I've now played a few games since the militaristic civs were buffed, and have noted that Japan has been a dominant player all the way through. This includes fighting large, scientifically advanced civs like America. And in one game Mongolia got off to a strong start and was the leading civ among 5 when I quit (CS issue). This is worth keeping in mind both in how to buff the civ, and in what's working best with the AI warmongering boosts.