Matchup From Hell!

Age of Empires II: DE II - Discussion
1

If there have to be a nightmare comp that I have to deal with for me, then it’s halbs + siege onagers + mass knights/whatev sbstitute! Dozens of archers, cannoneers, and ranged units were badly flattened by siege onagers while halbs wreck knights!

Today, I played as Turks, and my allies are Gurjaras and Brits.

Opponents are Slavs (again, my headache), Koreans, and Celts.

Map: Oasis.

Timeline of events:

Dark Age
Boomed until 27 villagers and then went Feudal.

Feudal Age:
Made some scouts while booming. Started gathering some stone so that I could plop a Castle in my base. Went Castle after 30-32 villagers. I rushed the Celt player by raiding their eco but stopped after seeing a few spearmen. He was quick to recover from losses.

Castle Age:
Things started going crazy. I started a Castle once I aged into Castle, and just as my Castle was almost complete, the Slavic player sent knights near my base as if he’s threatening me (Consider their farming bonus). The knights escaped after seeing my Castle was up so I was safe for the moment.

Then I started making Janissaries and Camels (I usually make Hussars, but I may face Boyars later so Camels come in handy).

Things went even crazier from then onwards.

My Briton ally started getting attacked constantly by Slavic knights and Celtic mangonels and Woads. Heput up quite a good fight, so the enemy team was able to hold off, but only temporarily. They reached Imperial before us.

Imperial Age
The Slavic player became the most dangerous opponent. He and the Korean player coordinated to attack the Gurjara player. The Gurjara player made a large number of Shrivamshas and Camels that were decimated badly, and his base battered by Korean War Wagons and extra range onagers and Slavic Boyars with Druzhina infantry!

I started producing CA alongside Janissaries and Camels to rescue the Gurjara player, and guess what? Enemy team ain’t stupid! The Korean flattened my Janissaries and CA with their onagers, while Slavic Boyars and Halbs ripped apart my camels (although I killed a portion of their army).

I relocated behind the Briton player’s base and things went worse. Woad Raiders, War Wagons, Celtic and Korean Siege Onagers, Boyars, and mass Halbs toppled us one by one, and our forces are all but devastated with no chance to rebuild them.

As a result, we lost.

TLDR: we got rushed before we could rush them.

Could I have done any better here eg transition timing, or is this team just unbeatable?

2

They all late game Team Game Civ. Once they get SO you lose.

3

Not possible to answer without watching the game or replay. Did you try your 14 range BBT sitting behind 12 range Longbowman to snipe enemy SO? Gurjaras player should try spamming S.Rider to divert enemy Halberdier and tank some SO shot. But Turks BBT would be the key.

2 Likes
4

Your team had three civilizations that are more powerful in the early game, while they had three civilizations that are the most powerful in the late game. The correct approach would be to beat them before they can get to their late game composition.

At that stage, the only thing that would probably work is to use your long-range bombard cannons and Towers and longbows. But you’ll be fighting an uphill battle, and you need to take a majorly successful engagement and then push it.

5

Celts are annoying, but longbows can deal with the other two’s mangonels with good micro. Koreans do get one extra range, but you can move around it. Celts on the other hand have a lot more HP, and you have to leave your longbows exposed for far longer.

Wait, you were playing turks. This shouldn’t be an issue at all. Your BBCs have 13 base range, longer than anything they have. Just make bombard towers, and push with BBCs.

Shrivamshas are a ridiculous unit which can dodge SOs as well. Honestly, I’ll say that you have two stronger civs in late game, while gurjara late game is garbage. I’d take turk late game over any of the others.

This is probably a team co-ordination issue than a civ issue.

6

While other posters have already given valid suggestions, don’t forget you also have extra range on your Cannon Galleons as Turks, and lategame you can also be cheeky and dock the lake in the middle.

But anyway, while SO is very hard to deal with, you have two civs with Bombard Cannons - and yours are one of the best, Gurjara is meh with no SE, and Britons have Longbowmen. In reality, while they do have better civs for late game, you aren’t out of options either. It moreso sounds like you just played your cards badly.