___ _____ _ _ ___ __ _ _____ _____ / | | _ \ | | / / / | | \ | | / ___| | ____| / /| | | | | | | | / / / /| | | \| | | | | |__ / / | | | | | | | | / / / / | | | |\ | | | | __| / / | | | |_| | | |/ / / / | | | | \ | | |___ | |___ /_/ |_| |_____/ |___/ /_/ |_| |_| \_| \_____| |_____| _ __ ___ _____ _____ _____ | | / / / | | _ \ / ___/ /___ \ | | __ / / / /| | | |_| | | |___ ___| | | | / | / / / / | | | _ / \___ \ / ___/ | |/ |/ / / / | | | | \ \ ___| | | |___ |___/|___/ /_/ |_| |_| \_\ /_____/ |_____| _____ _____ _____ _____ __ _ _____ _____ _ / ___| / _ \ / ___/ | ____| | \ | | / ___/ | ____| | | | | | | | | | |___ | |__ | \| | | |___ | |__ | | | | | | | | \___ \ | __| | |\ | \___ \ | __| | | | |___ | |_| | ___| | | |___ | | \ | ___| | | |___ | | \_____| \_____/ /_____/ |_____| |_| \_| /_____/ |_____| |_| [Big thanks to the ASCII generator at http://www.draac.com/ascii.html] Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising By: YuGiOh15 and Linkman 145 FAQ - CO Sensei ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. Table of Contents .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0. Table of Contents 1. Legal Stuff .....................................................[#1#] 2. Introduction ....................................................[#2#] 3. CO Sensei .......................................................[#3#] 4. Sensei's Stats ..................................................[#4#] 5. Strategies and Techniques for Sensei ............................[#5#] 6. Sensei's weaknesses .............................................[#6#] 7. How would Sensei fare against the other COs? ....................[#7#] 8. Sensei Opinions .................................................[#8#] 9. Special Thanks ..................................................[#9#] 10. Version History ................................................[#10] 11. Contact ........................................................[#11] If you use Ctrl+F (Command+F for you crazy, crazy Mac users), and type in the expression in Brackets after the section, you shall be magically warped to it. Nifty, eh? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: [#1#] Legal Stuff [#1#] :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ is copyrighted to us, YuGiOh15 and Linkman145. This FAQ cannot be sold, copied, or posted on another website without our permission. The only sites that this document can be posted on are: GameFAQs.com Neoseeker.com WarsWorldNews.com If you wish to have this FAQ in your site, your MUST e-mail us. Not doing so will end in lawsuits. Really, it will. We'll probably give you permission, just ask. Sensei, Advance Wars and all related characters are copyright of Nintendo. All rights reserved. Copyright 2004-2005 Celso Rangel and Miguel Leandro. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: [#2#] Introduction [#2#] .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the end of 2001, near the GameBoy Advance's release, we were blessed with the creation known as Advance Wars. It was an amazing game; we spent countless hours playing such magnificent masterpiece. It brought portable gaming to such levels; we didn't believe so many things could fit into that tiny little cartridge. It was a Gamer's heaven. Dealing with over 20 different units, and 10 different Commanding Officers (CO), while still maintaining some kind of balance is more than impressive. Aside from using most elements of real warfare, Advance Wars also had amazing Replay Value; Multiplayer was one of the deepest ever seen in the GameBoy Advance, even by today's standards. It became an instant classic, showing the GameBoy Advance's sheer power. And later, we were blessed again, with the release of Advance Wars 2: Black Hole rising. With eight new COs, one new unit, and whole ton of new maps, Advance Wars 2 didn't fail to impress either. Featuring all the advantages of the first, and even more department than before, Advance Wars 2 quickly won a place in our hearts. It perfected what was already perfect. With a cast of amazing COs, filled with variety, Advance Wars 2 made us happy. And among of all those COs, we found our dear child; An old man by the name of Sensei. Sensei's true heart and experience touched us; but more than anything we were really moved by his laziness. We just loved him. We had to create something in his honor. And that's why this document is here, to honor this smart old man that runs by the name of Sensei. We hope you enjoy reading it, as much as we enjoyed making it. Maybe we can make you use Sensei like there's no tomorrow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. [#3#] CO Sensei [#3#] .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Sensei Army: Yellow Comet A former paratrooper rumored to have been quite the CO in his days. Hit: Lazy, rainy days Miss: Busy Malls Skill: Powerful Infantry and high transport movement range. Superior firepower for Copters, but weak vs. Naval and Vehicle units. Power Meter: ooOOOO CO Power: Copter Command - Attack Copter firepower increased. Infantry units with 9 HP appear in all allied cities, ready to be moved. Super CO Power: Airborne Assault - Attack Copter firepower increased. Mech units with 9 HP appear in all allied cities, ready to be moved. Winning Phrase: 'Hm hm hmmm... I've still got what it takes!' How to unlock: Finish the Yellow Comet campaign, and buy Kanbei or Sonja. --- Sensei, for those of you that don't know, is Japanese for teacher. And that's what Sensei is - a teacher. He is slightly difficult to use correctly, and he even might seem weak at first; ah, what mundane minds of those who believe Sensei is weak. Sensei is a Yellow Comet CO and a paratrooper as well. Or at least, he used to be one. As of now, he is old and lazy, but his CO skills remain powerful. He'd just like to relax and enjoy the rest of his days, but he is forced to go back to his War days, to save his homeland. He taught Kanbei the ways of a Samurai, hence his name Sensei. On his best days, he was rumored to be an invincible CO all through Wars World. His reputation has declined, but his ability hasn't... And he shows it to Adder while kicking him out of Yellow Comet. Sensei proves to be relaxed, yet caring for his people and his country. He just wants peace. Sensei gets along well with everyone. He is the man! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: [#4#] Sensei's Stats [#4#] :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sensei's stats. We shall use a system like this: XXX/YYY Those are stats. XXX is the attack percentage, and YYY is the defense percentage. Consider Andy's units as a 100%/100%. Anything else shall be said in brackets, next to the percentages. Normal Conditions Foot Soldiers: 140/100 Direct Vehicles: 90/100 Indirect Vehicles: 90/100 Copters: 150/100 Planes: 100/100 Direct Sea: 90/100 Indirect Sea: 90/100 Transports: ---/100 [+1 Movement] CO Power: Copter Command Foot Soldiers: 140/110 [Infantries spawn in all Allied cities] Direct Vehicles: 90/110 Indirect Vehicles: 90/110 Copters: 175/110 Planes: 100/110 Direct Sea: 90/110 Indirect Sea: 90/110 Transports: ---/110 [+1 Movement] Super CO Power: Airborne Assault Foot Soldiers: 140/110 [Mechs spawn in all Allied cities] Direct Vehicles: 90/110 Indirect Vehicles: 90/110 Copters: 175/110 Planes: 100/110 Direct Sea: 90/110 Indirect Sea: 90/110 Transports: ---/110 [+1 Movement] Note: All CO Powers give a +10% defense bonus to all units for one turn. As you can see, Sensei's strength is crazy. His B-Copters and Infantry far surpass any others in the game. Period. However, it does cost him. Sensei does get huge boosts, but only in three units, and is weak in almost everything else. This would seem weak at first, but it really isn't. It takes a little while for the average Joe to understand Sensei, so we'll break it down for you. First of all, Sensei's transports are a big help when capturing. Although he lacks any special capturing abilities, his transport are fast enough to still maintain a property advantage over the enemy. Especially because his infantries slaughter other infantries. With a property advantage, Sensei should start producing his trademark units, B-Copters and Mechs. If you noticed, B-Copters and Mechs are the two most versatile units in the game. The B-Copter fires upon ALL units in the game, with the exception of planes. Even if it can't deal decent damage to Anti-Airs and Cruisers, we're talking about 80% of the game here, and that's pretty darn impressive. And Mechs deal amazing damage to anything ground-based, considering their cost. Seven of Andy's Mechs would defeat a Neotank, and they are about the same value. Think what Sensei's would do then. So, a B-Copter + Mech assault suddenly becomes a huge threat. Anti-Airs manage to OHKO Copters, and also fairly damage Mechs; but they still fall to the very same Mechs they take out. Since an Anti-Air is 2.5 times the cost of a Mech, it's not an effective counter. Not to mention Sensei will fill himself up with Mechs after his SCOP. Sensei is one of the easiest COs to use, after you realize his strengths. He uses, in our humble opinion, the two best units in the game. And his weakness isn't that bad either. On top of everything, he is a wise old buddy! What else do you want? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:. [#5#] Strategies and Techniques for Sensei [#5#] :.:.:.:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here, we will try and provide strategies to use with Sensei. Most of these strategies are commonly known; if you came up with any of these, they are so widespread we wouldn't know if you really created it. If there's a specific creator for a strategy, he shall be fully credited. Submit any strategies you have for the mighty Sensei! 1. Early Capturing >> Description: This strategy consists in using Sensei's extra movement in transports, along with his powerful infantry, to maintain a city advantage. >> Strategy: In the establishment phase, when you must capture cities, build infantries and transports as usual. Instead of capturing the nearby properties, load your soldiers to the transport. Try and get them to the cities farther away, and start capturing. After you've captured the cities a bit past half of the map, start capturing the ones before them. The idea of this technique is to assure Sensei gets more cities; and with his mobile transports, he'll be able to do so. His infantry will be able to protect the cities well, and make sure they don't get stopped during capture. At this point, the only thing you will face is Infantry and Recons. Block infantry with your transport! Their movement range is small, so if you manage to block their path, they will be stopped cold. Same applies to Recons; block the roads so they can't reach your units through the slow moving plains. All in all, Sensei's infantry will be able to hold off the cities, so you'll maintain a nice advantage. And if you're having trouble holding him off, Copter Command shall re-supply you with Infantry. >> Counter: The best way to counter this strategy is using Tanks. Infantry and Recons won't suffice against a Transport; it'll take you about 4 turns fighting like that. However, Tanks will pound Sensei. Sensei's using his money to capture before you can, so he's not producing any powerful units. If he used Mechs instead of infantry, tanks still have the advantage - The extra movement will assure you the first strike. 2. Mech Flooding/Swarming >> Description: Build a lot of Mechs, support it with Airborne Assault, and break through the enemy lines. >> Strategy: If you managed to do well in your establishment phase, then you should have a couple of factories. The idea of this strategy is to produce Mechs, a whole bunch of Mechs. As we've said before, Mechs beat about anything ground-based, considering their cost. And Sensei's are even better. Build a lot of Mechs, and advance slowly through your opponent's defense - He won't be able to beat you, as you'll outnumber him badly. Even Neotanks fall to this Technique. It's also very cost-effective, as Mechs are very cheap, and since your enemy should be retreating, you can capture their cities. Even if it takes a while, you eventually overwhelm your enemy with superior numbers, while they struggle against their lack of funds. However, it's awfully slow. Mechs only have 2 movement, and that is horrible. Even if it's nearly unstoppable, it's WAY TOO SLOW. Do not use this in any campaign or War room maps, or you'll get a bad speed rating, not to mention all those killed mechs will destroy your technique rating. Don't forget to support this strategy with APCs to actually get your Mechs in the frontlines, and Anti-Airs for any Air units that may appear. Note: This works very well when combined with 'Copter Blitzkrieg'. >> Counter: This strategy can be countered by Infantry. Infantries are one third of a Mech's cost, and they deal effective damage to them. You should be able to outnumber your enemy, forcing them to switch techniques to defeat your Infantry units. Tanks should be deployed too, or you'll be slaughtered by Anti-Airs. 3. Copter Blitzkrieg >> Description: Build a lot of B-Copters, support it with your Powers, and break through the enemy lines. >> Strategy: For those of you that don't know, Blitzkrieg is German for 'Lightning War'. It was adapted to Advance Wars, to imply a constant income of Tanks and/or Artilleries - Similarly to the previously mentioned "Mech Flood". Well, Sensei can do it to... But Copters are what work for him. As we've mentioned before, B-Copters are able to fire on almost anything in this in this game - Imagine what a bunch of Sensei's crazy copters would do. We calculated the damage, and B-Copters slaughtered almost everything, including Cruisers (taking cost into account). However... There are some flaws with this technique. First of all, B- Copters fall to the cheaper Anti-Airs. If you can flood B-Copters, then your foe can flood Anti-Airs, so it's not effective. Second, it's simply ineffective against Planes. And lastly, it's too expensive. Unlike Mechs, B-Copters are expensive, so you can't just pop out 3 or 4 every turn. Even with your best income, it's hard to build more than 2, not to mention the support they need. With all that being said, it's still darn impressive. With some support, B-copters become amazingly powerful. They can break through enemy lines, or they can just go around them. And with both of your powers getting them to crazy levels, AND creating instant support for them, this easily becomes one of Sensei's most effective techniques, as well as his trademark. Note: This works very well when combined with 'Mech Flooding/Swarming'. >> Counter: The three weaknesses mentioned are what hinder this technique, and they're not very exploitable. Planes are too expensive to go against a large number of copters, not to mention the Anti-Air support that should be nearby. Sensei's powerful infantry will assure him a steady money flow, so it's hard to go against that too. The only effective counter is using Anti-Airs, as they can manage to stop Copters... But Sensei's Mechs will slaughter you in large numbers. Try and combine all three weaknesses, and watch out for Sensei's power meter. That, and some luck. You'll need it. 4. Soldier Joining >> Description: Use your COP or your SCOP to create foot soldiers, and join them, so you get money from the surplus. >> Strategy: In one campaign mission, Sensei said to an enemy that when 2 units join together, the surplus is converted into funds. That's basically what Soldier Joining is. When you join two units, the extra HP goes to your funds. And since Sensei's powers net him a bunch of 9HP units, there's a gold mine there to be exploited. This is useful in the middle of battle when you are in dire need of building something, but you just need a little more G. The following shows this: Pretend you have 21200 G and you want to build a bomber. You have two infantry with 9 HP. If you join them... 9 HP Infantry + 9 HP Infantry = 8 HP extra (9+9=18, which is 8 HP over the max amount, 10 HP) 8 HP = 80% (Type of unit) 80% of infantry's cost: 800 G gained from the converted surplus. You can then build a bomber, since 21200 G + 800 = 22000 G This works best when combined with an Infantry or Mech swarm. Among your units, there ought to be some damaged ones, so you can join them to refresh your forces, and get some extra funds! It also contributes to your technique in Campaign and War Room; when you join 2 units, and they get destroyed, it only counts as one unit. It's an excellent way to use those useless 2-3 HP units. If you learn how to use this strategy right, you'll get so much money you might be able to build B-Copters from just the converted surplus. It's an excellent way to support all of the above mentioned strategies. >> Counter: This is not a threatening strategy, but if Sensei gets some funds, he'll beat the crap out of you with Copters. The best way to stop this is to have one of your units block the distance between the cities, so they won't be able to join (at least not immediately). However, then you're getting attacked by two 9HP Mechs, so be extremely careful if trying to stop this strategy. The old man is mighty! 5. Pre-deployed Deployment >> Description: Use your COP or SCOP in pre-deployed maps to actually create new units. >> Strategy: This is actually just a simple Technique, there's no real science here. In a pre-deployed map, Sensei's powers will allow him to deploy units. Although simple, this is actually quite powerful. Do your best through the battle to capture many cities, and then use your Super CO Power. You should unfairly outnumber your enemy, almost assuring your victory, even against COs like Kanbei, or with a certain advantage at the map. It's wise to count up your unit's worth. Each star in your Power meter is worth $9,000, and every unit of yours that gets destroyed adds its worth in funds to your Power meter. If you count up more than $54,000 that means you will be able to use Airborne Assault at a certain point of the battle, unless your HQ gets captured. Destroying enemy units nets you half of their costs in your Power meter, so take that into account too. Sometimes you just won't be able to use Airborne Assault, as there won't be enough funds. Always calculate to see if you can use it, and if you can, when to use it. Remember the more cities you have, the more units you will deploy. >> Counter: This is like an ability of Sensei's, so it's hard to counter. The best thing you can do is stop Sensei from capturing cities, so he'll have fewer units to work with when using his Power. 6. Pierce - By Ababy >> Description: Attack a concentrated section of the enemy's front, break your way through and attack his indirects, to secure the obtained territory. >> Strategy: Form a defensive line and make sure that you can hold the opponent for two or three turns, or accumulate joined, healed and reserve units while advancing relatively slowly. Concentrate units behind your line and go for a gigantic attack on one concentrated section of the opponent's line. When you break a hole in the line, send directs behind and wreck havoc on indirects. You'll need to do this to secure or provide safety for the land that you've gotten. If you're confident, you can attack the middle, which is the most dangerous section (opponents are surrounding you). If you manage to do so, you'll split their line and force them to either launch a counter- attack at the position or retreat to regroup. The Left and Right are also good fronts to attack, especially with naval support (battleships can do wonders here, even just one can suffice). Sensei is marvelous here because he can wipe out meat-shields in one hit with a bunch of cheap B-Copters. Just get three or four and rush them in, they should create holes in the opponent's line for your directs to move in and get two or more attacks in. Either way, after advancing, make sure that you move some reserve indirects up to somewhat keep the ground you've gained. MAKE SURE TO ALWAYS KEEP YOUR LINE WHILE YOU DO THIS or you'll just give your opponent a route to your HQ (you can make a trap out of that though.....). This strategy devastates the opponent if successful. >> Counter: The only way to counter a pierce attack is to be aggressive yourself, or to have effective scouts (as pierce relies on the element of surprise). If you know that a pierce attack will come and know which place your opponent will attack, you can easily set up a trap. This applies to all COs, not just Sensei. Pierce, if not prepared against, is devastating. 7. Gosu Flanking - by konscript >> Description: Surround your enemy with Mech units while your heavier units stay to the middle and prevent the enemy from breaking through and separating you. >> Strategy: Like a few other CO's, Sensei's transports can move an extra space. Well this is INCREDIBLY useful. While you can use B-Copters and tanks to form a defensive mid section (about the middle of the terrain you are fighting on), you can use your mechs to take the sides. Build a few transports and mechs. While your heavier units hold the middle ground, you can take your mechs and load them into the transports secretly. Due to their ability to move an extra space, you can move them around to the sides of the battlefield, preferably out of view. Make sure that you do this to both sides of the battle field. Continue to unload a few mechs on both sides until you have enough to counter most of the units that you will be facing in the middle. Now, start to move your mechs in; within a few turns your opponent will realize that he is being attacked on three fronts. With you being able to attack him with more men, you have the advantage. If you can pull off a surround with this tactic, go ahead. In other words, you should try pulling off something like this (E = enemy A = you): AEEEA AEEA AAA The above formation will either allow you to completely decimate your opponent, or force him to retreat, allowing you to take ground and most likely properties. You can also set up a few mechs in mountains or forests before-hand in an area you need to take (many cities). If the enemy has control of the area, you can send a few B-Copters in, and harass his infantry trying to capture. In his haste to expand, he will most likely push you and your B- Copters back, but your mechs will still be there. Move them in once he has taken the bait, and now he is outflanked again. Due to the fact that most of the time he will be traveling through plains (easier movement), your mechs (who receive almost NO movement penalties), will be able to attack on more fronts. He will be severely weakened from his advancement and forced to give you more territory while he attempts to build back his army. >> Counter: The best way to counter this is to be prepared - Spread out your units. Anti-Airs and Recons should be great counter to the flanking units, so don't forget to deploy some around the area. Avoid getting surrounded, and always be alert. 8. Double Copter Command - by gameguy146 >> Description: When you have filled you Power meter, use Copter Command twice instead of using Airborne Assault. >> Strategy: Although this strategy is very situational, it can be very useful. Sensei's powers only differ in which unit spawn from cities - the boost is the same. What if the Mechs you're getting simply aren't worth it? Use Copter Command twice! Your copters will get to crazy attack levels, for 2 turns in a row. And even if you're getting loads of Mechs, Infantry units aren't too shabby. You'll be getting a whole load of them, so you could try to swarm your enemy with them. Especially with Sensei's amazing Infantry. >> Counter: There's no real counter to this, except a whole bunch of Anti-Airs. If Sensei's using this strategy, you can expect a lot of Copters, so be careful. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: [#6#] Sensei's weaknesses [#6#] :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ah, what a short section this should be. Sadly, we'll have to detail it... Well, as mighty as the old man is, he still fails in some occasions. Sensei excels incredibly in his maps, yet he fails at almost everything else. That is his main weakness - He's too focalized. Getting crazy boosts for 3 units is amazing, as long as you get to use them thoroughly. But only 3 out of 16 units (excluding transports) is a bad ratio. Chances are you'll find maps where one, two, or even all three units are neglected. This limits Sensei in a fair amount of maps. The fact his Air units are normal helps him out a bit, as they are widely versatile. They can be used in ALL maps; as long as you can deploy them, they'll do fine. His weak units aren't too bad either; they have slightly less firepower, and are perfectly usable. What really kills Sensei, are his Powers. While they are amazing in the right maps, they are way too focused. In a Sea map without Air units, Sensei's Powers only give the traditional +10% defense. All the other type-specialized COs (Based on Air, Sea or Ground) have special effects in their powers, that help them even if not in their specialty. Drake reduces fuel, which brings him the edge at Air battles, Eagle's Lightning Strike works in Ground and Sea as well; and Jess' refueling help in Air or Sea battles. Yet, our buddy Sensei only gets boosts in his strength. It simply hinders his chances at some maps. He also relies a lot in large numbers. Sensei almost always relies on some kind of swarm - whether it's Mech, Copter or whatever, he needs them in large numbers. So he's highly susceptible to any kind of generalized damage, like damaging Powers, or Missile Silos. With all that being said, Sensei still is no pushover. He has a slight advantage - ALL maps shall include cities. If it's pre-deployed, he'll get extra units, and if it has deployment, he can get extra funds, as well as easier capturing time. Do not under-estimate him, or you might get a nasty surprise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:. [#7#] How would Sensei fare against the other COs? [#7#] .:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here, we'll try to show how Sensei would fare against all the other COs in the game. Skill is a lot more important than anything you see here - using the best CO won't assure your victory. It's still important, so let's see how Sensei stands up to the rest of the gang. >> 1. Andy Many people call Andy the prime all-rounder. That means he'll fall to Sensei's strength, but will also be able to exploit his weakness. When it comes to capturing, Sensei definitely has the advantage. The far- moving transports, accompanied by the powerful soldiers simply outperform Andy. Sensei should assure a fair amount of properties. But aside from that, it's just about the map. Sensei shall shine when Copters and Mechs are around; but he'll fail miserably at Sea. Try to get the best out of him, building a balanced force and trying to use his powerful units. Hyper Repair and Hyper Upgrade won't be really significant to actually hinder you, so just play normally. >> 2. Max Max can fall to Sensei's abilities very easily. Since he suffers a lot not having defensive strategies, you can use an all-air-unit rush to destroy Max or capture his HQ. Max won't stand a chance since the indirect range of Max is reduced and therefore, defensive strategy is reduced. Sensei has the advantage at capturing, and using infantry loaded into T Copters with Bombers and Fighters, you can easily win. With extra firepower, B Copters can also be used. When it comes to maps, even though Sensei fails at sea, Sensei still fares better than Max. On a sea map with many islands, Sensei has the advantage over Max since Sensei's landers have +1 movement, and therefore, Sensei could capture a lot more properties than Max. Sensei can then build many strong units and start to do an offensive attack, which will probably succeed because of Max's lack to go on the defensive. Like Andy, just play normally with Sensei against Max. Sensei might become handicapped in a battle if air is excluded and there are only ground and sea units. Nevertheless, Max is not to be underestimated. Even though Max is absolutely helpless when defending from Sensei, if he manages to do so, the roles will change and Sensei will be the one at the defensive. Max has tremendous offensive capabilities, and unlike Sensei, they go for all direct units, which means Max can launch a much more varied assault, which makes it much harder to counter it. This situation would be completely disastrous for Sensei, so don't allow the battle to get there; establish an early lead and you'll keep the bull that is Max tied up. >> 3. Sami Ahh... Two amazing COs in an epic battle. This should be interesting... Although both COs share some similarities, they differ in many aspects. Sensei is too focalized - he relies on sheer power for his boosts. Sami, in the other hand, requires more strategy. They excel on slightly different occasions, and in different ways. Sami's foot soldiers are slightly weaker than Sensei's, which gives Sensei the advantage in normal battles. However, the extra capture more than makes up for it. Sami should get many more cities than Sensei, and that's saying something. Sami should be the only CO to match Sensei in capturing. Even if Sensei's Infantry has a bit more attack, they aren't up to par with Sami's. Why? Well, it's quite simple. Sami's Powers give great boosts to her Foot soldiers. Even if Sensei outnumbers her when using his powers, he still fails to the 1.5 capturing, and the huge boosts they get with Sami's powers. Never-the-less, Sensei matches Sami almost everywhere else. They're equal in almost everything, and Sami's normal Indirects are evened out with Sensei's normal Air units. Except for the Battle Copter - Sensei's B- Copters simply obliterate Sami. While this evens out with Sami's capturing ability, it's much more versatile. It can be used in a much wider variety of maps, to give Sensei the advantage over her. With all that being said, we believe Sensei and Sami are pretty much even. They excel in different maps, albeit being so similar. Do not under-estimate Sami, or you'll face the fate many n00bs have already experienced, and many experts as well. >> 4. Nell Nell is an all-around CO, so you shouldn't vary your game against her. Just play normally, like you would against Andy. Her extra damage is devastating, but Sensei isn't more affected than any other COs. His best units are what we'd like to call "dog-fightable". That means they can deal nice damage, and are killed quite easily - Like in a Copter Dogfight, whoever gets the first strike wins. Since your units shouldn't be too usable without the added damage, they won't be much worse with it. Sensei still suffers what any other CO suffers with Nell. If an Infantry destroys your B-Copter, just smile and don't feel sad - You know she's cheap. >> 5. Hachi Elder COs face off! Now, Hachi is a triple star CO. That means he's designed to be cheap, and have unfair advantages. In this case, Hachi gets 10% cheaper units, for absolutely no weakness. Which is totally horrible for us. Sensei is a natural swarmer, and relies on large numbers. Well, Hachi can swarm better than him. Hachi will have slightly more units than Andy would, and that's not too much of a problem for us. What kills is his powers - 50% cheaper units put him far above Andy's levels. And the fact he will be able to deploy from cities also screws us up, as it allows for instant defense from Sensei's swarm (as it's usually slow). Although you could try to block the cities to prevent it, it's still a killer. Well, what do you guys suggest? We shall remain silent. Hachi is one heck of a CO, and the only things you can do are play normally, and try to defeat him. Do your best, as this guy is quite the CO. The disciple overruns his Sensei! >> 6. Olaf Well, he had to fall someday... Sensei plays normally against Olaf. He shouldn't have any trouble... If Olaf doesn't use his Powers. Sensei has a lot of trouble with Snow. His best units fall to it; specially the B-copter, whose amazing movement is greatly hindered. Sensei will perform poorly in Snow, so avoid it at all costs. And then, there's the damage. Sensei relies on large numbers of units, so generalized damage is a no-no for him. Since ALL units Sensei has will be damaged, he'll lose a lot of power, and losing all that money feels frustrating. Still, do your best to defeat him using the normal strategies. The Powers only come once in a while - Don't freak out about it! >> 7. Grit Grit is hard for the old man. If the map is ground-only, Grit shall have the advantage. Grit's normal strategies will suffice against Sensei's weaker directs, and his Infantry units won't help either, as they're too slow to actually reach the Indirects before getting blasted to bits. Not everything is lost, however, as Sensei can and will manage to have a great property advantage. Grit is a defensive CO, so he won't have much time to capture - allowing you to capture even more than usual. Still, Grit should be able to overcome the lack of funds, and eventually beat Sensei. The best you can do is try to stop him before he fills himself with indirects, while also capturing most of the properties. If Air units are involved, Sensei gains a whole new level of power. Grit is a very defensive CO, so he will take time to set-up his forces; and there's when you strike. Sensei's B-copters can successfully assault Grit before he's ready, screwing up his capturing, and not giving him time to re-group. With a constant income of B-copters, you should be able to breeze through even Anti-Airs, eventually winning you the capturing battle, or the battle altogether. In Sea and Air, Grit simply falls to Sensei. Watch out for battleships, but outside of that, it shouldn't be hard to beat him. As a finishing note, we'd like to say that even with Copters; Grit is a hard foe to face with Sensei. You should be able to defeat him, as long you're playing in an open map. The availability of Copters is a very deciding factor - You want to reduce those Artilleries and Rockets as much as you can. >> 8. Colin Colin is an interesting CO against Sensei. Colin's cheap units allow him a very powerful early game, as he will be able to expand faster and more effectively. So, if used properly, Colin can be a big problem for Sensei. Sensei's swarming advantage can be countered by Colin's swarm of cheap units. This can be countered by a cost-efficient strategy that is perfect for Sensei. In this situation, an all around army force can be the best way to counter it. First of all, since Colin's foot soldiers are weakened by Colin's abilities, you should do your best to out-capture him and his superior numbers. When Colin saves up enough, he'll move up to high-tier units; much faster than us, if we may add. Make sure to build Indirects once you saved up enough money, to hold off your lines. Colin's units are equal to Sensei's vehicles, so Sensei won't be handicapped, as usual. If Sensei does manage to secure enough properties, Colin's cheap prices will match his money advantage, making the money game fairly even. Although in that case, the battle sides to Sensei due to his B-Copters and Foot Soldiers. So, what must you do when battling Colin? Capture! If Colin gets enough money, Sensei's swarming abilities are limited, and Colin will eventually best him. Do your best to stop Colin from capturing, if you manage to, the battle will be over. Good Luck; Colin is a real bitch. >> 9. Kanbei Ahh... This is interesting. Kanbei can be very challenging for Sensei, but it depends what kind of map it is. Kanbei definitely has the advantage on pre-deployed maps and small maps, while Sensei is a more all-around CO. Sensei can be used better on larger maps because of the faster transports. Even though Kanbei has the advantage in strength, Sensei will capture faster on those maps. Well, what are you supposed to do with the funds? RUSH. Kanbei has a weak early game, as he will have few units, and they will be low-tier (Infantry, Recons). Therefore, if you manage to attack him quickly, he will have a very hard time keeping up with your offensive, as he still has very limited funds. Sensei's B-Copters are perfect for the job, being fast, powerful and versatile. However, if you are facing a good Kanbei player, your opponent might use his best tricks to try and survive your assault. Kanbei is very powerful in terms of defense and offense, by far outweighing his cost disadvantage. So, if Kanbei actually survives the early game and gets some properties, he becomes a real beast. Sensei's 90/100 units will suffer in front of Kanbei's equal units. Remember to kill him early, or you'll die later. >> 10. Sonja Facing Sonja can be tricky, depending on if it is Fog of War or not. Sonja obviously has the upper hand in Fog of War, but can also play mind games with Sensei without it. Sonja's HP is not shown to Sensei, and can mix up the units together, making Sensei unable to know when her units are going to be destroyed. The easiest way to counter this is to put animations on, for players only. You will then know what the HP is after the battle animation. It might take long, but it's worth it, Sonja will no longer confuse you. Using a balanced Airforce supported with indirect units can rout Sonja easily after Sonja's mind games don't work against Sensei. Just watch out for Sonja's SCOP, Counter Break, which delays your destroying strategy. Make sure you have enough units to actually go over the loss of the first strike, or Counter Break might stop your plans. Don't worry about Sonja's +1 vision or her COP, because it does nothing without Fog of War. If Fog of War is on, make sure to build a lot of recons to match Sonja's advantage of vision. B-Copters also have pretty good vision, and with Sensei's strength in them, B-Copters become important in Fog of War. Even though you need a lot of recons, build a more powerful force with it, like a B-Copter Blitzkrieg supported with indirect units and a Mech swarm. >> 11. Sensei Facing yourself. Can it be challenging? A Sensei VS Sensei match is pretty much equal, since the pros and cons are the same. To counter your mirror image, build units that counter the units your enemy builds. Also, build infantry supported with transports to capture faster than your opponent. The last thing you want happening is your opponent getting 20 mechs from Sensei's SCOP. Start to use your CO Power more than your Super CO Power against Sensei so your Battle Copters get a boost faster and your infantry production increases, resulting in more capturing. The only way you'll get the upper hand against someone with the same abilities as you is to have more properties. More properties equals more money, and more money equals better units. Just do your best facing Sensei. It might become tricky since there aren't many strategies used to counter Sensei when you are Sensei. >> 12. Eagle Facing the flyboy who relies on Blitzkrieg... Everyone knows Eagle, the Green Earth CO with the infamous air unit force. Fighting him with Sensei can be very tricky. Eagle's 100/100 ground force outperforms Sensei's ground force any day, and Sensei's copters don't fare well against Eagle's strong advantages in air. Both of them are weak in sea, not much difference there. It's true that Eagle has the advantage in strengths. However, Sensei has the advantage in strategies and techniques. Sensei's mechs and supported with indirects can beat Eagle's normal ground force if used properly, and with Sensei's +1 movement in his transports, he can capture a lot more properties than Eagle. This makes Eagle run into a bad situation, since he needs a lot of money to swarm air units. Sensei's main strengths, the power in his infantry and copters are cost- efficient. Unlike Eagle's Blitzkrieg force, his OHKO Copters easily outmatch Eagle in a dogfight. In a Copter VS Copter battle, Eagle falls to Sensei's strengths. Once Sensei has enough properties, he can use his 100/100 air force. Even though Eagle's air unit force is stronger and burn less fuel, Sensei can gain the upper hand easily. If Sensei is used properly, Eagle won't have time to build many air units before Sensei destroys them all with A-Airs, Missiles, or Fighters. Watch out for Eagle's ultimate attack, his SCOP, Lightning Strike. If you don't know Eagle has it, you might not be prepared for 2 attacks with almost every unit in the middle of a battle. Check the menu on CO, and in Eagle's profile, you can see if he has his Super CO Power or not. That way, you can prepare for Lightning Strike and go on the defensive for one turn. >> 13. Drake Drake can beat Sensei if you're not prepared. His +1 movement with naval units gives him the same advantage Sensei has with landers. Drake's 100/100 ground force also outmatches Sensei's, and Drake's infantry force is pretty much normal too. The only advantage Sensei has over Drake is his air force and his infantry. Sensei's main problem against Drake is the CO Powers. Drake's powers half fuel, giving a big disadvantage when Sensei uses the B-Copter Blitzkrieg. When this happens, the B-Copters will eventually run out of fuel and die. Also, the generalized damage hurts many of Sensei's techniques. The solution to this problem is to use a lot of APCs against Drake. They're cheap; they supply ammo and fuel, and can be very useful when supplying air units. Drake's powers lose half of their effect when APCs just supply the fuel back. If your air units are supported with APC units, then rush air units, since naval units' strength is no match for bombers, fighters, and copters, which obliterate just about everything. Another way to gain the upper hand against Drake is by using the Soldier Joining technique. When APC units aren't close to the infantry, you can just join them to get more money. Besides, on a large map, who needs infantry to go on the main offensive army? As always, the techniques of capturing properties give you the upper hand, as naval units are the most expensive and Drake needs the money. If you don't capture first, Drake could build his mighty battleships fast to attack from afar. >> 14. Jess Jess is a good CO against Sensei. Though her powers become all around with the supplying effect, she is slightly weak for a lot of units and only slightly strong for ground units without the powers. Her abilities can be below average against Sensei, but in an all-ground battle, she obviously wins. As usual, if you're on the offensive, use B-Copter Blitzkrieg supported with a mech swarm and indirect units. Advance with all the units in the group slowly, and do a large attack once you reach your opponent. If Jess builds a lot of MD Tanks, the copters destroy it. If A-Airs come, the mechs destroy it. If air units come, use missile units to destroy them. If naval units come, artillery and rockets destroy them in range. If you use this strategy, which is very effective against Jess, back it up with APC units, since mech's ammo runs out fast, B-Copters' fuel can run out in a large map, and indirects need ammo to attack every turn for support. Eventually, your opponent will figure out a way to counter this technique, so it's pretty much temporary. When this happens, you've already destroyed many of her units, so swoop in for the kill with air units. On the ground battle, Jess obviously has the upper hand. You'll have a lot of trouble if there are only ground units at your disposal. The only thing you'll have that Jess doesn't have is the powerful infantry force. Even though Jess has better stats at ground battling, don't be afraid to use the stronger units, like MD Tanks. Try to capture a lot of properties in a ground battle, and use your SCOP to gain the upper hand. After all, getting lots of units when you're losing can give you a great comeback! If you are in a ground battle, which out for Jess's powers, which become more useful than Sensei's in a ground only battle. If you play with many of the strategies Sensei can use in a ground battle, you can win. >> 15. Flak Flak is like a weaker version of Nell, and if you combine his pros and cons together, he's a pretty balanced CO. If you're not careful, a Flak player can take you by surprise and take the upper hand. Underestimating Flak is the last thing you want to do when facing him. While Flak has a couple of different things, he's just a normal CO. Play as you would against anyone else; his bonuses won't be really significant. As for his Powers, they won't do much damage, as you'll be dealing mostly with cheap units, easily replaceable. Remember to exploit your Airforce, and watch out for Sea maps. >> 16. Lash Lash is one of the best COs of Advance Wars 2. In our eyes, she's quite broken. How will Sensei fare against an almost Star CO? Well, he must watch out at Land. Lash's ground forces simply obliterate Sensei's, as the most common type of Terrain is plains, and Lash excels there. Sensei will be struggling with his weaker tanks, while Lash breaks through his lines. At Air, Sensei does a bit better. With no terrain to take advantage of, Lash is in for a pounding. Just attack her with your superior Copters, and support yourself with your Powers. Since Lash's Powers are useless at Air battles, Sensei will have the edge here. At Sea, Sensei is just as weak as always. Lash's strength won't be very exploitable, so just consider her a normal CO. Her CO Powers aren't too useful either, with Reefs being a bit uncommon. Do your best to win the property battle, so you can outnumber her. Your Landers are better than hers, so don't be discouraged. Still, Lash will pound Sensei at ground, and match him at Air and Sea. Try and make use of your strong Infantry to win the property battle, and attack her with your B-Copters and Mechs. >> 17. Adder You've kicked his ass at Yellow Comet's campaign. He should be easy by now! Adder is just a normal CO, so play normally. Don't be scared by his Michael Jackson face, and pound him with your usual strategies. His powers are a bit worrying... But nothing too special. While your units rely a lot on the first strike, they should be in large numbers - so it's not a big deal when some of them die. Especially since they're so cheap. All the mentioned strategies should work normally, so just kick his ass, like in Yellow Comet. Go Sensei! >> 18. Hawke Hawke is Star CO, but he isn't that big of a deal. While he has above average stats, it's not really a difference. He's just a bit stronger than Andy, so you can play normally. Apply all the techniques you see fit, and don't fret about his extra attack. His Powers are bad stuff. Generalized damage is not a good thing for Sensei, and we can't stress it enough. But luckily for us, this is Hawke's weakness! His Power meter is way too long to be really effective. Still, when he gets to use it, your frontlines will be badly damaged. And since Sensei is a very offensive CO, you should have loads of units in the frontlines. Remember, generalized damage = NO GOOD. However, Sensei is quite capable of defeating Hawke. He shouldn't be too hard - be sure to have a property advantage, and just play normally. Watch out for his Powers, and trigger them only at best situations. >> 19. Sturm BROKEN/10. Well, there's much you can do against Sturm. He's powerful, he's cheap. How do you beat him? First of all, be glad your Copters and Mechs still beat his. Now be sad he totally obliterates you at Ground and Sea. His free movement overruns many of your techniques. For example, Recons can now reach your Infantry easily, through the Plains, and that eliminates your property advantage. His ground and sea units will be able to fully use terrain, as now there's no penalty on them, and with his extra defense, that makes him almost invincible. You're in for rough waters with this one. Do your best to go against him. You're not too bad at Air, so use T- Copters to maintain a city advantage (even if slight). Your Copters are still powerful enough to pound his troops, so take advantage of that. Block the best terrain, so he is forced to move through plains. Use Indirects to go around his extra attack. Try your best, and combine all of the strategies we've mentioned in the FAQ. His Powers are easy to go around. While Meteor Strike is powerful, it targets the mass of units worth more money - so mass Mechs! It's cost- effective, but expensive enough for Sturm to go for them. Plus, you can support the mass with your SCOP, so you shouldn't have much trouble with it. Taking everything into account... We must repeat - Broken/10. Just... try. Try to go against the nature of this game, and beat the most utterly broken CO we've seen in a while. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: [#8#] Sensei Opinions [#8#] :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- These are varied opinions about Sensei. Got your own? Post it in the boards, or e-mail us! Xenesis Xenon says: 'Sensei's good at mixed combat. His airforce is always useful and his copters are quite brutal. Mix that in with strong mechs and infantry and you have a balanced CO. He can hold his own in most theaters of war, although he suffers a bit in pure sea combat. He works well with general combat tactics, while using his powers to support his forces with additional units and beef up his copters. His powers also allow him to stall and blockade for much longer than most COs, as he gets free cannon fodder and the mechs can usually be pulled out of nowhere in a tricky spot to defend against most vehicular and soldier type troops. Not to mention, his B-Copters will OHKO opposing copters, and thoroughly wreak indirect units. Sensei's strength is in his cheap and powerful troops.' ThrawnFett says: 'He's one of my favorite COs to use. His units are slightly weaker, but his foot soldiers and copters have a significant boost. So, primarily using foot soldiers and copters, but with a good mix of supporting units, Sensei can be a force to be reckoned with. He can be tricky to use, especially against an army of Anti Airs. But with good strategy and planning, his other (slightly weaker) units can overcome that. Since his COP and SCOP both boost his Copters and give him plenty of foot soldiers to mass, those will really help in a tight situation. It can also provide money, allowing for more expensive back up. Oh, his planes are still 100/100, so his Bomber is just as devastating as normal. And while this doesn't affect gameplay, his music is awesome! His music is tied with Grit's for my favorite in the game...' Terragent says: 'Ah, Sensei. Personally, I find him at his best when he's supplying the comic relief; his absent-mindedness, his effortless defeats of Adder - and of course his music. As a one-time fan of big-band Swing myself, I love Sensei's theme; a fast, jokey piece, it's almost a celebration of the genre. At the same time, his tactical strengths are considerable. Even before you consider his financial advantages from joining power-produced units, he has truly vicious copters and infantry. His tanks are the same as Sami and Colin's - that is to say, underpowered but by no means useless - and his sea units are perfectly usable, just like with Jess and Colin. Another killer is his rockets; while they're weak, they work very nicely in conjunction with a mech flood. He's especially nasty in maps with rivers and little cover, as his mechs and copters can sweep enemy vehicles away - his powers ensure a constant supply of meat for the grinder. Overall, Sensei is a balanced and enjoyable CO to use: never to be underestimated.' I Blame Video Games says: 'Sensei isn't my favorite CO, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a great one. He is one of the cheapest COs to use, I mean, Copters are the cheapest in the air, and Mechs are the cheapest decent damaging unit on dry land. This doesn't mean he can't use his other units, though. Sensei can easily get a quick, strong force ready to combat the opponent while they might be still setting up, building Tanks, which Sensei's copters beat down, or perhaps some more expensive units. His powers and Transport movement boost all help this out in later game, making him one of the faster COs, despite the low movement range of the Mech. Spamming Mechs and Copters is no problem for him, and he can easily support it with his weaker but still easily useable other units. Not only can he spam, but he can tear apart foolish spammers. His Copters and cheap infantry make a Mech flood cry, and his tanks can cripple an AA enough to make it prey for one of his Battle Copters. Grit is probably even easier to take down, with his AA helpless against Tanks or Rockets or Mechs while Copters wipe out his Artillery. Not bad for an old guy, huh?' Inuyashafan648 says: 'Sensei is a truly gifted CO. Old, lazy, and yet, drove Adder out of Yellow Comet with ease. Funniest out of battle, deadly in battle. He can match with Sami in an infantry battle... providing she doesn't use her powers. Ye could clobber Nell, Flak, Sturm... anybody with ease in a fair map. Stat wise, he isn't the greatest, with all of his stats on 6 units... but he still gets the job done quite nicely. His power lies in his powers. For every 2 cities you have, you get 800 funds and an infantry on his power. Super power wise, you get 2400 funds and a mech. On some maps, you will out match colin in funds. His powers are helpful defending cities and flaking the enemy with fresh units. In drawbacks, he is much like Grit, and the lowered indirect units of Max. Still, considering that his tanks are still decent, he has adapted to technology very well. He, Eagle, and Drake hold an interesting strategy. First, attack with weaker your weaker units like Eagle's ships. The enemy doesn't expect this, so they will be crippled. When they are focusing on your weaker units, mass strong units like Eagle's bomber and pound them into a million pieces. Theme wise, he is the best. The song sounds just like him....' ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. [#9#] Special Thanks [#9#] :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- First of all, we'd like to thank Nintendo for the GameBoy Advance and Intelligent Systems for Advance Wars. They made all of this possible. CJayC, for GameFAQs, and hosting us. Neoseeker.com, for hosting us. Xenesis Xenon, for letting us use Sensei's stats in his FAQ, for his opinion, and for being an overall cool guy. Thanks a lot man! Whoever's reading this, check out his FAQ!! Terragent, for his opinion, feedback, and support to the guide. Check out his Adder FAQ when it comes out! Thanks a lot Terr! For their strategies submitted: Ababy konscript gameguy146 For their opinion: Thrawnnfett Xenesis Xenon Terragent I Blame Video Games I Blame Video Games, for motivating us to create CO FAQs. Rune, for a heads up on the 'Sensei vs. other COs' section. Linkman_145 and Yugioh15, for being such cool guys. And sexy too. Sensei himself, for being such a badass mofo. Go Sensei! And you, for reading all of this!! Thanks a lot! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: [#10] Version History [#10] :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 0.8 - 12/12/2004 FAQ submitted. Some CO strategies are lacking, but it's the only thing. Yay! Version 1.0 - 12/14/2004 CO strategies added. Version History section added. Some errors corrected. Version 1.1 - 2/15/2005 Some CO strategies corrected, a couple of opinions added. Typos and the faulty ASCII should -hopefully-be fine now. Version 1.12 - 9/17/2005 Just a few fixes here and there, and also the addition of Wars World News as accepted website. Probably final version. Version 1.13 - 2/08/2006 A slight edit on Max's section, and a change on Linkman's e-mail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: [#11] Contact [#11] :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To contact us, e-mail us to: Linkman 145 - linkman145@warsworldnews.com And Yugioh15 - kingofgames_15@hotmail.com Or just post in the Wars World News board. You'll probably find us there. To e-mail us, you must: >> Use 'SENSEI FAQ' as topic. Otherwise, you might get deleted along with some spam. >> Use correct Grammar and Spelling. If we don't understand you, we'll probably ignore you. >> Do not ask us questions already explained here -_-. We'll accept feedback, praise, donations and constructive criticism. If you flame us, you'll get hacked or something. Yeah. That's it. See you next version!!!