head to head
Advance Wars: Dual StrikevsClash of Clans
Advance Wars: Dual Strike leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Clash of Clans leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Advance Wars: Dual StrikeClash of Clans
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads4 vs 3
Advance Wars: Dual Strike leans harder on reads: Versus play rewards predicting opponents; campaign AI doesn't adapt
Variance2 vs 3
Clash of Clans leans harder on variance: Matchmaking and unseen traps add uncertainty
Optimization8 vs 8
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

