Civilization Match-up Discussion Round 10 Week 9: Magyars vs Malay

"No I have the best trash unit!"

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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 Koreans vs Persians, and next up is the Magyars vs Malay!

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Magyars: Cavalry civilization

• Villagers kill wolves with 1 strike
• Forging, Iron Casting, Blast Furnace free
• Scout-line costs -15%
• TEAM BONUS: Foot archers +2 LoS
• Unique Unit: Magyar Huszar (Powerful light cavalry with bonus vs siege)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Corvinian Army (Magyar Huszars cost no gold)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Recurve Bow (Cav Archers get +1 attack, +1 range)

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Malay: (Infantry and) Naval civilization

• Advance in Age +66% faster
• Fish Traps cost -33%; provide unlimited food
• Battle Elephants cost -30%
• TEAM BONUS: Docks +100% LoS
• Unique Unit: Karambit Warrior (Extremely cheap, weak, fast infantry that takes up .5 pop space)
• Unique Building: Harbor (Dock upgrade that grants moderate defensive capabilities)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Thalassocracy (Upgrades Docks to Harbors)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Forced Levy (Swordsmen now cost 80f instead of 60f, 20g)

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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!

• Okay, so two less-often picked civs, but they both certainly have powerful options. For 1v1 Arabia, I would personally rate Magyars a bit higher than Malay on average, but with the caveat that Malay will do better when the map is a bit more closed. Magyars can strike hard and fast, and boast excellent mobility, but the Malay economy remains a force to be reckoned with. Who do you favor?
• On closed maps, Magyars are less able to make early aggression happen, and Malay can easily utilize their eco to its fullest potential. However, Magyars possess by far a more powerful late game army. How do you see the dynamics of this match up changing on Arena, BF, etc.?
• In team games, Malay are clearly better as a flank civ, and Magyars as a pocket civ. That said, both would appear to just fall short of being top-tier in their respective roles. Malay still have a great eco, FU arbs, and even BBTs, but they miss a more relevant bonus to their military. Magyars meanwhile have all the tech tree they could want with good bonuses to their army, but fall short on eco. How do you see these civs comparing in TGs?

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

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Previous discussions: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3