What decides who strikes first?

What decides who strikes first in battle when both players have all lvl 10 tech, both with max speed plus max bonus items.

I was always led to believe the defender would strike first but there have been a couple of battles recently that the attacker struck first.

Any help with thus would be much appreciated.


Edit. The battles happened in a city not a fort or oasis

There are several deciding factors as to who gets to strike first in a battle. I'll try to list them all out for you, but it can be a little complicated.

If both players have maxed speed, and this means both of your speed is 100+45 and your marching tech is both at 10, then the person who is defending is generally the person who gets first attack. The only exception to this rule is if the person defending is waiting instead of advancing forward during battle. If the defender is not advancing, then the attacker gets to attack first.

If your speeds are not equal, then the person with the higher speed gets to attack first no matter what.

Ty for the answer. It's not to complicated to understand.