Cavalry Archers UUs are the best

From what I play and see others playing, the Mounted Archer Unique units are the best designed ones in general.

While most unique units are not viable in 1vs1 and some not being viable at all, these mounted archer unique units are very much the go-to units (compared to the standard cavalry archer at Ranges). A lot of factors go into it, and I won't be ranking them, but let's talk about them chronologically.

Pros in general - 90%+ accuracy, making TR optional (just like foot archers). Lower frame delay so easier to micromanage. As cavalry archer units, these units are easier to keep alive and form a mass.

Cons in general - need a Castle and the creation speed boost isn't huge (what I mean to say 1 Castle Boyars = 2 Stable Knights, but this ratio is worse for CA UUs)

1. Mangudai - the most well known unit. It benefits from the Mongol bonus, hence delaying TR even more (you save wood on archery range). It costs a lot though. The most well known feature is its +3/+5 vs siege units.

2. War Wagon - a questionable choice to perform hit and run tactics, costs a ton of wood (but same gold). Definitely not a go to for Castle Age. Helped out by Korean stone bonus. The most well known feature is it being the Teutonic Knight of Cavalry Archers, since it has 150/200 HP, 3/4 pierce armor, +5 vs standard buildings, slow moving and a bit clunky to micro. The War Wagon being clunky actually helps against Mangonels though. The War Wagon has the highest DPS against Knight-like units in Castle Age and the Elite War Wagon actually has the highest range among cavalry archers.

3. Elephant Archer - recently buffed unit. The unit actually has a purpose now. While the War Wagon was a Teutonic Knight, the Elephant Archer is a War Elephant (even literally). It moves even more slower and has even more bonus vs buildings (in most cases), it has +3/+4 vs standard buildings and +3/+4 vs Stone defence (stone walls, stone gates, harbours and towers; not castles). It actually has the same DPS as Rattan Archers (same fire rate and attack value) and even comparable pierce armor. The most well known feature of this unit is that it costs food instead of wood. It is mostly used as a counter to massed archers and cavalry archers, and sometimes as part of slow but strong pushes.

4. Genitour - it is a mounted version of Skirmishers. It is a trash unit, but unlike trash unit, its upgrade is also trash (costs 500F 450W). It costs +40% compared to Skirmishers approximately. Compared to Elite Skirmisher, both forms have 1 less range. It moves slightly slower than cavalry archer. It also doesn't get a power spike with the Elite upgrade, but since the upgrade is trash - no complaints. The most well known feature is that this is a team bonus.

5. Camel Archer - it is not a horse archer, but a camel archer. This means that it takes less bonus damage (approximately resists 20% damage). This is the only mounted archer not to have an attack bonus vs spear units. It has the 2nd most DPS against Knight like units. It also has +4/+6 vs other mounted archers, but the unit is good even without that. It costs slightly more wood but the upgrade cost doesn't cost food. The most notable feature is that both the UTs affect the unit. The health regeneration is underrated but pretty handy because this makes the Camel Archers capable of taking damage sometimes. One feature which usually goes under the radar is that the unit has 1 pierce armor. Since camels take +1 from defensive structure, this 1 pierce armor helps to negate that. + It has the benefit against archers and cavalry archers too. The combination of Berber Hussars + Camel Archers can be stronger than Mongol Hussars + Mangudai.

6. Kipchak - this unit is the 'Huskarl' of the Cavalry Archers. Huskarls counter the counter of infantry - archers. Kipchaks counter the counter of Cavalry archers - buildings, rams and Huskarls. It also means that they lose their main strength. Huskarls are weak in melee combat and Kipchaks are weakest cavalry archers in most cases. The weakness of Kipchaks is not by their HP or attack, but by range. Cumans lack Bracer. The most notable feature of this unit is its unusually low gold cost and high wood cost. Combining these 2, we can safely say they are the "quantity over quality" units. Another notable feature is the +2/+3 arrows, like the Chu Ko Nu. These arrows do 3 pierce damage and 0 melee damage. So in most cases, Kipchaks have the same pierce attack as Camel Archers (7 in Castle, 8 with Elite), even though the stats show otherwise. The strength of the Kipchaks comes against extremely low pierce armor units or high pierce armor units (the latter which we discussed). Against a monk, a Dark Age Kipchak does 11 damage, while Elite Camel Archer in the same conditions does 8 damage. This also works against Spear line and Camels (0 armor) which will be usually made to counter Cuman heavy cavalry. This makes the Cumans surprisingly good in late game because the combination of Paladins + Elite Kipchaks (low gold cost) is virtually uncounterable, like Paladins + Elite Throwing Axemen (low gold cost too) but with mobility.