Introducing the "Play all Civs" challenge

[Thrar]

Progress Update - Maltese

Week 20 with the Maltese is completed. I played 42 games with a 45% win rate.

I haven't played in over a year so it took a bit of time to shake off the rust and come to terms with the civ. Even now, I basically always do one of three things: Market opening into bow/pike rush, TP/market into German tongue and eco age 2, or TP/market into German tongue and a batch of hussars (followed by eco or units).
It's interesting being essentially forced into age 2 play because age 3 has very little to offer and requires a shipment to age fast. I can't think of any civ that's more discouraged from FF or semi-FF than Malta. I found this to be a problem against civs like China (my worst win rate), who, if uncontested, will go age 3 and hit me with a deathball, while at the same time having enough units in age 2 to be resilient to an early push. I suppose the answer might be to sit in base for a short while, get Wignacourt, and hit them at 8 minutes or so, but bow/pike just doesn't feel great against a civ with strong light infantry and melee cav.

I would like to mess with fixed guns and depots more, but since so much of the game takes place in age 2 and I rarely use gunpowder units, I rarely find a good opportunity to use them. Upgraded crossbows with steel bolts are a lot of fun though!

That, at long last, completes the challenge for me. Thank you all for following along and your support!

[Miyawaki Sakura]

British
Dutch(2023/10/27)
French
Germans
Ottomans(2023/11/23)
Portuguese
Russians(2023/09/19)
Spanish
Aztecs
Haudenosaunee(2023/11/14)
Lakota(2024/05/03)
Chinese(2023/11/05)
Indians(2023/11/16)
Japanese(2023/11/06)
Americans(2024/04/19)
Incas
Swedes(2023/10/27)
Ethiopia
Hausa(2023/11/07)
Mexico(2023/11/03)
Italy(2023/11/19)
Malta(2023/10/11)

USA gave me 2k elo.

I was so surprised.
Because USA is still OP.
When will DE fix this deformed civ?

[Miyawaki Sakura]

British
Dutch(2023/10/27)
French
Germans
Ottomans(2023/11/23)
Portuguese
Russians(2023/09/19)
Spanish
Aztecs
Haudenosaunee(2023/11/14)
Lakota(2024/05/03)
Chinese(2023/11/05)
Indians(2023/11/16)
Japanese(2023/11/06)
Americans(2024/04/19)
Incas
Swedes(2023/10/27)
Ethiopia
Hausa(2023/11/07)
Mexico(2023/11/03)
Italy(2023/11/19)
Malta(2023/10/11)


Lakota gave me 2.1k elo

I copied 3 bo that Lakota players tried on me in the previous tournament and it was pretty solid.

Thanks to this, I didn't have to put much effort into learning Lakota.

[gibson]

@bobenjoyer why toxic?