Russian + Spanish Missionary Sling

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Cyclohexane
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Russian + Spanish Missionary Sling

Post by Cyclohexane »

DISCLAIMER:
The title sounds like something you would find in a dirty magazine, but it is not what you’re thinking...

I am a big fan of team games and have an assortment of different strategies I use with different civilizations but this is one I came up with that is truly unique. This is not the strategy to end all strategies; rather it is an alternate rush you can perform to have fun. It is harder to pull off than a standard rush and requires more team work, but every time I have tried it, it has been a blast. And isn’t that what the game is about?

Even if you do not like the rush idea, this team card selection choice is very powerful in Fortress (combined with a Spanish FF) when expensive high hit point units that are cost effective to be healed become available, Missionaries that can be replaced in 10 seconds, and add +63% damage to artillery is sweet! In other words, a rush is not required to make this team civilization and deck selection useful (but most FF attempts end in disaster in team games). It can be a powerful boost late game as well.

Interested? Read on…


INTRODUCTION:
The Spanish have the best priests in the game. Yea Aztec’s are great but they are never used for healing due to their usefulness at the fire pit. Mayan are cheap who knows if you will get them on your map. Surgeons require a shipment, etc., etc. The reason Missionaries are so good is because of their speed, they can get in and out and never slow the army down when moved together (unlike priests with a speed of 4).

Hell with the Age 2 Mission Fervor church technology (200 gold + 200 wood), these guy have a speed of 8.05 and an amazing 405 hit points (450 EHP at range). That’s right, those donkeys can just about keep up with the Sioux WC (speed 8.1) and they can tank. Before they die, they can run away and heal each other.

So what am I getting at? Well, the Russians have an Age 2 shipment called “Team Cheap Priests.” This brings the cost of the Missionaries from 100 gold + 100 wood with a 40 second train time to 50 gold + 50 wood with a 10 second train time! This makes the Missionaries affordable in Colonial and a 10 second train time is a huge boost early and late game!

Now, why would I want a lot of Missionaries? To help spread the word of course. There is another Age 2 shipment for the Spanish called Unction. This grants the Missionaries an aura that boosts the attack of nearby soldiers by 5% within a Range 24. 5% is not much, but what is little known is that the aura is stackable in a non-linear function (does not simply stack 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, etc.). The relationship is 100%*(1.05^N - 1) = + % damage output. Here is a table showing the effects for Missionaries 1 thru 10:

Number Missionaries 12345678910 Aura Effect (+ Damage) 5%10%16%22%28%34%41%48%55%63%

Since Missionaries have a build limit of 10, you could potentially have an amazing 63% damage bonus on top of other bonuses! Even with 25 dancers on the fire pit, the War Dance only grants +30% to damage, and we all know how effective that can be. And a 24 radius is large, the same size as the Native War Chiefs auras.


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SPAIN
Spain is the backbone of this strategy mostly because Russia will not receive any bonus damage from the Missionary aura (only passive healing bonus to Russia). It is important that this player can micro and macro effectively.


REQUIRED CARDS:
Age 1:
3 Villagers
TEAM Archaic Soldier Training

Age 2:
700 Wood
Unction

RECOMMENDED CARDS:
Age 1:
Economic Theory

Age 2:
5 Villagers
600 Wood
700 Gold
8 Pikemen
7 Rodeleros
6 Rodeleros
TEAM Hand Infantry Damage
Hand Infantry Hit points

Age 3:
1000 Food
1000 Wood
Hand Infantry Combat
2 Falconets
5 Lancers
4 Lancers
Hand Cavalry Combat
Royal Mint
6 Stradiots
Caballeros

Age 4:
Factory
Industrial Revolution

DISCOVERY:
1.) All vills on food (standard)
2.) First Card is 3 villagers
3.) Build a house
Age with the Philosopher Prince (500 food) at 15 villager count

NOTE: The Russian will tribute 100 food early in discovery to enable a 15 pop colonial (~4:10) with no idle time.


TRANSITION TO COLONIAL:
1.) Move 1 villager to somewhat hidden forward base location (between Russian and Spanish player) and chop wood when get there.
2.) Move 2 villagers to Russian base to gather his 400 Age up wood and shipped crates rather than tribute (no market penalty) and chop wood when get there.
3.) 5 on food (~529 food)
4.) 5 to wood (~225 wood)
5.) Second Card is TEAM Archaic Soldier Training as soon as shipment is available


COLONIAL:
1.) Build a barracks and another house immediately using the Russians Age-up wood and wood collected during transition. A second barracks will be built as soon as wood is available and can keep up with constant X-bow production.
2.) First Colonial Card is 700 wood, click this immediately when available in Colonial
3.) Keep constant villager production and start spamming crossbows, war dogs, and houses (as needed). The early army is for DEFENSE while setting up the Missionaries. The point of the sling / archaic spam is to be able to keep up with a 2v1 army. Do not throw away these units, fend off attacks and retreat. Shipped rods are useful against cavalry raids, and pikes can be added easily if one opponent is going cavalry (and when siege is needed).
4.) Collect 700 wood and Build a Church at the forward base but in the rear and as hidden as possible. Move villagers to gold. The amount depends on starting crates and how many treasures collected.
5.) Second Colonial Card is either 7 rods or 600 wood depending on immediate needs
6.) At this point, Team Cheap Priests will arrive. Use the shipped wood and wood from Russia to start spawning Missionaries. The goal is to obtain the maximum amount of Missionaries at 10 (will need 500 gold and 500 wood).
7.) Third Colonial Card is Unction
8.) As soon as the Unction has arrived, destroy the enemy with the steroid hell spawned crossbows. At this point, the Russian player will stop tribute and drop a blockhouse for strelets. Do not forget to continuously make 5 war dogs. These guys are just as deadly with the Unction aura!
9.) 4th card can be 8 pikemen, 7 Rodeleros, 600 wood, or Hand Infantry Hit points (if go pikemen / rods) depending on the needs. Definitely send Hand Infantry Hit points before TEAM Hand Infantry Damage (need them to stay alive longer, they will do plenty of damage with the Missionaries)

_________________________________

RUSSIAN
In order to maximize the effectiveness this rush, more Spanish units are required than Russian units. Russia is a tribute civilization for the most part making either strelets or Cossacks to sling the Spanish player’s main unit selection into an archaic infantry spam. Their deck can be composed of water or land based cards and the only real difference is the inclusion of 1 card.

REQUIRED CARDS:
Age 2:
700 Wood
Team Cheap Priests

The rest is optional based on your preference but here are some ideas:

RECOMMENDED CARDS:
Age 1:
Economic Theory
Distributivism
TEAM Scout Cavalry (with hussar variant)

Age 2:
TEAM Dueling School
600 Wood
13 Strelets
5 Cossacks
Boyars
Fencing School

Age 3:
1000 Food
1000 Wood
1000 Coin
Suvorov Reforms
2 Falconets


DISCOVERY:
The Russian player must tribute 100 food to Spain early in discovery to enable the Spain player to do a 15 pop colonial (~4:10) with no idle time. Russia can afford this while still doing a 17 pop colonial with no idle time. Age up with the Quartermaster (400 wood) Politician.

TRANSITION TO COLONIAL:
1.) 8 on food (~600 food)
2.) 9 to wood (~405 wood)

COLONIAL:
1.) Queue 1 batch of villagers to make 20 population and send EVERYTHING else to the Spanish player. No more villagers or houses until 10 Missionaries have been spawned. Spain also gets all the large treasures, help him collect these with explorer and keep his war dog spawning explorer alive.
2.) First Colonial Card is 700 wood, click this immediately when available in Colonial
3.) Second Colonial Card is Team Cheap Priests
4.) As soon as 10 Missionaries are created by the Spanish player, stop all the tribute, build a house, start spawning villagers and strelets.
3.) Third Colonial Card can be 600 wood, 5 Cossacks, 13 strelets, TEAM Dueling School, etc. depending on the situation


_________________________



STRENGTHS
1.) Unction is stackable up to the build limit of 10 Missionaries. Since every Missionary available grants 5% to damage, a total bonus of 63% will be granted to all of the Spanish units (non-linear function). With the Team Cheap Priests Russian HC shipment, they can be quickly and cheaply replaced. The card allows them to be spawned in 10 seconds (opposed to 40) at 50 wood and 50 gold (opposed to 100 wood and 100 gold).

2.) Can heal ally’s units quickly with 10 Missionaries running around. Although strelets typically are not the ideal unit to heal, this will change as the game progresses and artillery and cavalry can be easily repaired.

3.) Sending in Missionaries with a raiding force can be very helpful, not only for the bonus damage, but to heal when damaged, and strike again with the same units… And don’t forget, they are faster than hussars (with or without Mission Fervor) and make excellent scouts.

4.) Mission Fervor is available in Age 2 but I do not think it is necessary unless your opponents are chasing down the Missionaries. Missionaries have no true counter since they are not classified as cavalry. The Unction area of effect is 24 so it is easy to move the priests to safety if being fired on but still receive the aura. Late game, definitely use this upgrade as it makes them extremely fast and even stronger.

5.) Lets look at some Colonial statistics:

Crossbow +63%:
29 Range damage (6 can 1 shot kill a villager)
44 Range damage to light cavalry & eagle knights
13 Siege damage

Musketeer +63%:
37 Range damage
21 Melee damage (63 to cavalry)
32 Siege damage

Pikeman +63%:
13 Melee damage (65 to cavalry)
52 Siege damage
*15 of these guys can take down a TC in less than 30 seconds.

Rodelero +63%:
16 Melee damage (57 to cavalry)
16 Siege damage

Colonial War Dogs +63%:
29 Melee damage (not sure why war dogs are religious but apparently Spanish war dogs are fanatically Catholic!)

Hussar +63% (Missionaries are faster than Hussars so they can keep up):
48 Melee damage (4 can 1 shot kill a villager)
32 Siege damage

Keep in mind these are Colonial units. Also, the aura stacks after other upgrade cards have been played (same as Iroquois WC). Mathematically that is equivalent to the upgrade bonuses multiplying a higher base damage so you get more for your buck.

6.) A few Fortress units:

Falconet:
326 to buildings
489 to infantry

Lancer:
97 damage to infantry (130 damage with the Caballeros card)

Etc. etc.


WEAKNESSES
1.) A little slow at startup and susceptible to strong Age 2 all or nothing rushes.

2.) If the opponent goes full crossbows and hussars, then you will probably lose. Once the pikemen die, the hussars can wipe out the strelets. Of course Cossacks will help take out crossbows and pike men can kill the hussars, this is a battle of micro and how fast you can take down a TC.


MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

1.) Always heal the most expensive units after each battle.

2.) Yes it is easier to make more pikemen than a church and missionaries but the missionaries will benefit the game indefinitely. While no strategy is full proof, it is a fun strategy and something out of the ordinary to try with a different set of benefits.

3.) Here are some useful Taunts for the Spanish player to know while using this sling:
…..3 = I need Food
…..4 = I need Wood
…..5 = I need Coin

4.) You do not have to make crossbows. Depending on the opponents, super pikemen, or super raiding hussars may be a better selection! Of course if you choose Hussars, the deck and build order will change. Play your game, this is only a guide.

5.) You will not be weaker than your opponents. You will have a weaker combined eco, but the archaic card and 1800 wood (700+700+QM) in addition to the gathered food keep up with their armies. It is enough to defend you or the Russian (usually attack military buildings in middle first).

6.) The market penalty will not destroy this strategy because you are giving up those resources for a singularly controlled army, whereas they will come with two armies that are less coordinated.

7.) This strategy improves in a 3v3. Add an Ottoman ally and you have a GREAT slinger and Russian support who is there for the strelet shield and priest card. Otto can send thousands of resources to Spain in the first 7 min of fighting. His card order is 700 wood, 700 food, 700 gold (to begin abus spam at 8-9 min). Russian will go 13 strelets, team cheap priests, 5 cossacks, etc while spamming strelets with a 14 vill colonial (typical). It's easier because you are 3v2 instead of 2v1 with the sling.


REPLAYS
I have to thank Roark and George_uk for helping me tweak this strategy. With their ideas and in-game testing combined, this is now a very viable and powerful 2v2 strategy! Here are a couple of records, I will add more in the future. Now that we do not have to worry about HC levels, I’m sure I will find a Russian ally in the clan much easier.

Record 1

Record 2
Lead, Follow, or Get the Hell out of the way!

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE & AOE3 TWC TAD UNIT COMPARISON:
AOE3 TWC TAD Quick Reference & AOE3 TWC TAD UNIT COMPARISON
User avatar
Cyclohexane
Honorary Officer
Posts: 384
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 1:44 pm
Location: Houston, Texas
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Re: Russian + Spanish Missionary Sling

Post by Cyclohexane »

I updated this strategy today. Now that I have a level 100 Aztec, I can make me a level 100 Spanish civilization. I am looking for a good Russian ally, or an ally willing to learn Russia that has access to Yahoo, Skype, Team Speak and plays in the Lieutenant to Captain ratings. Oh, and late nights as well

The guide spells out exactly what is needed but I have been playing Aztec so long, I'm going to need some practice first to pull it off.

Please read the entire guide as it has changed and then let me know if your interested. Then lets crack out some team wins...
Lead, Follow, or Get the Hell out of the way!

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE & AOE3 TWC TAD UNIT COMPARISON:
AOE3 TWC TAD Quick Reference & AOE3 TWC TAD UNIT COMPARISON
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