

Same. Also for Nell too.

[@aggressivebuttonmasher5486]

"Refuses to elaborate Leaves"

[@jadedandbitter]

I didn't like her as a young man. I liked tanks and jets. Then as an older man I discovered the joys of infantry spamming and realized she's absolutely top shelf.

[@SaltyCalhoun]

@@jadedandbitter lol That's way more constructive than my reason. Younger me just had a thing for tomboys. And tbh... current me does too

[@jadedandbitter]

@@SaltyCalhoun thats just icing on the cake-but here's some older man wisdom: most tomboys who stay tomboys into their adult years aren't tomboys, they're lesbians. Kinda sucks.

[@edgelord8337]

Grit is the definition of camping is a legitimate strategy *nothing like hiding rockets in woods and forests*

[@DonnieDoodles]

Everyone: "Stop Spawn Camping!" Grit: "Stop Spawning."

[@marcoasturias8520]

And that's why he respects Sonya

[@dragonfable66]

Where his arties have the fucking effective firing range of rockets. Seriously 2 arties for 1 rocket is nasty

[@DonnieDoodles]

@@dragonfable66 Yeah, Grit singlehandedly makes Artillery go from situational to awesome.

[@royalghost4914]

@@DonnieDoodles I am literally doing that rn on an AWBW match. I have artilleries, rockets and a missile shooting down whatever spawns out of their bases and airport

[@friendpelle]

Advance Wars 1+2 reboot camp is probably the most hype I've been about a remaster since Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary back in 2011.

[@kingdoge69]

Hell yeah, good to see a fellow halo and advance wars player 💯

[@youngnigar525]

It is a remake

[@spidadoughgamingshow2715]

Facts!!!

[@MilkTankz]

@@youngnigar525 that’s what he said

[@MilkTankz]

I’m just not a fan of the art direction they took it in sadly ):

[@mauricesteel4995]

Sonja has a really cool contrast to her father thats not just Brain vs Brawn, its also Samurai vs Ninja. Kanbei fights fair and square and relies on his superior skills to win the day. Sonja relies on deception(? HP), ambushes (her SCOP on AW2 gives all her units FE vantage for 1 turn) hiding in the darkness (FoW) and she even gets to debuff your defenses on AWDS(Sabotage)her day2day negates 1 defense star and her powers increase that.

[@whichDude]

My daughter, we are both ancient well respected Japanese warriors of honor. Prepare to meet my Sensei. He's a senile old man that believes in spamming copters and bazookas.

[@mauricesteel4995]

Wherw does Sensei gets his CO powers troops? I think he phone his ol Veteran friends and they all arise from the nursing homes.

[@iambread2914]

sonja was absolute dogshit on AI but with multiplayer FOW? she is gonna break the game

[@mauricesteel4995]

Tbh, the old guy who is secretly strong AF is extremely Japanese.

[@nolategame6367]

@@mauricesteel4995 i think it's implied those are paratroopers he gets to call in (despite no one else being able to) The 9HP could be from the fact paratroopers tend to be lighter equipped and needing time to organize once landed.

[@xenosyke]

You called me out, Mangs. My favorite win in Duel Strike was a match where I was getting stomped, but I had a air transport with an infantry on it squirreled away. I spammed as many tanks and anti air as possible as a distraction while I snuck that transport around. I thoroughly enjoyed the look on my face when he began his last turn and I told him I had won. It took him a second but he noticed I had an Eagle/Sami DS coming up and saw my transport. Dude did everything he could to get in my way, but I had spaced him out perfectly. My turn came and I flew my boy right over to the enemy HQ and captured it. That memory is never leaving me.

[@Panzergraf]

Lol I did that VS Mangs once too, but I think I was playing as either Jake or Jess.

[@JuanMatteoReal]

@@Panzergraf Hi

[@rickgrimesdirtyondatass5672]

It’s only as strong if your enemy doesn’t know to put a unit at base

[@RexZShadow]

I remember mission 1 hardode was like the hardest mission in DS. And best way is cheese it with sami DS lol.

[@blackdragoncyrus]

Dual Strike

[@Mangs1337]

So far, from what I have seen, it looks like the Advance Wars remake is going to be a very faithful port. If this changed in any way, I will make a new video with the adjusted CO's, but judging by the footage we have seen so far, there hasn't been a single visible balance change to any of the Aw1 CO's. This means that these rankings should be pretty relevant once the game launches. I pray they have the sense to balance the game a little, as the multiplayer scene will be an absolute mess, but seeing as they are calling it a "port" it looks to be a 100% faithful rendition. Can’t wait for Max to break the multiplayer competitive scene!

[@pubcle]

If I was to make a guess, campaign a direct port multiplayer a combined rebalanced force, if they were to do it well. That said, if not... well... Max dominates in 1 with Sturm coming up and Sturm straight decimates in 2

[@vodkawhisperer3923]

prepare for the metagame

[@SpicyZvo123]

If skills are such a big issue isnt it just better to play Competitive with skills off? Assuming of course thats gonna be a option, it is in the first 2 games. But then again its more fun with skills if both players pick a good match, and not bad match ups like Tier D vs Tier S

[@marcoasturias8520]

I'm a bit hopeful about multi-player. Advance Wars is no stranger to nerfed COs for multi-player and it being a modern game the devs can make updates along the way, something that didn't happened before.

[@vodkawhisperer3923]

@@marcoasturias8520 hopefully if the community asks for something we will get it

[@LordProteus]

The S of S-Rank stands for Sturm.

[@luizhenriquealveslima2660]

CO Powers prices: Andy:30.000 G Max:30.000 G Sami:25.000 G Nell:30.000 Olaf:30.000 Grit:30.000 Kanbei:50.000 Sonja:30.000 Eagle:50.000 Drake:40.000 Sturm:50.000

[@cl8804]

In that case, Eaglie, Grit, and Max have to the best ones, other than Sturm.

[@oof5992]

I honestly never gave Olaf much credit until recently where his blizzard really stopped all my Pushes with Sami Where my helicopters and Fighters and transports couldn't reach his Island but his could reach mine and kill them. Blizzard is just really fucking good for Air Combat.

[@Delimon007]

100%

[@mimimalloc]

In AW1 especially it definitely feels like there's tension between COs being designed as a strategic challenge for the player in specially designed campaign maps vs. COs being multiplayer contenders.

[@isenokami7810]

Or in the case of Max, being a strategic challenge for the one playing him. He’s still strong in campaign/war room, but those maps are designed to make his indirect unit weakness more obvious and painful than it likely would be in a multiplayer match. Like, Mangs is the expert, and I’ll defer to him, but I’d say Campaign/War Room Max is merely A rank from what I’ve seen.

[@casualjacob776]

The only tier lists I'm familiar with are fe ones, so seeing a guy that specializes in flying near the top looks right to me.

[@CosmicToad5000]

wait till we get to stupid good vantage strats with Sonja in AW2.

[@atelier482]

I don't enjoy playing as Sonja in most games, but playing against her is another level of hell.

[@thebravegallade731]

I hope the AI also is affected by it (since ai targets kills)

[@XCharizard100]

And she's OP af in DS

[@atelier482]

​@@XCharizard100 I love adding luck to her in DS, she's Flak now lol. Her synergy with Kanbei is stupid strong.

[@soulhoney1227]

@@atelier482 sonja with her great visiom and strong counter attack along with his father great fire power and defensre

[@isenokami7810]

So, basically TF2 spy, then. No insta-kills, but that does feel like an apt comparison to some extent.

[@MrMarket1987]

I have a feeling they might tweak the games into a uniform standard between 1 and 2 where they rebalance the best and worst aspects of both. For example, making it so Max has his Black Hole Rising stats from the getgo, which would still leave him in as a very reliable pick without making him ridiculously overpowered, and give Sonja her counter bonuses. I just hope they make the Luck effects less of a penalty for those that by all means should be dealing reliable damage as seen on screen more often than not instead of less unless their name is Flak.

[@ShrimpRice]

Max shall reign again...

[@fernandomora4230]

Max shall be top tier again

[@TapDat52K]

If the reboot will be 2 separate games, I am more worried about Some of the co's in the 2nd game. I hope free updates to balance the games honestly.

[@bloodbane93]

It’s possible that campaign and online will be separate. They’re already gonna have to change the COs between 1 and 2, so why not take a shot at balancing a competitive online?

[@merabledawnspark5827]

The other problem with Sonja: War Room. If you’re playing her to get S ranks on War Room, good luck. If the AI behaves the same as the original, AI cheats. It can tell where your units are without worry. Unless it’s in woods, I think, your unit hidden on the fog is useless against the AI. She’s sadly really bad. Players, though, you’re going to confuse them. So she’s more of a mind game CO against players

[@Redrockets23]

Yeah if you play Sonja against AI its not gonna be fun since the AI will know where your units are unless they are in forest or reefs. against real people though? uggh she's a headache. Especially if you are using Grit.

[@phoenix5054]

Hopefully, they change this in the new games.

[@dragonfable66]

Oh yeah this Sonja player kicked my ass 6 ways to sunday since i was essentially blind and she kept shuffling her men around so i couldnt tell if the unit took a beating in the prior turn or is a fresh unit..... needless to say she won

[@the_bane_of_all_anti_furry]

she would fare really well in aw day of ruin since here infranty play fair

[@Delimon007]

@@dragonfable66 In that case you counter by treating every unit as a full HP unit and you destroy them in one turn or weaken ALL of them so it doesn't matter. Even if you weren't playing Sonja you should still be doing this. . .

[@karlsargant3985]

I think the devs purposely aimed for imbalance with this series.

[@butteredsalmonella]

I love how Dual Strike takes that imbalance up a notch and then Days of Ruin is so balanced it feels underwhelming compared to the first three games.

[@nolategame6367]

@@butteredsalmonella except for Isabella/Catleia. She's still absurdly op.

[@VynalDerp]

@@butteredsalmonella it's the ultimate apocalypse balancing scheme, make everything overpowered so everyone is on thr same page.

[@kloakekloaker1020]

@@VynalDerp I call that idea modern warfare 2 balancing lol

[@VynalDerp]

@@kloakekloaker1020 I call it Ultimate Apocalypse because of the Ultimate Apocalypse mod for Dawn of War: Soulstorm. Much more fitting imo, check it out if you think MW2 balance was wack.

[@TheEmperorGulcasa]

I remembered my favorites being Sami and Eagle. I loved Sami for being able to capture properties quickly without much contest and then usually having an economic lead later. Also great theme music. Eagle meanwhile got strong enough air units to oneshot more things, making pushing through lines much easier, and his lighting strike was game ending even if it cost a bit more. Never managed to unlock Nell or Sturm sadly, so never got to experience them.

[@nit11]

i have the same favourites, but when I was little, playing against my brother favourited was hell. He loved Max. We didn't even know the formulas.

[@TheEmperorGulcasa]

@@nit11 Well, it's hard to not see how Max melts things even if you don't know the exact numers. I just never enjoyed his gameplay since I liked using indirect even if his performance was ultimately good.

[@TheZackofSpades]

I was a bit sad he didn’t take theme music into account, Sonja is so elegant. Favorite wifu all day.

[@TheEmperorGulcasa]

@@TheZackofSpades Well, this is a combat tier list more than a favoritism one. Sonja is quite great though. Power wise you needn't worry if they keep the second game largely the same, since Sonja is quite good and interesting in that one thanks to her unique super CO power.

[@hustlevania3318]

You misspoke when covering Sami. You accidentally said she was b tier when the thumbnail shows your intention.

[@HasekuraIsuna]

B rank gameplay S rank waifu

[@KnownAsKenji]

She's got the best growth of all original COs through the series, at least. She gets better. A lot better.

[@jadedandbitter]

Shes S tier though. Infantry spamming is just brutal. Pure human wave tactics, overrunning everybody.

[@hustlevania3318]

@@jadedandbitter on mid sized maps she is maybe a tier. maybe, anything smaller s tier and anything bigger maybe b. but ultimately she is an s tier baddie.

[@HinokasArabfan1]

@@jadedandbitter very true. Just ask the imperial guardsman. Pure numbers.

[@Tstumpman]

third of December, no year specified lol

[@Veridiano02]

I've won 95% of the games I played with Sammy. The backdoor is something no one ever expects. And for some reason many people find OK leaving their HQ unprotected.

[@shinaito]

I always leave a unit on my HQ even if it buys me a turn or 2 for me to scramble back there it’s worth it.

[@redsterthegamer]

Cannot get over the fact that you spelled Sami's name wrong.

[@Delimon007]

Bruh even the AI teaches you to leave an infantry on your HQ, why wouldn't you?!?!? Edit: And in future AWs her super is instant capture, don't be stupid 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@SkeletonModel91]

Facts. Sami's Victory March is almost too OP. I've won so many battles when I was on the cusp of defeat and I sent an infantry or mech unit directly into Mordor and captured the HQ. Hail Mary type stuff lol

[@edgelord8337]

You: I'm doing well on wait he's got a full co meter Sturm: *hahaha rock go burr*

[@butteredsalmonella]

*zhongli time*

[@Rodri34451]

I W I L L H A V E O R D E R

[@FirstnameLastname-ib6yv]

@@butteredsalmonella who knew that the khaenri'ah war was actually advance wars?

[@CantusTropus]

M E T E O R S T U R M

[@Orbitthemaster]

I still love how broken the CPU version of Sturm is.

[@Abundy]

Hey Mangs since you're on the AW content train, I'd love a video where you rank the AW single player campaigns, or some kind of best missions video!

[@ethanhayes7038]

Holy shit I'd heard AW1 Max was broken but I'd have never guessed he was THAT broken.

[@yopuka10000]

My god, i remember that he was the best in that game but jesus, 50% ? They smoked crack pretty hard for that

[@soulhoney1227]

@@yopuka10000 imagine sturm agaisn't max forces

[@zxKAOS1]

Yeah, they really nerfed him in Advanced Wars 2

[@malick9549]

@@soulhoney1227 sturm in aw1 is meh, except in campaign, in ever other mod he has 20%less attack and 20%less defence so it's not even a fair match. Speaking of aw2 sturm 20% more attack and defence and Max's nerf make this a joke.

[@soulhoney1227]

@@malick9549 no in campaing mode

[@bernizubi5217]

Max is literally the chad. Just look at him.

[@marcoasturias8520]

I think that AW should always be played with FoW on. Not because of the CO's but because of the units, since they also have a vision Stat Tha should always be factored in their value. Units like mechs with easy access to mountains get a huge buff and missiles become a little bit more valuable.

[@NotABot55]

As long as the CPU plays by the same rules players do in FoW, then sure. None of this darkshooting bullcrap... it needs to get a visual BEFORE it can fire on you. That was a big turnoff for me until DoR, and it ReBoot Camp is edging close to a hard pass here.

[@marcoasturias8520]

@@NotABot55 just imagine every comander is sonja

[@F3udF1st]

Yes! Mangs said Morale Boost instead of moral boost! =D I've waited all these years! :'-)

[@FloatingSunfish]

Poor Sonja all alone in her little folder. She's still my favorite CO though. I wish they kept her glasses for the English releases.

[@elfinelflarethelegendaryot2779]

Mangs, cover the Nintendo Treehouse Coverage. It covers more of the first game.

[@koopanique]

I have played AW for more than 15 years and I never knew COs had a "luck modifier"

[@Nitosa]

Flak n nell are the most obvious character with a luck modifier since there whole tactics are based on luck.

[@Mangs1337]

Then the upcoming video about luck I am working on should be very interesting to you :)

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

@@Mangs1337 I can't wait. Jugger needs his time to be properly appreciated and, uh, let's charitably say "feared".

[@chairmanofrussia]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 I hope they buff jugger up. One of my favorites.

[@KnownAsKenji]

It's pretty subtle in AW1 because Sonja isn't super appealing to use. And Nell is difficult to unlock; if you didn't bother to try 100%'ing the game and/or scrub the internet for guides you might not even know she's unlockable, in addition her luck doesn't activate during Field Training when you initially DO use her, she's just an Andy-level CO with no Power at that point. The joy of mass Infantry Nell is something everyone deserves to experience, though.

[@Cappy-Bara]

All of Mangs' old Advance Wars videos have been popping up since E3

[@dagan8536]

Luck is the best stat in the game, just like in fire emblem.

[@legefy]

I hope Sonja gets some of her later series adjustments brought over. Her base AW version was genuinely a bit crap and she only really started to be a viable C.O. come Dual Strike.

[@minnick66]

Some would argue shes better in aw2 than awds. In aw2 she got a day 2 day +50% boost to all counterattack damage which made her very punishing to direct attack into, especially if she's on terrain. In duals strike she loses this benefit in exchange for the ability to cancel opponent terrain stars, which is more situational and generally just weaker. AW1 did her dirty though. Still pretty ok in pvp multiplayer if opponent isn't hitting the auto-win button with max ir sturm, but yea, pretty weak.

[@paulrasmussen8953]

She is all about the counter. She is best used defensive

[@aganaom1712]

Ah shit, here we go again Edit: Kanbei: *LIGHT TANKS! LIGHT TANKS EVERYWHERE!!!*

[@dragonfable66]

Ligh tanks kick the asses of your md's

[@the_bane_of_all_anti_furry]

fact:kambei light taks are based on the japanese ha go or frenchy FT renault or is italian version:the fiat 3000

[@COZYTW]

But really, the biggest win is that now, more artists are going to make more fan-art of the game, which propagates more people to hop in the fun. (but... that also includes lewds of Lash, and everyone spamming [Advance Wars 2: Black Hoe Rising]. Oh. Oh no, on second thought, it's not as stellar as I thought)

[@insertcoolnamehere937]

O no

[@cryoine7194]

when we first played this on GBA and came across sturm we all had that thought..."is that darth vader?"

[@Lucrei.]

Such a similar vibe from him... he definitely struck fear into my heart... and then he just puffs smoke when he blows up your units while that badass music plays... damn son

[@Decoy_Shark]

I love that people are talking about Advance Wars again. It's possibly the game series I have played the most in my life. I remember very clearly doing 2+ hour games against my friend on our GBAs. Loved that I could play on 1 game pack back in the day, because it enabled me to get into the series playing Fog of War on my friend's GBA. Unlocking Sturm/Nell felt like such a great achievement.

[@danielmayer38]

I've been rewatching all your Advance Wars content recently. I'm super hyped

[@SaurusTheKing]

7:55 That Star Wars bit genuinely made me spit out my water in laughter

[@Polymathically]

Advance Wars was one of my first GBA games, and I played the Hell out of it. I forget exactly how (it's been literally 20 years), but there was a way to tweak the CO selection so you'd get Andy, Grit, and Eagle for the final battle. Good times.

[@VivaLaDnDLogs]

Max was my guy for a while, but over time I just got annoyed with not being able to use long-range units well. His artillery are almost useless they have so little range. Sami became my girl because I found her early game to be awesome. Her infantry ability to capture more than their power is incredible. Only units that can capture in two days even under fire. Hence I like to spread out and starve my enemy for resources. Olaf I could never get into because he can get disadvantages so much more than advantages. I pick Olaf for an enemy when I feel like destroying someone. Kanbei is a f***ing terror if he gets going. Starve him, swarm him, force him to deplete his funds on repairs. Killing him is hard.

[@isenokami7810]

Only just started playing AW1 myself, but I already have similar opinions on…most of them. Max is still incredibly useful, but yeah, artillery being worthless hurts. He’s still kinda able to use rockets and battleships (so long as he’s not trying to use them on other indirects), but those are much more expensive. He’s still insanely powerful, but Mangs might have exaggerated a bit giving him that S rank, when he really needs to get good income flowing in before he can back his tanks up with indirects he can use. Sami is just really fun to play, and oddly one of the few times the game being vague about actual strengths and weaknesses is a positive. I do hate that the game’s CO descriptions just say “X is strong, Y is weak”, without even a hint of hard numbers. With Sami, though, with the game just telling me her ground vehicles are weaker…haven’t really felt that. I kinda play her like Andy, only with better infantry instead of Hyper Repair. And that better infantry is huge: given how things pan out, her increased capture rate is less “capture things faster” and more “tough to interrupt her”, but that’s exactly why it’s so good. Olaf…I only tried him out in my second campaign run, where I got him for the blue army. Ever find it odd that the AW1 campaign makes you work for the worst options? You have Sonja, potentially the weakest CO in the game, who you can only unlock or even fight by taking her dad down as fast as possible three missions in a row. And then you have a secret mission during the Blue Moon chapter, requiring you to kill everything on the previous mission (hard when he can easily take out all means of touching his ships), and your reward is getting to use him in the final battle. Easily the worst CO to get for either the blue or green troops, because his Blizzard honestly only helps him and nobody else. Popping it will slow down Sturm, sure…but it will also screw over Andy and whoever’s running the green team. In 1v1’s, I can see how it would help if you used it at just the right time; definitely a power you want to save for the right moment, unlike everyone else’s that you’ll probably pop immediately. In a team match with another friendly army on the field, though, don’t you dare pop it unless you want to lose your friend. And Olaf really brings nothing else to the table, so…yeah. I know from the later tier lists that he gets somewhat better, but AW1 Olaf kinda sucks. As for Kanbei…haven’t really tried him out myself. On paper, though…well, he didn’t get broken yet (giving him Samurai Spirit in AW2 was basically basically meant Max just passed the OP torch onto him instead of tossing it entirely; haven’t gotten to that yet to test it though), but he’s still pretty strong. Even if his AW1 design looks like Japan-based Nintendo and Intelligent Systems went all in on offensive Japanese stereotypes.

[@laughingman7467]

The CO's in the C rank is a perfect rock-paper-scissors situation

[@vert8426]

This is crazy I was watching all your old CO rankings and then this came out

[@TalanLysander]

Banning mech spam, to be frank, seems both unfeasible and, more importantly, unnecessary if you ask me. What qualifies as mech spam? 4 mechs? 6 mechs? 10? You're essentially picking a number at random. Regardless, while mechs are cost effective if they strike first, their slow movement makes them a joke against artillery with an infantry frontline. The mechs can't move in without getting slaughtered, and the infantry can casually engage the mechs themselves as they're supported by artillery. Furthermore, an army consisting of mostly mechs isn't going anywhere fast, so even when a defender isn't quite prepared yet, they can just ignore the mech flood until they are and effortlessly take control of the rest of the map. Spamming mechs, simply put, is generally a sign that someone's a beginner at competitive advance wars. I imagine people will learn to counter it fairly quickly. Once people get a bit of multiplayer experience, you're unlikely to see much mech spamming in the first place, so banning the practice will ironically only serve to prevent people from learning to stop doing it.

[@Mangs1337]

You can avoid mech spamming by designing maps that are balanced, but on most regular maps that come with the base game, mechs are very overpowered.

[@TalanLysander]

Most of those maps also suffer from heavy first turn advantage, so those are hardly a proper metric to begin with. That being said, I fundamentally disagree with that assessment, even on those badly designed maps. I've already made my case though, so I suppose we're just gonna have to agree to disagree on that. Cheers! I'm stoked to see more advance wars content here!

[@sasir2013]

@@Mangs1337 sorry mate, but talan is right. Mech spamming isn't the "must ban" that you think, is easily countered, specially in balanced maps Of course, in those 15x15 small maps it has more use, but in any decent sized map, they're just not that worthy, and units with greater movement are way more worth it

[@Bongyes]

Yeah i agree, banning mech spam is just... pointless. Its very boring tactic and often reliable (especially on small maps), but its not OP in the slightest and has counters, such as flying units (even battle copters), medium tanks (if you have money to spare), indirects (i mean artillery is cheap, while rockets are near untouchable) and well... infantry (its weaker than mechs, but its three times cheaper and almost always faster). The most not-obvious-yet-fun-to-use counter is anti-air, as it can 1-shot infantry (usually very hard to do, actually), thus making holes in enemy defences. And no, Samis infantry doesnt get defense boost so she cant defend against it (Kanbei and Sturm can... but they are on way other league than others).

[@Lucrei.]

It's so easy to counter... you just build Infantry for a 1/3 of the cost and overwhelm them

[@HanakkoLove]

Are CO commanders worth it?

[@Funnyman-wj2yn]

Nah bench them they are exp thieves

[@soulhoney1227]

@@Funnyman-wj2yn except andy he still doesn't know what a airpot is

[@theolanderdilag3872]

@@soulhoney1227 all EXPerience given and he still doesn't know what an airport is

[@kbecker3020]

@@soulhoney1227 airpot? funni

[@DemonFox369]

OLYMPICS: Advance Wars - FASTEST Player To Beat The Maps Wins GOLD! (Gold/Silver/Bronze) (Part 1/3) Details: 4 players race against each other in custom maps to see which one amongst them is able to finish the map and beat the AI the fastest. It is split into 3 separate videos. First video has 4 competitors, slowest player to beat the map is out. Second video has 3 competitors, the slowest player is out and wins bronze. Last man standing wins GOLD You can do this with yourself, Panz, and others you know. Or 4 subscribers or random AW players. There could be live commentary and the content can even be live streamed. This is just my idea for a competitive KZbin AW series. Feel free to do it if you want Mangs. I’m gonna post it on the subreddit as well. I don’t plan on doing it myself but I want to see it out there.

[@MOORE4U2]

I was just watching your old tier list videos for Advance Wars earlier today. Looking forward to seeing AW get some much-deserved love!

[@HanakkoLove]

I loved this style of video and looking foward to see more AW content to come!

[@soulhoney1227]

Me too hanakko will bethany be looking fowarf as well?

[@orlandovelasquez2037]

“You may like the gamble, I personally do.” Classic Mangs

[@aloser8703]

I miss this game so much. I gave away my copy of it to a friend as I left for a different school, which was totally worth it, but it has been like 15 years or something. I am ready to play it again.

[@imjustjoshin2859]

So I didn't even know this game existed till this video popped up in my recommendations and I watched to completion. Nicely done.

[@mecklejay7587]

The fact that the Advance Wars community uses the language D2D or "day to day" instead of just calling those abilities "passives" like the entire rest of the gaming sphere drives me BONKERS.

[@kamikeserpentail3778]

Ah, well I'm just going to call them passives.

[@KnownAsKenji]

Many gaming communities do this. MOBA players have a whole list of redundant new terms thrown around, but became staples after being around for so long.

[@philiphunt-bull5817]

Kanbei is my favorite character, so nice.

[@darkesttimeline7026]

Yoo mangs subbed to your channel bc of your older advanced wars content and I'm happy to see these newer vids, keep it up! :)

[@SynergyGamingTV]

Can't believe how much your channel is growing right now. Just awesome!! Very surprised anyone would dislike this video.

[@thelastrebel13]

I can't wait for this game after seeing you and panzergraf play I've been wanting to play this but I don't have a computer to play a rom of this game so this is the next best thing 😊

[@splatsmash5003]

"Not up there with other commanders" Well, lets see if r34 artists think the same

[@the_bane_of_all_anti_furry]

nah they got really little R34 arts thought i say they deserve more

[@MsZsc]

:eyes:

[@FlameJackstar]

AW characters are quite under appreciated by r34. But that'll change with the reboot.

[@iseegreen5297]

Oh boy I can already see the Sami art

[@KnownAsKenji]

we all know, if anyone, it'll be Olaf and Drake getting all the action though.

[@rogersnick17]

I'm ready to see your channel blow up, with all the new people looking for Advance Wars tips before December 3rd.

[@Cyraxslayer666]

Great ranking mangs, good to see you post a video.

[@JakesFavorites]

The classic GBA music is really getting to me, and making me sad that they didn't even preserve the sound in the direct sequels so there's no way the reboot is going to be as good.

[@mcihay246]

Nice. Glad that you're back with Advance Wars.

[@feasibilyheretical]

So excited to see more advanced wars content in the future!

[@samfivedot]

I always thought it was neat how Grit's playstyle reflects his personality

[@outcastzero6923]

Sonja wins the tier list for cutest CO!

[@brolytriplethreat]

Excited for this game, never got to play the original. Hopefully it sells well and the series continues. I also hope it includes all the content, like War Room, Field Training, Advanced Campaign, etc

[@norad_clips]

I always heard about the crazy hard missions that my friends would play when I was younger. Now I’m excited to play for the first time!

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

Seeing the old character designs after playing a few hours of the Rebootcamp makes me realize how much better the new designs are!

[@mihaimercenarul7467]

Naaaah many of the designs were better în The original

[@AtomicF0x]

I always liked Grit. I almost never lost against the computer when I went with him and I used to think he was overpowered. But I didn't know he had a penalty on direct units and capture rate, so he seems pretty fair after all. My answer would be to just have artillery escorts with your tanks and infantry to ensure successes; compensate for the weakness by simply complimenting it with your strength. Having gotten older though, I've come to appreciate Olaf's playstyle as well. I like weather-based mechanics in strategy games---especially inclement weather. I recently began playing Company of Heroes 2 and that game has snow mechanics as well. I find myself drawn to the levels that have them, despite the fact apparently no one plays on them competitively. I guess I just like the challenge and the aesthetic of needing to get your troops into buildings, building bonfires or heading back to your base to wait out the heavy blizzards. So in Advance Wars, the idea that Olaf _thrives_ in snow is really cool. I'd probably give him a try if I played the games again.

[@mack_r-s]

Dude, if people are going to complain about almost half of the CO’s in Advance Wars 1, then what’s the point? XD

[@Blackout1077]

Just wanted to say, love your advance wars videos! Been binging your lets plays

[@ShinjiSixteen]

Great discussion, and well edited and presented. Thank you for a great video, especially ahead of the reboot later this year!

[@josephinefox9347]

Tier list for advanced wars 2: SS tier: Colin Everyone else tier: everyone else

[@harry_ord]

Lash was wonderfuly powerful but kind of mediocre at the same time.

[@josephinefox9347]

@@harry_ord wasn't lashs power mostly terrain based? i can see how she could have some good play but only if the map would warrant it

[@harry_ord]

@@josephinefox9347 yep, I think in AW2 she got a 10% damage boost for each & of def. Co power gave extra def and reduced cost movement and super doubled terrain bonus. Most maps have cities forest and plains so a lot of the time your ground units will be 110/110 or higher. Not super powerful like colin churning out so many units but always a little buff.

[@the_bane_of_all_anti_furry]

nah colin is strong only in map with huge size and huge amount of cities

[@josephinefox9347]

@@the_bane_of_all_anti_furry why? Colin has amazing spam power and unless hes against other great cos hes pretty op. Like all you have to do is get any amount of financial advantage then you can just use his power every single turn to get max. I dont really play with a lot of people who are hella experienced but in my experience colin is legitimately unstoppable. We got dual strike recently nd i thought colin would go good in some teams but ended up only using colin because why switch?

[@Eira_99]

Although the port does seem super faithful, we've only seen clips from the campaign, I can just hope that multiplayer or at least online will be balanced differently, yet they'll keep the campaign the same so they don't have to change where units are and stuff like that. After all if they see that Sturm was balanced differently even back then I hope it gives them the idea to balance online differently from the base game. Then we wouldn't have to ban anything from tournament play and it really can be about just what style of play you like.

[@DemonFox369]

I watched the old video and I’m still gonna watch this one to see what you might have changed. I CANNOT WAIT FOR YOUR AW CONTENT

[@Hotmail47]

I haven't played advance wars in a while, but for whatever reason all of your content is incredibly entertaining to watch!

[@blackmario1117]

I wonder Duel Strike and days of ruin will get some love.

[@KnownAsKenji]

I imagine it'll be gauged based on how 1+2 sell. If they do good then I think it's likely. Will really help Dual Strike that DS handheld architecture is still a thing so an upgrade to that game should be smooth as butter on the same system.

[@whywasmyrealnamehere]

Lol your mention of tourmament play was funny...half the COs would be banned and somehow even strategies as a whole like mech spamming banned? That's just a different, much less interesting game at that point. Not to mention how serious AW players will constantly complain of First Turn Advantage and nitpick any map design to shreds makes me think playing AW competitively is just completely unviable.

[@Mangs1337]

Most of these things can be fixed. Mech spamming can be prevented by having well balanced maps. First turn advantage can be fixed by giving player 2 one extra infantry unit (Wargroove did this on most maps). Overpowered CO's can be branched into tiers like I have done, and you can simply say that you can only play up or down one tier. Pokemon does something similar for their competitive tournaments. There are ways to ensure a fair and balanced game of Advance Wars.

[@kingarthur3236]

Mangs pretty much already debunked this for me but all I'm going to say is if you want the good maps, tier'd COs etc. And you want to play multiplayer online with that for free you can always go to www.awbw.amarriner.com Its the advance wars equivalent of Pokemon Showdown

[@whywasmyrealnamehere]

@@Mangs1337 DEVS can definitely fix the game, it's just sad that players are only capable of being reductive to make a game more balanced via bans. Custom maps made with modern sensibilities can and ARE often designed with FTA in mind but AW1 just feels way too simple and just can't handle reductive balancing. It doesnt feel great to think of what you would want to do in a competitive match only to realize your options you actually find fun to use are not available. it makes casual play look WAY more appealing in comparison.

[@whywasmyrealnamehere]

And i get that reductive balancing by players is a NECESSITY in order to foster a slightly wider meta, but it's very costly and I dont know if AW1 really even has enough content to hold up under that kind of pressure. Dual Strike on the other hand has a lot more available complexity that cna be used to balance the game, reductively still BUT its big enough to withstand it

[@whywasmyrealnamehere]

For example, you don;t need to ban COs in DS if you use the Skills system to balance it out. Say you have a power tier list and any CO under that first tier can pick out a skill to use, two tiers down can pick two, etc. Added systems can be used to keep other unbalanced systems in check.

[@BoboMagroto26]

Had this talk with a friend the other day about Advance Wars COs... so looking forward to the AW1+2 R :D

[@Alex_K221]

I remember playing this game when I was younger. I pretty much messed around with the map editor and playing that. It was fun.

[@floresarmando4318]

I really hope they balance the game somehow! I like playing with Sonja and Olaf

[@isenokami7810]

Yeah, they at least get better in later games; they do genuinely kind of suck in AW1, but apparently they get better later (I say apparently because I haven’t played beyond 1 yet). Especially Olaf. Whoever decided getting that secret Sea Strike mission meant you got stuck with a guy who would screw over everyone in the final battle, not just Sturm, when he popped his power, was a total sadist.

[@Azamingg]

So, Sturm in Advance Wars 1 is an Octillery. Cool

[@ripedroxx]

Amazing to see a remake of that old video, hyped to see AW content again on the channel

[@ArataShizunai]

Mangs as DLC Character When?

[@Abundy]

Just mod Olaf to be bald and you're mostly there

[@EpicEverz]

@@Abundy I'd say Flak is even closer. They both rely heavily on luck.

[@victor12135]

But we already have Nell.

[@mauricesteel4995]

Flak is better at emulating Mangs because he backfires too.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

@@mauricesteel4995 Jugger. Flak has luck, Jugger makes the game surreal.

[@SoulCrusherEx]

Omg the Reboot Art Style is looking SEXY !!! Man I never would have dreamed of seeing an advance wars game coming from Nintendo.... I thought they went full fire emblem... its great to be Alive to see this... now I got a reason to get me a switch

[@william_sun]

My only wish is that they add outlines to the unit models. The models look really nice, but they also look out of place next to the CO art, and I think giving them outlines would fix that and make the visual style a bit more cohesive. I'm loving the CO animations, though.

[@SoulCrusherEx]

@@william_sun yeah they feel so Alive with the crisp animations

[@Lucrei.]

I mean they DID go full Fire Emblem, this is like throwing a bone to a corpse, but we'll take it

[@projectpitchfork860]

@@william_sun Outlines to 3d models isn't a good idea.

[@ihatetheantichrist9545]

Super excited for the AW2 vid that was my favorite game

[@SecretScubaSteve]

Loved this instantly subscribed

[@tbahr123]

I didn’t know Colin, Sensei, and Jess weren’t in advance wars 1 because I started the series with 2. That kinda stinks, those are some of my favorite COs

[@Surikoazimaet]

They were introduced as the aid to cover their weaknesses per nation.

[@Unformed8]

You're making this because of the switch release? Obi-Wan Kenobi: "That's why I'm here"

[@JosephHk743]

It was inevitable to see a remastered CO video.

[@LFFL381]

I'm loving all the Advance Wars content! It's certainly helping me keep my excitement for Reboot Camp going

[@DemonFox369]

I think it would’ve been cool for you to say which COs each commander has an easier time against. Like Andy versus Drake. But i understand if it’s too subjective to do that.

[@ifeanyioraelosi7305]

I agree character-specific match ups are a good basis for a tier list; the tier list would rank COs based on the number of favourable match-ups. Some of the advantages held by the COs rated as S-tier are lost vs certain COs.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

Those kinds of situational modifiers would also start calling map or other settings into question. Like, Eagle versus Drake on a map that mandates naval units, versus one that has both naval and air units, versus one with no air or naval units, or Olaf on a map with lots of narrow movement channels and chokepoints, or Sami on maps where +1 transport movement actually gets her to capture something early, or Drake being able to call in Fog of War with his special against Grit. Too many factors to rate characters accurately, especially in a short form, broad overview tier list like this.

[@DemonFox369]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 Hm, I see. I agree with your point.

[@ifeanyioraelosi7305]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 Exactly! If one were to constrain the tier list to a specific type of map, it would be quite different.

[@stephenmemelord2303]

Can we all just agree that Max was, is, and will always be OP af.

[@samuelc6246]

In my language, "op" means "on (top of something)", "af" means "off (of something)". But yeah, Max is OP AF. And Sami is just cool AF. I'd love to see a Metal Slug crossover with Sami, like there's been a Metal Slug Tactics announced, but reversed, sidescrolling old school shooter with Sami, Max, and Andy. I got sidetracked there, sorry.

[@c.j.lapeyrouse1861]

So hyped for the return of Advance Wars. I was a Sami main back in the day and will likely main her again. On dual strike, Sami + Eagle was my main duo.

[@Flareboxx]

Yes please continue making tips for us newcomers to the series!

[@dpsiduck7832]

Nice, I'm all for more AW1+2 mechanics videos! The tier list seems reasonable, although I don't think Sturm can compete with Max on open maps. Maybe on heavy terrain, chokey, foresty maps Sturm can hold on, but I'm not optimistic for Sturm in general.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

Agree. +50% is no joke. Sturm's defense boost is nullified, and he's effectively giving Max a defensive buff in exchange; Max having +30% attack and +20% Defense (Sturm' +/-20%, right?) is arguably better than the flat 50% Max defaults to. Sturm's super is great, yes, but Max not relying on indirect fire makes Max' field composition less bundled anyways, and even a Max unit with a bite out of it is still probably trading favorably with a full health Sturm unit. Sturm's only recourse are maps where he can abuse mobility, and take advantage of Max' own units being slowed by that same terrain, and are more vulnerable to indirect fire. This isn't really a Max v Sturm specific matchup either, Max generally dislikes congested movement, Sturm loves it.

[@hi-i-am-atan]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 actually, firepower and defense stack together _multiplicatively,_ so max doesn't get an offense bonus of 1.5 - 0.2 = x1.3, but 1.5 * 0.8 = x1.2. however, this also means that max's units effectively live 1.0 / 0.8 = x1.25 longer, because, well, the way the damage formula is set up means that penalties to firepower and bonuses to defense are a _lot_ more impactful than the opposite like, to really put it into perspective, +100% firepower or -100% defense would result in your units dealing or taking double damage. -100% firepower and +100% defense would result in your units dealing or taking **zero** damage. except i'm not 100% sure if luck cares about these damage multipliers, but, uh, being stuck dealing only luck damage would be rough for _nell,_ so it's little comfort

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

@@hi-i-am-atan Luck does ignore those, that much I know. Luck just flat adds (or subtracts) from the damage dealt, such that Jugger's infantry in Dual Strike can just walk up and deal 0/1+20% to a Megatank on a good roll. Doesn't matter if it's Colin's tank hitting something for 5, or Max' tank hitting something for 8, a luck roll of 5 will always add 5 points of damage. The only damage modifiers luck cares about are things that will bottom out a negative luck modifier at 0/1 damage. I don't actually know if the game lets you deal 0 damage. And cool to know! That does make things trickier, I guess. I think the trade of 10% attack for 5% defence under that math is still pretty good, though. Could be arbitrary on my part, but that jump from 1/5 damage reduction to 1/4 seems significant.

[@Yosefhouser]

I really wish the reboot didn’t look like a cheap mobile game. You would’ve thought with WayForward, that they would go all out on pixel art.

[@SashaSlvt]

it was more of a proof of concept rather than a final product. it had a disclaimer it was not final look of the game

[@MrJinglejanglejingle]

As Sasha said, it wasn't a final product. It was just a way to garner early interest. They could easily get more time to work on the art in the meantime.

[@projectpitchfork860]

@@SashaSlvt Considering when ot comes out (in a few months) no game will get it's visuals majorly changed ir even changed at all, yet completely overworked their grafic style.

[@projectpitchfork860]

@@MrJinglejanglejingle No. The game is to far in development for that.

[@MrJinglejanglejingle]

@@projectpitchfork860 True enough. If nothing else, I hope they clean up some stuff, though.

[@sonshinegamers]

Great video and thanks for the explanation for each CO. The more I see of the CO's though, the more I prefer the original designs. I just think they look so much cooler and sharp anime styled in their designs and expressions, vs. what looks more cartoony and caricatured (especially for Max who looks like a brick wall originally). I'll see as we get closer because I am just happy that Nintendo brought this series back.

[@chazon1780]

I was unable to experience the first two Advance Wars when they first came out. I was able to play Days of Ruin on the DS, but I'm excited to experience these games on the switch, even if I'm not going to be competitive. Watching videos like this really helps my hype, so thank you!

[@setythewindsage6576]

You know Mangs something to think about is, do you think the reboots will do anything about the fact the AW1 had a Mark like tactician (Someone with a name and story mentions but no actual appearances) in its main story. I think they likely won’t do much but it would be nice to hear your opinion.

[@RadioTails]

There is the text from the tree to compare to the original. It looks like the Advisor has gone. :( Nell (GBA): Advisor! I've got it! I know who you've encountered! Those are Green Earth troops! Rumor has it that there's an independent battalion roaming about. I believe you've found them. Watch out for their air units. They're supposed to be brutal! Nell (Remake): Oh dear... Andy! I know who you've encountered! Those are Green Earth troops! I'd heard rumors there was an dependent battalion roaming about. I believe you've found them. Watch out for their air units. They're supposed to be brutal!

[@michael_betts]

I am so happy they wrote out the advisor. The Nintendo treehouse footage shows several scenes where they wrote out the advisor, including in the field training missions it looks like have been moved to the actual campaign, where Andy is added to replace the player.

[@Kralex121]

The Treehouse Event already pretty much confirms that the player insert is gone. During one of the tutorial missions they showed Nell was now addressing Andy, who in the original wasn't introduced until you finished the fog of war tutorial and there was no mention of the advisor character. They also made some small changes from what I caught like already letting you use CO powers during those tutorial missions. They also called the mission AirAce! Mission 6, while it was originally Mission 3, meaning it is likely that instead of the original in-depth Tutorial Mode they'll simply move certain tutorial missions to the beginning of the campaign like they did in later games.

[@RadioTails]

@@Kralex121 That seems like a bad move imo. The Field Training explained really well how to play the game, and this feels like it's not going to help new players. I started with AW1 know, so maybe people who went with AW2 first may disagree?

[@Kralex121]

@@RadioTails I also started with AW1, I believe a lot of us likely did. The Field Training basically gave us everything we needed to know and was a lot of people's first experience with the series. That's why I'm glad to see that some of the more memorable missions (Tank Ops and Fog of War) have already been shown to us. Due to nostalgia and hope that this remake will get new people into the series I also hope that they don't get rid of it as a mode, but I thought I'd still share what I noticed. Also at least we can all be glad that looking up guides online for games is pretty common nowadays and Advance Wars has a passionate community that likes to share what they know.