Advance wars 1 : Campaign final mission help, basic strategy help...

[punkonjunk1024]

Yeah.
I'm playing advance wars 1, and I'm working on... finishing it. I think it is a superb game, alot of fun, almost as much as fire emblem GBA. But... I'm having alot of trouble with the final mission of the normal campaign. (apparently, theres a friggin' advanced campaign.... *gulp*)
Sturm sucks my ass. I've read FAQ walkthroughs... My first attempt, I had grit, and drake as my backups. Probobly the worst possable. I went back through to get max and sami, who I'm most comfortable with, as I used them most. I don't think I have a problem with the understanding of the game, and I've S-ranked about half of the missions going back through the second time... but I always have the most trouble with maps where both you and your opponent have bases, and deployment capabilites. Especially, ones this versatile. What I'm looking for, are strategy suggestions, I typically try to hold my ground until I have enough units to rush and overtake, but this isn't working. When I rush right off, I just flat out lose. His CO power is devastating, and almost always targets Max. In addition, I have trouble getting max and sami's units anywhere in time to put together an attack with all three armies.
I'd love some help, as I love this game... I just can't beat this damn mission.

[vegeta1215]

Oh man, I know the feeling. I hate that level! (I also hate the level where you first meet Sturm - where he thankfully doesn't use his CO Power)

I've went up against Sturm on that final mission several times, but the only way I've managed to win is to use a strategy I read online called the "Mech flood". Basically if you have Sami as an ally, produce nothing but Mechs and move them up the right side of the map, onto the moutains, and eventually into Sturm's base. Andy and your other ally will have to help too, but having tons of Mech's on Sami's side and using her CO-Power will help you annihilate Sturm. (Max and Grit are good choices for your other ally. Olaf sucks cause his CO-Power is useless cause it slows Andy and your other ally down)

What's even harder than beating that level is S-Ranking the Final Battle. Only Andy counts towards the rank at the end, so in order to S-Rank it, he's gotta be the one finishing enemies, and taking less damage. I think the best I got on that level was a B-Rank with the strategy above.

Oh, that reminds me, if you think the final mission is tough, the Andy vs Eagle one you play after the final battle called Rivals! (if you followed a certain path in the entire campaign) is even harder.

[punkonjunk1024]

Hm... that sounds like a good enough idea to me. I'll try it tonight. Cheap, but effective!