Zoraster

Defense has to play a great part on this map.

That said, one of the reasons I love this map is that it generally gives multiple avenues for assaulting a flag. It creates a much more open, freeflowing game than a lot of maps which makes attacking more profitable. That said, attacking for the 3rd flag should really only be done when you think that it's the best choice... For example, you're at power with another squad and you think your flag at eastern is going to fall because they are outnumbered there. You could go back to help defend but sometimes attacking gives the better result.

Anyway, obviously the team with bleed on them should be thinking of ways to attack.

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If I'm not bored, my strategy is almost always to get to pwer first. Who wins that initial skirmish has a huge leg up for the first part of the game.

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|TG-Mth| Zoraster | .

LordKelvin

Interestingly enough though, it is entirely possible to hold Junk and Eastern without holding Power, because as soon as the enemy pushes out from Power you can move in behind them from Eastern or Junk and take all three flags and wreck off a huge number of enemy tickets by pinning them in no-man's land.

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Why MTG has lost any sense of balance:
Lotus Cobra

Zoraster

It is certainly possible to hold both but it's harder. For one thing, you're going to get assaulted from two sides (power and ucb). For another, it's harder to shift defense from one flag to another.

Also, if I'm put in a situation where I only have one flag, I'll take power every time. The methods of attacking are more numerous, and by attacking one flag from power you actually help defend the flag from one side.

As for holding three, I think it can be a good temporary strategy, but if the other team is good it is really pretty tough to hold onto all three unless you've really managed to get down a lot of motionmines and emp mines

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|TG-Mth| Zoraster | .

Zhohar

The more I play Tunis, the less sure I am of these "hard rules" that get thrown around. If there's any over-riding thought I can give to the map, it would be to be flexible. Beyond that ... eh, it's a 50/50. Let me, for my own amusement, illustrate (from experience) how these hard rules can be broken.

1. Take Power off the bat.
Good idea in general, but going for their 1st flag allows you to delay and destroy their walker. Risky, but if it pays off, it can gain you a strong advantage at round start.

2. If only holding 1 flag, do an out-of-bounds buggy rush.
Generally a good idea, but every so often, evil people will mine up the out-of-bounds area, and cause two SLs to die in the buggy. This places a good portion of your team out of action for 30 seconds, causes you to lose a huge amount of incentive and morale.

3. Hold 2 flags, and defend both well.
Generally a good idea, but pushing for the 3rd flag is a good idea in some circumstances:
- When the enemy has held 1 flag for a long time, most of them are dispersed between it and Power. Squad-bombing their 3rd with a buggy allows you 3-flag bleed, and allows you to wipe the squads between that flag and Power by the advancing friendlies. The 3-flag bleed is a tad irrelevant (and easily lost thereafter) but the tickets made in making it so are important. As is the morale boost for your team, and the absolutely decimation of the enemy's morale.
- Assaulting the 3rd keeps pressure on the enemy, and stops them from re-organizing and making organized pushes. It also destroys their morale and can significantly distract otherwise intelligent people. It's not foolproof, but it does assert control over the battlefield: giving the enemy what they haven't earned (space between their only flag and Power) is silly in some instances.

All rules have exceptions. Finding exceptions really requires experimentation and a critical examination of the accepted ideas. And it also means owning up to when you mess up. I've certainly messed up my fair share, but I'm grateful for those mistakes, because I've learned from them.

That's a whole lot of words to say: be flexible, and strike quickly when opportunity opens up, but sometimes short, clipped phrases like that don't really convey the true meaning.

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Pfft, how can you call it suicidal if we lived through it?

SIDIOUS

attack the first flag kill everything at the second take it have one squad bounce between the two for defensive purposes if you cant take the second atleast you have a place to re-spawn that isnt your ucb if you can take the second pressure the third but dont take it just keep the enemy defence at full strength while you bleed em with constant attack displace, reposition, attack tactics..........it usually works

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Zoraster

I'll also say that tunis is one of those maps where attacking can also serve as defending, depending on where the enemy is. That works in two ways: first, it can disperse an organize attack if some feel the need to peel off to defend their flag. Second, if the enemy is somewhere in front of you, attacking can take the action away from the flag area. This is important because even if you get wiped or whatever, the enemy has a lot longer to make it to your flag. Chances are higher either you'll be able to spawn in in time to stop them or your teammates will have spotted them as they've been slowed down.

That said, attacking as defense opens up people attacking from a different angle.

Zohar's post brings up exactly why I love this map. While there's certainly good advice, there are almost always other successful options. It can just be such a dynamic map.

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|TG-Mth| Zoraster | .

Fruvous

I don't like Tunis, if only because squad leader's tactics are so few. Because there are few, it's easy to map out what you're going to do.
A slight problem I have with maps that start with neutral flags (no definite 'assaulting' or 'defending' team like Minsk or Berlin): There is no real definite 'end game' strategy. You just keep playing your mid-game until you win.
but that's aside the point.

The following is if I'm PAC. Mirror it for EU.

the beginning
I will hang back at Dock (per se), ready to jump on Power or Junk.

-2 enemy buggies at Power means charge Junk.
-if Edock goes up, and Junk is still neutral by the time I get to the barge, charge.
-Junk goes up immediately (high density of forces going Junk means low density at Power): if we have a squad at power, stay Dock. If squad at Dock, go Power.

rest game
PAC controls Dock only.
Take least defended flag. A flag can become undefended if the squad extends defense too much (ie. Junkyard moves at barges. Power moves close to garage), or actually assaults.
The best way to exploit this is with a buggy rush to the back of the underdefended flag.

PAC controls Junk only.
Try to take Dock or Power.. we're likely to lose Junk soon.Move with a squad, preferably to Dock as it is easier to maintain 2 flags.

PAC controls Power only
I will push with a squad to take a flag for the same reason above. Preferably Edock because we will own 2 flags (bleed!), and it will be more stable than Pow/Junk.

PAC controls Dock, Power.
Stay on defense at closest flag. Forcing bleed sometimes causes other team to be reckless.. if Junk is lightly defended because everyone is pushing a flag (not mine), I will put pressure.. after laying mines.
Also, this is the time when clowncar-to-back-EDock is most likely to take place. [second to if PAC controls all flags, which the walker should be able to stop all buggy rushes]

PAC controls Junk and Power.
If I'm a Junkee, MM/IDS the entrance.I might go for Dock depending on the pending pressure from uncap.
else MM the road (2 on either side of flag), try to take Dock.

PAC controls Dock and Junk
A squad is likely to be pushing from X flag. I will attack from Y flag.

PAC controls everything
Make an armor-denying meatgrinder


The same goes for EU pretty much. Strategically the same, but terrain provides some tactical differences in how I approach assaulting/defending EDock/Junkyard.
For example.. if I'm defending EDock, it's very easy to lure the Junkyard Bargees out by taking a few steps back to the ramp (we're out of their IDS range). They fully cross the barge and it's easy to rocket them to death because we have IDS, a cooler squad name, and RDX-stuffed teddy bear.



This map I think is about reacting to where your enemy is presently going.
Ie. You're at Dock. Enemy starts to move from Power to Junk.
This presents a window of opportunity where Dock is safe from attack, and Power is vulnerable.

Also, given that this is a relatively small map with flags in triangle formation, it is very easy to create flanking.
Power to Dock creates a definite defense-line facing Power. This line is vulnerable to Junk, if it isn't protected.

If for whatever unholy reason IDS/commander's intelligence isn't available, the following skills are especially important:
Judging force size by how fast it takes a flag to go from neutral to enemy.
Judging number of units that are presently preoccupied in assaulting a defended flag.
Where are the defending units defending from? (Ie. 1 Dock squad can either defend from garage, or barge, but not both. If both are attacked simultaneously, then you have yourself a win).
Using the 15 seconds it takes for a squad to respawn.
Excellent gunship pilots


edit:
This is one situation where it pays to know who's on the other team. (the only faces necessary are the SLs)
Certain people will always go Power right off the bat. Certain people will always defend the closest flag right off the bat. Occasionally, everyone goes Power, and I know that the back is unprotected.
It's like having a map-wide UAV in the opening moves.
In Chess, I know my brother will open with indian.. it's his moves he's not willing to compromise any deviation. He's a better player than I am, but I know how to hit him hard in the beginning.

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