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Max (Japanese: マックス Max) is an Orange Star CO. He is one of the few COs to be playable in all three of the original campaigns. He is a brave and loyal friend and an earnest warrior who hates deception and trickery.

Max is the Direct Combat specialist of Orange Star. Along with commanders Andy and Sami, he is one of the first Commanding Officers playable in the campaigns offered in Advance Wars. He debuts in the fourth mission of the original Advance Wars.

In Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Max comes in at Mission 3, to help Jake with the Black Hole CO, Lash. After defeating her, he joins Jake and Rachel on their mission to restore Omega Land. Throughout the game, Max is usually the one to brief Jake on the other COs of the game.

Personality[]

Max is mostly known for his gung-ho tendencies, often leaping into action before thinking things through. He enjoys direct combat and finds it thrilling, but does not feel the same way about indirect combat. Unlike most COs, Max's personality changes more noticeably between games. Initially, in Advance Wars, Max was not very fond of Andy. He deemed Andy to be unfit for battle and attempted to take most engagements for himself. However, in Advance Wars 2, Max seems to have matured. He has better faith in Andy as a CO and is more willing to admit his flaws, including indirect combat. Max develops a grudge against Flak in Advance Wars 2 when the latter insults his appearance. In Dual Strike, Max becomes less gung-ho and more of a mentor to the new Orange Star COs, though his enjoyment of direct combat can still be seen occasionally.

CO abilities[]

Changes in Advance Wars 2:

  • Nerf Day-To-Day Direct Unit ATK 150% -> 120%
  • Buff Day-To-Day Indirect Unit DEF 90% -> 100%
  • Buff CO Power "Max Force" Base Cost 30000G Defensive -> 3 Stars (27000G defensive)
    • Also buffs Offensive Charging Base Requirement 120000G -> 54000G
  • Nerf CO Power "Max Force" Direct Fire ATK 187% -> 140%
  • Nerf CO Powers no longer have the global +10% ATK boost
  • Buff Addition of Super CO Power "Max Blast"

Changes in Dual Strike:

  • Buff Day-To-Day Indirect Unit ATK 90% -> 100%
  • Nerf CO Powers no longer boost Movement Power of Direct Units
  • Buff CO Power "Max Force" Direct Unit ATK 140% -> 150%
  • Buff Super CO Power "Max Blast" Direct Unit ATK 160% -> 180%
  • Buff CO Powers have the global +10% ATK boost again, in addition to the above changes

In Advance Wars, his non-infantry Direct Combat units have 150% firepower and 100% defences, making him undoubtedly the best CO in Advance Wars. In Advance Wars 2 and Dual Strike, he has been slightly weakened as his non-infantry Direct Combat units only have 120% firepower. In both Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2, his indirect units suffer from -1 range and 90% firepower.

CO power[]

Max Force - Firepower of all non-infantry Direct Combat is increased to 140% (170% in Advance Wars 1). All units gain a 10% defense bonus, in addition to a 10% Universal offense bonus in AW1 and AWDS. Non-infantry Direct Combat unit Movement increases by 1 space.

Super CO power[]

Max Blast - Firepower of all non-infantry Direct Combat is increased to 160%. All units gain a 10% defense bonus, in addition to a 10% Universal offense bonus in AWDS. Non-infantry Direct Combat unit Movement increases by 2 spaces.

Dual Strike[]

In Dual Strike, Max no longer suffers a firepower penalty to his indirect units, although they are still at -1 range. His CO and Super CO powers no longer grant Movement bonuses but are compensated with more firepower, possibly to reduce overlap with Jess and Jake.

Tag Breaks[]

Max has Tag Breaks with the following COs:

Tactics[]

Max was undoubtedly a top pick in the original Advance Wars. The +50% firepower bonus to his direct units is just too much for many COs to handle, especially when half the unit types are non-soldier direct units. Max's incredibly powerful direct combat units will often win in one-on-one combat. Of course, as the player, it is advised to never build indirect combat units with Max. His Artillery are useless; they only have a range of two tiles exactly, the worst range among all indirects. Max's Rockets and Missiles can be somewhat useful, as the slightly reduced firepower does not hurt them too much. They could be the most useful during Fog Of War, as indirects would give Max some kind of ambush capabilities. However, it is best to just focus mainly on obliterating opponents one-by-one with superior direct units. His +50% to direct units not only make Max a great ground combatant, but also a good air fighter with lethal Battle Copters and Bombers. Max's CO power can generate huge offensive momentum, or just end the game if Max is on the attack already. The additional firepower increase is devastating, but what is also devastating is the +1 movement Max's direct units receive for a turn. Overall, Max is a top CO in Advance Wars 1. He is truly able to mindlessly throw Tanks and whatever else at his opponent, simply because the firepower increase is terrifying. Max has the worst indirect units by far, but his close combat abilities and his great CO power more than make up for it.

Max was nerfed significantly in Advance Wars 2. His once great firepower was reduced to a much tamer +20% bonus. This means that Max's Tanks can't just blindly run into combat as they could previously. Counter offences are deadlier to Max than ever before, forcing him to approach and attack units much more cautiously. The introduction of COs such as Sensei and Kanbei do not help Max at all, as both COs have extremely powerful Mechs that work efficiently even against Max's Tanks. His indirect units are still poor, with his Artillery being effectively useless and other indirects being okay at best. Even Max's CO powers have been toned down, with only his Super CO power boosting his direct units to what they once were. His powers are still remarkable due in the fact that his direct combat units get a movement boost, always helpful for an offensive CO like Max. In close combat, Max will struggle to inflict huge damage if the opponent is taking advantage of certain terrain. Enemy indirects pose the largest threat to Max, as even Artillery can deal significant damage to a Medium Tank. This is further compounded by the fact that Max cannot combat enemy indirects with his own, inferior indirect units. Fog Of War turns this pain into a nightmare, as enemy indirects will most definitely be lurking around, looking for a surprise attack. Overall, Max is just a former shadow of his Advance Wars 1 self. His Tanks no longer boast the OHKO potential they once had on units like Infantry and Recons. The introduction of defensive COs like Kanbei and Sturm heavily mitigate the damage from Max's just slightly above-average firepower.

Max was further nerfed in Dual Strike, with his CO powers no longer granting his direct units a movement boost. This poses a big problem, as even with higher melee firepower, being unable to reach enemies during his CO powers means less offensive momentum. Although Max's indirect units no longer suffer from decreased firepower, this is minimal at best, as the reduced range is what makes Max's indirects inferior in the first place. His direct firepower bonus is unchanged from the last game, still sitting at just +20%. Max is still overshadowed by other COs with more favorable offensive boosts such as Jess and Jake who have movement boosts and just as much firepower. Overall, Max is at his worst in Dual Strike. The lack of a movement boost hurts Max more than normal firepower indirects. Various COs from Advance Wars 2 have gotten buffed to the point where they match Max in direct combat potential. His other weaknesses still remain prominent such as enemy indirects, Fog Of War, and overwhelming numbers.

Counter Tactics[]

Max's weaknesses really do not change from game to game. The best thing to do is to play preemptively and set up a solid defense featuring indirect units with a few direct units. Even the presence of Artillery is enough to make most Max players retreat, because Artillery attacking Tanks and Medium Tanks are very debilitating trades for the Max player. The other player must take care not to let Max get an offensive foothold. If Max manages to strike deep within the opponent's home territory, building indirect units becomes much more difficult. The player can stick to overwhelming Max's Tanks with cheaper units like Mechs. Remember that Max's direct units do not have increased defence, so launching decisive counter offences are highly recommended during the other player's phase.

Quotes[]

Dual Strike[]

Changing CO During Battle

"I'll crush you like a paper cup!"

Power

"I'll crush you like a paper cup!"

"Take this!"

"Bring it on!"

"How'd you like a knuckle sandwich?!"

"Check out these canons!"

"This is how the big boys play!"

"Sit down!"

Campaign, Pre-Battle

Final Battle

"Dang! That thing's a lot bigger than me!"

(with Grit)

Grit: "Evenin' Max. You know, we go back a dog's year... and we ain't gonna end it in a place like this! Don't you be doing anything crazy now, you hear?! Aw, shucks... I'm wastin' my breath."

Max: "Ha ha! You know me too well, my man! Listen, Grit. Stopping and thinking just isn't in my nature. I only push ahead! I'll trust you to watch my back!"

Victory

"I'm on a roll!"

"You want to fight me? I'll pound you!"

(with Andy)

Max: I'll crush all enemies!
Andy: And I'll fix all allies!

Andy: "Let's do it, Max!"
Max: "Yeah! We'll break their lines like toothpicks!"

Andy: "If it's a tag battle..."
Max: "We're the best!"

(with Grit)

Grit: "With your direct attack and my indirect attack.......

Max: "Odd couples make a good team.

Trivia[]

  • It is implied in Advance Wars that Grit originally left Orange Star because Max had feelings for Nell and he did not want to get in the way.

Gallery[]

Advance Wars[]

Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising[]

Videos[]

References[]

  1. Doolam, Liam (23 April 2023). "Advance Wars English Voice Actors Officially Announce Their Characters". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
Orange Star
COs: Andy | Hachi | Jake | Max | Nell | Rachel | Sami
Former COs: Grit | Olaf
COs of Wars World
Orange Star: AndyMaxSamiNellHachiJakeRachel
Blue Moon: OlafGritColinSasha
Green Earth: EagleDrakeJessJavier
Yellow Comet: KanbeiSonjaSenseiGrimm
Black Hole: Clone AndyFlakLashAdderHawkeSturm
JuggerKoalKindleVon Bolt
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