Hypothetical Mayan Military Unit Roster

Age of Mythology: Retold Discussion
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Mayans/Aztec are one of the most requested current pantheon, their history leaves little room for cavalry units so I wanted to discuss how to design a roster with that in mind. I’d love to hear what you think or what ideas you have.

The following Excel Sheet is created as a concept of my attempt to make as a cav-free military roster as possible, bear in mind while I designed it for Mayans it can probably easily be changed for Aztecs. Underneath each unit I have written out what units they’re supposed to be strong or weak against if it is difficult to infer from their stats (or if I have miscalculated something).

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Jaguar Shadow: Scout/Cavalry Hero
Starting of the non-cavalry unit roster with a Cavalry, I do think you could make Cavalry unit as long as it’s only on the Mythological Side. This Idea is supposed to be a guardian spirit (or similiar) mounted on a Jaguar sweeping in to ward off evil (Myth Units).

Spear Holcan: Good vs Cavalry, decent vs Infantry.
Should be about as powerful against Cavalry as Spearmen and slightly worse against Infantry than Murmillo and as lousy against ranged units as the Hirdman.

Club Runner: Good vs Ranged units
Raider of choice, based a bit on the Huskarl. Should effectively work as Cavalry.

Bowman: Good vs Infantry
Basic Archer, not much more to say.

Atlatlist: Only good vs Ranged
Equivalent to the Peltast, Slinger or Wuzu. Could be available in age 2, but I’m not sure.

Macuahitl Warrior: Pierce resistant Infantry stong vs other Infantry
I’d always want a unit like this in AoM, an infantry unit weak against heavy cavalry, strong against Infantry and resistant against ranged. It can not be cost effective against Infantry than Fanatics and Hypaspists.
It will be a powerful frontline unit, ready to stomp Hoplire+Peltast, Spearmen+Slingers and Murmillones+Turmae compositions, forcing a switch to Hypaspisps, Axemen and Cheiroballistae.
Ironically while strong vs Infantry AND ranged, it folds against units who are both like the Throwing Axemen.

Bolas Hunter: Ranged Infantry
Very strong vs melee Cavalry, also counter of choice against Macuahitl in a mirror matchup. Idea somewhat taken from the AoE3 Bolas Warrior, were it applies snare. The biggest worry about a unit like this is if it completely breaks the matchup against the Norse, if this is the weakest link in my design I wouldn’t be surprised.

Sapper Team: Melee Siege
Effectively a ram, absorb arrows and destroy buildings.

Curse Director: Ranged Siege (Hero?)
A complete fantasy unit I cooked up just because I don’t wana see another catapult unit. The Idea was that we don’t for sure know what has made the now ruins of Tikal get abandonded, I propose the Mythological solution: Curses.
It should be population Inefficient to prevent it from being spammable.

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That sounds good, I wonder if one day we have the 2 civilizations in the future how they’re going to come up with ideas for units, because I mean so far all the civilizations are really different, but in terms of units I may be wrong but the Maya and Aztec seem to be more or less the same, except for everything to do with gods and mythical units.

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Unironically thinking Mayans and Aztecs are the same thing feels almost racist.

Putting the very South American Bolas thrower, which neither aztecs nor mayans used as well certainly is the cherry on top.

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I clearly didn’t imply that Aztec and Mayans are the same civilization nor did OmaDesala, just that the units can interchangably be adapted mechanic-wise. Closest to that I may have done two quick assumptions.
1 the Macuahitl is primarly ascosiated with the Aztecs and I have assumed Mayan have something similiar.
2 the Bolas. Xabalanque in the game Smite uses bolas and I didn’t question it. Appaerently some Inuit tribes have something similiar but I didn’t find any mesoamerican example. That’s on me.

Please do not bring thought-terminating rethoric into discussions.

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I mean you didn’t even put the Hornet Thrower which is like the one Mayan unit everybody first goes to whenever the idea of a Mayan civ comes up, I just feel like you didn’t even bother to do your homework.

There’s little to no Mayan here, it’s all dull and generic or outright wrong.

There’s already an Aztec mod for the old version of Age of Mythology that’s painfully well researched and is balanced with the other civs in mind, so compared to that this also falls short if you’re trying to aim for the aztec angle.

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Mechanic-wise the Aztec mod has an even more dull unit roster. Its literally just greek age 2 units in one building and age 3 counter units in the next, but uses a runner class instead of cavalry, somthing I’m not sure can be done without breaking Retolds more streamlined counter system. The research is loads better and cool that the Major gods have unique units.
I did also deliberatly kept to more generic names as I don’t want people getting hung up on what I inevitable will get wrong and instead focus on the mechanical aspects, so you don’t have to explain things like why you use the word Knight for mesoamerican units.
The Bolas in my initial post can probably be exchanged with the Hornet thrower and be kept mechanicaly similarly, bees surely being surly detrimental to mounts and the nests may not be thrown as far as spears.

I should have clarified more that it’s more the mechanical framework (what counters what and what new possible units can fit in the game without busting it) I’m interrested in, thats still possible with the pantheon.

If you have your own set of a military-roster you’d like to share, that would be awesome.
It would also be more than very welcome if you could prescisely direct your critisisms like “The bolas aren’t supported by archeological evidence and can’t be justified, maybe the hornet nest thrower could fill the very same roll” or if you think the hornet thrower should replace the curse director.
That would add to the discussion rather than stopping it.

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