Civilization Match-up Discussion Round 7 Week 11: Indians vs Saracens

So glad this one is happening post-DE LUL

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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 Celts vs Koreans, and next up is the Indians vs Saracens!

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Indians: Camel and Gunpowder civilization

• Villagers cost -10/15/20/25% per age
• Fishermen work +15% faster and carry +15
• Camels +0/+1 armor
• TEAM BONUS: Camels +6 attack vs buildings
• Unique Unit: Elephant Archer (Very slow, tanky, expenisve cav archer)
• Unique Unit: Imperial Camel [Rider] (Further upgrade to Heavy Camel)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Sultans (All gold income +10% faster)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Chatagni (Hand Cannoneers +1 range)

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Saracens: Camel and Naval civilization

• Market trade only costs 5%; Markets cost -100w
• Transport ships 2x hp, carry +5
• Galleys fire +25% faster
• Archers get +3 attack vs buildings
• TEAM BONUS: Foot archers +2 attack vs buildings
• Unique Unit: Mameluke (Powerful camel with short ranged attack)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Madrasah (Monks return 33% of cost when killed)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Zealotry (Camel units +30 hp)

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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!

• Okayyy this one just became a whole lot more interesting with DE! For 1v1 Arabia, Indians are a solid civ with a good eco, broad tech tree, but critically missing knights. Saracens meanwhile, now have an incredibly powerful military bonus, but a modest eco bonus with their Market. Which civ do you prefer now?
• Comparing camel UUs, in which situations do you prefer the Mameluke or the Imp Camel?
• Considering hybrid maps (especially now considering the DE map pool), do you prefer Saracens with their archers, galleys, and market, or would you rather have Indians with their eco and easier-to-mass camels?

Thank you as always for participating! I am currently travelling and do not have access to my spreadsheet so idk next week's match up yet... I'll figure it out don't worry 11. Still, Hope to see you there! :)

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Previous discussions: Part 1 Part 2