Diplomatic Victory Elimination Thread

This thread is moderator approved.

Alright, this is the first of what I hope to be a new series of elimination threads sorting out what civ/leader combination is best equipped for achieving each victory type, starting with the newest one, the diplomatic victory. You are free to rationalize your selections however you wish. You are encouraged to include any aspect of the civilization/leader including unique infrastructure, units, or abilities.


Previous Gathering Storm Elimination Threads
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/civ-unique-ability-elimination-thread.648643/
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/gathering-storm-leader-ability-elimination-thread.649233/
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/unique-unit-elimination-thread.647892/

Before GS Elimination Threads
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/civilization-ability-elimination-thread.639612/
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/leader-ability-elimination-thread.637762/
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/unique-unit-elimination-thread.631713/
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/unique-infrastructure-elimination-thread.638688/

Rules:
- Roughly every 24 hours you may vote. You add one point to one feature and take away three points from another.
- Posts with missing upvote or downvote are skipped. Only voting posts are allowed in this thread.
- You must write a reason for each upvote and downvote. We are rating civs mainly regarding power but flavour is also taken into account.
- Voting many times for the same thing is allowed, though it is really recommended to spread your votes among many civs if possible because at some point it starts being annoying and unfair.
- Delete the previous voters comments, and indicate your comments in some way (bold, italicize, color, something that will draw attention)
- We only vote basing on CURRENT power of unique features based on MOST RECENT PATCH for Gathering Storm.

Starting scores
1. Alexander/Macedon [20]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [20]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [20]
10. Frederick/Germany [20]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [20]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [20]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [20]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [20]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [20]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [20]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [20]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [20]
40. Tamar/Georgia [20]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [20]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [20]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

Hmm....

1. Alexander/Macedon [20]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [20]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [20]
10. Frederick/Germany [20]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [20]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [20]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17](20-3) Gotta start somewhere. Doesn't have anything that would really help from a Diplomatic standpoint other than a military emergency against a civ that just happens to be in a golden age.
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [20]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [20]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [20]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [20]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [20]
40. Tamar/Georgia [20]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21](20+1) The extra diplomatic favor per wild slot really starts to add up in the later eras.
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [20]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [17] 20 - 3 I'll be honest, Diplo Victory isn't well explored, but in my limited experience it's based on building certain wonders and, more importantly, gaining Favor to score winning votes. You actively lose Favor per turn for causing grievances, so I'm so far planning on spreading downvotes to warmongers and Alex is the top of the list.
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [20]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [20]
10. Frederick/Germany [20]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [20]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [20]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [20]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [20]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [21] 20 + 1 On the other hand, scoring Suzerainty is the surest way to gain Favor per turn, so I'll be upvoting leaders who excel at gaining and maitaining Suzerainty, like Pericles.
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [20]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [20]
40. Tamar/Georgia [20]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [20]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [17]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17] (20-3) Ideally should incur formal war grievances every 10 turns on standard speed. Not very diplomatic, eh?
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [20]
10. Frederick/Germany [20]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [20]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [20]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [20]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [20]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [21]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [20]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [20]
40. Tamar/Georgia [21] (20+1) Manage your religion well, and become suzerain with every city state thanks to the doubled envoys and right beliefs.
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [20]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [17]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [20]
10. Frederick/Germany [17] 20-3 You want to kill the city-states? Not helpful for this victory type.
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [20]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [20]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [20]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [21] 20+1 With a little luck, the right governor and a good economy, Hungary can suze all the city-states very quickly.
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [21]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [20]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [20]
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [20]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

So I will start with my 2 favourite civs in game

1. Alexander/Macedon [14] 17-3 You want constant war and haevy producton (=pollution) for science conversion. This is designed to win science/domination before any civ reaches 8 points, so why aim for diplo
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [20]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [20]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [20]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [20]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [21]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [21]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [21] Being crazy crazy reach helps to win evry aid requests for +2 diplo points (just constantly drstroy dams or increase disaster level) and goldrush any mission city state ask you . Hvng many huge productive cities helps in projects and science to reach decarbonate projects and building crucial wonders as well. Strong early production and growth because of mekewaps make some little hope to get Apadana except deity. Shared visibility for any alliance and additional gold you get from allied incoming trade routes make you want keeping all alliance slots filled. As Cree you also beeline Civil Service before anything else for strong Mekewap boost, so acces alliances earlier than civs who usually go Feudalism route. You don't kill City States, because they send traders to you as well, and that means cash. Unexpected diplo powerhouse because of flexibility, though there are other civs strictly designed for diplo victory
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [20]
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [20]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [20]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [20]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [20]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [20]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22] 21+1 - He can suzerain a lot of City-States fast, he has an easy time liberating conquered CS that are far from his territory, since he doesn't need to move troops there, just levy nearby units. He can build a strong infrastructure fast with the district/building discount, which helps to achieve a strong balanced empire, which is good for Diplomatic since it's a victory that benefit from a strong progress on every aspect of a Civ (Science and culture to get the tree points, production to build wonders, faith because the Mahabodhi Temple require a religion and once you have a religion, you gonna get conversion quests from City-States, which can be doubled with the Religious Unity belief, which gives +1 envoy when you convert a CS. Edit: I forgot to say gold, which is obviously good for aid requests). It's a powerful Civ overhaul with a strong City-States game. It's also fun as hell to have no army of your own, using a mercenary army instead.
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [21]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [21]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu {17] 20-3 - He has zero advantages outside of military, so unless you're planning to play your diplo victory like a domination victory, there isn't much sense picking him.
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [20]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [20]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17] = 20 - 3. Any civ that is purely domination focused and little else seems bad for diplomacy and Genghis fits the bill.
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [20]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21] = 20 + 1. Hard to see any direct reason why Mali would be good for a diplo victory but I'm giving him an upvote because it is the only civ I've won a diplo victory. And I did it by accident too. Perhaps all that gold income meant I didn't have to trade away diplo favor to keep my economy afloat.
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [21]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [21]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [17]
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [20]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17] = 20 - 3 No one is really bad at diplo victories. Even warmonger civs can conquer everyone but 1 civ so that they can't downvote you for World Leader. Eleanor can flip city states though with her ability and thus take them out of the game which could be bad. I guess. This doesn't happen if you are allied to them already though. I'm not sure what happens if you refuse them with her since they don't go through the free state phase. Do they remain city states or free states? Eleanor France is probably slightly better since she can build the few wonders you need slightly faster.
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [20]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [21]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22] = 21 + 1 The Cree are the only civ that I have gotten a diplo victory with so they get an upvote. They aren't really better at it than anyone else though.
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [17]
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [20]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

This is a good idea, though I'm not sure I would've started with the diplomatic victory.

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [17] (20-3) Maximizing Norway means pillaging as much as possible, which means you pretty much always want to be at war with *somebody*. The grievances add up.
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [22] (21+1) I've never had more diplomatic favor than when playing as Pericles.
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [17]
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [20]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [20]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [17]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweeden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [23] (22+1) Since not many civs have clear synergies with diplo victory this is a weird elimination thread. Presumably the winners will just be the civs with the most DF generation. Others have tangential benefits for DV, wonder production? More money? Am I missing something? Not sure if this was the best victory type to try this for...
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [17]
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [17] ...Meanwhile well downvote warmongers and people incentivized to pollute as they gain less DF. Victoria hits both these themes though to be fair so does Frederick.
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [21] (20+1) You're going to use spies anyway, but Catherine's are better and less likely to mess up, causing grievances. France also let's you build a few of the Diplomatic Point wonders a little bit faster...
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [17]
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweden [20]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [23]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [14] (17-3) War, war, and war. You're going to piss everybody off. And if you purposely hold back and only attack emergency targets or globally hated civs, you're losing a lot of Zulu potential.
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [17]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

Not sure this is really going to work for an elimination thread, as much of the game is available equally to all civs. Only a few civs have obvious bonuses, and all of the penalties to Diplo Victory are just "playing the game". I'm down to try, though.

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [21]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [14] (17 - 3) Does pillaging stuff help with diplo victory or maybe boats? I'm sure we'll find out when people start to upvote this civ for no reason! Oh I know the stave church helps with diplo victory because reasons! I guess you could say since you pillage and not take cities your wars don't ruin your reputation!
17. Hojo Tokimune/Japan [20]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweden [21] - (20 + 1) Diplo victory civ right? +50 DF for each GP and three unique contests that are easy to win.
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [23]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [14]
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [17]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [21]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [14]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweden [21]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [24] [23+1] All the suzes from all the envoys. Extra culture from Surrounded by Glory help you fly through the civics tree, obtaining additional envoys, the free Diplo win point, and advanced governments. No need to war, which is counter productive for the Diplo exercise.
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [11] [14-3] Honestly, we could all downvote many of these warmongers simultaneously. The final order of the list won't necessarily be indicative of Diplo strength - at least not in the lower tiers. I'll give my first downvote to Shaka, as I'm likely to be the first to upvote him for the inevitable Domination thread.
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [17]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [21]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [14] (17-3) So Frederick has an ability that gives him extra combat strength against city-states, which by suzerainty give you diplomatic favor... Therefore his ability promotes attacking and eliminating possibly the best source of diplomatic favor. In conclusion, he probably isn't the best at this type of victory.
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [14]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweden [21]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [24]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [8] (11-3)
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [22] (21+1) One of the only abilities in the game that actually produces diplomatic favor, and as someone has stated before, favor per wildcard slot really begins to build up in the late game.
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [17]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [21]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [14]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweden [22] 21+1. Sweden's 50dp per great person is incredibly powerful when combined with Oracle and Pingala. Plus Bologna and Antananarivo if you're lucky. Also the additional Nobel prize competitions are easy ways to get Diplo points.
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [24]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [8] 11-3. More of a token vote for a civ with no real bonuses towards Diplo victories.
40. Tamar/Georgia [21]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [17]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [21]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [20]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [14]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweden [22]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [24]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu 5 [8-3] Several others just as bad. Time to quickly get rid of the chaff.
40. Tamar/Georgia 22 [21+1] Played to it's maximum potential makes Georgia a top 5 in diplomacy for certain.
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [17]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20

 

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [21]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [21] (20+1) Alliances are one of the most underrated sources of favor and Cleo gets these upgraded faster. Arguably, she can also build Mohdbodi Temple faster than most. The bonus gold from trade routes also helps so you can trade for favor. Lastly, sphinx gives culture, which gets you through the civics tree faster, upgrading your government tier sooner.
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [14]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweden [22]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [24]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [5]
40. Tamar/Georgia [22]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [14] (17-3) Pollution grievances really pull down you favor in the late game, when you need it most.
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [20]
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

Thanks for giving this a try everyone!

 

I'm not really familiar with DV, but I guess the key shall be

1: When you start researching future Civic it gives you 50 diplo favors per turn(assuming you're finishing it every turn), that is much better than any other kind of things (for example, grievance and carbon emssion both cap at -10, only a small number compared to 50). So don't care much about grievance or carben emission penalty, all you need to do is to beeline Future Civic.

2: You shall be on a one-against other race, every AI has one free vote to vote you down by 3, and their extra votes cost less than you. Suppose 5 AIs give you -2, they spend 50 altogther. However you have to use +11 to counter which will cost you 550. You shall face the sum of all who vote against you.

So it is best to keep an only opponent instead of keeping everyone else alive. (This also helps you to avoid culture victory before you get DV). If you only have one opponent, on every congress you can win all issues, vote yourself up by 2, and gain from winning issues maybe 4. Within a few congresses you'll win.

3: There is a tech that gives you 1 diplo VC point? Also don't forget wonders that grant you points.

1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [21]
4. Chandragupta/India [20]
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [21]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [14]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweden [22]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [24]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [6=5+1] I tend to upvote this one. Shaka is quite good at fulfilling the 2nd step. Shall not be eliminated so quickly.
40. Tamar/Georgia [22]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [14]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [17=20-3] Canada is very bad at fulfilling the 2nd step. Although he gets extra Diplo favors, that doesn't help. If you eliminate all others except one, you're sure to get all points. If you don't do that, the little extra amount doesn't help. You have to avoid CV so you shall not have a lot of tourism.
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]

 

As a general thought outside my vote things that indirectly help with diplomatic victory:

1. Generating a religion (needed for mahabodi temple) (which means early wild card slots are good here).
2. Reducing grievances from various causes (directly removes diplo favor).
3. Polluting less (generates grievances which cause pollution)
4. Generating lots of culture (future civic provides diplo favor + endgame tech/civic that provides diplo point).
5. Gold for purchasing diplo favor off people can always be useful, though is on the weaker end here.


1. Alexander/Macedon [14]
2. Amanitore/Nubia [20]
3. Catherine/France [21]
4. Chandragupta/India [17] (20-3) Allows for you to do war better, directly opposite the desire of generating diplo favor.
5. Cleopatra/Egypt [21]
6. Cyrus/Persia [17]
7. Dido/Phoenicia [20]
8. Eleanor/France [20]
9. Eleanor/England [17]
10. Frederick/Germany [17]
11. Gandhi/India [20]
12. Genghis Khan/Mongolia [17]
13. Gilgamesh/Sumeria[20]
14. Gitarja/Indonesia [20]
15. Gorgo/Greece [20]
16. Harald Hardrada/Norway [14]
18. Jadwiga/Poland [20]
19. Jayavarman/Khmer [20]
20. John Curtain/Australia [20]
21. Kristina/Sweden [22]
22. Kupe/Maori [20]
23. Lautaro/Mapuche [17]
24. Mansa Musa/Mali [21]
25. Matthias Corvinus/Hungary [22]
26. Montezuma/Aztec [20]
27. Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo [20]
28. Pachacuti/Inca [20]
29. Pedro/Brazil. [20]
30. Pericles/Greece [24]
31. Peter/Russia [20]
32. Philip/Spain [20]
33. Poundmaker/Cree [22]
34. Qin Shi Huang/China [20]
35. Robert the Bruce/Scotland [20]
36. Saladin/Arabia [20]
37. Seondeok/Korea [20]
38. Suleiman/Ottomans [20]
39. Shaka/Zulu [6].
40. Tamar/Georgia [22]
41. Teddy Roosevelt/America [21]
42. Tomyris/Scythia [20]
43. Trajan/Rome [20]
44. Victoria/England [14]
45. Wilfrid Laurier/Canada [18] (17+1) I am by no means a fan of Canada, but they're one of the only civs that gain a direct bonus to diplomatic favor, and its synergizing well with their unique unit and unique improvement. Maybe not the best, but likely top 10.
46. Wilhemina/Netherlands [20]