So after playing a few games against the US, both cowboys and not cowboys.
I think what makes the cowboy strat in particular feel pretty strong is not the cowboys, but the Chinese Immigrant that allows US to basically have full TP control pretty early to send the shipments necessary and also have the eco necessary to pump out those cowboys early.
I say this because it feels like the US players struggle to pump out cowboys on maps with less then 4 tps. Also on a map with 3 tps or less, contesting the trade route is much easier and just denying 1 means the US player losing atleast 1/3rd of the value of the trade route.
Same with maps that have split trade route, control of it with Chinese Immigrant becomes much more difficult.
Or maybe I should start developing a China Trade Empire semi FF
Thoughts on this?
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link to a build order for this strat?
I really like outlaw builds but cant get them right…
Yes, it is OP, because you can spawn replacement TPs for free, and inevitably take over entire trade lines without spending any Wood.
The Cowboy strat is OP because Cowboys have no Colonial Age counter, however.
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Yeah but my point is that it seems to only be Op on a map with lots of TPs like central plain for example, where its worth about 800 -1000 wood
On maps with 3 tps or below, its value is much more diminished and the cowboys are much less scary. US on Malaysia seems to be pretty bad. Its sort of similar to Port ATP, except arguably with more tempo
Cowboys without the Chinese Immigrant or on a low to no TP map are kinda bad since you can just go FF or mass xbow to deal with them. Though maybe the range of their charge attack should be reduced, 20 is a bit much, 40 atk at like 14 range should be ok.
I had a different experience. Played vs a USA guy using outlaw strat and idk how but without any TP and only 13 villagers, he kept pumping units non stop until min 30 when I gave up. I even had a better dead-kill ratio and still lost. Something is definitely broken with this strat.
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No TP can easily be compensated by putting all Vills on Coin, and shipping in capitalism + the Age 1 Saloon upgrade card.
With those 2, USA does not really need Food anymore, fot the Cowboy Rush, which will just beat anyone in 1v1, before there is even a chance of going to Fortress Age.
If I’m not mistaken, some outlaws can even gather coin so that’s probably how he did it.
Jon, to think you came up with most of the suggestion for outlaws that were implemented for USA lol
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Pistoleros can gather Coin, but only after Industrial, with a card.
Cowboy Rush never gets to it, however.
In my Wild West deck, I have that card, but I never really use it. It is my only Age 4 cards too.
The cowboy cost 120 coin each, Capitalism is only worth about 3-4 unupgraded vils on coin, you need a significantly more coin for this to work. The other way for it to work is to go full bank wagon meeting house trickle but even then that doesn’t sound great unless you have significant XP income from something like Chinese Immigrant.
A decent FF can reach age 3 in about 7-8 mins with mass and can reach a mass of 20-30 skirms, which should counter the cowboys
Why Chinese Immigrants is OP, and USA can just stay in Age 2 forever, and still have a huge mass and a good shot at winning, and also why Long Rifles needs to become an Age 3 card:
As I have always said, all you need as USA is State Militia, 3 CDB, Long Rifles and Chinese Immigrants.
These make USA super strong, and State Militia as the best Skirmisher in the game, without equal.
USA may need a lot of cards, but it will always also get a lot of cards, faster than anyone else.
Competent players can counter the US early game, you know they want to take TP control, deny TP. You know they are going State Militia so make units to counter. Its not nearly as OP as you make it out to be especially with the April 23rd patch as well. I watched Drongo get his butt handed to him over and over again yesterday from multiple different civs, granted that is higher level play and I am not saying more tweaks arent needed, but to act like they are this OP monster is disingenuous. This is ignoring Treaty however.
