• Versatility, Russia can do many different strategies
  
• Massing capabilities, means you are never caught with your pants down
  
• Oprichniks, My number one pick to have as a unit, whether they're destroying buildings, putting artillery to shame, or pillaging villagers, Oprichniks are the equalizer
  
• Kalmucks, Have you seen them?

Enough of that, let's get on to the strat.

What this strat is not:
A cookie cutter strategy. Don't think this strat can be used in any situation because you will not find positive results.

What this strat is:
A very powerful and crippling rush that can be used effectively in the right situation. Your economy will be miles ahead of the enemy even if this rush fails.

The Right Situation
An advantage of this strategy is that you need not send a card right when you get your first shipment. This means your strategy remains a mystery while his is exposed. Take a peak at their deck. You want to look for their general strategy. If they are pulling a standard FF, then this rush is a good choice. They will 50% of the time hit fortress, but their shipments will get shot to bits one by one. If the deck shows heavy Age 2 defenses or a water boom you may want another strategy.

Let's see how you are at decision-making;
Take this first deck, do you rush verse this?

If you said yes, then you are wrong. TC upgrade cards, heavy age 2 military cards, and extra minutemen = you're dead.

Now how about this one?

Yes, you say? Why, that's correct! No Age 2 defenses means "gg Mr. Dutch." You do not want him to get set up in Age 3 with all those shipments!

My Deck:

The Build Order
Finally, here it is. Remember, this build order will only get you into early colonial, from there it's on you!

5 Starting vills: Gather food crates. Assign 1 villager to each food crate. I just go 2-2-1 on crates 'cause my micro sucks and it would slow me down. After collecting, shoot huntables towards your town center and collect food. IMPORTANT: Make sure you get a house built before that first batch of vills is created!
Vills 6-8: Send these guys to food also.
Vills 9-11: Hmm, let's go to food also.
First Card: 300 Wood
Vills 12-14: Why don't we go food, just for kicks.
Vills 15-17: Wood, yeah you heard me right!
Age up with 400 Wood
Send 2 vills forward and drop a blockhouse right on a group of huntable between your base and your enemies.

This is where it gets a bit trickier. If you began with 200 wood crates, you're going to need to collect 100 wood with time to spare before aging up. If you started with 100 wood, _{poor you}, then you need to get 200 wood with time to spare before aging up. In any event, you need to have two more houses down before you hit colonial. After getting those houses down, it's a good idea to have 3-4 vills stay on wood so you can get a batch of strelets out right when you age. Also, eat any huntables you have during this time to get more food into your coffers. Que 3 vills before you age up!

Age 2: 400 Wood (~5:10)
Have vills right next door to the TC to get that 400 wood collected ASAP. Now things get hectic. Que 10 strelets first thing you do when you age up. Then send 13 strelets as your second card. Make sure you change the drop off point to that blockhouse! Get a house down right after you que those strelets. Then que another 10. If all goes well, you should have 33 strelets marching into the enemies town at about 6 minutes when you get it down pat. Keep constant vill production at your TC by having about 3-4 on wood, 1-2 on gold after the initial 33 strelets are made, and then the rest on food. The key is to never get housed, if you succeed in that, then you will have great success. With your army, hit units first, then military buildings, then outposts, then houses, and finally the TC. Remember, your main goal is to keep him locked up in his TC while you boom at home.

After the initial 33 strelet wave: I like to follow up with muskets and more strelets. Make sure you keep pumping out vills back at the ranch!

Card 3: 5 Cossacks. Keep these guys away from tower fire. Bring them in if the enemy calls in minutemen or has some military on hand. Otherwise, keep circling the TC and surrounding area for escaping villagers.

Keep your military around his TC, keep his villagers pinned inside his TC, off resources, or better yet, crates while your villagers boom hard at home. If you have the upper hand, then keep pushing hard. If the enemy reaches fortress, don't freak out! You will rip apart his shipments one by one and he won't have a chance.

Card 4: Varies, if you have the upper hand and your cossacks are still alive, then send a resource card or infantry faster training card. If you managed to lose your cossacks, then send in another 4 in case he hits fortress and gets a cannon shipment.

From here you will either be completely owning or you will have been repelled. If you are owning, stay age 2 and keep up the pressure. If losing, DO NOT FEED HIM MUSKETS/STRELETS ONE BATCH AT A TIME! Instead, boom at home and get to Age 3 ASAP. From there, you can send oprichniks which will almost always take care of a cannon shipment, and they can raid like none other. Drop down another TC, grab map control, and don't let him expand. From there it's really on you, adjust to the situation. Always keep scouting. Advanced church will help you a ton in the right situation.

In conclusion, stay on the aggressive, make sure he doesn't escape from his TC, and keep constant military and vill production. Remember, timing is key!

Good luck in all of your future endeavors with Mother Russia. Look for my new strat write-up, the Russian Livestock Boom, arriving in forums near you soon!

Russian Rush vs German
When the rush is defeated(Vs Spain, nasty lancers)

More recs are coming.

_{Feedback greatly appreciated}

[This message has been edited by Syncope (edited 06-05-2006 @ 02:57 PM).]