Recent WCG Asian Regional Games has exhibited for the very first time , how worlds best player plays the best civilisation in this game.
after watching a few of his game, I have concluded that these iro nerfs will have very minor negative impact on the way iro is played, if we are to considered Iamgrunt's play style is the best play style for Iros and Iro lamers are to follow after WCG.
here is how he plays:
discovery - forward build WH, 3 vils hunt herds away from opp TC, 16 vil colonial with Wise woman, get second house during aging + 25 wood spare, all vils on food except 2 on gold (who are to stop mining at 300 gold).
colonial - build 2nd WH around opp's base, BB 5 tomas + make 5 with 125 wood, taking 100 from wise woman, 1st shipment 5 vils. 10 tomas go harrass, take down a few vils and any exposed buildings without support. second colonial shipment 600 gold, go to fortress with messenger and about 25~26 vils.
fortress (just under 8:00), build 3rd WH around opp's base, totally contain opponent inside his base, no hunts and no mines, he masses FP. and play cards as following:
5 mantlet if opp focus on use buildings(WH, outpost, TC)
5 musktrider if opp focus on cavalry
Ag ways if opp doesnt apply pressure
8 FP if opp focus on infantry
1200 res for any of above
and there are other shipments that he would throw in: 3 travios, GH(for counter-booming only), 5 cuirs, 6 kanya, infantry combat.
Game is over generally with only 4 or less fortress shipments used.
this may sound quite standard but fact is, this is how Iamgrunt plays, and he plays this style to perfection.
now lets see how much impact does 1.04 iro changes have to this:
GH nerf - next to no difference, because he doesnt use it proactively
light cannon nerf - next to no difference, because he doesnt use FI as core strat (btw 4 LC and 3 age4 native merc exist in all his decks, i think they are there to confuse opponent about his potential choise of strat)
Agrarian ways nerf - next to no difference, because there is a big chance that the "discovery travios" will be used to make either a plantation or a farm, thus making at the least half of ag way's bonus still come to effect. and as seen in above strat analysis, ag ways doesnt have to be used since the game is generally over within 4 fortress shipments, 1200 res, 8 FP, 5 mantlet, 5 MR, 6 kanya (esp after they are boosted), 5 cuirs are equally good as substitute for ag ways
kanya boost - this will actually have quite a bigg effect. not only they will live longer under ranged fire, but they are now extremely efficient in killing the only real FP counter - falconets, it only takes 4 hits! that is 75% better than hussar, 150% better than veteran lancer, 50% better than uhlan, and 100% better than cossack.
MR boost - this only wont have much impact, but it is still a boost.
ES says as of 1.03, Iro has trouble against massed falcs, I am really quite lost on this one, not in one game have I saw massed falcs being OP against iro, in most games iro wins before falcs can be remotely resemble "massed", in the rest of the games iro just go FI and get 4 LC that completely owns "massed falcs"
Even if massed falcs were ever slightly effective against iro FF, they are certainly worth less in 1.04 now, welcome the 30%RR/50 damage kanyas.
It is never good to finish a whine without a suggestion, so here is what I think. If ES can boost a WC bonus that is found to be too weak, why cant they nerf a WC bonus that is too strong?
- WC aura should change to 10% HP boost
- WC Eagle Eye recharge time should increase by 25%
Night all.
Strategy by Ultimitsu
Guns and Biers
British Anti-FF explosion
For TWC only Ottoman FF on non-water non-TP maps
For Vanilla only Dutch Fast Colonial Uber Bank
after watching a few of his game, I have concluded that these iro nerfs will have very minor negative impact on the way iro is played, if we are to considered Iamgrunt's play style is the best play style for Iros and Iro lamers are to follow after WCG.
here is how he plays:
discovery - forward build WH, 3 vils hunt herds away from opp TC, 16 vil colonial with Wise woman, get second house during aging + 25 wood spare, all vils on food except 2 on gold (who are to stop mining at 300 gold).
colonial - build 2nd WH around opp's base, BB 5 tomas + make 5 with 125 wood, taking 100 from wise woman, 1st shipment 5 vils. 10 tomas go harrass, take down a few vils and any exposed buildings without support. second colonial shipment 600 gold, go to fortress with messenger and about 25~26 vils.
fortress (just under 8:00), build 3rd WH around opp's base, totally contain opponent inside his base, no hunts and no mines, he masses FP. and play cards as following:
5 mantlet if opp focus on use buildings(WH, outpost, TC)
5 musktrider if opp focus on cavalry
Ag ways if opp doesnt apply pressure
8 FP if opp focus on infantry
1200 res for any of above
and there are other shipments that he would throw in: 3 travios, GH(for counter-booming only), 5 cuirs, 6 kanya, infantry combat.
this may sound quite standard but fact is, this is how Iamgrunt plays, and he plays this style to perfection.
now lets see how much impact does 1.04 iro changes have to this:
* Iroquoisthe only significant change is the discovery age travios. he will not be able to harras with 5 tomas at 4:40 with t5 more at 5:10, they will take about 30 seconds longer since first 5 are now to walk from TC ans second 5 have to wait till travios build into WH, apart from that, everything else pretty much is the same.
- Starting Travois is not able to transform into Warhuts in Nomad Age or Discovery Age. Starting Travois is now called "Discovery Travois" and is a clone of the current unit that can build everything it can now, EXCEPT Warhuts.
- Great House card reduces cost of Town Centers by 25% (down from 50%). Damage is reduced to 50% down from by 100%.
- Kanya Horsemen receive x2 bonus modifier versus Artillery.
- Musket Rider receive x2.5 bonus modifier versus Artillery.
- Light Cannon range reduced to 32 from 34.
- Agrarian Ways card changed to provide no cost (set wood, gold, food to 0) for upgrades of mills and plantations.
GH nerf - next to no difference, because he doesnt use it proactively
light cannon nerf - next to no difference, because he doesnt use FI as core strat (btw 4 LC and 3 age4 native merc exist in all his decks, i think they are there to confuse opponent about his potential choise of strat)
Agrarian ways nerf - next to no difference, because there is a big chance that the "discovery travios" will be used to make either a plantation or a farm, thus making at the least half of ag way's bonus still come to effect. and as seen in above strat analysis, ag ways doesnt have to be used since the game is generally over within 4 fortress shipments, 1200 res, 8 FP, 5 mantlet, 5 MR, 6 kanya (esp after they are boosted), 5 cuirs are equally good as substitute for ag ways
kanya boost - this will actually have quite a bigg effect. not only they will live longer under ranged fire, but they are now extremely efficient in killing the only real FP counter - falconets, it only takes 4 hits! that is 75% better than hussar, 150% better than veteran lancer, 50% better than uhlan, and 100% better than cossack.
MR boost - this only wont have much impact, but it is still a boost.
ES says as of 1.03, Iro has trouble against massed falcs, I am really quite lost on this one, not in one game have I saw massed falcs being OP against iro, in most games iro wins before falcs can be remotely resemble "massed", in the rest of the games iro just go FI and get 4 LC that completely owns "massed falcs"
Even if massed falcs were ever slightly effective against iro FF, they are certainly worth less in 1.04 now, welcome the 30%RR/50 damage kanyas.
It is never good to finish a whine without a suggestion, so here is what I think. If ES can boost a WC bonus that is found to be too weak, why cant they nerf a WC bonus that is too strong?
- WC aura should change to 10% HP boost
- WC Eagle Eye recharge time should increase by 25%
Night all.
Strategy by Ultimitsu
Guns and Biers
British Anti-FF explosion
For TWC only Ottoman FF on non-water non-TP maps
For Vanilla only Dutch Fast Colonial Uber Bank
[This message has been edited by ultimitsu (edited 08-16-2007 @ 05:20 PM).]