Top 5 Arb + Siege push civs on closed maps

Hi all! With this thread I end my Arbalester + Siege civs series. This time, I’m focusing on closed maps (mainly Arena). Early game eco bonuses become a bit less important, but mid-game bonuses gain importance. In this case, the availability of Bombard Cannons has been given a higher relevance. As it happened with open maps, there were many candidates for the list, and again I have tried to weigh the pros and cons of each of the civs. Ethiopians, Italians, Koreans, Portuguese, Saracens and Vietnamese (especially this last one) didn’t make it to the list, but by a very close margin. You can argue for any of them to be on the top5, tbh. I start with number 5:

5th - Byzantines: Along with their fast Imperial into Monks and Trebs potential, Byzantines can surprise with a good Arb + Siege Ram push with their Imperial Age advance discount, which also gives time and saves resources to research the Arbalester upgrade and Chemistry for BBC. This civ is one of those you won’t want to face in late game, and the need for an aggressive playstyle can put a big pressure on the opponent. A late switch into Cataphracts + BBC + any counter to what your enemy decides to use against you (Halbs or Camels against Cavalry, Skirms against foot Archers, and any of them against Cav Archers) will deal the ending blow to the opponent, although a mix of the three discounted units with siege could also be enough.

4th - Bohemians: One of the top civs on Arena, maybe they are made for a slower push (especially Pike + Siege), but, for a civ with Chemistry available in Castle Age, all mining techs for free and Halbs who shoo any mounted unit or Hussite Wagons who laugh at enemy range and protect fellow ranged units, we can’t underestimate the strength of an Arb + Siege push. The things that draw me back from ranking them higher are the strength of their Pike + Siege push, Arbs not being FU, Siege Ram not being available or their strongest siege unit (Houfnice) being locked behind a costly upgrade.

3rd - Khmer: This civ doesn’t feature the building requirements, which can lead to a straight +0 pop Dark to Castle Age advance. If we add up their freedom farms, Khmer can unintentionally boom into Imperial and overwhelm the opponent with Arbs, Siege Rams (with that farming the upgrade is very easy to afford) and 3 Cavalry units. The BBC is missing here, but the strength of the Khmer push is undeniable.

2nd - Poles: The main drawback of the Folwark is that, to take full advantage of it, you must surround it with farms, which is not possible on an aggressive map like Arabia, since it would leave your vills unprotected to Cavalry or ranged units. On Arena, though, that problem doesn’t exist, and Poles can boom easily to afford anything. With Arbalesters, Siege Rams, BBC and Obuchs (who unlike most infantry units, only take 1 damage from FU Skirms), the Pole deathball can be devastating.

1st - Malay: To me, this civ takes the number 1 spot, with their faster advancing times meaning many more vills (2 on the way to Feudal Age, 3 on the way to Castle Age). But they can also advance faster for relic picking, they can Elephant rush, they counter meso civs with their Karambits, they get FU Arbalesters, BBC and trash 2-Handed-Swordsmen. It’s incredible that a civ with 3 bonuses towards water can be so strong on a pure land map like Arena.

What do you think about the list? I’m sure you have different ideas to the ones I proposed! Let me know about them and have a nice day!