Byzantine Fast Imperial on Closed Maps
Byzantines get Imperial Age 33% cheaper, so this build clicks Imperial at 16:05 on 1 TC and surprises the opponent with fully upgraded monks, 2 trebuchets and a forward Castle. It is a closed-map "clown" strategy through and through — the whole game revolves around converting the enemy army while your siege does the work. Capoch streams on Twitch and Kick (kick.com/capoch).
Added 7 Sep 2026
- **6 villagers** to sheep. Start luring **deer** with the scout and hunting them with 3 villagers
- **3** to wood, building the **lumber camp**
- **1 more** to deer; the next gets the **first boar**
- **1** builds a **house**, then a **mill** on berries and stays; next **2** to berries too
- **1** to wood; the next gets the **second boar**
- **1** builds a **house** and stays on berries; the next **2** plant a **farm** each
- **1** to wood; **3** to stone (build a **mining camp**)
- **3** to gold (build a **mining camp**); when boar is finished, continue with sheep under the TC
- 9:35 **Advance to Feudal Age** (no Loom). Move 2 from under the TC: 1 to gold, 1 to wood
- **2 new villagers** to stone. Use 3 from under the TC to build the **blacksmith** (1, then stone) and **market** (2, then gold)
- 12:35 **Advance to Castle Age**. When sheep run out, those villagers build a **house** and a new **lumber camp**
- When berries run out, send them to a new **gold** (mining camp). At **750 stone** (100 to sell, rest for the Castle) send the stone villagers to gold
- Reseed the 2 farms once they are depleted
- **2 new villagers** to wood. Take 3 from gold to build a **Monastery** and **University**; start monks and collect relics
- Use 7-8 gold villagers to build the **Castle** in front of your base. Second **Monastery**; research **Sanctity, Redemption, Fervor**
- 16:05 Sell the rest of the stone and 100-200 wood, buy food, and **advance to Imperial Age**
- Train **2 Trebuchets** and push with a group of monks — do not lose units
- Research **Block Printing**; use converted units to protect the push
- New villagers to the lowest resource (food first), seed farms; secure new golds and stone for a forward Castle
- **Chemistry**, **Siege Workshop**, 2-3 **Bombard Cannons**
- **Barracks** and **Archery Range**; **Hand Cannoneers** (pikemen instead if they go Light Cavalry)
More from Capoch
Mongols on Water Maps
Mongols have no water bonus at all, but their hunters gather 40% faster, and that is enough. The hunt takes you to Feudal Age at around 5:50 — early enough to kill enemy fishing ships and own the water before the opponent has even arrived. Strong on Baltic, Mediterranean, Bog Islands and similar, and excellent on MegaRandom where hunt and water are both common. Capoch streams on Twitch and Kick (kick.com/capoch).
Saracen Fast Castle with Market Abuse
Saracens have a 5% commodity trading fee and 75 wood markets, so buying and selling costs them far less than anyone else. Open with a Drush, transition into a Fast Castle funded by the market, and hit with fast crossbows — which get +2 attack against buildings on Saracens, so enemy walls are not the obstacle they usually are. Capoch streams on Twitch and Kick (kick.com/capoch).
Aztec Siege & Monk Push on Arena
Aztecs are dangerous on Arena with a siege and monk push that grinds the opponent down while your economy keeps growing behind it. Every monastery technology gives their monks +5 HP, so the monks survive mangonel shots and scout raids long enough to keep converting. Villagers carrying more, and relics generating extra gold, fund the whole thing. Note this build skips Loom entirely. Capoch streams on Twitch and Kick (kick.com/capoch).
Burgundians on Arabia
Burgundians get economic upgrades an age early at a 50% food discount, and this build cashes that in immediately: Double-Bit Axe goes down in the Dark Age, which is why you go up on 21 pop instead of the usual 20. Safe, wall-heavy, with a very strong Cavalier Castle Age. Finish in early Imperial with Paladins — Burgundians are not a great post-Imperial civ, so the damage has to be done before then. Capoch streams on Twitch and Kick (kick.com/capoch).
Man at Arms into Archers/Skirms
Militia break walls that archers cannot, and they also scout for you: what the men-at-arms see decides whether you follow up with archers or skirmishers. Works on hybrid maps too, and pairs well with an aggressive tower denying a resource or a key position. Capoch streams on Twitch and Kick (kick.com/capoch).
Cuman 2 TC into Kipchaks
Cumans can build a second Town Center in the Feudal Age, which no other civilisation can do. Done properly it buys you an early mini boom that is very hard to answer, provided the opponent cannot get at your economy before it pays off. Capoch streams on Twitch and Kick (kick.com/capoch).