Megatanks (known as Gigatanks or War Tanks in some versions) are a land unit introduced in Advance Wars: Dual Strike and later reappeared in Advance Wars: Days of Ruins. Heavily armed and armored, these moving fortresses are a force to be reckoned with.
Game Information
Black Hole's Megatank
Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Megatanks replace the Neotank as the most powerful land unit. Although possessing tremendous firepower, they are very slow and tend to use up a lot of fuel very quickly. Their weapon, the megacannon, is a very potent means to seriously damage most land units while their secondary weapon is used mainly against soft targets and helicopters.
They were originally designed by Green Earth but soon become available to the Allied Nations after it debuted in a test battle against Orange Star by Jess and Javier.
| Weapon One | Ammo | Range | Weapon Two | Special Commands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Cannon | 3 | 1 | Machine Gun |
|
| Move | Fuel | Cost (G.) | Vision | |
| 4 | 50 | 28,000 | 1 |
===
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin ===
A Lazurian Mega Tank.
Megatanks return as the Mega Tank (or M. Tank) and retain their position as a strong epic unit. They still possess tremendous firepower and health. Two types of Mega Tank exists for both factions however this is only cosmetic changes and thus share no differences whatsoever.
| Weapon One | Ammo | Range | Weapon Two | Special Commands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon | N/A | 1 | Machine Gun |
|
| Move | Fuel | Cost (G.) | Vision | |
| 5 | 50 | 28,000 | 1 |
Strategy
Megatanks possess a very strong attack, being able to wipe out Medium Tanks in a single attack. Although not as powerful as they are against ground units, Megatanks can still deal a significant amount of damage to helicopters and naval units with its secondary weapon.
The major weaknesses of Megatanks are their low movement range, low supplies, and high cost; Thus fielding Mega Tanks effectively would demand a strong economy.
Megatanks can only move four spaces per turn, meaning that most other vehicles are able to outrun them. In addition, Megatanks only have ammunition for three attacks with their main cannon. Making them difficult to use unless the player has an APC nearby.
Competitive Play
Megatanks are almost never used in competitive matches. The low mobility and low ammo are downsides, but the main reason is because it's just too expensive. By saving up for it, you are deploying less units and ceding field advantage which would outweigh the benefits the Megatank would bring.
Counters
Mega Tanks, despite their armor and weaponry are still vulnerable to Bombers, Artillery with the Anti-Tank being the most effective in dealing with them. If the enemy is using Mega Tanks in the area, it is best to hold down choke points to avoid the behemoths from overunning the map.
Mega Tanks can only engage targets next to it so consider using long ranged units to take it down from afar, such as the Battleship.
Trivia
- It's possible that the Megatanks are based on the Soviet T-28 "medium" three-turreted tank, although T-35 would be more similar, three out its five turrets armed with cannons.