Portuguese anti FF/FI

Another FF build for Japanese, this time using the Portuguese consulate discount. The deck above can support three variants of the build that rely on the same philosophy.

• Original build : the anti FF build by Madonna. You aim to advance to age 3 in time to train the Portuguese expedition force and stop the 2 falc shipment in its tracks.
• Main variant : an age 3 push. You follow the original build, up to the transition to age 3. During transition, ally with the spanish and send their expedition force to push with an upgraded falconet+flaming arrows backed by heavy infantry. Best used against opponents who are greeding.
• Industrial variant : you start with the original build, and greed even more to get to industrial and ship the portuguese army. It is a meme build best used as an anti-revolt. It requires two different natives on the map.

Game plan :

Age extremely quickly to colonial to perform a mini boom, then age up to fortress in a timely manner. Once in age 3 use your shadow-teching consulate units to deny your opponent's plan or simply go to the throat.

Age I (common for all builds) :

Standard portuguese consulate opening. Find a way to get 6 wood (trasure or chop). Build the consuleta with two villagers (to have time to ally with portuguese and build the discounted shrine before being pop capped). Focus on food and coin treasures.

The first shipment is 300f crate. Gather it with 3 villagers and you should have enough food to age up with the Torii gate with 4 villagers.

WTF why 300f as first shipment ?

It is (rightfully) considered a terrible shipment by the community. However, this build does a mini boom in age 2 and we want to get this boom going as fast as possible to reach age 3 with a decent timing. The other advantages, is population preservation. If you send two villagers/3boats, you will have to chop for a shrine in transition which will massively slow you down.

In transition, set your shrine on coin, gather your coin crate if not already done. Keep looking for coin treasures with your monks. Maintain villager production. New villagers to berries. From this point the builds diverge.

Original anti-FF build :

Shipment order : 1 => 2 => 3 => 4 => 5

Put the 4 villagers building the wonder to coin. Ship 600w. Build a stable with the rickshaw and annoy your enemy with the samurai. Use the 600w to build a tp and some shrines. Whenever you can ship 600c. By the time 600c arrive, you should have 400c banked. Put shrines and villagers on berries and macro for an age up with the toshogu shrine. In transition train some naginata riders and ship diplomatic intrigue (300 export).

Once in age 3, ship the flaming arrows and train the Portuguese expedition for the boosted culverin and the shadow teching crossbows. Use the naginata riders to snare while the bows shoot the musket infantry down and the culverins+flaming arrows neutralise the two falcs.

You have killed the power spike of your opponent. Congratulations. From this point to japanese things : take map control, build shrines all over the place and choke your opponent to death.

Main variant (spanish push) :

Shipment order : 1 => 2 => 3 => 4 => 5

Put the 4 villagers building the wonder to coin. Ship 600w. Build a barrack with the rickshaw and annoy your enemy with the samurai. Use the 600w to build a tp and some shrines. Whenever you can ship 600c. By the time 600c arrive, you should have 400c banked. Put shrines and villagers on berries and macro for an age up with the toshogu shrine. As soon as the wonder is placed down, break relations with the Portuguese. In transition train ashigaru musketeers and ship diplomatic intrigue (300 export). Once the export is in, ally with the Spanish.

Once in age 3, ship the flaming arrows and train the Spanish expedition for a boosted falconet backed by shadow teching roleleros. Once the flaming arrows have arrived, it is time to push and burn the enemy's base.

Industrial variant :

Shipment order : 1 => 2 => 3 => A => B => C

Put the 4 villagers building the wonder to coin. Ship 600w. Build a barrack with the rickshaw and annoy your enemy with the samurai. Use the 600w to build 2 native TPs (manually with the wood, as you don't get the discount on the 100f/100w one) and two shrines. If you can get 60 wood from treasures, you can afford a 3rd shrine. Whenever you can ship 600c and stop training villagers. By the time 600c arrive, you should have 400c banked. Put shrines and villagers on berries and macro for an age up with the shogunate. Build it with 5 villagers.

Once the wonder is under construction, shift your shrines on coin again until you have 200c banked (then back to food). Keep gathering food with your villagers. In age 3 we will ship 1000c immediately and macro for age 4. We will age up with the toshogu shrine with 6 villagers. Upon aging up you must check wether your enemy will push you with artillery or skirm+goon.

If musk+artillery, stay allied withe the Portuguese. If skirm+goons, switch alliance to the spanish.

In transition ship native crafting for a whopping 600 export, set your shrines to wood. Then, check the units you can train from native. Reassign your villagers to train something that is anticav. Ensure the unit is veteran. Since you are training natives, getting shrines out is not an absolute priority. Simply use the wood trickle to build shrines when you can.

Once in industrial, train the consulate army. With the Portuguese, you will get 3 culv royales that will neuter enemy artillery, covered by a big mass of legionaros musketeers. With the Spaniards you will get 3 field guns and plenty of lancer cavalry. The next step is to get units and shrines out using shipments.

If you start being population capped, put more villagers to coin. You can either prepare for a red seal ship timing OR ship the 29 sohei natives.