In Advance Wars: Dual Strike, the player can use 2 CO's. Both CO's charge their power meter, but the active CO has a much faster charge rate, which encourages the players to switch the CO's.
Once both power meters are full, the player can unleash a Tag Break, which results in the following: CO #1 activating their Super CO Power (SCOP) , CO #1 playing their turn, player switches CO's, CO #2's SCOP is activated, the player conducts their turn and then their turn ends.
List of Tag Breaks
Air Lift (Eagle + Andy) - 115% Power
Always start the Tag Break with Eagle (after you moved your units) because Eagle's SCOP does next to nothing when used second. This is a good tag break because Eagle moves your units into position, and then Andy's SCOP heals and strengthens them so they can deal a lot of damage.
Battle Standard (Sonja + Kanbei) - 130% Power
This is an excellent tag break, in part, due to the +30% boost. While Sonja does have a defensive SCOP, Sonja should lead this tag break because it allows you to move your units beforehand so that Kanbei's units can deal maximum damage. Also, Kanbei's SCOP makes your units nearly invincible during the opponent's turn.
Big Country (Max + Grit) - 110% Power
Max should go first so that Grit's indirects are in position. While it is true that both CO's complement each others weaknesses, it's also true that this combination results in your play style being muddled (i.e. Grit's indirects don't help Max very much). For this reason, it's not one of the better combos in the game.
Bruise Cruise (Flak + Lash) - 110%
Flak should go first on the offense and then Lash can go on the defense. It's a synergetic combo, although better Tag Breaks exist.
Code of Honor (Javier + Kanbei) - 110%
Unless you control 2 or more Comm Towers, you should always start with Javier and end with Kanbei. With Kanbei already being great at defensive play, Javier doesn't complement Kanbei well. Don't use these 2 CO's together unless the map has Comm Towers.
Creepy Crawly (Adder + Koal) - 110%
These CO's are nearly identical, so it doesn't matter which one of them goes first. This Tag Break charges very quickly (due to the short power meters) and it boosts your movement twice. On the downside, neither CO gains meaningful offensive boosts, making it difficult to approach the opponent while they have their SCOP active.
Earth and Sky (Eagle + Sami) - 120%
Always start with Eagle. While it is one of the slowest to charge up, it's an excellent Tag Break because Eagle moves your units into position (by using APC's and T-Copters, you can move soldiers twice) and then, once in position, Sami turns the tide of the game by capping enemy properties (and even their HQ)
Fireworks (Jugger + Kindle) - 105%
Both CO's gain an offensive boost. Neither complement each other particularly well. Since the tag affinity only gives a 5% boost anyway, you're better off pairing your Kindle with Nell, who has a shorter power meter and all of the good luck without any of the bad luck.
Flashpoint (Koal + Kindle) - 105%
Koal should go first to move the CO's into position so that Kindle can strike offensively. As we've seen in the campaign mission Crystal Calamity, Koal's speed complements Kindle's offense quite well.
Girl Power (Sonja + Sami) - 110%
In a Fog of War map, this Tag Break can be quite useful. Sonja can go first to survey the map with her high visibiliy and then Sami can capture vacant properties. Outside of Fog of War, they're not a very good combo. By going second with Sami (to get your soldiers in position for capturing), you're also ceding Sonja's counter-attacking ability.
Green Flash (Jess + Javier) - 110%
It's straightforward. Jess goes first for offense while Javier goes second for defense. However, if the map has no accessible Comm Towers, Javier will be a useless tag partner for Jess.
Grizzled Vets (Hachi + Sensei) - 100%
Despite this Tag Break (oddly) not having an offense boost, it's one of the best in the game due to the fact that it can swell up your unit count. Going first with Sensei gives you more capturing power, but going first with Hachi lets you move the units you spawned during Sensei's turn. It's up to you which order you want to use them.
Heavy Metal (Jess + Jake) - 110%
This is a decent Tag Break for land maps with vehicle play. Both have similar powers, though Jess has more movement and Jake has more indirect. As a result, Jess should probably go first to put Jake's indirects in position, but either order would work fine.
Orange Crush (Jake + Rachel) - 120%
This is an excellent Tag Break, primarily because of Rachel's excellent SCOP. Rachel should go first to weaken the enemy units and Jake should go in second with his offensive boosts.
Power Surge (Koal + Jugger) - 110%
Far from the best, but it's an okay combo. Koal goes first for speed and Jugger goes second for power. Nell would be a better tag partner than Jugger though, since Jugger's bad luck dispersion is a significantly higher than the 10% offense boost this tag brings.
Power Wrench (Andy + Max) - 110%
This is a versatile Tag Break. If your units are damaged, Andy can go first to repair them and then Max plays offensively. It's also true that if your units are in good health, Max can start the tag by attacking aggressively and then Andy can repair the damage your units took.
Rebel Yell (Hawke + Lash) - 110%
Hawke goes first because his SCOP allows you units to defeat the enemy's units in battle much more easily. Lash goes second because of her defensive terrain bonuses. The downside is that both CO's have a longer than average power meter, so this Tag Break takes longer to charge.
Rolling Thunder (Grimm + Sensei) - 110%
Grimm is just tough to tag with. Offensive CO's are usually best off going second (plus Sensei going first allows you to move your spawned Mechs again), but Grimm's low defense makes this tag way easy to punish.
Shaky Alliance (Andy + Hawke) - 105%
If you want mass healing, this is the Tag Break for you. 7HP is incredible, though it may also be redundant. Nonetheless, both CO's have strong SCOPS and either could go first. Andy should go first if your units are severely damaged, but otherwise, Hawke's immediate damage toward the enemy makes him better to go first.
Snow Patrol (Olaf + Grit) - 115%
These two CO's lack synergy because both are situational. Grit may be better off second because you need to move his indirects in position. At the same time, Olaf's directs have better stats due to the snow boost so it may be better off to end with him.
Stormwatch (Eagle + Drake) - 115%
Always start with Eagle. This is a good Tag Break since you get double movement plus mass damage. At the same time, Drake's Fog of War activating immediately hinders the player's offensive capabilities. This Tag Break is best used on naval and air battles at sea, particularly on large maps.
Trust Fund (Sasha + Colin) - 130%
This is one of the best Tag Breaks in the game. For starters, using both CO's means you have constant money advantage. Typically, you start this tag with Sasha to increase your funds and then Colin goes second for offense. The 30% offense boost is significant, as it makes Colin even more powerful during SCOP and it turns Sasha from a vanilla CO into a powerhouse.
Windfall (Rachel + Nell) - 130%
This is a great Tag Break. Rachel goes first to mass damage the enemy units and put Nell's units into position, and then Nell comes in to inflict crazy luck damage. Plus a whopping 30% offense bonus. Excellent synergy.
CO Tag Strategies
Orange Star
- Andy - Makes for a good partner in almost every situation. He can start tags if your units are weak and he's also good for going second.
- Max - Since direct units comprise most of the commonly used units, he's an asset to most CO's. He should go second so that his units are in position and he retains his offense boosts throughout the next turn, but he can go first as well.
- Sami - She should typically go second so that her Infantry are in better range to capture cities. She's an excellent tag partner because having two turns, in addition to her soldier movement boosts, means that she can capture a lot of properties.
- Nell - Battle based luck powers are situational, but in a tag, you can move your units into position so that Nell can go second and wreak havoc. Due to her offense boosts applying to all types of units, she can be a boon to most CO's.
- Jake - He's an all around dependable partner for land maps, but it's also true that Jess' superior offense and movement during SCOP make her a better choice in most cases.
- Rachel - Her SCOP is so amazing (like a free Black Bomb, plus more) that almost every tag involving her is a great one. Pair her with just about any CO.
- Hachi - With a small power meter and an amazing SCOP, he's a great partner for anybody. Hachi should go first so that you can attack with his units with the second CO.
Blue Moon
- Olaf - Olaf is an all around good tag partner. His mass damage and offense buff are solid abilities all around. He can start a tag for the damage to be immediate or he could end the tag to keep the snow boost for another turn.
- Grit - He's difficult to tag with because his direct units are very weak and his indirect playstyle may not be advantageous for the other CO you are using. Only use Grit as a tag partner on specific maps, perhaps ones with choke points.
- Colin - His SCOP can be devastating if you have enough money, and in any event, his cheap units day to day will add up to him being a good partner overall.
- Sasha - Aside from Colin, Sasha is not a particularly great tag partner due to the fact that her SCOP is situational and often times underpowered.
Yellow Comet
- Kanbei - One of the best tag partners. He should almost always go second because of his strong offense, as well as very high defense which makes his units nearly invincible during he opponent's turn.
- Sonja - She can be an asset to most CO's on a Fog of War map. Outside of those conditions, she neither excels in offense, defense or speed.
- Sensei - He's a great CO in general and often benefits from going first since his spawned Mechs can move, attack and/or capture twice.
- Grimm - He's very difficult to tag with due to the fact that his low defense means you should not end a tag with him. He can be good for starting tags with a strong offense though.
Green Earth
- Eagle - He's an excellent tagging CO because it means that you essentially conduct your turn times instead of 1 or 2. Be sure to always begin with Eagle.
- Drake - His weak air units and Fog of War during SCOP make tagging with him difficult, but mass damage is very good. Good partner on naval maps of course.
- Jess - With strong vehicles, movement bonuses and few weaknesses, on land maps, Jess is a valuable asset to almost anyone.
- Javier - Unless you have a Comm Tower in your control, Javier contributes very little to a tag team.
Black Hole
- Adder & Koal - These CO's can be good for starting a tag with their movement boosts and then switching to a stat-boosting CO to inflict more damage.
- Flak & Jugger - Nell is a superior tag partner overall due to having higher good luck without any of the bad luck.
- Lash - Although she has been nerfed in Dual Strike and her power meter is on the larger side, she can be good for ending a Tag Break due to the terrain boosts for both offense and defense.
- Hawke - His long power meter means the Tag Break will be slower to charge up, but the 4HP swing between the damage and healing means your units will be at a meaningful advantage for two turns of pummeling.
- Kindle - Her normal CO Power is better than SCOP due to the mass damage and the money draining, but her SCOP can result a good offense boost. Only use her as a tag partner on maps with a lot of properties.
- Von Bolt - He has a 90% Tag Break with all non-Black Hole CO's and his power meter is the longest in the game. As a result, he is arguably an unfavorable tag partner.