18 Vils Ethiopian 2-Range Archers for Team Games

This is easiest to execute with the Ethiopians, but it works for other strong archer civilizations too. Slower civilizations usually need to age up at 20 population instead. The objective is to get as many archers out as possible right away. This build sacrifices economy in favor of army to grab an early advantage, and it uses the market (selling stone) to reach Castle Age faster. The goal is to win in Feudal Age or early Castle Age, or to build up such a strong lead that you can fall back into economy and eventually win from there. This build is especially strong for a team game flank player, since your pocket teammate's Scouts can cover your weakness against Skirmishers.

  1. [Dark] Send 6 villagers to sheep (pop 6)
  2. [Dark] Send 2 vils to wood and make a house with one of them (pop 8)
  3. [Dark] Send 1 villager to boar (pop 9)
  4. [Dark] [Recommended] Lure 1-3 deer with your scout once you found all your sheep
  5. [Dark] Next 6 vils to hunt under TC (get the second boar during this time) (pop 15)
  6. [Dark] Send 1 vil to make a mining camp on gold (pop 16)
  7. [Dark] Next 2 vils to hunt under TC (pop 18)
  8. [Dark] Research loom
  9. [Dark] Research Feudal Age (perfect landing time: 8:50) (pop 18)
  10. [Feudal] Move 7 vils from under TC to your lumber camp (pop 18)
  11. [Feudal] Move 2 vils from under TC and send them to make a barracks and a house (pop 18)
  12. [Feudal] Move 2 vils from under TC to collect stragglers (pop 18)
  13. [Feudal] Make 2 archery ranges and start producing archers
  14. [Feudal] Use one of the range vils to make a blacksmith and send the other to food (pop 18)
  15. [Feudal] Use the blacksmith villager to make houses and small walls
  16. [Feudal] Send 7 villagers to gold (pop 25)
  17. [Feudal] Send 2 villagers from straggler trees to food under tc (pop 25)
  18. [Feudal] Get fletching and start attacking with archers
  19. [Feudal] Send 6 villagers to berries (pop 31)
  20. [Feudal] When sheep run out, slowly add farms until you have 7-8 farms
  21. [Feudal] Send 2 villagers to wood (pop 33)
  22. [Feudal] Send 3 villagers to gold (pop 36)
  23. [Feudal] Make a market and sell stone to go up to castle
  24. [Feudal] If you are short food, continue adding villagers to whatever resource you need
  25. [Feudal] Try to be fully walled around this point or at least well defended
  26. [Feudal] Research Castle Age (perfect landing time: 19:00)
  27. [Castle] Research double bit axe
  28. [Castle] Research gold mining
  29. [Castle] [OPTIONAL] Get horse collar
  30. [Castle] Make a second lumber camp and send 6 vils to another woodline
  31. [Castle] Continue attacking with your archers, but DON’T lose them
  32. [Castle] Get crossbow and bodkin arrow
  33. [Castle] Research bow saw

What next: Get University right away to research Ballistics and push all-in to close out the game. Add Siege to help push or to defend against their Archers and Skirmishers. A Monastery is also useful, both for collecting relics and for converting enemy Knights. Alternatively, you can simply buy back 100 stone whenever you want to add another Town Center, and play a more normal game from there.

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