Advance Wars Dual Strike By: Tronn Bonne Guide - CO Koal Copyright 2005 Tronn Bonne Version 1.4 ================= Table of Contents ================= 1. Version History 2. Copyright and Disclaimer 3. Purpose of this Guide 4. Introduction to Koal 5. Statistics 6. Koal's Abilities In-Depth 7. Uses of Increased Movement 8. Koal's Style of Play 9. Army Composition 10. Factors to Strategy 11. General Strategies 12. Tag Strategies 13. Countering Koal 14. Koal vs Other COs 15. Opinions on Koal 16. People I want to Thank ================== 1. Version History ================== Version 1.0 [10/26/05] Guide Completed Version 1.1 [11/7/05] Made Various Additions and Corrections Version 1.2 [12/17/05] Made Many Additions and Changes Version 1.3 [1/5/06] Added Army Composition Section Version 1.4 [8/30/06] Made Small Additions =========================== 2. Copyright and Disclaimer =========================== This document is (c)2005 Tronn Bonne. This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal and private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. The only sites authorized to use this guide are gamefaqs.com, neoseeker.com, gamerhelp.com, awrev.com, and warsworldnews.com. If you want to use this guide, please e-mail me at the following address: duchyofzeon@gmail.com Koal, Advance Wars Dual Strike, and all related characters are copyright of Nintendo. ======================== 3. Purpose of this Guide ======================== This guide is not designed for beginners to Advance Wars Dual Strike. If you are unfamiliar with the basics of the game then I suggest you read the opening section of one of the walkthrough guides for Advance Wars Dual Strike posted on GameFAQs or Neoseeker. I have used the North American name for this CO but Koal is called Zak in the European version of AWDS. It is important for me to emphasize that this is a Koal Guide and not a Koal/Adder Guide. While the two COs are similar for their movement based CO Powers they have several differences that cause them to possess surprisingly distinct strategies and playing styles. Therefore, while some of what I say in this guide could be applied to Adder, most of it is exclusive to Koal's own style of play and the way he utilizes his movement bonuses. Feel free to e-mail me at the address in the Copyright and Disclaimer section if you notice any mistakes or have any comments with this guide. Please contact me if you wish to use any of the information in this guide or its format for a guide/FAQ of your own. Also feel free to e-mail me if you wish to submit a strategy that works well with Koal or if you would like to share your opinion on him. I reserve the right to select what material I will and will not include in this guide. I will give full credit to the authors of any outside material that I do decide to include. ======================= 4. Introduction to Koal ======================= Who is Koal? He is a member of the elite Bolt Guard in AWDS which are responsible for the invasion of Omega Land. Cunning and arrogant, Koal enjoys fighting and prides himself as being both a warrior and a scholar. Regarded as a "pasty-faced weirdo" by Rachel, he proves to be a competent commander and a very dangerous enemy for the Allied Nations. The following is the in-game description of Koal. I have included information in brackets that is not apparent in the normal description. Name: Koal Country: Black Hole Allegiance: Bolt Guard A CO of the Black Hole Army who is always planning his next destructive act. Hits: Proverbs, ramen Miss: Fondue Skills: Adept at making quick decisions, he stores up energy for his CO Power at a faster rate than other COs. [Actually, his COP Meter does not charge at a faster rate than other COs' COP Meters] He's a master of road-based battles. [Units get a 10% attack bonus while on roads] CO Power Meter: ooo00 CO Power: Forced March -Movement range for all units is increased by one space. Units have more firepower on roads. [Units get a 20% attack bonus while on roads] CO Super Power: Trail of Woe -Movement range for all units is increased by two spaces. Units have more firepower on roads. [Units get a 30% attack bonus while on roads] Tag Affinity: Jugger: ** Kindle: * Adder: * How to Unlock: Defeat the normal campaign and you can purchase Koal from Hachi for 3500 points. Koal received a negative reputation even before Advance Wars DS came out because he seemed to simply be an Adder clone with a Chinese theme and a love for highways. This perception, combined with Adder's undeserved association with weakness, caused Koal to be immediately dismissed by many players. Even I was among the people who looked at Koal with initial disappointment when AWDS came out. However, I never underestimated the effectiveness of a movement based CO such as Adder and, therefore, decided to examine Koal in more detail to see what differences existed between the two. The first, and obvious, difference was Koal's road based attack bonus. Yet I quickly realized that the biggest difference between them was the cost of their COPs. This small but important distinction forced Koal to use his movement more sparingly than Adder which, combined with his road based attack boost, resulted in Koal having to adopt a surprisingly different set of strategies than Adder. I have found that these strategies actually fit my own playing style perfectly. Thus, not only has Koal become my most used CO in AWDS but he has also managed to replace Sonja as my favorite CO. Now, what makes Koal such a great CO is that he requires very careful strategy to use effectively. Like in a game of chess, a player must always be thinking ahead in order to make the best use of Koal's powers and must have an overall goal in mind. Just throwing Koal's units forward and hoping to overpower the enemy is not going to work, not even if there are a lot of roads on the map. Yet he is also a very balanced CO that is able to implement a whole host of strategies and is capable of utilizing both his movement CO Powers and, when possible, his road based attack boost to give him the winning edge in battle. Below are the five main reasons why I think Koal is an outstanding CO. 1. Koal is a balanced CO that requires careful strategy and good use of his abilities in order to win battles. 2. Koal is the only CO in the game to get a terrain based attack bonus while on roads. This can give him the sometimes necessary fire power boost in certain situations but he is not horribly handicapped if he finds himself fighting on a map with few or no roads. 3. All of Koal's units are at normal strength which means he can easily change his strategy to meet the requirements of the level and of his opponents. 4. Koal is an outstanding Tag Partner. His short COP Meter helps him Dual Strike often with any CO. Furthermore, he is also excellent at beginning a Tag Power because of his CO Power movement bonuses. 5. Finally, Koal's CO Powers are among the most versatile in the game since they affect all units. ============= 5. Statistics ============= All of Koal's units are, at first glance, normal strength. This means that they all have 100/100 stats. The first 100 indicates attack strength while the second 100 indicates defense strength. Defense strength reduces the damage a unit takes and can, of course, be increased by terrain stars (10% per star). Both attack and defense strength can be temporarily increased by 10% when using either of the CO Powers. Furthermore, the attack power of Koal's units increases while they are on road tiles. This is cumulative with other effects which means Koal's units will have 140/110 stats when on a road tile during Trail of Woe. (10% standard offense/defense boost from CO Powers and a 30% offense boost for being on a road tile) Most COs has a 10% positive luck modifier to their attack strength when attacking and Koal is no exception to this. If an attack reads 55% damage, Koal will deal 55% to 65% of damage. This means he will deal additional damage from time to time. More importantly, the extra damage caused by luck ignores the armor level of the target. That means that even if an attack reads 5%, such as when a 10 HP Infantry attacks a 10 HP Tank, it is still possible to do 5% to 15% of damage. This aspect of luck is very important to keep in mind when you have Koal tagged with a luck based CO such as Jugger. The stars that appear in the Tag section of a CO's profile are there for more than show. Every tag affinity star equals +5 day-to-day luck if those two COs form a tag team. This luck bonus affects both COs equally so it does not matter which one is currently in command. Thus, the Koal/Jugger team gets +10 day-to-day luck while the Koal/Adder and Koal/Kindle teams get +5 day-to-day luck. Whenever a CO uses their CO Power they will, assuming they have it, use about one more star in addition to the COP's cost. That means that if Koal uses his COP when he has his COP Meter fully charged at five stars he will actually use four stars instead of three stars. This will leave him with only one star still charged. Koal's road based firepower bonus, both day-to-day and during his CO Powers, applies to any unit type that is attacking from a road terrain tile. This also includes Koal's air units and Indirects. Koal has the following Dual Strike firepower modifications: Jugger: 110% [Power Surge] +10 day-to-day luck Kindel: 105% [Flash Point] +5 day-to-day luck Adder: 110% [Creepy Crawly] +5 day-to-day luck Rachel: 65% Below is the attack strength, defense strength, and movement ranges of Koal's units both day-to-day and during his CO Powers. NOTE: Ooziums do not receive the movement bonuses of Koal's CO Powers. Normal ------------------------------ Infantry 100/100 movement 3 Mech 100/100 movement 2 Recon 100/100 movement 8 Tank 100/100 movement 6 MD Tank 100/100 movement 5 Neo Tank 100/100 movement 6 Megatank 100/100 movement 4 APC 0/100 movement 6 Artlry 100/100 movement 5 Rockets 100/100 movement 5 A-Air 100/100 movement 6 Missiles 100/100 movement 4 Piperunner 100/100 movement 9 Oozium NA/100 movement 1 Fighter 100/100 movement 9 Bomber 100/100 movement 7 B Cptr 100/100 movement 6 T Cptr 0/100 movement 6 Stealth 100/100 movement 6 Black Bomb 100/100 movement 9 Battleship 100/100 movement 5 Cruiser 100/100 movement 6 Lander 0/100 movement 6 Sub 100/100 movement 5 Black Boat 0/100 movement 7 Carrier 100/100 movement 5 Forced March ------------------------------ Infantry 110/110 movement 4 Mech 110/110 movement 3 Recon 110/110 movement 9 Tank 110/110 movement 7 MD Tank 110/110 movement 6 Neo Tank 110/110 movement 7 Megatank 110/110 movement 5 APC 0/110 movement 7 Artlry 110/110 movement 6 Rockets 110/110 movement 6 A-Air 110/110 movement 7 Missiles 110/110 movement 5 Piperunner 110/110 movement 10 Oozium NA/110 movement 1 Fighter 110/110 movement 10 Bomber 110/110 movement 8 B Cptr 110/110 movement 7 T Cptr 0/110 movement 7 Stealth 110/110 movement 7 Black Bomb 110/110 movement 10 Battleship 110/110 movement 6 Cruiser 110/110 movement 7 Lander 0/110 movement 7 Sub 110/110 movement 6 Black Boat 0/110 movement 8 Carrier 110/110 movement 6 Trail of Woe ------------------------------ Infantry 110/110 movement 5 Mech 110/110 movement 4 Recon 110/110 movement 10 Tank 110/110 movement 8 MD Tank 110/110 movement 7 Neo Tank 110/110 movement 8 Megatank 110/110 movement 6 APC 0/110 movement 8 Artlry 110/110 movement 7 Rockets 110/110 movement 7 A-Air 110/110 movement 8 Missiles 110/110 movement 6 Piperunner 110/110 movement 11 Oozium NA/110 movement 1 Fighter 110/110 movement 11 Bomber 110/110 movement 9 B Cptr 110/110 movement 8 T Cptr 0/110 movement 8 Stealth 110/110 movement 8 Black Bomb 110/110 movement 11 Battleship 110/110 movement 7 Cruiser 110/110 movement 8 Lander 0/110 movement 8 Sub 110/110 movement 7 Black Boat 0/110 movement 9 Carrier 110/110 movement 7 I have gone ahead and listed below the percentages of Koal's road based attack bonus along with some statistics that clearly illustrate the greatly increased offensive capabilities that Koal's units experience during his CO Powers. New one hit kills become available while other ones are reinforced which means that even if Koal's units are damaged or if the enemy has terrain defense they may still be able to destroy their targets in one attack. The statistics assume that Koal gains first strike, that the first unit listed is his, that both units listed are at full HP, and that the targeted unit has an unmodified defense of 100%. Normal 100/100 stats [10% Road Based Attack Boost] -------------------------------------------------- Normal Attacks: -Recon vs Recon 35% -Recon vs Artillery 45% -Recon vs Rockets 55% -Recon vs Missiles 28% -Tank/Mech vs Artillery 70% -Tank/Mech vs Recon/Rockets/Missiles 85% -Tank/Mech vs Tank 55% -Tank vs Mech 70% -MD Tank vs Neotank 45% -Neotank vs MD Tank 75% -Megatank vs Megatank 65% -A-Air vs Infantry 105% -A-Air vs Recon 60% -A-Air vs Bomber 75% -B-Copter vs B-Copter 65% -Bomber vs Neotank 90% -Fighter vs Fighter 55% -Artillery vs Tank 70% -Artillery vs Neotank 40% -Artillery vs Infantry 90% -Rockets vs Tank 80% -Rockets vs Neotank 50% -Rockets vs Infantry 95% -Missiles vs Bomber 100% -Missiles vs B-Copter 115% Road Based Attacks: -Recon vs Recon 38% -Recon vs Artillery 49% -Recon vs Rockets 60% -Recon vs Missiles 30% -Tank/Mech vs Artillery 77% -Tank/Mech vs Recon/Rockets/Missiles 93% -Tank/Mech vs Tank 60% -Tank vs Mech 77% -MD Tank vs Neotank 49% -Neotank vs MD Tank 82% -Megatank vs Megatank 71% -A-Air vs Infantry 115% -A-Air vs Recon 66% -A-Air vs Bomber 82% -B-Copter vs B-Copter 71% -Bomber vs Neotank 99% -Fighter vs Fighter 60% -Artillery vs Tank 77% -Artillery vs Neotank 44% -Artillery vs Infantry 99% -Rockets vs Tank 88% -Rockets vs Neotank 55% -Rockets vs Infantry 104% -Missiles vs Bomber 110% -Missiles vs B-Copter 126% Forced March 110/110 stats [20% Road Based Attack Boost] -------------------------------------------------------- Normal Attacks: -Recon vs Recon 38% -Recon vs Artillery 49% -Recon vs Rockets 60% -Recon vs Missiles 30% -Tank/Mech vs Artillery 77% -Tank/Mech vs Recon/Rockets/Missiles 93% -Tank/Mech vs Tank 60% -Tank vs Mech 77% -MD Tank vs Neotank 49% -Neotank vs MD Tank 82% -Megatank vs Megatank 71% -A-Air vs Infantry 115% -A-Air vs Recon 66% -A-Air vs Bomber 82% -B-Copter vs B-Copter 71% -Bomber vs Neotank 99% -Fighter vs Fighter 60% -Artillery vs Tank 77% -Artillery vs Neotank 44% -Artillery vs Infantry 99% -Rockets vs Tank 88% -Rockets vs Neotank 55% -Rockets vs Infantry 104% -Missiles vs Bomber 110% -Missiles vs B-Copter 126% Road Based Attacks: -Recon vs Recon 45% -Recon vs Artillery 58% -Recon vs Rockets 71% -Recon vs Missiles 36% -Tank/Mech vs Artillery 91% -Tank/Mech vs Recon/Rockets/Missiles 110% -Tank/Mech vs Tank 71% -Tank vs Mech 91% -MD Tank vs Neotank 58% -Neotank vs MD Tank 97% -Megatank vs Megatank 84% -A-Air vs Infantry 136% -A-Air vs Recon 78% -A-Air vs Bomber 97% -B-Copter vs B-Copter 84% -Bomber vs Neotank 117% -Fighter vs Fighter 71% -Artillery vs Tank 91% -Artillery vs Neotank 52% -Artillery vs Infantry 117% -Rockets vs Tank 104% -Rockets vs Neotank 65% -Rockets vs Infantry 123% -Missiles vs Bomber 130% -Missiles vs B-Copter 149% Trail of Woe 110/110 stats [30% Road Based Attack Boost] -------------------------------------------------------- Normal Attacks: -Recon vs Recon 38% -Recon vs Artillery 49% -Recon vs Rockets 60% -Recon vs Missiles 30% -Tank/Mech vs Artillery 77% -Tank/Mech vs Recon/Rockets/Missiles 93% -Tank/Mech vs Tank 60% -Tank vs Mech 77% -MD Tank vs Neotank 49% -Neotank vs MD Tank 82% -Megatank vs Megatank 71% -A-Air vs Infantry 115% -A-Air vs Recon 66% -A-Air vs Bomber 82% -B-Copter vs B-Copter 71% -Bomber vs Neotank 99% -Fighter vs Fighter 60% -Artillery vs Tank 77% -Artillery vs Neotank 44% -Artillery vs Infantry 99% -Rockets vs Tank 88% -Rockets vs Neotank 55% -Rockets vs Infantry 104% -Missiles vs Bomber 110% -Missiles vs B-Copter 126% Road Based Attacks: -Recon vs Recon 49% -Recon vs Artillery 63% -Recon vs Rockets 77% -Recon vs Missiles 39% -Tank/Mech vs Artillery 98% -Tank/Mech vs Recon/Rockets/Missiles 119% -Tank/Mech vs Tank 77% -Tank vs Mech 98% -MD Tank vs Neotank 63% -Neotank vs MD Tank 105% -Megatank vs Megatank 91% -A-Air vs Infantry 147% -A-Air vs Recon 84% -A-Air vs Bomber 105% -B-Copter vs B-Copter 91% -Bomber vs Neotank 126% -Fighter vs Fighter 77% -Artillery vs Tank 98% -Artillery vs Neotank 56% -Artillery vs Infantry 126% -Rockets vs Tank 112% -Rockets vs Neotank 70% -Rockets vs Infantry 133% -Missiles vs Bomber 140% -Missiles vs B-Copter 161% My final list of statistics deals with how common roads are on the battlefields of Wars World. Of the 188 maps that I have counted in VS mode, only 38 of them do not have any roads at all. That is roughly 21% of all the VS Mode maps and most of these maps are, not surprisingly, the sea dominated maps. However, that still means that the remaining 79% of the maps have roads on them and, with only 6% worth of exceptions, these roads can be frequently utilized by the Koal player. Thus, roughly 73% (nearly 3/4ths) of all maps will present more than enough roads for Koal's use. Below I have included the total maps in a particular category along with the number of maps with no roads. I have also included the number of maps with roads that I feel are less useful because of their placement and quantity. Classic ------- 17 Maps In Total 6 Maps Without Roads 0 Maps With Less Useful Roads Deployed -------- 31 Maps In Total 8 Maps Without Roads 2 Maps With Less Useful Roads 2 COs ----- 27 Maps In Total [Including the 4 Bonus Maps] 7 Maps Without Roads 1 Map With Less Useful Roads 3 COs ----- 27 Maps In Total 6 Maps Without Roads 3 Maps With Less Useful Roads 4 COs ----- 36 Maps In Total 9 Maps Without Roads 1 Map With Less Useful Roads War Room -------- 50 Maps In Total 2 Maps Without Roads 5 Maps With Less Useful Roads ============================ 6. Koal's Abilities In-Depth ============================ Although Koal only possesses one day-to-day skill, his CO Powers do further augment it along with giving all of his units increased mobility. More importantly, the nature of his COP Meter affects the nature of his increased movement and his overall strategy. All these things need to be taken into account when using Koal in battle. Road Based Attack Bonus ----------------------- Koal's day-to-day skill is his road dependent firepower boost. It can provide him with the necessary attack power that certain situations demand and it also affects the way he utilizes terrain on the map. I will reiterate here that this power will also benefit air units along with Koal's ground forces. Using this skill day-to-day can be a difficult decision at times since roads provide no terrain defense. Thus, while the extra 10% firepower can solidify kills or deal an extra HP of damage it also leaves Koal's units vulnerable to an enemy attack. Now, the two most consistent arguments I hear against this ability is that the lack of defense offered by roads is too crippling to make this skill useful and that roads are not very common. The problem with the first argument is that the terrain defense boost you are most often sacrificing is the 10% defense boost from plains. While a 10% defense boost should not be ignored it is usually not all that bad of a trade for a 10% offense boost. More importantly, Koal is a CO that excels at gaining first strike during his CO Powers which means he is capable of not leaving very many enemy unit's alive or undamaged to take advantage of his units' lack of defense. The problem with the second argument is that roads are surprisingly common and surprisingly difficult to avoid. As my statistics illustrate above, nearly 80% of all maps will have roads and these roads are, for the most part, prevalent and easy to use. Finally, roads often connect the important parts of the battlefield together which means more often than not a portion of both your units and your enemy's units will have no choice but to fight on or near them. The best approach to using this bonus is to carefully consider your options. If you can gain first strike that turn against most of the enemy's dangerous units (and by dangerous I mean enemy units capable of doing 40% or more damage to your units) then it is usually best to go ahead and use the roads. Furthermore, if your only alternative terrain is plains then it is usually best to sacrifice the 10% defense for the additional 10% offense. However, if there is better terrain, such as woods or a city, that you can use and you will not be able to attack the majority of the dangerous enemy units then I would attack from those terrain tiles in order to cut down on the damage your units will suffer during the enemy's turn. Yet a situation where sacrificing superior terrain is almost always justified is when you can use roads to attack enemy Indirects or finish off an expensive enemy unit, such as a Bomber or a Neotank. Finally, Koal's air units should always take advantage of the roads because they have no terrain defense to lose by doing so. Having said all of this it is almost always best to utilize the roads during Koal's CO Powers. The increased attack boost Koal's units receive is considerable and the increased movement will help Koal's units gain first strike and, therefore, leave less full health enemy units that can attack during their CO's turn. Charging Rate of the COP Meter ------------------------------ I mentioned this earlier but Koal's COP Meter does not actually charge faster than any other CO's COP Meter. However, this is not actually a mistake on the part of the programmers. The "faster" charging rate of Koal's COP Meter is represented through the cost of his CO Powers, their effects, and the length of his COP Meter. Size of COP Meter ----------------- The size of Koal's COP Meter and the cost of his COP form the foundation of his style of play. Koal's COP is three stars which is the same cost as most CO's COP. Three stars is also about the right price for the benefits that Koal is receiving during his COP. Yet this also means Koal will not necessarily be able to utilize his COP more often than the enemy can use theirs. However, it is in Koal's SCOP that the "faster" charging rate is represented. Trail of Woe should really be priced at six stars but it costs only five. Furthermore, five stars is as short as SCOPs come in AWDS and this means Koal can almost always use his SCOP before the enemy can use theirs. Thus, Koal has more incentive to save up for his SCOP since Trail of Woe is only two stars more than Forced March but provides twice the benefits. If you are an Adder player then this is where the real difference between the two movement based COs comes into play. When playing Koal you must think in terms of making full use of the occasional +2 movement rather than making short bursts of +1 movement every few days like you could with Adder. I will go into more detail about how to fully utilize both Forced March and Trail of Woe in the Koal's Style of Play section. Rank Skills ----------- Ranks skills are additional benefits that can be given to a CO as he or she rises in rank. Since Koal is a balanced CO, there are only a few rank skills that I feel the need to comment on. An obvious choice is Road Rage because it will further augment Koal's road based attack bonus. Slam Guard and Slam Shield are both really useful because they compensate for the terrain defense lost by Koal's units while on roads. Mistwalker is also useful to Koal for the same reason as Slam Shield and Slam Guard. Synergy, Teamwork, and Bodyguard are great if you choose to have Koal be a "bench tagger" which I will discuss more of in the Tag Strategies section. Star Power is usually a waste because Koal's SCOP is so short. Mario Luigi Adds: If you're playing with teams, you might as well play with Force Ranks as well. If you are playing with teams, I suggest: Sale Price Gold Rush Fire Sale Synergy/Bodygaurd Since Koal increases movement, it helps alot to get as many units as you can on the field. However, if you aren't playing teams, then Koal's entire line-up changes. Brawler Road Rage Mistwalker Soul of Hachi Since he's going to be using his SCOP often, you should prepare and get the maximum out of it. Also, if you equip Brawler, his Choke Point disadvantage is helped quite a bit... ============================= 7. Uses of Increased Movement ============================= What makes a true movement based CO like Koal so great is that his movement bonuses apply to all of his units. Sami's movement bonuses apply only to her foot soldiers while Jess's and Jake's movement bonuses apply only to their vehicular units. Sensei's day-to-day movement bonus is limited to his Transports and even Eagle's CO Powers have limitations in the form of cost and the lack of benefit to his foot soldiers. Not even Andy is a true movement based CO because only his six star SCOP grants movement to all of his units and, even then, it is only +1 movement for six stars. That leaves Koal and Adder as the only true movement based COs. When playing Koal it is essential to understand what a big difference that extra one or two spaces of movement can make and how to utilize that movement in a variety of ways. Attack ------ The most obvious application of increased movement is to gain first strike. It is difficult to stress the importance of first strike in AWDS and Koal's CO Powers are well suited to help him achieve it. Yet the increased movement also gives Koal a greater range of targets as well. In some cases these can be very important targets like enemy foot soldiers capturing a property or an enemy Indirect. The attack aspect of movement is especially important for any of Koal's units that are using the roads because the best way to compensate for the loss of terrain defense is to make sure no enemy unit is left with 10 HP. Retreat ------- While attacking is more fun there are certainly times when falling back and redeploying your battle line is necessary. Increased movement will help Koal's units get beyond attack range of the enemy forces and his SCOP can even enable his units to outrun enemy units generally faster than they are. Therefore, if the situation gets too dangerous you should not hesitate to use Koal's CO Powers and try to salvage what you can. Capture ------- Additional movement, when applied to capturing, basically translates into being able to begin the capture one day sooner than you normally would have been able to. This can make a huge difference in the long run because once a property is captured it is generally difficult for the enemy to take it back. This is especially true in contested regions where you and your opponent(s) are fighting over neutral cities. The increased movement can also be useful for implementing sneaky HQ captures on the enemy and for joining your foot soldier units with your weakened units that are in the process of capturing a property. Deployment ---------- The, arguably, least thought of use of movement can be the most important. Careful deployment of your battle line or seizing good locations, such as a chokepoint or occupying superior terrain, can win you the battle in the long run. You can also use your superior movement to block enemy bases so they can not produce more units or shield vulnerable units, such as Indirects or capturing foot soldiers, from attack. However, the ability to deploy your forces are generally best for defensive reasons. You can move more heavily armored units to the front of your line while placing faster units and Indirects in the rear for support. Reinforcements -------------- This is an very important aspect of movement. The ability to move any reserve or recently created units forward is crucial to winning battles. It can prevent the enemy from breaking through a portion of your battle line or give you a sudden numerical advantage over the enemy in a contested region of the map. Therefore, never hesitate to use Koal's powers if it means that you can get units close enough to the battle that they will make a difference in the following turns. Overcoming Terrain ------------------ This is more of a implied side effect of increased movement and it helps accomplish any of the above uses. The extra movement is going to enable some of Koal's units to go farther in certain terrain than they normally would have. Forced March, for example, will allow an Infantry to move through two mountains instead of one while Trail of Woe will allow most of Koal's units to move one space further in normally difficult terrain. This includes treaded vehicles moving through forests or ships moving through reefs. Ideally, you will not have to deal too much with hindering terrain while playing Koal because you will be sticking near roads but this aspect of movement is still very useful if you do need to overcome or utilize such terrain. ======================= 8. Koal's Style of Play ======================= Up to this point I have only covered Koal's skills and the very general uses of movement. Now I will get to the most important section of this guide which is all about Koal's own style of play. In this section I will focus on how Koal should be used in battle by demonstrating which CO Power to use when and how to make the most out of them. Trail of Woe ------------ As I mentioned in the Koal's skills in-depth section, Trail of Woe should form the backbone of Koal's strategy. However, the difficult part is knowing how to fully utilize a +2 movement bonus and, more importantly, when to use it. Well, the first thing that needs to be addressed is what advantages +2 movement will have over +1. Obvious advantages are your units being able to have a wider range of targets, both for attacking and for capturing. Yet because you will not be able to use Trail of Woe as often as Forced March (and certainly not nearly as often as Adder's COP) you must put Koal's army into a position where the maximum number of units are going to benefit from the increased movement and, terrain permitting, road based attack boost. The exact uses of the movement bonus, the deployment of Koal's units, and the timing of his SCOP are key to this goal. Ideally, the three uses of movement you are going to plan on taking full advantage of are Attack, Deployment, and Capture. Preferably, you will be utilizing all three in the same day. Koal's main force will attack everything it can reach, his foot soldiers will start capturing all properties in range, and any left over units can be used to shield Koal's capturing foot soldiers, block enemy bases, and occupy good terrain. Reinforcements will, by default, benefit from the +2 movement and will be able to assist the main forces sooner. Of course, the Retreat aspect of movement can be used in case of an emergency but it should not be the primary use of Trail of Woe. Now, initial deployment of Koal's forces is important. Basically, you should mass your forces just outside of enemy attack range in preparation for using Trail of Woe. When attacking you should always move Koal's units their maximum movement range and have them strike the furthest possible target. Thus, you should move Koal's last units in line forward first and have them attack. Then work your way forward until you reach Koal's original forward units. This strategy will enable the maximum amount of Koal's units to benefit from the increased speed. Furthermore, it is worth noting that one side advantage of +2 two movement is the envelopment tactic. Envelopment means that if the unit could normally attack a target with its maximum movement range then it can use the +2 movement (assuming there are no movement hindrances in the way) to attack the enemy unit from the side rather than from the front. This will enable one of Koal's other units to finish off the target with a frontal assault. Finally, timing is crucial when using Trail of Woe. Don't simply use it the second you are able to. Be patient and save it for the turn that it can really make a difference. The turn that is going to make the biggest difference is usually the turn you have enough units to launch a major attack on the enemy. Of course, you can also use Trail of Woe in an emergency or to take advantage of an extremely good opportunity such as attempting a base capture or seizing a chokepoint. Forced March ------------ Although I have emphasized the importance of Trail of Woe and how Koal should base his strategy on it, Forced March can not be ignored and is essential in certain circumstances. Sometimes the +1 move can make a serious difference in the battle. This can take the form of allowing you to gain first strike on some dangerous enemy units, beginning the capture of an important property (such as a base) this turn rather than next, or plug a chokepoint (such as a bridge) and, thereby, slow up the enemy until you are ready. In short, you should use Forced March to take advantage of any good opportunities that present themselves. Forced March tends to be more useful in the early portion of the game because you will have less opportunities to save up for Trail of Woe and you will be competing for valuable resources. Therefore, never hesitate to use Forced March if you think the advantages are worth it. Once you enter the mid and late game phases it is best to focus on utilizing Trail of Woe. You could focus only on Koal's COP and, in some games, that can be the best approach. However, Koal's army will have far greater momentum if you focus on using Trail of Woe rather than Forced March. The final point of Forced March actually goes back to my very first point which is that sometimes the +1 movement is all that is necessary. Thus, if you set up to launch an attack with Koal's COP Meter full and discover that you only need +1 movement to reach your targets, reinforcements will not really benefit from a +2 move, and the extra 10% road based attack boost is not necessary then go ahead and use Forced March. You will have one star left over and will only need two more stars to get another Forced March. Think Ahead ----------- What makes all this extra movement really work is the ability of the player to plan ahead. You should always think one or two days in the future and calculate when will be the best time to use a Forced March or Trail of Woe in such a way that the maximum number of units will benefit from it. That can mean actually calculating how many more steps Koal's Infantry need to make before it will be five spaces away from the enemy HQ and in capturing range of it while under the effects of Trail of Woe. You should always access the status of all of your units before you decide to use Koal's CO Powers in order to make sure it is worth it. =================== 9. Army Composition =================== With 100/100 stats and CO Powers that benefit all units, Koal is capable of implementing any troop combination to achieve victory. This means that he should be fairly balanced in his selection of air, naval, and land units. However, there are certain categories of units that are more or less useful to Koal because of his abilities. Direct Combat Units ------------------- This is a very broad category that encompasses everything except Transports and Indirect Combat units. Direct Combat units are of interest to Koal simply because they can move and attack. That means increased movement is more useful to them since they can use that extra +1 or +2 to their movement range to gain first strike on their targets in addition to deploying, retreating, ect... Indirect Combat units, on the other hand, can never benefit from the attack aspect of movement because they can not move and fire in the same turn. This gives Koal more incentive to be offensive in his strategies and build more Direct Combat units than Indirects. Indirect Combat Units --------------------- While increased movement is more useful to Direct Combat units, Indirects should not be ignored either. Indirects still benefit from Koal's road based attack boost both day-to-day and during his CO Powers. However, they should not be produced in excess unless it is part of a specific strategy demanded by the map or by the enemy. It is important to note here that Indirects are more useful in FOW [See FOW on in Factors to Strategy]. Naval Units ----------- The first thing to remember about Koal's navy is that there are no roads at sea and ships don't float on land. Thus, Koal's naval units are never going to benefit from the road based attack boost. However, naval units do benefit a lot from increased movement. This is because naval units are expensive which means there are fewer of them and they are not easily replaced or cheap to repair. Thus, first strike is extremely important for deciding the course of a naval conflict. Furthermore, increased movement can enable Landers and Black Boats to quickly reach their destinations and unload their cargo. How much you should invest in a navy really depends on the map and the enemy CO. Some maps require you to build a navy while it is optional on others. In Koal's case, building a navy can be a good strategic move if the map is abundant in chokepoints but sparse in roads or these chokepoints are largely made up of bridges [See Breaking/Using Chokepoints in General Strategies]. Air Units --------- Koal has, quite simply, one of the best air forces in the game since all of his abilities are extremely beneficial to them. As I stated earlier, air units get the attack boost from using roads without suffering the penalties of no terrain defense. Thus, they should freely use roads to help them destroy their targets and to overcome the enemy’s air force. Yet air units also benefit immensely from first strike because most of them are Direct Combat Units and (like naval units) are expensive, few in number, and not easy to replace. Yet not only is first strike extremely important in the air but so is careful deployment of air units in order to avoid the enemy’s anti-air units and to safely unload T-Copters or detonate Black Bombs. All of this means that building a good amount of air units usually works to Koal's benefit. However, you must be careful not to invest too much into an air force until you have enough ground/naval units that can deal with the enemy’s anti-air capabilities. Foot Soldiers ------------- Foot Soldiers (Infantry and Mechs) are especially potent in Koal's hands simply because they benefit the most from increased movement. Trail of Woe doubles a Mech's movement range and increases an Infantry's movement range by 66%. Furthermore, both of these units are very inexpensive to build. This means it is generally a good idea to use some excess funds to build a few more of both units than you would with most other COs. Koal's CO Powers will help them keep a good pace with the rest of the army and they can be used for attacking, capturing, and shielding purposes [See Countering/Using Meatwalls in General Strategies]. Tire Units ---------- Recons, Missiles, and Rockets are the only units in the game whose movement type is tires. This means they will be slowed down by moving through plains. Therefore, the most effective way to deploy these units is to utilize roads, something a Koal player would be doing anyway. Thus, Koal's overall incentive to stay near roads means he will usually not have a hard time moving these units along with the rest of his army. It also means that these units will usually be on roads when they attack and will, thus, get the attack boost. Also of interest is that all three of these units gain noticeable benefits from increased movement. Trail of Woe gives Recons the impressive movement range of 10 spaces while Missiles receive a 50% increase in their movement range and Rockets receive a 40% increase in their movement range. All three of these units tend to be more useful in FOW since Recons have such a large vision range while Missiles and Rockets are both Indirects. However, large numbers of Recons can be useful to Koal even outside of FOW [See Dan Dao Strategy in General Strategies]. ======================= 10. Factors to Strategy ======================= The following game factors will have an impact upon Koal's overall strategy. FOW on ------ FOW makes fully utilizing increased movement difficult for Koal because he does not immediately know where the enemy is deployed. Thus, good scouting in the form of Recons, Subs, and even B-Copters is key. You should always try to scout ahead before you leave multiple units defenseless on the roads and be extra careful if there are woods nearby just incase the enemy has hidden units in them. Thankfully, Koal's movement bonuses do help his scouting capabilities since he can now send Recons, B-Copters, and Subs further into enemy territory than most COs could. However, FOW is the best time to fully utilize Koal's movement bonuses to set up and spring ambushes on the enemy. This means being more defensive, producing more Indirects than normal and placing them in woods rather than on roads. Direct Combat units should also be placed in woods when appropriate and you will really see the difference that the +2 movement can make in overcoming terrain when you perform ambushes with them. Yet continue to stay near or on roads for both movement and attack purposes. FOW off ------- When FOW is off you need to carefully measure the distance between your units and the enemy's units. You don't want to give your foe first strike unless you have to. You should also keep an eye on the enemy's generally movements in order to see if they are trying to seize a chokepoint or capture some nearby bases. Human Opponent -------------- A human opponent is going to be fully aware of Koal's road based and movement advantages. However, they are not always going to be able to counter them effectively. Roads can be hard to avoid and the enemy will slow down the entire momentum of their army if they cling to thick terrain. One way a human player might try to overcome your movement bonuses is to always keep their units two or three spaces away from yours. While this approach might seem annoying it is actually beneficial to the Koal player because it gives them an immediate psychological advantage. Just keep moving your units outside of attack range of the enemy but within attack range when you use Koal's CO Powers and the enemy will be forced to either keep falling back or accept that you will get first strike on some of their units. CP Opponent ----------- The CP opponent is less aware of Koal's abilities than a human player but the CP opponent can also be far more aggressive. This means that a CP opponent will be more willing sacrifice units in order to attack any of Koal's units that are sitting on roads. Furthermore, the CP opponent will also generally hover one space outside of attack range of your units. Thankfully, the CP does not take into account Koal's CO Powers before they are used so you will be able to gain first strike in most situations against any enemy units trying to keep their distance. A Map Without Roads ------------------- The most important thing to remember about Koal and his road based attack boost is that it is simply a situational advantage. It is only a part and not the core of Koal's strategy and it exists to help make those large scale attacks more successful. Therefore, while Koal does lose some of his bite on a map with no roads he is not crippled. This is because Koal's CO Powers benefit all units in the game which means that he is actually better in the air or at sea than a lot of other COs whose powers are more specialized. That means he is considerably better off than Lash or Jake on a naval or air map. ====================== 11. General Strategies ====================== Every CO has their distinct personality and abilities that match it. Playing "in character" with any CO is a good idea with this game. With Koal, be calculating, cunning, and aggressive in your approach to fighting. Be willing to sacrifice units if it means inflicting considerable damage on the enemy and always try to focus all of your resources into one major attack. Finally, be confident and have faith that Koal's abilities along with a sound strategy will win you the battle. Remember, victory is no accident. Mind Games ---------- You can use the threat of Koal's movement powers to play mind games with a human opponent. As I mentioned above a human opponent will often take into account Koal's increased movement and will try to stay out of range of that increased movement. You can use that to keep the enemy at bay with the threat of an attack while you consolidate your resources. Countering/Using Meatwalls -------------------------- Koal can be very good a breaking his way through Meatwalls [Using large numbers of Mech and Infantry units to shield other units] if there are any roads around. The increased attack power will enable some of his units to wipe out an enemy Mech or Infantry in one attack. Furthermore, the increased movement will enable Koal's units to fully exploit breaks in the enemy Meatwall in order to attack any Indirects behind it. However, Koal is one of the few COs that performs really well at maintaining his own Meatwalls. You can use Koal's CO Powers to move any Infantry and Mechs forward so they shield your more valuable units and, thereby, force the enemy to destroy them first. You can also use mass Infantry to help counter any Meatwalls or Mech Swarms that the enemy has created. A word of warning though. Using Meatwalls in the Campaign or War Room will usually result in a low technique score. Breaking/Using Chokepoints -------------------------- Fortunately for Koal roads can be found in most chokepoints. There are three general chokepoints that will often have roads running through them. The first (and most frustrating type of chokepoint for Koal) is where the enemy is holding a bridge across a river. More often than not the bridge will have roads leading to it from both directions and the only difficult part is dealing with the bridge itself but I will discuss that below. The second type is the mountain pass chokepoint where a narrow strip of land (often being a road) will be flanked by two mountain ranges. The third type is the narrow land strip which will, like the mountain pass, often have a road weaving through it but will be flanked by seas or rivers. In all three of these cases Koal can use his road based attack bonus during his CO Powers to help his units break through and attack any enemy Indirects/reserves. Furthermore, Koal can also use the increased movement of his CO Powers to help Mechs attack the flanks of a chokepoint if it occurs at a river or mountain pass. Air units are extremely effective when it comes to breaking a chokepoint since they can flank the enemy position regardless of the terrain. Black Bombs are also particularly useful because they can weaken the entire enemy formation in one blast. If the chokepoint is near seas, Battleships can be used to bombard the enemy defenses or you can use Landers to avoid it altogether. Finally, Dual Strikes are the ultimate chokepoint buster since you will get two tries to break through. Koal can also be good at holding a chokepoint. He can use his CO Powers to occupy and reinforce a chokepoint before the enemy reaches it. More importantly, his CO Powers and day-to-day boost will greatly assist the damage Indirects can cause. If you are going to hold a chokepoint with Koal, try to always hold it with a road running through or near it and place your Indirects on the road. You can then use Forced March or even Trail of Woe to give those Indirects a considerable attack boost when necessary. Overcoming Bridges ------------------ Koal's life would be a lot simpler if only his road based attack boost also applied to bridges. Sadly it does not and this means that bridges are your worst enemy and you should rue the day they were ever invented. The problem with bridges is that, because roads are almost always connected to them, they create gaps in the road system that could be exploited by the enemy. This exploitation will most likely come in the form of holding a chokepoint at a bridge so that the first unit Koal sends to attack will not get the attack boost and, therefore, will probably not be able to break through. The best way to overcome this (particularly if your rear units are on a road and the bridge is fairly short) is to use Indirects to weaken or destroy the first enemy unit in line. Once this is done Koal can then start using the strip of road on the other side of the bridge to blast a hole in the rest of the enemy chokepoint. You can also use Air Units, Naval Units, Mechs, and a Dual Strike to help you deal with enemy units on a bridge. Dan Dao Strategy ---------------- In accordance with Koal's Chinese theme, I have decided to call this strategy Dan Dao which is Chinese for single knife. This strategy works both in an out of FOW but it does require a very good highway system on the map with relatively few breaks in the roads. The main idea of the strategy is the use of Recons as a surgical strike force. For most COs, Recons are only useful during
the early portion of the game and for FOW. This is understandable since Recons
have a fairly low attack value and seem to really only be effective against
Infantry and Mechs. However, Recons can also be fairly effective against both
Artillery and Rockets, especially when Recons are given a noticeable attack
boost. As my statistics showed, Koal's day-to-day Recons are capable of cutting
both Artillery and Rockets down to half strength if they attack from roads.
Give these Recons the road attack boost during Koal's CO Powers and they can
render these Indirects virtually useless to the opponent. Thus, if the map has
enough roads then it can be a worthwhile investment on the part of the Koal
player to build a surplus number of Recons and keep them in reserve. Then, when
the major attack is launched and the enemy line breached these Recons (with
their movement range of 8, 9, or 10 spaces) can be sent forward to attack the
Indirects while the rest of the forces focus on the enemy's Direct Combat
units. Koal's Recons can also be used to attack any enemy foot soldiers, APCs,
and Recons in addition to Indirects with this strategy.

Advantages:
-Allows other units to focus on more heavily armored targets.
-Recons provide a cheap alternative for using Tanks to attack Indirects
and their high movement rate almost guarantees that they can reach their
targets.
-Very effective during FOW since excess Recons is never a bad thing and sending
Recons to attack enemy Indirects will also reveal any nearby enemy reserves not
hidden in woods.

Counters:
-The best way to counter this strategy is to move your Indirects off the roads.
That way Koal's Recons will have a harder time reaching them and will not get
the attack boost. of course, the draw back of this is that your Indirects may
not be in the best position to attack Koal during your turn.
-The other way to counter this is to stack Indirects on the road one after the
other. Since Recons lack the muscle to wipe out an Indirect in one attack it
will mean they will have a harder time reaching the other Indirects behind the
first one. Of course, with such a large movement range Koal's Recons could
swarm your Indirects through envelopment and be able to destroy a number of
them anyway.

Other Strategies
----------------
There is really no limit to the number of strategies Koal can implement.
However, being a movement based CO means that Koal tends to work best with
offensive rather than defensive strategies. Feel free to experiment with Koal
and please let me know if you have any additional strategies that you think
work particularly well with him.

==================
12. Tag Strategies
==================

Koal is a superb tag partner for his short COP Meter, which helps him tag
often, and for his movement powers which benefit all unit types. His movement
powers are particularly useful for beginning a Dual Strike because they get the
maximum number of units in range of the enemy which Koal's partner can utilize
during their move. Thus, Koal should usually be the one to begin a tag.
Day-to-day, however, Koal tends to be a better "bench tagger" (not using Koal
at all day-to-day) because his base strategy rests upon his SCOP. However, this
is not always the case. If Koal's team mate has a long COP Meter then you could
use Koal day-to-day and will be able to use a Trail of Woe well before his team
mate's COP Meter is charged. Of course, you could also use the CO with the
longest COP Meter day-to-day so that both their COP Meter and Koal's will be
fully charged at about the same time. Yet Koal performs really well with all
the COs except one and he is extremely compatible with all three of the COs
that he has a Tag Affinity with. Below are strategies for Koal and the COs he
has a Tag Affinity. I have also included some other COs that Koal performs well
with along with Rachel, the one CO he has a negative Tag Affinity with.

Mario Luigi Adds: Koal/anybody makes a good team. Koal can move units into
position, and then the other CO can come out and play with all the new toys
that are lined right up for them. I believe that money-based COs are a waste
of a teammate if you're playing as Koal. Unless you don't have Force Ranks
on... I also must disagree that Koal/Rachel is a bad team. For quite awhile I
found myself playing as Hawke/Eagle, and they suffer a 30% reduction. Almost
as bad as Koal/Rachel. The solution: Knowing that they don't lose anything
together day-to-day. If you just use there (S)COPs seperately, you'll be fine.
Koal/Adder. An interesting team indeed. I believe this is one of those
"Extremely OK" teams. Sure, they might be able to move an extra FOUR spaces,
and granted, that is quite a bit, but they receive absolutely no Power bonus
other than the standard 10/10 from their powers, and of course, the luck. One
Tank/Md. Tank/Neotank swarm from nearly any other CO and this team has nothing
on him/her. If you're going to tag with Koal, you might as well pick a CO that
covers up Koal's weakness; a lack of power.

Jugger-Koal Team
----------------
Koal's highest tag affinity is with Jugger and the two of them get a solid
10% firepower boost during their Tag Power along with a very noticeable +10
bonus to their day-to-day luck. They actually work surprisingly well together,
both day-to-day and during their Dual Strike. I would use Koal day-to-day if
there are roads available on the map. That way you can use one Forced March
well before Jugger's COP Meter is filled and the road based advantage is more
reliable than Jugger's erratic luck. However, Jugger can be useful day-to-day
if the enemy starts to use superior units (such as MD Tanks) against you. Even
Jugger's now +40/-15 day-to-day luck, which averages out to be 12.5, can enable
an Infantry to damage an MD Tank. Furthermore, Jugger's luck is complimented by
Koal's Army Composition which favors having a few extra foot soldiers around.
This team is also particularly lethal when using the Dan Dao Strategy since
Jugger can enable the Recons to attack far more than just Foot Soldiers and
Indirects. Their relationship during their Dual Strike is rather simple. Koal
gets their units in range and Jugger smashes the enemy or Jugger smashes the
enemy and Koal fully exploits the opening in the enemy lines. I suggest using
Jugger first in the tag if your units are already near the enemy. Otherwise,
Koal is the best person to begin the Tag Power with.

Kindle-Koal Team
----------------
Don't let the small 105% boost during their Dual Strike fool you. Koal and
Kindle compliment each other's playing style very well and they get a +5 bonus
to their luck to top it off. Day-to-day, you can use Kindle when you are near
urban centers and fighting the enemy for possession of properties. However,
Koal shines when the army is on the move toward the next urban center for two
reasons. The first is that his movement powers will enable him to reach and
even occupy the cities before the enemy. The second reason is that, surprise
surprise, urban centers almost always have roads connecting them to one
another. Thus, which to use day-to-day simply rests upon where the majority of
the fighting is occurring. The same is true for deciding which one to start the
Dual Strike with. If you are already fighting in or near urban centers and can
take advantage of the cities then Kindle is the best choice. However, if this
is not the case then Koal is the best choice because he can get their units
to urban centers and eliminate any enemy units using them. Overall, these two's
momentum can be quite impressive during their Dual Strike.

Adder-Koal Team
---------------
Creepy Crawly has gained a very deserving notorious reputation and has led to
the destruction of many COs. Two movement based COs that are capable of moving
all their units twice in the same day with +2 movement to all of them, along
with Koal giving them a +30% attack boost on roads, is nothing to scoff at.
First strike is going to go to them and there is little you can do about it.
This situation is made even more intimidating by their solid 110% firepower
modification during their Tag Power, their +5 luck bonus, and their extremely
short COP Meters which allows them to use their Tag Power more often than most
Tag Teams can. I would fear this deadly duo if I were you. Which one to use
day-to-day is a matter of terrain and a person's own strategic preferences. A
lot of roads provide incentive to use Koal day-to-day. Yet you could also use
Adder day-to-day and perform a Sideslip or two before Koal's COP Meter is
fully charged. Another option is simply to use one day-to-day until his COP
Meter is charged and then switch to the other until their COP Meter is charged.
That is the quickest way to be able to use a Creepy Crawly. Terrain is the
primary factor when it comes to deciding which to begin the Tag Power. Koal is
best to begin the tag if the enemy units are already near roads or if you need
to overcome a chokepoint. Otherwise, it is more of question of who you want to
end the Tag Power and, therefore, use at the beginning of your next turn.

Von Bolt-Koal Team
------------------
Koal actually gets two advantages from tagging with his boss. The first is
that Von Bolt's SCOP costs exactly twice as much as Koal's SCOP. That means
you can use Von Bolt day-to-day and both of their SCOPs will become charged at
the same time. Alternatively, you can use Koal day-to-day and will be able to
use three Trails of Woe before the team is ready for a Dual Strike. The second
advantage is that Von Bolt's units have innate defense. Therefore, you can be
aggressive with Koal day-to-day and if you manage to leave too many units
exposed on roads at the end of your turn simply tag in Von Bolt and all of
those units immediately get a 10% defense boost. It is generally best to start
the Dual Strike with Koal and let him deal the brunt of the offensive blow to
the enemy. Von Bolt can then perform the clean up while paralyzing any enemy
reinforcements with Ex Machina and reinforcing the teams position with his
innate defense.

Sonja-Koal Team
---------------
Sonja is a surprisingly good team member for Koal. Not only is her COP Meter
short, which will help the pair use their Tag Power often, but Sonja also
helps Koal fight away from roads if the situation demands it. Her terrain
reducing ability is very helpful for any necessary forest combat and for
attacking enemies on properties that are not adjacent to roads. Therefore,
which one to use day-to-day depends on the type of terrain where the majority
of the fighting is occurring. However, if FOW is on then Sonja is generally the
best to use day-to-day because of her vision increase and Hidden HP skills.
Yet these two really shine during their Tag Power. Koal should start the Tag
and use his movement skills and road based attack boost to their fullest
potential. Sonja can then finish the Tag Power, wipe out any remaining enemy
units, and will reinforce their position with Counter Break. Furthermore,
the piercing vision aspect of Sonja's CO Powers will enable you to detect any
ambushes during FOW. That means you should feel comfortable about being
aggressive with Koal during his turn of the Tag Power because you can use 
Sonja's turn to detect and counter any ambushes the enemy may have placed.

Lash-Koal Team
--------------
This is a good team for very similar reasons as the Sonja-Koal team. Lash can
take command of the army if the fighting is forced to occur in woods or on
properties. However, if this is not the case then it is best to have Koal
command the army so you can utilize his CO Powers when they are needed.
Therefore, Lash should be the "bench tagger" if her day-to-day terrain powers
are not going to make that much of a difference. Because of the length of
Lash's COP Meter you can actually afford to use two Trails of Woe before Lash's
COP Meter is fully charged. Koal should always begin the Tag Power because of
the benefits Lash's SCOP give to their units. You will want to use Lash's turn
turning the Tag Power to reinforce the army's position. This means moving all
units off of the roads if you can and placing them in the best terrain
possible. Even your units in woods, with the benefits of Lash's SCOP, will be
difficult to destroy. The biggest weakness to this team is that Lash will
provide minimal benefits to naval units and no benefit to air units.

Jess-Koal Team
--------------
Jess is a pretty awe inspiring sight when it comes to a land war. Her 20%
attack boost to all of her vehicular units is going to allow her to overpower
the enemy in most situations. Yet the refueling benefits of her CO Powers also
greatly benefit her naval and air units. What makes Koal go well with Jess
are the movement benefits of their powers. The majority of Jess's land units
are going to receive +2 movement from her SCOP. Koal's SCOP adds another +2 to
these units during his SCOP and also gives any air or naval units a +2 to their
movement as well. That means Koal will further augment the maneuverability of
Jess's ground units while simultaneously making any air and naval units a very
potent strike force. It is best to use this pair on a map with land combat and
to use Jess day-to-day. Then, save up for their Tag Power and use it when you
are ready. Koal is generally the best to begin the Tag Power unless you have
plenty of vehicular units already within range of the enemy army and no roads
are available.

Sami-Koal Team
--------------
The beauty of this Tag Team is the movement benefits that both COs give to foot
soldiers during their CO Powers. It is generally best to behave as if Sami is
your only CO day-to-day and focus on producing Infantry and Mechs in abundance.
Then, when the team is ready for a Tag Power you can switch to Koal and unleash
the mayhem. Koal is going to be able to increase the movement of all foot
soldiers by two spaces. This will be increased by another two spaces during
Sami's SCOP and, more importantly, all these foot soldiers will be able to
capture any properties in one attempt. Such a massive surge of Infantry and
Mech movement spells doom for both the enemy's economy and the enemy's forces.

Sensei-Koal Team
----------------
This is a good tag team for very similar reasons as the Sami-Koal team. The
movement benefits of Koal's CO Powers will greatly augment the potency of both
Sensei's foot soldiers and his Battle Copters. Day-to-day I would use Sensei
and have Koal be the "bench tagger". However, once both COs have their COP
Meters charged it is time to perform a Dual Strike. Koal should actually be the
second CO in the Tag Power. The reason for this is that Koal can then give +2
movement to all the Mech units that Sensei created during his SCOP. After that
you can then switch back to using Sensei day-to-day.

Kanbei-Koal Team
----------------
Kanbei is a good tag partner for Koal because his high defense helps to
diminish the loss of first strike. Thus, early on in the game you should use
Koal because his units have the standard cost and his CO Powers can help seize
some additional properties. However, once the fighting gets fierce you can
switch to Kanbei and use him day-to-day until either their Tag Power is ready
or you need to replace several units. During the Tag Koal should almost always
go first. He can launch the attack and get the army in position for Kanbei's
turn. Kanbei can then mop up any survivors and reinforce the team's position
with his incredibly high defense. [Thanks to Blame Game for suggesting this
Tag Team and explaining its strengths]

Rachel-Koal Team
----------------
This is a tag team that you will not be seeing very often in AWDS. The 65%
firepower reduction is the largest in the game and it is a testament to the
animosity between Koal and Rachel. I guess it just goes to show that you should
never tell Rachel that she lacks beauty like Koal did several times in the
campaign. You will almost never want to use a Dual Strike with these two
because the loss in attack power is too great. The only times where you might
consider actually performing a Koal-Rachel Tag Power is when you need to
capture some properties or finish off several weakened units. Having said that,
these two are not all that bad as a team when used day-to-day. You can have
Rachel take command whenever you need to make repairs on multiple units and
then switch back to Koal. He should handle most of the day-to-day fighting and
you should, for all purposes, behave as if Koal is your only CO. The big
exception is when Rachel's SCOP is available. You can then switch to her and
use the effects of Covering Fire to decimate the enemy forces. Then you can
switch back to Koal and start using him day-to-day. So long as you don't use a
Tag Power, and therefore bring on the massive firepower reduction, these two
are not a hopeless pair.

Honorable Mentions
------------------
The following COs also perform fairly well with Koal but are not as compatible
as the ones listed above. They are: Eagle, Andy, Nell, Flak, Max, Olaf, Grimm,
and Jake. Eagle and Koal go well together because of the vast movement benefits
of Eagle's SCOP and the strength of his air force can be useful on an air
map. However, the immense length of Eagle's COP Meter will keep these two from
using their Tag Power often.  Andy, the mechanical boy wonder, is perhaps the
most universally useful Tag partner because the +5HP, +1 move to all units, and
20% attack boost of his SCOP benefits all COs. Only problem is that Andy does
nothing for Koal day-to-day. Nell and Flak are useful to Koal for the same
reasons as Jugger but Koal's tag affinity with Jugger makes him a better
choice. Koal's powers can get Grimm's, Olaf's, or Max's units within first
strike of the enemy units. These units, needless to say, will become scrap
metal in no time once Max, Olaf, or Grimm are finished with them. Finally, Jake
is an interesting choice because he, like Jess, does very well in a land war.
However, he is not as good of a choice as Jess because his CO Powers do not
benefit air or naval units and his plains based attack bonus is not as reliable
as Jess's flat attack boost.

===================
13. Countering Koal
===================

There is no easy way to fully counter Koal. The only weakness that you can try
to exploit is Koal's road based attack boost. Yet sticking clearly to plains
and woods is going to slow down your ground units. You can take advantage of
any exposed units Koal has left on the roads but the Koal player will do their
best to make sure you do not have very many units left to attack any of their
defenseless units. You could also try to hold a chokepoint in an effort to deny
Koal his movement bonuses. Yet you will have to be wary of any roads that are
running through the chokepoint and any Mech or air units the Koal player will
use to flank your defending forces. If you can't find a chokepoint with no
roads running through it then you should hold one on the other side of a
bridge. If Koal has his SCOP charged then you could try to bait him into using
it by leaving several of your units within attack range of his units while
keeping the rest of your units in reserve. However, the units you leave exposed
will almost certainly be destroyed and, unless if FOW is on, the Koal player
will see your reserve units. Yet even if FOW is on this strategy will not
always work for two reasons. The first is that the Koal player can scout the
area with a Recon and, once seeing your reserve units, can react appropriately.
The second is that the Koal player will most certainly not leave any units
that did not attack on poor terrain and will take full advantage of the
Deployment aspect of movement. It will, however, ultimately come down to the
skill of the two players. When a movement based CO like Koal is used well then
he can be an extremely formidable opponent for any player.

=====================
14. Koal vs Other COs 
=====================

Koal is fully capable of adjusting his strategy to match the strengths and
weaknesses of his opponents. Below I have listed the other COs in the game
and what you should be aware of while fighting them with Koal.

Jake
----
Plains are especially difficult for Koal to avoid because roads, more often
than not, will be flanked on both sides by them. That means Jake is usually
going to have a firepower advantage over Koal. Therefore, you must be extra
careful not to give Jake first strike on any of your units, especially those
on roads. Jake's CO Powers are rather interesting because they can increase
the range of his Indirects and the movement of his vehicles. This means
destroying his Indirects should be an even higher priority on your list than
usual. Keep a close eye on his COP Meter so you are fully prepared for this
extra Indirect range and vehicle movement. You do, however, have an advantage
over Jake at sea and in the air since his CO Powers [with the exception of air
units over plains] are useless to those units. Therefore, it is in your
interest to try to draw him into air and naval battles. Overall, the best way
to counter Jake is to make sure that you hit him with Koal's SCOP before he can
hit you with his.

Rachel
------
Her ability to repair quickly means that you should place greater emphasis than
normal on finishing off any damaged units she has placed on properties. She is
a great example of an enemy CO where Koal should almost always sacrifice
terrain defense for the extra offense on roads. Rachel is also very interesting
to fight against because her COP and SCOP do completely different things. Her
COP gives her the same edge as Nell's, Flak's, and Jugger's luck powers.
However, you do not know when she might use it so it is even harder to be
prepared for. Just be wary if you see her gladly sending her cheaper units
(like Tanks) against your more expensive units (Like a Neotank or Megatank).
It could mean she is planning to use her COP in hope that it will enable her
to wipe out your elite forces. Her SCOP is extremely dangerous and if you
are playing with Rank Skills then I highly recommend using Missile Guard.
Your standard practice of massing units for a large scale attack can be a
very bad idea if her SCOP is charged or nearly so. You should also be careful
not to keep a close formation of your units after you have launched a major
attack. Covering Fire could completely eliminate your army's momentum.

Andy
----
Being the jack-of-all trades there is no real special strategy needed when
facing Andy. The only thing you should pay attention to is your ability to wipe
out his units. Always use the roads to finish off targets that you don't want
getting healed by his CO Powers. Also, Andy's SCOP is very powerful and can
easily turn the tide of the battle in his favor. Keep an eye on his COP Meter
and be prepared for the extra movement and firepower (Not to mention the 5HP)
Andy can muster when he is in trouble. Other than that, just use basic counters
combined with Koal's movement bonuses.

Max
---
Max is a good example of a CO where you might actually want to hold a
chokepoint and produce Indirects in abundance. However, that should not be
your initial strategy. The thing about Max is that his extra offence only
matters if he gains first strike. Deny him of that opportunity with Koal's CO
Powers and you will usually be able to overcome Max in a head-to-head fight.
One nice plus of fighting Max is that you will usually not have to worry about
Indirects. However, in FOW don't be overly surprised if Max hides some
Artillery in woods to try to catch you off your guard. Be very conscious of how
far properties are from nearby trees and weather or not Max's Artillery could
hit them.

Sami
----
While Sami has superb Infantry and Mechs, her true strength is her ability to
capture properties quickly. Her high capture rate makes it very difficult to
stop her soldiers from capturing a property once they started. Therefore, you
should always use roads to attack any of her capturing foot soldiers. Also,
try to keep Sami from capturing too many properties early on. The best way to
do this is to place Recons on properties toward the middle of the map (or
somewhere half-way between you and Sami). This can often buy you some time
because Sami will have to counter your Recons with either some of her own or
transport Mechs to the cities you garrisoned. For the later stages of the game
always keep your forward properties, bases, and HQ occupied when Sami's SCOP
is nearly charged. Victory March when used correctly can cost you the game in
one day.

Nell
----
Nell is a dangerous opponent and there is nothing you can really do to counter
her luck skills. Be aware that her CO Powers can enable her cheaper units
(such as infantry) to deliver considerable damage to your more expensive units
(such as MD Tanks). Thus, quality is often not the best strategy against her.
Try to always have reserve units incase she gets a lucky turn and wipes out
most of your forward units.

Hachi
-----
He's a CO with no weaknesses, inexpensive units, and has a COP Meter that is
the same length as Koal's. If you are not careful, he can overwhelm you with
superior units. More importantly, his SCOP enables him to quickly reinforce his
front lines by building units in cities. The best thing you can do is to keep
him from getting a property advantage over you. This can mean using Forced
March a lot in the early stages of the game to give Koal the extra boost he
needs when competing for properties. Also, be sure to occupy his cities when
his SCOP is charged in order to reduce its effectiveness.

Olaf
----
Olaf is a very tricky opponent because of the snow factor. He can cause it to
snow for two days which gives him an attack bonus and causes you to burn fuel
at an increased rate. A cunning Olaf player can also use his COP almost twice
in a row to give him four days of snowfall. Thus, Koal should build more APCs
and Black Boats than normal so he can keep his army supplied. Also, Olaf's
attack bonus during snow can be devastating so you must use Koal's powers to
strike first and leave as few survivors as possible. Besides that just watch
him carefully, counter what he throws at you, and attack when you are ready.

Grit
----
Grit is an extremely dangerous CO if he is capable of getting enough Indirects
in action along with enough units he can use to shield them. He also excels
at laying ambushes in FOW by hiding Indirects in Woods and he is one of the
best COs at holding a chokepoint. You can try to slow him down by using Recons
early on to harass Grit's foot soldiers and slow up his attempts to capture
cities. This strategy is not fool proof because Grit only needs 6,000 funds
to produce one Mobile Artillery. Yet harassing his Foot Soldiers and keeping
his Indirects occupied near his base can buy you enough time to reach a
chokepoint before he does. Any roads on the map can be very beneficial for
wiping out Grit's Indirects but use them sparingly. Grit's Indirects are
capable at devastating any units you leave exposed on roads.

Colin
-----
Cheap units means Colin will be throwing more units at you than most other COs
can. The best approach is battle him early on for properties (His cheap
infantry and transports can enable him to expand quickly). If you gain an
economic advantage over him then you can start producing quality units and
gradually crush his army. However, remember that since his units are 20%
cheaper you will need to gain a 20% economic advantage over him. Yet one
advantage of fighting Colin is that, because his units have reduced attack,
Koal's units will suffer less damage while on roads.

Sasha
-----
The new money CO has a very different fighting style than Colin. She will
have a slight economic advantage over you which means you need to focus on
preventing her from gaining too many cities. She will not necessarily be
able to swarm you like Colin can but the extra money can be used to soften
the expense of repairs or buy slightly more expensive units than she normally
could afford. Her COP is particularly dangerous and it can keep you from using
Trail of Woe. This means you might have to adopt a COP strategy against her if
she becomes bent on denying you the use of your SCOP. However, if she seems to
be saving up for her SCOP then it means you can also save up for Koal's. Be
wary if Sasha is controlled by a human opponent because they could just be
waiting for the right time to use Sasha's COP rather than her SCOP.

Kanbei
------
Kanbei's superior attack and defense can be a bit intimidating at first.
However, the high cost of his units means he really needs a solid economic
base before he can become truly dangerous. Thus, send Recons to slow up his
capture rate early on. If you can stall him long enough then you can produce
superior units than his and he will have a hard time countering you. Also,
avoid attacking Kanbei in direct combat when he is using his SCOP because you
will usually suffer more damage than you will deal.

Sonja
-----
Sonja is very difficult CO to counter because her units have no weakness that
you can easily exploit (You never know when the drop in attack power will
occur) and there is no way to fully overcome the hidden HP ability. If you
don't already do so I would suggest leaving the battle visuals on when you
fight Sonja so you have a better idea of how much damage you (and other
players) do to her units. If you are not sure how much health a unit has then
send a weaker unit rather than the Neo Tank to find out. Use Indirects and
Bombers to bypass her SCOP. Don't rely on woods too much in FOW or else your
cunning ambush can turn into a complete disaster. Thankfully, you are not going
to be at that much of a disadvantage if you cling on roads since her terrain
reducing skills don't affect them at all. Thus, you should actually leave units
on roads if their only alternative is plains since your units will at least
retain their attack boost.

Sensei
------
Sensei is a lot like Sami but his air force is a lot better. He is also capable
of expanding quickly because his Transports move one space further than normal.
For the most part you should fight Sensei the same way you would fight Sami but
don't underestimate his Battle Copters which are often capable of wiping out
(or coming very close to it) your units in one attack. Furthermore, his CO
Powers can give him immediate reinforcements in the form of Infantry or Mechs
which he will either use for a Meatwall or will combine for additional funds.
A-Airs are especially useful against Sensei but his normal ground forces are
nothing to scoff at either. You will, however, be able to outclass Sensei's
navy so, if the map allows it, building a strong navy instead of an air force
might be the best approach.

Grimm
-----
The thing to remember about fighting Grimm is that he emphasizes first strike.
Because of his low defense and extremely high offense, whoever attacks first is
going to be the clear winner in the combat and you need to always bear that in
mind. Thus, a cunning Grimm player will use a handful of units as bait in order
to lure you into attack range of the majority of his units. Furthermore, the
Grimm player will often try to utilize terrain to compensate for their low
defense. Fortunately, Koal's CO Powers excel at giving him first strike. 
Furthermore, it is generally best to cause as much damage to Grimm's units as
you can so the 10% day-to-day road bonus is usually worth the sacrifice of
better terrain. Be patient when fighting Grimm and, when you are ready, attack
him with everything you have. The results will prove very devastating for the
Grimm player.

Eagle
-----
Unlike most COs, Koal is actually capable of competing with Eagle for air
supremacy. Eagle's SCOP only comes around so often and his COP is not nearly
as useful for attacking as Koal's CO Powers. A mixture of A-Airs, Jets,
B-Copters, and even Stealths will give Koal more than enough firepower to
defeat Eagles air force. Simply hang back until your CO Powers are ready and
then send Eagle's air units crashing to the ground. However, Eagle SCOP is
still very devastating. The best way to counter it is to attack him first and
destroy as many of his units as possible. If that fails then try to form your
battle line into layers and prepare for a counter attack. Finally, an air
force is expensive so preventing Eagle from claiming enough properties can
greatly inhibit his fighting capabilities.

Drake
-----
Drake is a very annoying CO to fight. His CO Powers not only hurt your units
but also reduce their fuel. This makes it more difficult to overcome him with
a strong air force. However, an air force, when applicable, is still the best
option so just make sure that you have plenty of APCs and Black Boats around.
His navy is, of course, very powerful but you can still use the naval triangle
(Subs vs B-Ships/ B-Ships vs Cruisers/ Cruiser vs Subs) combined with Koal's
CO Powers to gain first strike and battle Drake's navy ship-to-ship.

Jess
----
Jess is a tough and versatile CO. You will probably be dragged into a vicious
ground war with her but don't be surprised if you start seeing air or naval
units in abundance. She is the most balanced of the specialist COs so there is
really no specific strategy you need against her. Just be aware of the
refueling, reloading, and movement benefits of her CO powers.

Javier
------
With his emphasis on Com Towers, Javier's great strength is also his great
weakness. If the map has no Com Towers, he will only be able to boast about
his higher defense against Indirects and he loses much of the offensive
capabilities he normally would have received with his CO Powers. If the map
does have Com Towers, then capturing them should be Koal's top priority.
Letting Javier get too many Com Towers can result in him overpowering Koal's
army. Indirects don't work well against Javier so you are generally better
off using almost nothing but Direct Combat Units.

Flak
----
Like Nell, Flak is dangerous because of his ability to deliver serious damage
with weaker units while using his CO Powers. Therefore, Quality might not be
the best approach. Unlike Nell, he can experience a drop in attack power
day-to-day. Other than that no specific strategy is required against him.

Adder
-----
A battle between Adder and Koal is a battle of epic proportions. Because
Adder's COP is two stars he is going to be able to use it 50% more often than
Koal can use his COP. Thus, Adder is going to squeeze every advantage out of
his COP and is going to be able to initially outmaneuver Koal. Therefore, your
best option is to brace yourself the best you can against Adder's movements
until your SCOP is charged. Trying to hold a chokepoint is one way of doing
this. Then, counterattack with everything you have and try to force Adder on
the defensive. Overall, the battle between these two titans of movement is
going to rest on the skill of the players. While Adder is the faster of the
two, Koal can use roads to devastate Adder and can still make the most of the
one turn of +2 movement with his SCOP.

Lash
----
Lash is not going to prove too much of a problem for Koal if you can keep the
battles near or on roads. Her terrain attack boost is only +5% on plains and
she gets no bonus at all while on roads. However, you will encounter problems
if you find yourself in heavily forested or urban terrain. If this is the case
then a strong air-force is a good alternative since Lash's air units get no
benefits from her skills or CO Powers. Overall, just do your best to keep her
fighting in terrain of your choosing (using decoys to draw her into the open
if need be) and counter what she throws at you.

Hawke
-----
With Hawke's superior attack value he is a difficult opponent to overcome.
However, his COP Meter is very long which means he won't be using his powers
that often. It also means you will be dealing with less Tag Powers than normal
when you face him. Be offensive because Hawk does not gain a defense bonus
along with the attack bonus. That means the day-to-day bonus of roads is
usually worth it. Besides that just use Koal's movement to its fullest
potential.

Jugger
------
Jugger is almost exactly like Flak with only two noticeable exceptions. The
first is that his day-to-day dispersion is slightly higher which means his
attacks are even more erratic. The second, more important difference, is that
Jugger's SCOP is one star longer. This means Jugger can almost always use his
COP twice in a row. That gives Jugger good flexibility because he can use his
COP once and save his other COP for later if you pull your units back. The
simplest way to overcome this problem is to hit Jugger first and to not overly
rely on quality units since even Jugger's Infantry can prove dangerous to them.

Koal
----
Fighting yourself is as frightening of an experience as fighting Adder. Just
follow the general tips I included in the Countering Koal section above.

Kindle
------
In urban combat, Kindle is going to win. Her extremely high attack bonus on
properties will enable her to destroy units with ease. Her COP is also
particularly dangerous since it can waste precious repair time and resources,
soften up your on-base defense units, and slow your capture rate of
properties. Furthermore, her SCOP will grant her units (regardless of where
they are) a considerable attack bonus if she controls enough properties. The
best way to fight Kindle is to try not to let your units end the turn next
to a city (especially on a road next to a city) that Kindle can use to attack
them from during her turn. You should, therefore, try to draw her out in the
open and do everything you can to occupy cities in a fight before she does.
Use roads carefully when attacking any of Kindle's units that are on cities.
You have to make sure that you can occupy that city so Kindle can't use it to
devastating effect on any of Koal's exposed units. On the other hand, you
should not occupy cities with expensive units since Kindle can retaliate with
an Urban Blight and deal these units 3HP of damage.

Von Bolt
--------
While not as frightening as AW2 Sturm, Von Bolt is still a very dangerous
opponent. His day-to-day increase in the defense and offense of all of his
units gives him a constant edge over Koal. His only real weakness is that he
has no COP and his SCOP is extremely long. Therefore, you should take comfort
in the fact that you will be dealing with less CO Powers and Tag Powers from
Von Bolt. Besides that, just be sure that you don't leave your units in a tight
formation if Von Bolt's SCOP is nearly charged.

====================
15. Opinions on Koal
====================

This section of my guide will include opinions on Koal in addition to my own.
Please contact me if you want to share your opinion on Koal.

My Opinion on Koal
------------------
Koal is a CO that has a lot to offer any AWDS player. The uses for his movement
based CO Powers are nearly infinite and give him the edge on land, at sea, and
in the air. Furthermore, fully utilizing movement based powers requires a lot
of strategy and it makes Koal a challenging CO to use effectively. However, his
road based attack bonus (while not necessary to his strategy) can give him a
considerable attack boost for those situations, like breaking a chokepoint,
that really demand it. This combination of movement and firepower makes Koal
the ideal choice for players who want a versatile and challenging CO that also
has some muscle to him.

Blame Game's Opinion on Koal
----------------------------
Koal is an excellent addition to the Advance Wars series, and despite being a
bit situational in comparison to Adder, he's easily up there with the best of
them in the long run. The cool part about Koal is that he's a strategic CO,
like Adder, but at the same time he can be quite the powerhouse. While Adder
heavily relies on the use of mind games and the precise, strategic uses of his
COP, Koal trades some of that for some firepower. Basically, Koal gives up a
super-quick COP for one that packs a punch, as well as having great strategic
value.

What makes Koal really great is that he is also quite newb-friendly. Plenty of
people seem to like Adder, but don't enjoy playing as him because he hardly has
any bonuses. In those cases, who could fill such a position better than Koal?
At the same time, you still have to think to use Koal; you can't go around
swinging your Super around mindlessly, like, say, Andy, and expect to win.
Therefore, those who enjoy Adder but would like a breath of fresh air will find
themselves right at home with Koal.

Most importantly, however, Koal is extremely effective; I'd be willing to say
that he is one of the best, if not the best CO in the game if you're looking to
break through a chokepoint. Koal is far better than people give him credit for,
and anyone who thinks that he should be changed for being a 'clone' should
definitely try him out; they'd be surprised.

==========================
16. People I want to Thank
==========================

Xenesis for the incredibly helpful CO Stats FAQ. Thanks Xen!

Crystal Guard 292 for organizing and supporting the FAQ writers at Wars World
News. We all appreciate it Crystal.

Terragent and ThrawnFett because their excellent FAQs inspired me to start
writing my own.

ThrawnFett (again) for inviting me to join Wars World News in the first place.

Thefalman for demonstrating to everyone the effectiveness of movement based COs
and for supporting my desire to write this FAQ.

Blame Game for various contributions.

Treedweller15 for suggesting improvements to the Army Composition section.

Mario Luigi for various contributions.

Finally, this CO guide is dedicated to the Bolt Guard. They will rise again...

============
End of Guide
============