What is the fasest way to get good at the game?

I used to play the original Age of Empires 2 back in the day and recently aquired AoE2:DE to play multiplayer with a friend who has been playing everyday for a couple months. I don't have a lot of spare time and would like to play with said friend on a slightly more equal level. What is the best way to get good at the game quickly? My guess would be to play Art of War and then Online ranked multiplyer (is this a thing?) to learn real tactics. Is this the best approach or should I do something else?