Civilization Match-up Discussion Round 7 Week 6: Italians vs Vikings

Yo dawg, I heard you like water civs

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Hello and welcome back for another Age of Empires 2 civilization match up discussion! This is a series where we discuss the various advantages, disadvantages, and quirks found within the numerous match ups of the game. The goal is to collectively gain a deeper understanding of how two civilizations interact with each other in a variety of different settings. Feel free to ask questions, pose strategies, or provide insight on how the two civilizations in question interact with each other on any map type and game mode. This is not limited to 1v1 either. Feel free to discuss how the civilizations compare in team games as well! So long as you are talking about how the two civilizations interact, anything is fair game! Last week we discussed the Malay vs Portuguese, and next up is the Italians vs Vikings!

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Italians: Archer and Naval civilization

• Advancing to the next age costs -15%
• Dock techs cost -50%
• Fishing Ships cost -15%
• Gunpowder units cost -20%
• TEAM BONUS: Condottieri available at Barracks
• Unique Unit: Genoese Crossbowman (Anti-cavalry foot archer)
• Unique Unit: Condottiero (Fast anti-gunpowder infantry, built at Barracks)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Pavise (Foot archer units +1/+1 armor)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Silk Road (Trade units cost -50%)
  

Vikings: Infantry and Naval civilization

• Warships cost -15% in Feudal and Castle Age, -20% in Imperial Age
• Infantry +10/15/20% hp in Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age
• Wheelbarrow and Hand Cart free
• TEAM BONUS: Docks cost -15%
• Unique Unit: Berserk (Heavy infantry with slow hp regen)
• Unique Unit: Longboat (Swift galley that fires multiple arrows)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Chieftains (Infantry +5 attack vs cavalry)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Berserkergang (Berserks regenerate 2x faster)

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Below are some match up-specific talking points to get you all started. These are just to give people ideas, you do not need to address them specifically if you do not want to!

• So for 1v1 Arabia, Vikings would appear to have an edge simply due to their more powerful economy. Both are archer civs, but both lack relevant military bonuses for archers themselves (although Italians do get Pavise in the late game). Is there any point here where Italians can put up a fight against Vikings?
• Of course, the obvious point of discussion here is water maps. Both are easily top 5 water civs, but have a very different set of strengths. Italians are going to be a solid pick in almost every situation, as they can fish boom, up quickly for aggression, and possess an incredibly versatile tech tree for any amphibious attacks. Meanwhile, Vikings are much slower to get up and running, but the power of the Longboat and discounted docks/warships means that Vikings are really hard to stop if they can safely make it to mid-Castle Age. In which situations would you favor one civ here or the other?
• For team games, both of these civs are very powerful flanks, if not quite at that top tier. Their relative strengths are pretty much the same as 1v1 Arabia, but in the context of team games, Italians look much better than they do in 1v1s as team games tend to go much longer, and you have the support of your pocket(s) in a pinch, allowing Italians to get to a deadly late game of gunpowder/arbs/bbts. Vikings, however, are much stronger in the early-mid game, but really drop off in post-Imp. Who do you favor on flank here?

Thank you as always for participating! Next week IS OUR 100th WEEK OF DOING THESE DISCUSSIONS WTF!! The lucky civs to be discussed as determined by RNGsus will be Malians vs Mongols. Hope to see you there! :)

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Previous discussions: Part 1 Part 2