name your best army here

[akwey]

This is one of my favorite Macedon armies to use against random people at 15k CWB.

4 gold attack/gold defense Companions
2 non upgraded light lancers
5 bronze attack/gold defense Royal Pikemen
4 non upgraded Levy Pikemen
4 gold attack/gold defense archers.

I consider it fairly versatile and I'm able to attack in a number of different ways. It's biggest weakness would be skirmish armies and I wouldn't dare bring this army against any chariot faction since my heavy cavalry is the main striking force.

Another one I've been playing a lot with lately would be this one as the Seclucids. I can't remember the upgrades but I usually go with more defensive upgrades on the pikes since they're so squishy and I really need some staying power to overwhelm and surround.

5 Silver Shield Pikemen
5 Levy Pikemen
4 Silver Shield Legionaries
4 Archers, usually gold/gold
2 Greek Cavalry

This ones been kind of hit and miss. I've actually had some success against clan members using Pontus but it's been a mixed bag with everything else. I think it all comes down to whether or not I can make my opponent hesitate enough to make a few mistakes while I put on the pressure.

Everything else isn't really worth mentioning since they're very similar to the standard armies you see online every day. I do enjoy using the same kind of Macedonian army and mimicking the play style Belle used against the Heirofcarthage.

[|Sith|10|Darklord_Max]

Oh my god, What the did you cause, Belle?

[civfanatic]

As Seleucid Empire:

6 g/g Cataphracts
2 g/g Companions
6 Archers

Great way to kill Rome.

It works better with Parthia but most people don't expect Seleucids to bring such an army, so it adds an element of surprise.

[DarthLazy]

who the f gets companions? No infantry? no chaz?

[civfanatic]

who the f gets companions? No infantry? no chaz?

Lots of people expect Seleucids to bring infantry and chariots in battles against Rome, so I don't.

I don't see why you need them, either.

[roam]

Right i have recently tested a 12 pike army vs carthage as macedon and the results were not encouraging. Might be due to the fact i replaced the 2 exp levies with phalanx pikes, but idk. I don't think that works.

However my opponent did spam infrantry in almost equal numbers (i think 6 g/g sb and 4 poeni, unknown ups) vs 6 g/g pikes and 6 phalanx pike. Since sb beat royals and poenis should beat phalanx it wasn't the most successful game. Plus the fact that i had only 2 lancers compared to 1 g/g sb and 2 g/g round shields.

I think taking 12 pikes is overdueing it in general. It is very obvious what your going to do and hence carthage can respond with suitably less cav and more inf. You need to effectively encircle your opponents inf, since alone in a 1v1, your inf will lose. Royals hold for a good time but generally you'll find the sb inf winning and poeni's should be sufficient to beat phalanx pike (armenian g/g heavy spears beat phalanx pike).

This bring me on to the 2nd problem. With this much inf and arch your cav is highly limited. Carthage can very easily screw over your archers whilst your engaged, with light cav. Your pike is required to do encircling and your cav is too weak to stop carthage. Since 6 g/g slingers will lose to g/g arch, i wouldn't want to be waiting around for macedon to kill them off.

Therefore i conclude the 12 pike concept for fighting Carthage to not be a good idea. Belle's 9 pike army is far more balanced as it allows the player to bring decent cav whilst also allowing them to use sufficient infrantry to encircle.

A 12 pike army is just too infrantry oriented. Either you have no cav or you sacrifice archers. This makes it a bad idea for facing pontus, armenia or any other skirmish faction, and considering i think heavy cav is more of a solution to fighting rome, i would not advise it for that either (especially since its obvious, and urbans are better than pike)

The only time i would consider using this is vs Greece, where lack of cav is not an issue, since Greeces sucks anyway.

Case Closed. (damn i have too much free time, this is what happens 3-4 weeks after your GCSE exams have finished and you don't have anything to do :p)

Now a few other armies i've had success with.

Parthia v Scythia (as parthia)

HHM means scythia rapes parthian catas. However i have had success with this numidian army

6 g/g+1 exp camels
2 g/g long shield cav
6 g/g archers
2 g/g slingers
4 desert inf (maybe g/g)

I'd advise adding more ups to cav if you can afford everything g/g.

This is a semi-rush. Ie, you engage archer war, but since you'll lose you gotta either keep pushing scythia back so they can't fire, or kill maidens then chase archers around killing them. Long shields are your best bet to kill archers with cav since i've seen archers outrun the camels.

I used the same idea with parthia.

6 g/g+3exp bedouin camels (not camelphracts)
6 g/g+3exp arch
2 g/g archers
Either 2 g/g arabs (my preferation) or 1 g/g arabs and 1 persian HA or similar.

Same concept here. Make sure to protect archers, because i severely doubt you will rout al the scythian archers with camels. If you want you can take upgrades off the camels, or archers and take some eastern inf.

Armenia v Scythia:

Similar idea as above for Armenia

6 g/g H spears
6 g/g+1/2 exp bedouin camels
2 ha or 2 arab cav
6 g/g archers

For scythia i like:

3 g/g+1 exp maiden
3 g/g maiden
6 g/g arch
2 chosen arch
3 g/g axes
1 peasant
2 ha

You could also take exp off maidens and get a wardog. Plan is to skirmish and kill cav when isolated from inf. Axemen are quite effective against armenian heavy spears.

[medievaldude]

Numidia: (high money)

1-generals guard
5- camel cav
2-desert inf (those spear men)
6- numidian legionaries
6-numidian archers

How i deploy you may ask?

i keep the missile/ and legionarie layout, put my general in-between my first and second line of legionaries on my left flank, strong right flank of camels and desert infantry as triarii but on th first lines flank. I put my arches on stnad and fight and there highly upgraded :/. sometimes my deserts or archers support my cav

I have won 2 battles against a 1 vs 2 kind of situation: i use it only in no-rules against ppl that are talking smack

100000 dinarii, no rules:

6-8 spartans
2-3 hvy peltast
6-8 cretans
2-3 generals guard

I deploy my spartans in a lambda formation cretans are deployed in and around but close to phalanx.
peltast out fornt and cav waiting to kill missiles/infantry/ or seige engines
Makedon:

6-Hetairoi
6- royal phalanx
2- levy

my levies in the middle but stretched out, one hetairoi in wedge behind them two in regular formation behind the wedgers. the royals are divided 3 by 3 placed beside those levies but further back a bit. the remaining cav equally on each flank. i bet you guys know what I'm gonna do

[DarthLazy]

Why even pick Numidia at high money?

[medievaldude]

Why even pick Numidia at high money?

I was bored and it was quite risky facing two romans and Seleucids
my team were:
me as Numidia
my ally as Scipii
my last ally as Germania

i quickly defeated the Seleucid and half of the Brutii cavlry then pressed forth to help my allies. i killed 1243 and lost the least

[roam]

Hm the 6 cata 2 companion army would probably work vs rome. Thats 8 cav, 6 of which rape praes.

It would probably be most effective vs a skirmish army. I quite like the idea of taking 8 arch 8 heavy cav was seleucia with rome so:

6 g/g praes
2 g/g legionary cav
Either 6 unupped arch aux (for scythes) or put some attack ups and take 4
2 or 4 g/g roman arch dependant upon the above.

The logic is you have more arch so rape seles arch, and amok any scythes. Next try and get the catas separated from the inf, if sele has any. Charge the praes at the catas and use the legionary cav to flank.

With this in mind, i reckon a 6 g/g cata, 2 g/g comp and 6 g/g archer army would be pretty damn good vs that army. With catas able to rape praes and with comps able to flank its pretty effective.
Scythes would also fulfil the role of the comps but they are less reliable due to amoking tendencies.

[civfanatic]

Hm the 6 cata 2 companion army would probably work vs rome. Thats 8 cav, 6 of which rape praes.

It would probably be most effective vs a skirmish army. I quite like the idea of taking 8 arch 8 heavy cav was seleucia with rome so:

6 g/g praes
2 g/g legionary cav
Either 6 unupped arch aux (for scythes) or put some attack ups and take 4
2 or 4 g/g roman arch dependant upon the above.

The logic is you have more arch so rape seles arch, and amok any scythes. Next try and get the catas separated from the inf, if sele has any. Charge the praes at the catas and use the legionary cav to flank.

With this in mind, i reckon a 6 g/g cata, 2 g/g comp and 6 g/g archer army would be pretty damn good vs that army. With catas able to rape praes and with comps able to flank its pretty effective.
Scythes would also fulfil the role of the comps but they are less reliable due to amoking tendencies.

I've tested this army extensively, and it crushes Rome in 98% of battles, regardless of whether you're facing a rush, skirmish, or balanced army.

I bring companions instead of scythed chariots because they're more useful. The only use of scythes is to kill cavalry, but that's unnecessary when you have catas. Companions can actually chase down archers and also launch flank/rear attacks against infantry (while catas engage head-on).

[DarthLazy]

I stand corrected, never thought of companions as a replacemnt for chaz.

[KittySN]

Right i have recently tested a 12 pike army vs carthage as macedon and the results were not encouraging. Might be due to the fact i replaced the 2 exp levies with phalanx pikes, but idk. I don't think that works.

However my opponent did spam infrantry in almost equal numbers (i think 6 g/g sb and 4 poeni, unknown ups) vs 6 g/g pikes and 6 phalanx pike. Since sb beat royals and poenis should beat phalanx it wasn't the most successful game. Plus the fact that i had only 2 lancers compared to 1 g/g sb and 2 g/g round shields.

I think taking 12 pikes is overdueing it in general. It is very obvious what your going to do and hence carthage can respond with suitably less cav and more inf. You need to effectively encircle your opponents inf, since alone in a 1v1, your inf will lose. Royals hold for a good time but generally you'll find the sb inf winning and poeni's should be sufficient to beat phalanx pike (armenian g/g heavy spears beat phalanx pike).

This bring me on to the 2nd problem. With this much inf and arch your cav is highly limited. Carthage can very easily screw over your archers whilst your engaged, with light cav. Your pike is required to do encircling and your cav is too weak to stop carthage. Since 6 g/g slingers will lose to g/g arch, i wouldn't want to be waiting around for macedon to kill them off.

Therefore i conclude the 12 pike concept for fighting Carthage to not be a good idea. Belle's 9 pike army is far more balanced as it allows the player to bring decent cav whilst also allowing them to use sufficient infrantry to encircle.

A 12 pike army is just too infrantry oriented. Either you have no cav or you sacrifice archers. This makes it a bad idea for facing pontus, armenia or any other skirmish faction, and considering i think heavy cav is more of a solution to fighting rome, i would not advise it for that either (especially since its obvious, and urbans are better than pike)

The only time i would consider using this is vs Greece, where lack of cav is not an issue, since Greeces sucks anyway.

Case Closed. (damn i have too much free time, this is what happens 3-4 weeks after your GCSE exams have finished and you don't have anything to do :p)

Short version: you're not cool enough to pull it off.

Playing the pike spam has a whole host of deviant theory to it. It took me about 300 battles with Macedon to start understanding the diversity of different builds for counters, as well as my priorities depending on the opponent. It's finicky and takes a lot of micro to be successful, and I think a strength I've noticed is a lot of players don't know how to counter a well-managed spam but replicate.

Either way, just something different from the normal skirmishing.

[|Sith|10|Darklord_Max]

EG people do not rush enough.

[dacder]

I used to rush every game......
but then I stopped loving it