Hi, I’m new to the game, though played Age of Empires original, many, many years ago now.
So I see that you can select a Deck to start with, does anyone have any advice as to how to build a Deck for a new starter to this version of AoE?
If I were you I would use the premade decks until being comfortable with game and civ-specific mechanics. For example, a must to go 99% times is 3 villagers as 1st shipment. Also to have wood crates in age 2 (as its the slowest resource to gather)
If you want to play treaty (40min) (which has premade deck too) avoid to use crates, villagers, units or advanced buildings (but arsenal).
Like Ekdal1378 said just use the default deck or just ignore it entirely (The deck system). There are a lot of youtube vids to learn from some old and some new but overall they should help.
If i was going to give advice for better understanding of the deck system and its value of each card just look at each age 1,2,3,4 card crates ; these are resource crates of either food/wood/coin and a couple other types for specific civs that you have to gather with villagers. Crates are gathered VERY fast regardless of resource type at around 8res/ per second( how the game measures the rate in game) but the actual rate is more like 2.5 sec/ per 20 resource as the villagers needs to gather for 2.5 seconds on the crate before picking up ANYTHING (the 20 res).
Each age UP gives more resource from the next age1 (300), age2 (700), age3 (1000) and age4 (1600)
the best way in GENERAL to understand the value of a card is to compare it with these crates and the situation at hand. For example as Ekdal1378 said the standard for MOST civs is to send a 3 villager card first or something similar then to a 300 food/resource crate as most games will last long enough (even for short games) that they would have gathered more then 300 resources before the end of the game and that each villager cost 100 resources to make already saving you 300 food AND the time to make them.
BUT lets say the situation changes and that you KNOW that your opponent is RUSHING ALL in (attacking you as fast as possible sacrificing any long term game potential / economy that if it fails to kill you or do enough damage the game is over for them). This is going to be a VERY short game like sub 8-9 minutes maybe faster it might be better to use a 300 food crate to either counter rush or be ready to defend faster/age up faster as the 3 vills would be a slower age up for SOME civs.
Just always look at the card crates and the game that your playing (supremacy/standard game or treaty game) and ask your self is this 700 wood crate be better or a 5-8 bowmen/skirm unit card while being attacked by 10 pike men. Or if I’m playing 40 minute treaty ( a game where nobody can attack each other for a set time) , is this 700 wood crate be useful for a LONG game or a card that buffs your vils gathering rate for wood by 10-20% in a long game.
Crates = short term gains, Buff cards = Long term gains. Simplified stats for 1v1 games = short games (crates/unit cards are best) and team games = SOMETIMES long games ( more buff cards tend to be better but not always unless its treaty)
I say never only has 1 deck. 1v1, team, treaty deck each is different, and there is also water deck