Hello everyone!
I want here to discuss with you, why imo the Gurjaras are so powerful and why it is hard to deal with them.
Many people think, because it is their camel bonus, or becasue of their Shirvamsha riders, or because their UU, or because their eco.
How do you feel when I tell you none of these what make them strong?!
I will explain why and how they work.
Gurjaras is that civ who have 2 mobile counter units that can be created from the same building, and those 2 units counter the 2 main units in the game; the knight line and the archer line. Now what does this mean? Many things.
First: You need less upgrades because you can counter 2 types of units from the same building (stable), which means you wilk have more flexibility and more resources.
2nd: The great mobility, you have a great mobility over anyone for 2 units counter the 2 main lines of units in the game.
3rd: The faster and bigger army impact and that force the other played to go counters and lose many advantages. What is this how?!
Gurjaras can make camels in feudal, which means the cav player doesn’t even think of going cavs nor scout play and if so it will cost a lot. While going up, the cav player can’t make knights! But the Gurjaras player can make camels and he will always have the numbers advantage! So the knight play powerspike in early castle age vs Camels is not even an option which will force the cav player to go MAA archers then xbows most of the time which is not in his advantage anyway. Forcing the opponent to go counters means that you have the upper hand most of the time that yoou forced him to throw his strength points and go counters.
4th: The cheap army combenation. A unit that cost 70f, 20g counter archers and have low training time, and unit cost 55F, 60g and can be massed in feudal that counter cavs and have low training time too especially with their team bonus (camels created 25% faster). Both of these 2 units counter the main lines. They have too a UT that make their food eco cheaper.
5th: The good eco. Sheep in the mill (safe eco). Bushes under the tc (safe eco). Fishing ships can garrison in docks (safe eco).
6th: A good UU that counter the counters of their units and good UTs.
So the thing is, it is not about what they have units/bonuses indivisualy, but about how every bonus and every unit work together in a perfect shape and style.
IMO the civ balance can’t work indivisualy more than how it maybe need a redesign. I might even won’t be exaggerating if I say that they should lose the camel scout ability making in feudal, just keep their initial camel in dark.
The civ need a deep rework/redesign.
Many greetings