Standard army age 2 play

This deck started as a variation of the old han defense build order, then evolved to its current form. It is designed to support two builds leaning into heavy age 2 play :

• Main build : A semi FF leaning on the standard army that does not require a trade route.
• Alternative build : A late colonial flood with standard army.

Since the two builds use completely different opening, they will be presented separately. I cannot say they are variants. The main build is designed to handle crossbow rushes/timing that the Old Han build struggles with. It is worse against heavy cavalry openings.

Main build (Standard army semi-FF)

Game plan :

Perform a 2 villages opening, then protect yourself from agression while preparing to age up to fortress.

Shipment order : 1=>2=>3

Age I :

Perform a standard two villages opening. Gather your crates then put two new villagers on wood until you have 180 wood for the second village. Priority on wood treasures until the village is built, then focus food treasures. Your first shipment is northern refugees.

Age up with the summer palace with 16 villagers. build it with 4 villagers. In transition keep 5 villagers on food to keep the TC working. The other villagers chop 200w (for a war academy) then go to coin.

Age II :

Ship 700w asap. Take two villagers who were building the landmark to gather the food crates, while the other two build the war academy. Train one standard army as soon as you can. Set the summer palace to standard (if the enemy opens barracks) or ming (if the enemy opens stable). New villagers go to food. Once your second standard army is in queue in the war academy, take all your villagers off gold back to food.

Once the 700w arrives, shift some villagers to coin. Pick the wood crates up with 3/4 villagers. Use some of this wood to train an old han army. What you do with the rest of the wood, depends on the flow of battle :

• Little to no pressure : one TP/monastery, one village, one market and some upgrades. Prepare to age up with 700c next. Stop training armies.
• The enemy is investing in heavy age 2 play : two villages, one TP/monastery. Your next shipment is likely 600w for a consulate, one more village and market+upgrades. Keep training armies from your war academy.
• The enemy is agressively coming to you : one village, one castle, one market. Consider shipping military units and call sentries.

Alternative build (Late age 2 flood)

Game plan :

Perform a french consulate opening, then prepare your economy to support unit production from two barracks and flood the enemy's base.

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

Age I :

Perform a village+consulate opening. Gather your crates then put two new villagers on wood until you have 180 wood for the second village. Priority on wood treasures until the village is built, then focus food treasures. Once the consulate wagon arrives, ally with the French and send the 400f crate to age up. 

Build the porcelain tower with 4 villagers. Keep 5 villagers on hunt to maintain villager production. Your remaining villagers will macro for market upgrades. Your 2nd shipment will be commodities market (i.e a variant of "advanced market" the favours selling food rather than buying wood). Build the market. Research the first food upgrade, the first general upgrade and bank enough coin for the 2nd food upgrade. The shift villagers back to food and break relations with the French.

Age II :

Set the porcelain tower to collect wood and research the 2nd food upgrade at the market. It is the most efficient mode. Ship 700w and start banking food. If you reach 180w banked before the 700w crate arrives (treasures help) build one village. Ally with the Germans whenever you can.

Once the 700w arrive, pick it up with 5 villagers, build 2 war academies and one village. Sell food at the market to train standard armies out of your two academies. Your next shipment is 700c to fuel army production. Whenever you have enough export, get the wood trickle from the German consulate.

Your 5th shipment will vary depending on how the game goes :

• 600c : You want to age up
• Northern refugees : Worth if you have at least 5 villages. Excellent way to accelerate your economy
• 600w : more TP/villages, production of ming armies
• Military shipment : you want to push a base

Notes :

Upgrade cards were chosen to enable a switch to a Mongol army composition backed up by flame throwers. Feel free to swap the cards marked with "U" for upgrades more suited to your favourite composition.