posted 11-07-08 05:26 AM EDT (US)
Yo yo,
Just wanted to share a deck with the folks here. It's a pretty standard Russian deck but it's all about what you do with it. I like to use it to keep my opponent and myself in the 2nd age where I make my strelets and muskets unstoppable.
Age 1:
Wood Trickle
Economic Theory
Land Grab
Age 2:
5 Cossacks
13 Strelets
Church Card
Advanced Arsenal
700 Food
600 Food
700 Coin
Boyars (15% boost to attack/defend for strelet, cossack, opri)
Fast Infantry Card
Fast Cav Card
Age 3:
1000 Food
1000 Wood
Strelet Combat (20% Boost to Attack/Defend for Strelets)
Pillage (50% Boost to Infantry Seige)
2 Cannon
Universal Food Boost
Universal Coin Boost
Some other Cards
Age 4:
Factory Cards
The idea behind this deck is to keep your opponent in the 2nd age while you upgrade the crap out of your troops. It makes for really exciting games where you fight often, win a battle, wait, upgrade troops, fight some more.
Strelets with Boyars, and the boosts in the 2nd age (the 15% one and counter infantry rifling) make them completely unstoppable, especially when you have some muskets surrounding them with socket bayonet upgrade.
Also, by staying in the 2nd age for a while, it gives you the opportunity to send your church upgrade card (which I usually send if I'm planning on going up in age). I plan for it and build a church in transition and get Westernization right as I hit age 3. First card in age 3 is strelet combat (another 20% boost to attack and defend for strelets) on top of the 20% veteran boost, 15% boost from boyars, the 10% boost to hp and 15% boost to attack from the arsenal, and counter infantry rifling which renders any heavy infantry utterly useless.
Obviously, your opponent will wisen up and try to go cavalry on you, which is why you have to mix in some muskets in there too. The advanced arsenal upgrades make your muskets pretty unstoppable as well, especially with socket bayonet. I tend to get advanced arsenal earlier than other people, sometimes before I ship my food crates.
The general strategy I use is 17 vill ageup, distributivism first card. Build blockhouse during transition to 2nd, as usual. The tricky thing is, do you forward it? I do, but not very far. I put my first blockhouse near where my vills are to protect them. I usually forward it to my 2nd or 3rd coin mine, hunts, native settlement, or tradepost. You know, take something of value. 1st shipment is 5 cossacks, 13 strelets next, while you build some strelets and musks.
I do NOT stop building villagers unless desperate. My general policy is to have vills cued up, and to get the market food research done ASAP.
Next shipment is either advanced arsenal or 700 food. This depends on whether troops have been accumulated or not. Do I have a large army and excesses of coin and wood? Ship the arsenal. Otherwise, if you need to replenish your troops after a skirmish or you've fallen behind on villagers, get the food.
Notes of Caution***
This is probably not a good strategy against FF. You attack kind of late using this strategy, no earlier than 8 minutes, so it'll give your FFing opponent time to get cannons (death sentence) or put up some defensive structures like a fort.
Also, since you are not using much cavalry, watch out for Abus guns. They are anti-heavy infantry, but they absolutely demolish strelets too.
Cav can be problematic but with advanced arsenal, even the weak Russian musks become power houses vs. cavalry. Also, fully upgraded strelets hold their own vs cavalry.
Other than that, pimp those strelets. Nothing beats taking down a TC in age 3 with strelets boosted by veteran status, boyars, strelet combat, arsenal techs, and pillage.
Just wanted to share a deck with the folks here. It's a pretty standard Russian deck but it's all about what you do with it. I like to use it to keep my opponent and myself in the 2nd age where I make my strelets and muskets unstoppable.
Age 1:
Wood Trickle
Economic Theory
Land Grab
Age 2:
5 Cossacks
13 Strelets
Church Card
Advanced Arsenal
700 Food
600 Food
700 Coin
Boyars (15% boost to attack/defend for strelet, cossack, opri)
Fast Infantry Card
Fast Cav Card
Age 3:
1000 Food
1000 Wood
Strelet Combat (20% Boost to Attack/Defend for Strelets)
Pillage (50% Boost to Infantry Seige)
2 Cannon
Universal Food Boost
Universal Coin Boost
Some other Cards
Age 4:
Factory Cards
The idea behind this deck is to keep your opponent in the 2nd age while you upgrade the crap out of your troops. It makes for really exciting games where you fight often, win a battle, wait, upgrade troops, fight some more.
Strelets with Boyars, and the boosts in the 2nd age (the 15% one and counter infantry rifling) make them completely unstoppable, especially when you have some muskets surrounding them with socket bayonet upgrade.
Also, by staying in the 2nd age for a while, it gives you the opportunity to send your church upgrade card (which I usually send if I'm planning on going up in age). I plan for it and build a church in transition and get Westernization right as I hit age 3. First card in age 3 is strelet combat (another 20% boost to attack and defend for strelets) on top of the 20% veteran boost, 15% boost from boyars, the 10% boost to hp and 15% boost to attack from the arsenal, and counter infantry rifling which renders any heavy infantry utterly useless.
Obviously, your opponent will wisen up and try to go cavalry on you, which is why you have to mix in some muskets in there too. The advanced arsenal upgrades make your muskets pretty unstoppable as well, especially with socket bayonet. I tend to get advanced arsenal earlier than other people, sometimes before I ship my food crates.
The general strategy I use is 17 vill ageup, distributivism first card. Build blockhouse during transition to 2nd, as usual. The tricky thing is, do you forward it? I do, but not very far. I put my first blockhouse near where my vills are to protect them. I usually forward it to my 2nd or 3rd coin mine, hunts, native settlement, or tradepost. You know, take something of value. 1st shipment is 5 cossacks, 13 strelets next, while you build some strelets and musks.
I do NOT stop building villagers unless desperate. My general policy is to have vills cued up, and to get the market food research done ASAP.
Next shipment is either advanced arsenal or 700 food. This depends on whether troops have been accumulated or not. Do I have a large army and excesses of coin and wood? Ship the arsenal. Otherwise, if you need to replenish your troops after a skirmish or you've fallen behind on villagers, get the food.
Notes of Caution***
This is probably not a good strategy against FF. You attack kind of late using this strategy, no earlier than 8 minutes, so it'll give your FFing opponent time to get cannons (death sentence) or put up some defensive structures like a fort.
Also, since you are not using much cavalry, watch out for Abus guns. They are anti-heavy infantry, but they absolutely demolish strelets too.
Cav can be problematic but with advanced arsenal, even the weak Russian musks become power houses vs. cavalry. Also, fully upgraded strelets hold their own vs cavalry.
Other than that, pimp those strelets. Nothing beats taking down a TC in age 3 with strelets boosted by veteran status, boyars, strelet combat, arsenal techs, and pillage.
)
