My favorite civ currently is the Khmer (they’ll be replaced by the Georgians when they’re inevitably added). The Khmer are a very good off-meta civ, and have unconventional options, which is part of why I like them.
That’s the design of AoE2 though, all civs have mostly the same units (only some civs are outliers like Meso lacking Stables). I don’t think it’s a bad thing for AoE2, as the game isn’t designed like RTS games where each faction/civ/race is like, immediately different from eachother. It’s why the game can field multiple civs.
If that becomes stale for you, then the game isn’t for you. But I’d still disagree - maybe TG Arabia games are mostly knight+xbow meta, but different maps have different strats. It’s why I like BF a lot, as there are many different stategies possible. You see smushes, FIs, full Siege etc as very valid strats.
In a way, BF games can also be hyperaggressive, even moreso than Arabia. Some players really love their villfights, lames, and sneaks. 