Civ Discussion: Malians

Another Friday passes, and another civ discussion is at hand. And for the last discussion of October, we shall chat away about the good ol' Malians! Feel free to answer any questions or comments, ask any questions, or just tell us about your experiences/strategies dealing the Malians. If you missed last week's thread about the Turks or want to see other past discussion, I'll link them below. Don't forget to tune into next Friday where we'll talk about the Mayans.

•Gbeto (UU: Fast ranged melee unit.)

With good attack, high speed, and good range, how do you use and counter gbetos? With such a broad tech tree, what role can Gbetos play in the Malian army? How do they compare to the other ranged melee UUs (Kamyuke & Throwing Axeman) and archer units?

•Tigui (Castle UT: Town Centers fire 5 extra arrows even if they are empty.)

How useful is having auto-firing/buffed Town Centers after researching Tigui? How powerful is it compared to towers, castles, and normal TCs?

•Farmiba (Imperial UT: Cavalry and camels gain +5 damage.)

How good is Malian cavalry with Farimba despite not having Hussars, Paladins, or Blast Furnace? Is Farimba better than Blast Furnace even though it only affects cavalry and is almost twice the cost?

•(Team Bonus: Universities research technologies 80% faster)

What effect does having 80% faster universities have in the game? What strategies can you as the Malians and your team do better at with the extra University speed?

Civ Bonuses

•Buildings cost 15% less wood.

•Infantry gain +0/1 armor every time you age up.

•Gold mining upgrades are researched for free.

How significant is the wood-saving eco bonus for the Malians and how does it compare to other wood bonuses such as the Britons, Celts, and Huns? How much of an impact does the extra pierce armor have on Malian infantry considering they don't have Halberdiers or Blast Furnace?