Civilization Match-up Discussion Round 9 Week 4: Italians vs Mongols

Genbows vs Mangudai lets go!

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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 Goths vs Khmer, and next up is the Italians vs Mongols!

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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: Condottiero available at Barracks in Imperial Age
• Unique Unit: Genoese Crossbowman (Anti-cavalry foot archer)
• Unique Unit: Condottiero (Fast, weak, anti-gunpowder infantry)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Pavise (Archer-line and Genbows get +1/+1 armor)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Silk Road (Trade units cost -50%)

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Mongols: Cavalry Archer civilization

• Cavalry archers fire +20% faster
• Light Cavalry, Hussars, and Steppe Lancers +30% hp
• Hunters work +40% faster
• TEAM BONUS: Scout-line +2 LoS
• Unique Unit: Mangudai (Something about not having counters)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Nomads (Destroyed houses do not decrease maximum population)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Drill (Siege Workshop units move +50% 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!

• Alrighty - so for your 1v1 open maps, Mongols would ostensibly be favored, what with their better Age-up bonus and all. However, provided the Italian player does not fall behind in Feudal Age, they should be fairly well set up for the rest of the game. Neither civ has much of an eco bonus mid-game, and Genbows take about as long to get up and running as Mangudai. Do you think Italians stand a chance here?
• On water maps, this is an interesting one. You may think it should just be Italians 100%, but on the most aggressive water maps, where uptimes are the most important, Mongols are still seen as frequent picks. On hyper-aggressive water maps like Golden Swamp, Baltic/Medi, etc., which civ would you rather have?
• In team games, these two civs would seem rather different. Italians are a pretty standard good, but not quite top-tier, flank civ with FU Arbs, Monks, BBTs, BBCs, etc. Mongols, meanwhile, fill neither the flank or pocket role super comfortably, as the meta these days is all about straight archer and cavalry units. In BoA2, Mongols are most commonly seen as flank. What do you think about these two civs in that role?

Thanks as always for participating! Next week we will continue our discussions with the Bulgarians vs Indians. Hope to see you there! :)

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Previous discussions: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3