Top five UU/UB combos

[vormuir]

Which are the civs that have great UUs /and/ wonderful UBs?

5) Romans -- The Forum is an above-average but not spectactular UB. However, the Romans make the list because of the whack awesomeness of Praets.

4) Mongols -- Keshik and Ger. Both are good and, unusually, they work together. The only civ that makes it worthwhile to beeline HBR. Saddle up and destroy your neighbors!

3) HRE -- Rathaus and Landsknecht. One of the best UBs in the game, almost like being Financial or Organized for free. Solid UB, a great stack-killer and stack defender with a long life.

2) Zulus -- Synergy! The UB lets you grab an empire fast, the UU helps you support it. Both are great.

And the best UU/UB combo is...

1) Incas -- The Quechua is a "kill one neighbor free" card. The Terrace neatly solves one of the game's most annoying problems (early border pops) and also helps you grab land early. Together they make the Incas the best early rushing civ, which means one of the best civs overall.

Thoughts?


Waldo

 

[TheMeInTeam]

1. Incas. You already described why.
2. Rome. Prats just carry this.
3. Sumeria. You wreck with your axes, then you build cheap courthouses. At priesthood.
4. Mongolia. Ridiculously underrated, keshiks are outstanding and the UB adds.
5. Egypt. War chariot rush + early GP to pay for expansion or shrine that capitol you just took.

 

[Crusher1]

Inca
Rome
India
Aztec
English

 

[PaulisKhan]

1. Incas. You already described why.
2. Rome. Prats just carry this.
3. Sumeria. You wreck with your axes, then you build cheap courthouses. At priesthood.
4. Mongolia. Ridiculously underrated, keshiks are outstanding and the UB adds.
5. Egypt. War chariot rush + early GP to pay for expansion or shrine that capitol you just took.

Pretty solid list.

 

[Volapyk]

Hmm I find it interesting that nearly everyone only mentions UB/UU for getting an early game advantage. True that is indeed better to get an advantage from the beginning and then be able to utilize it for the rest of the game, but there are some good combos worth mentioning that you get later.

1: Inca, for the same reasons the rest of you have mentioned, great early synergy for early expansion both aggressively and "peacefully".

2: Rome, simply for the sheer overpowered UU, and the UB ain't that bad either.

3: Netherlands, survive to the late game and you win in through productivity power, though a lot better on water heavy maps than maps like Pangaea.

4: Sumeria, another devastating UU, and early courthouses allows for fast expansion.

5: Zulu, great expansion possibilities with UB and the UU is also very useful.

 

[r_rolo1]

Inca UU is not THAT good in general. Never understood the love for it... oh, I remember , the AI is stupid and makes archers to defend from a warrior with a super-cover inbuilt ability

Oh and my list:

Mongolia
Sumeria
Zulu
America ( yes, the UU and the UB play very well for late warfare... )
Rome

 

[futurehermit]

I think that Persia is being overlooked. The UU is excellent and, if you are using HR, health is the only limit to city growth--and the UB adds to your early vertical limit.

 

[dirtyparrot]

I'll just follow Hermit's lead and mention the Ottomans (mainly on the strength of the Janissary) should be mentionned.

 

[Bleys]

Since the heavy hitters are sort of easy to spot, I will offer some of my more "fun" combos:

Ethiopia. Ever try to out-Culture Zara on a tile? Its nearly impossible and his UB is why. Right out of the gate the Stele gives 1.25 culture a turn instead of 1. That alone saves a couple turns from that first border pop. Add in Zara's inherent CRE bonus and they have serious package. I have actually built Stonehenge with Zara, and its AMAZING how much land you can steal from the AIs with that cultural pressure. In fact, I have been considering running an RPC, Zara, Always Peace, Must win by Domination.

And the UU is no slouch either, a draftable unit that is very close to that coveted Drill IV out of the box. The main drawback of the Drill line is that its very weak at I, II, and even III, but Oromo's . . . my goodness. Ever see them vs Byzantine? They OWN Justy, and thats not easy, because his UU is WAY up there in rank, especially vs other units of its era.

Greece. Any unit that dominates its "natural counter unit" is strong in my book. And the thing I LOVE about the Odeon is that when you capture enemy cities, it can stay up, and immediately gives you culture without having to whip a theater or monument, or adjust the slider. I think the ability to quickly pop newly conquered cities is underrated, and only a few Civs have UBs that give culture, where the building it replaces doesnt.

Babylon. Yeah, I know, I am going to sound like troytheface here, but this UU is pretty nifty. Its almost impossible for AIs to take out Babylon early, that bonus vs Melee is tricky to overcome. Almost every time I play this Civ, I say "Wow, how did those 2 Archers survive THAT" after an attack by the AIs. They can even hold off Swordsmen, which is kinda handy because we all know the AI loves to build them.

The UB isnt spectacular, but extra health has already been mentioned as a nice combo with HR. I almost NEVER build Colosseums unless I play at Babylon or Greece, but you know, its one of those "sure am glad to have it" when I start Drafting.

Not sure I would put any of them in the Top 5, but they certainly deserve an Honorable Mention.

 

[Jamuka]

Inca
Egypt
Persia
Sumeria
Rome

 

[Gliese 581]

Agree on Persia, they need to be in the top 5 for sure.
Another top one is the Mayans. Resourceless UUs are so good vs barbs on high levels and you can probably rush with the holkan on lower levels. The UB is also great with an early extra 2 happiness.

Edit, so here's my list:

1. Inca
2. Rome
3. Sumeria
4. Persia
5. Egypt

Honorable mentions:

Mayans, Ottomans, Aztec.

 

[oyzar]

Against the AI Inca -> rome -> sumeria -> persia -> egypt might very well be true. Against humans not so much however. Persia and inca gets a lot weaker when the opponents doesn't just spam archers.

Rolo: america? That gotta be a joke. By best means have most impact on the game. Both the uu and the UB comes too later to have much of any impact...

 

[r_rolo1]

Oyzar, I fail to see where that definition is written in the OP, or elsewhere. America UB is definitely the more powerful UB in game per se ( beat food, health , cash multiplier and extra from resources ) and it only lacks luster in ancient start games, where ( as you pointed ) the game is decided much earlier.

But just a reminder: you aren't forced to start in ancient era and not all the games will be decided in rifle age, unless ( that is my opinion ... feel free to disagree ) you are playing a level below your actual skills.

 

[CIVPhilzilla]

I personally like Germany's combo. Assembly plant is great for quick production boost, especially with a specialist economy, allowing it to pump out Panzers non-stop.

 

[vormuir]

5. Egypt. War chariot rush + early GP to pay for expansion or shrine that capitol you just took.

I considered Egypt, but I couldn't quite put them in the top 5 because their UB is so situational. If you start with a food-rich capital site, then yeah, getting a GP by turn 40 or so is just awesome. But if you don't, it's much less good.


Waldo

 

[futurehermit]

I wouldn't call the Egypt UB situational. Any early city with a bit of surplus food can run 2 priests to generate early GPs either for bulbing, shrines, or settling to help fund expansion.

 

[Ghpstage]

I considered Egypt, but I couldn't quite put them in the top 5 because their UB is so situational. If you start with a food-rich capital site, then yeah, getting a GP by turn 40 or so is just awesome. But if you don't, it's much less good.


Waldo

I'm not sure on the difficulties above Emperor but the Obelisk seems to me to be a guarantee to getting the AP while also a fantastic expansion aid. Doesn't need to be in the capital. when I play Egypt I usually run them everywhere I would normally run Scientists, they are after all much cheaper and earlier than libraries

 

[Ranfal Spectrum]

1. Mongolia - Ger pumps up your Keshik and they go raiding across the Earth. LONG LIVE THE GOLDEN HORDE!

2. Inca - Quecha destroy your foe before they can build much more than a few warriors or archers, and then the Terrace ensures your victory in the ensuing culture war.

3. Byzantium - Don't underestimate the power of the Cataract to sweep across the map and knock off city after city. The Hippodrome, meanwhile, keeps your conquered citizens happy and expands their borders.

4. Germany - In the late game, there is nothing worse to be staring down the barrel of than a Panzer tank, and Assembly Plants will have you facing more than a few of them.

5. Persia - Okay, I admit it. I'm a total sucker for Mounted UUs. I think Mounted Units are the god of this game and I use them quite a bit, probably too much. But the speed of Immortals, as other Mounted UUs, is an all-important factor in conquering, and they've got the strength to back it up. The Apoc will, as always, keep your nation nice and tidy as you expand it exponentially.

Who else?

6. Holy Rome - The UB is one of the best out there in my opinion; the reduction in maintenance, combined with Charlemagne's IMP trait, begs you for a big empire, and the UU gives you both what you need to defend and expand it.

 

[AlienSexFilth]

1: Inca
2: Egypt
3: Mongolia
4: Rome
5: Greece

Mind that this is only a UU/UB rate. The tech diffrence between the two play a major role imho, in order to put both of them in good use. Also, the era available play major role..

 

[btgwynn]

Vikings!

Additional movement point for ships and amphibious promotion for macemen together? Turtle up until you have CS and Machinery, go to Theocracy and Vassalage and build the army that will dominate the world. Have fun with them in the interim, but they really shine when you have combustion and assembly line. CR promoted berserkers upgraded to infantry coming in on transports and destroyers with extra mobility? Game over.