Civilization Match-up Discussion Round 10 Week 10: Ethiopians vs Indians

Ummm.... yeah sorry I've got nothing....

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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 Magyars vs Malay, and next up is the Ethiopians vs Indians!

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Ethiopians: Archer civilization

• Archers fire +15% faster
• Receive +100f, +100g upon reaching the next Age
• Pikeman upgrade free
• TEAM BONUS: Towers and Outposts +3 LoS
• Unique Unit: Shotel Warrior (Fast, fragile infantry with massive attack)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Royal Heirs (Shotels train almost instantly)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Torsion Engines (Siege Workshop units have increased blast radius)

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Indians: Camel and Gunpowder civilization

• Villagers cost -10/15/20/25% per Age
• Fishermen work +10% faster
• Camels +0/+1 armor
• TEAM BONUS: Camel units get +5 attack vs buildings
• Unique Unit: Elephant Archer (Slow, tanky, expensive cavalry archer)
• Unique Unit: Imperial Camel (Additional upgrade to the Camel-line)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Sultans (all gold income is +10% faster)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Shatagni (Hand Cannoneers +1 range)

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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 1v1s on open maps, we saw these civs picked maybe a few times throughout KotD3, but certainly not often. Ethiopians possess some very strong military options, but lack a persistent eco bonus, whereas Indians have a great eco, but their reliance on Camels makes them pretty situational. As Ethiopians are much more focused on Archers, Infantry, and Siege, does the strength of the Indian eco give them a chance here?
• On closed maps, the dynamics of this match up could change a bit. Indians can better utilize their excellent economy, but Ethiopians can do an FC without gathering gold, as well as have more time to get to their scary siege late game. How does Indian cavalry and gunpowder fare against Ethiopian archers, infantry, and siege?
• In team games, Indians are hands-down a meta-defining civ in the pocket role. The power of their camels combine with their cheap villagers to allow them to field a very large army of powerful camels whilst booming up all the while. However, Ethiopians are very commonly considered a top-tier flank civilization in their own right. Can an Ethiopian flank give the necessary support to a knight-producing pocket (i.e. Franks/Lith./etc.) to deal with the menace of the Indian Camels?

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

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Previous discussions: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3