Most Flexible Leader?

[Hereditary Rule]

What is your opinion on the most flexible leader/civ in the game, taking into account traits, UB, and UU?

To judge this, imagine you're going to play the following games shooting for the following victory conditions, and you MUST use this one CIV for every singel game (I know, it would get old eventually, but for the sake of argument).

For all games, EPIC Speed, restricted leaders, and random opponents (normal to large map sizes).

1. Continents, any victory
2. Pangaea, any victory
3. Fractal, any victory
4. Random map, Space Race
5. Random map, Culture
6. Random map, Domination
7. Random map, Conquest
8. Random map, Diplomacy

What CIV would you say gives you the best chance of winning all of these games types on the difficulty level you play?

I can't come up with a great answer, I like a lot of CIV's.

Thoughts?

 

[Julian Delphiki]

Only thing that really springs up to mind is Spiritual. If i had to choose one leader, it would be Brennus, if two then Brennus & Hatty probably. Gandhi is also good, but first mentioned are better at war.

Ramesses II would get honorary nomination from me as well.

 

[semirami]

Huayna Capac and Mansa for all types, except Fractal, where I want Ragnar.

 

[RockTheCazbah87]

Darius, Capac and Hannibal for military victories, but Huayna's also useful for Culture. Pericles is especially nice for Culture victories, and Zara and Justinian are two wildcards - they handle every situation well.

 

[madscientist]

I agree with the previous poster, Hyuna is the most powerful AI for any map or victory type.

Second would be Asoka, spiritual can lead to cultural and diplomatic wins via a religion spam. I also thin Asoka is on eof the best war-mongers even without the warring traits. Spiritual to switch between peaceful building and military buildup. Oragnized let's him run the pricey civics while keeping alot of conquered land. HE can nail an early religion (and thus shrine) helping the economy and get BW very early for an axe-rush. He is the most versatile.

 

[RockTheCazbah87]

@ Madscientist:

I have to agree. Asoka is one hell of a versatile leader - for all the reasons you put forward, and his UU is one of the best in the game - it stays in play from 4000BC to 2000AD. He's also good to REX with, with his Organized trait.

 

[Janus0]

Askoa.. spiritual and organized are useful on any map, any victory condition, and their UU is completely awsome.
Hatty and Ramses for the same reason, though I like India's UU better.

But my all-time favorite is Washington, especially as my difficulty level gets higher. Having 2 free pop in every city is absolute cake.

 

[Gliese 581]

HC and Stalin.

 

[DigitalBoy]

Brennus

Spiritual + Charismatic is about as flexible as you can get, and having Mysticism as a starting tech gives you a shot at early religion.

 

[Mr. Civtastic]

I might vote for the Romans because after an initial Praet war or two you can basically choose which type of win you want.

 

[Cookie Crumbs]

Asoka of the Indians springs to mind:
1. Spiritual is a very flexible trait. It's useful for diplomatic and military victories, as well as easing diplomacy in cramped maps.
2. Organized lends itself to warmongering or REXing, and you'll be doing one of the other. It can also be leveraged throughout the game and on any map: lighthouses are excellent on watery maps, courthouses are early cheap buildings and factories are late-game cheap buildings. And the Organized trait only gets better later in the game.
3. The Fast Worker is ALWAYS useful, and never obsoletes.
4. Mausoleums ara late in the game but they're good for late victories, so you have another late-game bonus to leverage as well.

In short: Asoka's traits/UB/UU are such that you have lots to leverage throughout the game conferring the bonuses late-game (Space Race/Cultural/Diplo) or early-game (Conq/Dom) victories.

 

[duende29]

I'd say Elizabeth, since she can handle both SE/CE, which are early and late game economies respectively, and you can use one or the other to suit your needs, for example CE if you get to grab lots of land, SE if you have neighbors to take out. Rifles will be used if the game gets to that age, and Redcoats get an advantage over any stack of units except siege. Plus you know how powerful Banks can be to CE economies... Well, Stock Exchange is 15% more powerful.

Huayna is also great, getting an early rush unit and having Fin to shoot for late games, plus Ind to compensate in the middle.

 

[CivCorpse]

I might vote for the Romans because after an initial Praet war or two you can basically choose which type of win you want.

And if you start with no iron? Or an isolated start?

 

[CivCorpse]

I'd say Elizabeth, since she can handle both SE/CE, which are early and late game economies respectively, and you can use one or the other to suit your needs, for example CE if you get to grab lots of land, SE if you have neighbors to take out. Rifles will be used if the game gets to that age, and Redcoats get an advantage over any stack of units except siege. Plus you know how powerful Banks can be to CE economies... Well, Stock Exchange is 15% more powerful.

Huayna is also great, getting an early rush unit and having Fin to shoot for late games, plus Ind to compensate in the middle.

I have to agree on Lizzy, though the best way to play her is neither an SE or a CE, but a hybrid of the two. One heavily cottaged science city(with the financial trait) and a good GP farm(with the philosophical trait) dumping loads of GS into that science city means other early cities can be production cities. Placing the GS in the science city frees up a space in the GPfarm for Globe theatre, allowing you to run Representation instead of HR.
For cultural wins, the finacial trait gives you a lot of bang when running 100% culture and the GP farm can crank out GA's like crazy. For space wins tech is the king and you have that. For warmongering, you get a tech jump on everyone and attack with better units....plus there are always redcoats.

 

[Mr. Civtastic]

And if you start with no iron? Or an isolated start?

Key word...might. All things being equal (noting your starts) I'd have to vote for Elizabeth.

 

[futurehermit]

Liz definitely, hands down.

Space: Philosophical for GSs. You can do a lot of good things with a lot of early GSs. Financial to power tech drive.

Culture: Philosophical for GPs and GAs. You can shave a lot of turns off with a pile of late-game GAs. Financial to power culture slider.

Domination/Conquest: Philosophical/financial for bulbing/teching your way to rifling. UU to conquer the world.

Diplomacy: Philosophical/Financial to bulb/tech your way to Mass Media.

Phil/Fin benefit you in any situation. That is why they are top tier traits imo.

 

[Kennigit]

Liz wins. and I'd say Hannibal and Darius come close.

Their financial takes care of space race, culture, and diplomatic victories.
Darius's early UU and Hannibal's charismatic takes care of Conquest/domination. Although they are not the best for winning a fast conquest/domination, if you conquer 1 person early on its very easy to get a tech lead and abuse any new units you have (calvary, tanks, rifles, etc). Lizzy would fair better by just abusing a tech lead instead of an early war and head in later (especially in BtS).

Other traits such as organized/aggressive help, but aren't as versatile.

 

[StuntedAzrael]

My vote for Elizabeth also. futurehermit is speaking my toughts. The most versatile leader. I'd put Darius here as a second. Fin/Org has great synergy, exceptional UU (if you have horses) and very good UB. After Guilds, Darius is practically Expansive also. Excellent timing if you ask me.

 

[duende29]

I have to agree on Lizzy, though the best way to play her is neither an SE or a CE, but a hybrid of the two. One heavily cottaged science city(with the financial trait) and a good GP farm(with the philosophical trait) dumping loads of GS into that science city means other early cities can be production cities. Placing the GS in the science city frees up a space in the GPfarm for Globe theatre, allowing you to run Representation instead of HR.
For cultural wins, the finacial trait gives you a lot of bang when running 100% culture and the GP farm can crank out GA's like crazy. For space wins tech is the king and you have that. For warmongering, you get a tech jump on everyone and attack with better units....plus there are always redcoats.

Yup, actually I had wrote down hybrid but I edited the post because I wasn't sure/have no experience with it. But yes, Liz can do everything; she might not be particularly strong in certain periods of time, like other traits/UU/UB combos are, but since economy is the drive of everything and she excels at it, she's the most flexible leader we have. I however do not usually pick her because I rather play more focused leaders and get more experience when I'm not playing random.

 

[Gooblah]

The two Indian Leaders are both tops for this, in my opinion;

I haven't experimented too much with BTS leaders; I'm yet to try out Churchill, Stalin, De Gaulle, the Celts, the Dutch, and Augustus...