Civilization Match-up Discussion Round 11 Week 6: Italians vs Mayans

Archers and stuff I guess! Also, glad this is post-LotW patch!

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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 Indians vs Koreans, and next up is the Italians vs Mayans!

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Italians: Archer and Naval civilization

• Advancing to the next Age costs -15%
• Dock and University techs cost -33%
• Fishing Ships cost -15%
• Gunpowder units cost -20%
• TEAM BONUS: Condottieri available at Barracks in Imperial Age
• Unique Unit: Genoese Crossbowman (Anti-cavalry foot archer)
• Unique Unit: Condottiero (Fast anti-gunpowder infantry)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Pavise (Foot archers and Condos gain +1/+1 armor)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Silk Road (Trade units cost -50%)

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Mayans: Archer civilization

• Start with +1 Villager, but -50f
• Resources last +15% longer
• Archers cost -10/20/30% in Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age
• TEAM BONUS: Walls cost -50%
• Unique Unit: Plumed Archer (Fast, tanky foot archer)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Hul'che Javelineers (Skirms throw a second projectile that deals 1 damage)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: El Dorado (Eagle Warriors gain +40 hit points)

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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 lets not quite write this one off guys - the goal here is to think about what you could do in a given match up! ;) So for 1v1 Arabia, Mayans are clearly top tier, but did receive a pretty big change recently with the removal of Obsidian Arrows. Italians, meanwhile, did get a land buff with their Uni discount - which is quite helpful for Ballistics and Chemistry. Missing halb is not an issue here, and FU Hussar can be sick late game, but the Mayan eco and cheap army is an incredibly deadly duo. Is this change enough to give Italians a chance vs Mayans?
• On Arena, both of these civs seem to be middle-of-the-pack these days. Italians offer superior Monks, access to gunpowder, quick Age up potential, and an all-around broad tech tree - if nothing too crazy. Mayans, on the other hand, have the power of the Plumed Archer and Eagle Warrior combo, but now lack the ability to close out games with pure Arbalest. How do these civs fare against one another on clown town?

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

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Previous discussions: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3