Bow-pike army

An adaptation of a similar build order for the French. Unlike the French, the Spanish do not have access to the quartermaster age up. However, their shipment discount bonus allows us to ship 300w in transition without delaying 700w much.

As with the French BO, the deck presented here supports two builds :

• A crossbow-pike rush
• A fast industrial into papal guard

Age I :

Market opening. Get a coin treasure to afford hunting dogs as fast as possible then chop for a house. The timing is tight if you do not want to idle the TC.

Your first shipment is 3 villagers. The builds diverge from this point.

Build 1 : Crossbow rush

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

Age up with the naturalist (2 settlers and 2 cows). You have a lot to do in transition :

• Collect enough food for gangsaw and queue a settler. Explorer focus on wood and XP treasures.
• Shift all settlers (bar one or two for herding) to wood.
• Send 300w in transition. Once the crates are are, collect two crates with settlers and build two houses. The XP from the houses is important to make sure you have a shipment available when you reach age 2.
• Keep collecting wood until you have 425 banked (525 if you picked up the 3rd wood crate). Then send 2 settlers forward and shift the others to coin and bank 125 coin.

When you reach age 2, send 700w immediately. Build a barrack forward and collect the last wood crate on the ground. Research steel traps at the market. New settlers on wood.

Train crossbows or pikement at the barrack and dogs with your explorer.

Once the 700w arrive, collect with 3 settlers, build a 2nd barrack, a house and keep training crossbows and pikemen. Ship 600w. Keep growing your army. Push if you see an opening, otherwise ship military units then push. The alternative if you see a turtle is to send 700c and macro for age 3 to target the industrial age (cf build 2).

Build 2 : fast industrial

Shipment order : A=>B=>C=>D=>E=>F

Age up with the governor. In transition chop for a TP or a church (on no TP maps). And macro for age 3.

In age 2 ship 700c followed by 700w (barracks, house, placer mines, some unts to cover yourself). Age up with the scout (huss do defend against artillery if needed).

In age 3 gather 1000f and 1200c in preparation of age 4. Any excess resource can be used to train archaic units. Ship either the fort or 2 falconets to cover yourself followed by 1000f. Age up with the papal guard then ship 1000w.

In transition research veteran crossbow and veteran pikemen and bank 300w and 300c for tercio pikemen in age 4.

Once you reach age 4, research the heavily discounted guard upgrades, then flood the zone.

Note : for an anti water variant of the deck, replace the cards market with "W" with the two caravels and one frigate.