Russian Strelet + Cossack Rush ^{TAD 1.01} – By James246

Basic Overview:

The Russian Strelet + Cossack Rush is one of Russia’s strongest colonial combinations. Russia has a weakness to cavalry. In this Guide, you are aiming to be constantly raiding and harassing your enemy with Cossacks, while building up a force of Strelets + Cossacks, with non-stop settler production. Sit back, relax, and enjoy my Strelet + Cossack Rush!

Deck:

Note: This deck is just a guide.

Age 1:
* Distributivism – 1.25 Wood Per Second
* Land Grab – Mills + Plantations cost reduced and they build faster
* Economic Theory – All Settlers and Fishing Boats gather 10% Faster

Age 2:
* 700 Food – Delivers crates of 700 Food
* 700 Wood – Delivers crates of 700 Wood
* 5 Cossacks – Delivers 5 Cossacks
* Boyars – Improves Strelets, Cossacks and Orphinicks hit points and damage by +15%
* Advanced Arsenal – Moves Arsenal to Colonial Age and enables more powerful techs
* Sevastopol – Defences construct faster (Town Centers, Forts, Blockhouses, Walls)
* Fencing School – Infantry train -40% Faster
* TEAM Duelling School – Infantry train -25% Faster
* Riding School – Cavalry train -40% Faster
* Reformist Tsar – Provides your Church with unique Russian Improvements

Age 3:

* Strelet Combat – Strelet damage and hit points changed by +20%
* Ransack – Infantry siege on buildings +50%
* 6 Orphinicks – Delivers 6 Orphinicks
* Cavalry Combat – Cavalry damage and hit points changed by +20%
* 2 Falconets – Delivers 2 Falconets
* 1 Fort – Delivers 1 Fort Wagon
* Royal Mint – Villagers gather coin 25% faster
* Refrigeration – Villagers gather food 25% faster

Age 4:

* Castrametation – Delivers 1 Fort Wagon. Fort limit increased by 1
* National Redoubt – Your Musketeers can now build forts. Fort limit increased by 1
* 1 Factory – Delivers a Factory Wagon
* Industrial Revolution – Delivers a Factory Wagon

Build Order:

Discovery Age:

* Get your settlers, and assign each one to it’s own food crate. This will let you get 270 food ASAP to train your first batch of 3 Settlers.
* Once you get 270 food, queue up 3 settlers, and put 3 Settlers onto Huntables, while the other 2 collect the remaining food crates. Leave all coin and extra wood crates till age up.
* All new settlers to food. Remember to herd your huntables to your Town Center.
* Build 1 House with the 1 Settler that collected the crates, and put the other onto food.
* Age up with 17 Villagers.
* You really want to be trying to get food and wood treasures.

First Card: Distributivism, this is equal to 2.5 settlers chopping wood.

Age up: Age up with the Quarter Master (400 wood)

Transition: Discovery Age -> Colonial Age:

* Move 6-8 Settlers onto wood. Russia should always forward base against every civilisation, excluding Aztec and India where a defensive blockhouse should be placed. Move 2 Settlers to a forward position, placement of the blockhouse should be on your enemies second Herd or Mine.
* Queue up a batch of 3 settlers.
* Once you get 250 wood build a Block House with 2 settlers from wood.
* Build 1 house when you get 100 wood with 1 Settler from wood
* Keep 4 Settlers on wood until you get 100 wood, so you can queue up 10 Strelets as soon as you hit Colonial. Sometimes, you may have to wait until age 2 to get the 100 wood.
* Try and gather 375 food + 100 Wood before you hit Age 2, so you can immediately queue 10 Strelets.
* Have a settler split of 12 Food / 3 Wood / 2 Building Blockhouse

Colonial Age:

· IMMEDIATELY queue 10 Strelets
Second Card: 5 Cossacks
· IMMEDIATELY gather the 400 Wood with 2 Settlers off wood
· Build a stable when you get another 200 Wood, and then build another house.
· Queue as many Cossacks as possible.
· Put the next batch of settlers that comes out onto coin.
· Have a settler split of 14 Food / 2 Wood / 4 Coin
· Start raiding with your Cossacks.
Third Card: 700 Food as your next card to help making more Settlers, Strelets and Cossacks.
· Then send in 700 Wood for more houses and Strelets.
· Remember you want some Cossacks at home to protect your Strelets.
· Attack when you feel right, with about ~30 Strelets and ~15 Cossacks. All depending on your opponent though. If you want to quick rush, attack with 20 Strelets and 10 Cossacks.
· Adjust your settlers to what resources you need at the time.

· Boyars is a great card. It improves Strelets/Cossacks/Oprichniks by 15%.
· Always protect your Strelets from your opponents Cavalry.
· Remember – Never stop raiding. Don’t let him breathe. Keep him focused on garrisoning his settlers, as this means he won’t be getting as many resources, which means a smaller army. Try to make 2 sets of 5 Cossacks to raid.
· Send in TEAM Duelling School and Fencing School, and your Strelets will train nearly instantly.
· Riding School is useful for faster Cossack production.
· If you are attacking, and you lose the fight, quickly put up a few blockhouses at home. It helps if you send “Sevastopol”.

Also, if you get to Age 3, use your Orphinicks! They are excellent raiding units due to a bonus against Settlers and high siege damage.

I hope that you like my Russian Strelet + Cossack Rush!