Civilization Match-up Discussion Round 11 Week 7: Aztecs vs Spanish

The Montezuma classic!!

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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 Italians vs Mayans, and next up is the Aztecs vs Spanish!

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Aztecs: Infantry and Monk civilization

• Villagers +3 carry capacity
• Military units created +11% faster
• Monks gain +5 hp per Monastery tech researched
• Start with +50g
• TEAM BONUS: Relics generate +33% gold
• Unique Unit: Jaguar Warrior (Heavy anti-infantry infantry)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Atlatl (Skirms +1 attack, +1 range)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Garland Wars (Infantry +4 attack)

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Spanish: Gunpowder and Monk civilization

• Builders work +30% faster
• Blacksmith upgrades do not cost gold
• Cannon Galleons have much faster projectiles; can track moving targets better
• Gunpowder units fire +18% faster
• TEAM BONUS: Trade units generate +25% gold
• Unique Unit: Conquistador (Powerful mounted cannoneer)
• Unique Unit: Missionary (barely even count as a meme unit)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Inquisition (Monks convert faster)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Supremacy (Villagers significantly stronger in combat)

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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!

• Hard to get more classic a Conquerors match up than this! For 1v1 Arabia, Aztecs have been the king for around two decades, however, they were hit with the nerf bat quite a few times over the years. Nevertheless, their ability to apply pressure early and never let up allows them to remain a top pick for the map. Spanish, meanwhile, never really excelled on Arabia due to their lack of powerful eco bonus and Xbow upgrade. That said, conqs and towers are always deadly, and Spanish are certainly able to thrive if they can withstand the Aztec aggression. How do you see this one playing out?
• On closed maps, things would still seem to tilt towards Aztecs, although significantly less so, as both civs are quite good on maps like Arena, Hideout, and BF. Aztecs retain their very powerful eco, infantry, siege, and monks, whereas Spanish can comfortably get to Conquistadors, cavalry, and... well pretty much everything except archers and SO. With both civs given a bit of space to breathe, how do things stack up?
• In honor of Master of Socotra, lets talk about these two on the most aggro of clown maps! Spanish can certainly be quite deadly with any sort of tower play, and yet become very tricky if they are not able to secure stone for Conqs. Aztecs on the other hand, are still able to lame and go forward super effectively, but are completely crippled without gold income. Which civ can better thrive in the madness?

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

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Previous discussions: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3