Mission 18S: Captain Drake! (Sami) (2)

Starting Units & Defense: You begin with the same units as the Classic Campaign plus one cruiser. Drake has significantly more naval and land units. For the first eight days, play defense on the northern half of the island. Conserve expensive units and prevent Drake from taking neutral cities north of the mountains. Use infantry and mechs to absorb Drake's attacks.

Day 1 Landings: Land two infantry on the northern shoal tiles with one lander. Land your medium tank east on a forest tile and your rocket north. Keep your best land units on forest tiles and out of enemy range. Use cheaper units to wall off expensive ones.

Naval Strategy: Use naval unit matchups: battleships attack cruisers, cruisers attack subs, and subs attack battleships. Utilize defensive reefs. From the south, Drake will send a cruiser, battleship, and submarine. Deploy one sub and one cruiser in the south, with your battleship on a middle reef. Do not move naval units past your closest four reefs until Drake's three southern units are eliminated (around day 5).

Northern Naval Defense: From the north/east, Drake will send a cruiser, then two battleships, and eventually a sub. Start with one cruiser and one sub in the north. Later, shift your second sub northward to help with the northern battleships. These will hinder your ability to build expensive land units.

Land Unit Production & Defense: Drake will have a rocket positioned south of the southwest city north of the mountains. He will advance with tanks, artillery, and medium tanks. Build infantry and mechs (mostly mechs) from both bases almost every turn. Focus on attacking any units that get close. Keep your rocket, medium tank, and tank out of battleship range and on forest tiles, using them to fight back only when safe. Use mechs to capture properties. Be vigilant against Drake trying to take the final city north of the mountains.

Unit Support & Advance: Use your APC to refuel subs and later mechs. Keep cruisers out of battleship range. After eliminating Drake's southern navy, move your southern sub and cruiser north/east to engage the northern battleships and sub. After capturing the eastern port, build two subs, dive them, and move them south. Use these subs to destroy the eastern battleship on a southern reef. Meanwhile, march your mech army across the mountains and capture the final city for victory.