I liked to play AOE4 but the ranked ladder in AOE2 fuels me with much more adrenaline

I really like AOE4. I think it's a good game at my level as a casual gamer. I don't mind the bugs or balance issues. They're not too glaring if you don't play competitively. I was happy to come up with my very own build orders and test out the new civs agains the AI through the Mastery challenges. Playing online quickmatches felt like a much needed relaxing experience.

However...

I just finished a ranked game on AOE2 and the adrenaline rush packs quite a punch! The meta is so defined and the game so clear-cut. As a casual gamer, there's still a lot I have to discover with AOE2: civs, build orders, maps, strategies... My journey is far from over! I practiced a bit against the Extreme AI to get my muscle memory back and up to shape.

When I finished and won my first ranked game in a few weeks I felt way more pumped than I ever was playing AOE4. I hit Feudal in 9:16, my opponent in 10:06, and the game was so well balanced (Malians vs Sicilians on Atacama) I might have thrown a few times if I hadn't been careful. What. a. game.

Nevertheless, having played AOE4 (and I will play at it again because it is a lot of fun, especially with friends!) I feel I have a better overall understanding of the RTS genre. I feel like I pay way more attention to my macro. I don't know why. I hope both games continue to be well cared for by their developpers on the long run.

TL;DR I really like both games but there's nothing like an AOE2 ranked ladder match-up adrenaline fix.