Hi all, welcome to my guide to Michi! In this guide I am hoping to effectively get across to you all the best ways to play the above map, predominantly in a team game situation, but the same concepts can be applied to an FFA game to some extent.
This guide will be based on the “Clean Michi” which includes more elements than your basic Michi including Relics, Hills and a better aesthetic appeal.
Now firstly,
What’s Michi?
Michi is a map in which Teams are separated by a vast line of trees. On each side are bountiful amounts of gold, stone, deer, sheep, boar, wood clusters and relics. The Clean Michi also features natural elements such as hills like you would find on any other random map.
What’s The Objective?
The objective of the game is to cut through to your opponent’s side and lay waste to them! Now as the pool of trees in the middle is rather large, the most effective way to achieve this is to utilise Siege Onagers to flatten the trees for you, thus creating an effective path. If your civ does not get these, Trebuchets also work, but they are much slower and less accurate, sometimes the best way to win is to catch your enemies by surprise and cut through where they least expect it.
What Are The Settings?
The settings are almost the same as the standard settings for any random map game. 200 pop, low resources, EXPLORED map, Conquest victory, Lock teams, lock speed etc.
Some Michi games also implement house rules that put an agreement between players in place so that no-one “cuts” before a certain time limit, usually between 40 and 50 minutes. This effectively gives everyone a suitable opportunity to boom and plan when and how the cut will take place.
How Should I Play?
Like with most maps, there is no exact build order or exact set procedure you should follow, but the main points to focus on in a team game are as follows:
- TRADE: As each side have almost an entire width of the map of free space it is important to utilise a strong trade route as soon as you can. Gold will be depleted quickly and the income for Relics is relatively slow. By keeping your trade safe and flowing you can keep a gold-heavy army sustained for longer.
- Defend your cut: As both sides are going to be funnelled into a small area there is no doubt going to be absolute carnage when both sides hit. This bottle neck is usually littered with swarms of dead troops, broken Siege and more notably, Towers. Effective tower civs such as Turks and Koreans are popular civ choices when playing Michi as the range on their Towers are unmatched, with copious amounts of Bombard Cannons and Siege Onagers it is important to have your pathway well defended to stop enemy raids.
- Wall your town: It is easy to feel safe and secure behind your huge wall of trees when you first start out. However, if your enemy manages to slip a team of Hussars past your defences and into the back of your town, or worse, your trade route, they can cause major economic upset which will eventually lead to your demise. By walling your town like you’re in some sort of giant Arena, it makes raiding harder for your enemy and on top of this helps reduce the threat of surprise attacks as they have to crack through a wall first.
- Outposts: They finally have a decent use! It is highly advised to litter your wall of trees with Outposts (coupled with Town Watch & Town Patrol to increase their Line of Sight). These things can see for miles so when the enemy starts to cut through you will have a fair warning to set-up a decent defence.
- Don’t Wall The Trees: Huge waste of stone. And as your opponent is going to be cutting through them trees with Siege, they will easily have the tools right there to smash straight through it without a moments hesitation. Outposts serve as guides for where the enemy could potentially strike.
- Pick your civ wisely: It is important to select a decent civ when playing Michi as it needs to be able to do either one of 3 things. Boost the Team with a bonus, effectively defend the pathway(s) with Towers or be able to create Siege Onagers – without a civ with these on your team you will most likely be waiting for your opponent to attack you, you lose the element of surprise (as trebs cut far too slow) and with the first two, you will be behind economically, which leads me to my next point…
Which Civ Should I Use?
Luckily there are a few options, I have explained why next to each candidate:
The “Better” Civs
Koreans – First and foremost these guys get Siege Onagers, but not just any Siege Onagers, extra RANGE Siege Onagers. When troops are in a bottle neck these can decimate armies in a flash if well microed. Coupled with Long Range Towers, enhanced Stone mining and the ability to block pathways effectively with large armies of War Wagons, Koreans easily become a map favourite.
Celts – Quick chopping bonus and super siege (including the ever useful Siege Onagers), the celts also get Paladins which are usually a staple in most Michi Armies due to their Heavy Armour and High HP. They lack defensive capabilities though...
Spanish – These guys lack Siege Onagers, but what they provide instead is great. Spanish have an excellent army which is usually gold heavy and slow to mass, but with “no cut before xx mins rules” in effect and a huge trade route you will have all the time and gold you need. Their team bonus benefits everyone’s trade (Thanks!) and with Bombard Towers, Bombard Cannons, Paladins and resilient, quick building Villagers to keep the construction going, the Spanish are a fine choice.
Teutons – The Teutons are a fairly decent support civ, but they find their way into this category for having access to Paladins, Bombard Towers, Crenulations and of course, Siege Onagers. Their farming bonus also means that when wood supplies start to run low that they can still have enough wood stockpiled to keep the siege production up.
The “Above Average” Civs
Turks – Although lacking Siege Onagers. These guys have the best Bombard Towers in the game which are crucial to defending your entrances. Less used though due to the lack of a varied army.
Mongols – Very lacking on the defensive department, but they easily have some of the best Siege Units in the game thanks to Drill. Their Siege Onagers are quick to move and their Elite Mangudai make short work on the hordes of Rams you can expect to see trying to take down your towers. Outside this though, they don’t have too many other options.
Chinese – These guys can be quite useful. The reduced cost techs and access to Bombard Towers will prove very useful. On top of this their Heavy Scorpions have a nice boost to slaughter all the troops forced down the tree-paths. A nice all rounder with discounted technologies and the ever useful quick start as well.
Byzantines – With superb defensive capabilities the Byzantines are best suited for what their used to, defending. Their high HP buildings, including Bombard Towers mean they are great at covering an entrance. Given the time they can also have the opportunity to mass Cataphracts and even cheap trash units to help throw support where it’s needed. I wouldn’t recommend mounting a full on assault with these guys though.
Saracens – These guys really need a tier of their own. What they excel at is their countering ability. They only have access to Keeps and so their defence isn’t the greatest, but they also get Siege Onagers for cutting and being a camel civilisation they make short work of the amount of Paladins you will likely come across.
The “Average” Civs
Aztecs – They get Siege Onagers and have the potential to boom very quickly, but the Aztec Army is lacking outside Eagle Warriors for rushing siege. What sets them above others is their Team Relic Bonus which makes for an awesome eco-boost.
Persians – With poor defence and no Siege Onagers to throw into the fray, the Persians have one saving grace, their unique unit, the elephants. As we all know their mountain of HP is great for taking down enemy towers and being an excellent meat shield to absorb Siege hits. They also have access to Paladins and Bombard Cannons which can come in handy.
Franks – The Franks are almost an awful civ. What keeps them out of the bottom tiers is their awesome Paladins and cheap Castles. With these they can at least mount a fairly decent (although obvious) offense with at least some contribution to the defensive line back home with their castles. Without these 2 elements they would be fairly useless to say the least!
The “Below Average” Civs
Britons – The British can use their ever-awesome longbowman to help cover an entrance from far away and their Keeps provide a tiny bit of extra punch, but ultimately the Britons don’t excel ay anything too useful in a Michi situation. They don’t have a bonus to contribute to their team and they’re decidedly average across the board. All Blacksmith techs help keep the army varied but being stuck with Cavaliers, no Siege Onagers and no Bombard Towers mean they don’t stand out as being a superior civ here.
Japanese – The Japs have decent Trebs and average defence, only mustering Keeps. They also don’t get Siege Onagers or great Cavalry meaning they would have to stick to Infantry, but they have more options than say for example, Vikings. With their quick Trebs they are best used as a support role when pushing forward to clear the enemy towers or fire at enemy Siege to clear the way, beyond this their a little stuck.
Mayans – If it wasn’t for their economy bonus and extra HP Eagle Warriors the Mayans would be bumped down a tier. Thanks to this they can horde a ton of resources as they are given the time to boom and Archers can make for good supporting fire when pressed by an attack, but with a lack of decent defence they won’t be as useful as they are in a standard RM game.
Huns – I almost put these guys in the next tier down, but they’re not quite as bad as the Goths. They get Paladins, but the lack of Armour really hurts. Their defence is mediocre with only Stone Walls and only Watch Towers. Cheap Cav Archers can only provide so much! But if allowed through they can do what their best at, raiding, try and slip past the enemy with your quick moving troops and try and disrupt the enemy trade and eco while your allies push from the front.
The “Awful” Civs
Goths – The Goths are designed to do one thing. Infantry Rush/Flood. With the big wall of trees they can’t rush. Without Siege Onagers they can’t cut effectively and without walls and only having Watch Towers they can’t help defend either. What infantry they can mass will be funnelled into the bottle necks and slaughtered by BB towers and siege, the pierce armour won’t count for sh*t!
Vikings – Unfortunately the Vikings won’t find any water here. Their economic bonuses mean they can field a great boom as always but it’s their lack of defensive and offensive capabilities on land which let them down. With only slow moving infantry to add to the fray, they will likely be outclassed and out gunned when it comes to fighting and will not do enough to win the game. They do get Siege Rams which are handy, but you can’t go in alone with them.
Right, I think that will do for now, I will hopefully add more to this when I think of it. If I need anything changed or added please let me know
This guide will be based on the “Clean Michi” which includes more elements than your basic Michi including Relics, Hills and a better aesthetic appeal.
Now firstly,
What’s Michi?
Michi is a map in which Teams are separated by a vast line of trees. On each side are bountiful amounts of gold, stone, deer, sheep, boar, wood clusters and relics. The Clean Michi also features natural elements such as hills like you would find on any other random map.
What’s The Objective?
The objective of the game is to cut through to your opponent’s side and lay waste to them! Now as the pool of trees in the middle is rather large, the most effective way to achieve this is to utilise Siege Onagers to flatten the trees for you, thus creating an effective path. If your civ does not get these, Trebuchets also work, but they are much slower and less accurate, sometimes the best way to win is to catch your enemies by surprise and cut through where they least expect it.
What Are The Settings?
The settings are almost the same as the standard settings for any random map game. 200 pop, low resources, EXPLORED map, Conquest victory, Lock teams, lock speed etc.
Some Michi games also implement house rules that put an agreement between players in place so that no-one “cuts” before a certain time limit, usually between 40 and 50 minutes. This effectively gives everyone a suitable opportunity to boom and plan when and how the cut will take place.
How Should I Play?
Like with most maps, there is no exact build order or exact set procedure you should follow, but the main points to focus on in a team game are as follows:
- TRADE: As each side have almost an entire width of the map of free space it is important to utilise a strong trade route as soon as you can. Gold will be depleted quickly and the income for Relics is relatively slow. By keeping your trade safe and flowing you can keep a gold-heavy army sustained for longer.
- Defend your cut: As both sides are going to be funnelled into a small area there is no doubt going to be absolute carnage when both sides hit. This bottle neck is usually littered with swarms of dead troops, broken Siege and more notably, Towers. Effective tower civs such as Turks and Koreans are popular civ choices when playing Michi as the range on their Towers are unmatched, with copious amounts of Bombard Cannons and Siege Onagers it is important to have your pathway well defended to stop enemy raids.
- Wall your town: It is easy to feel safe and secure behind your huge wall of trees when you first start out. However, if your enemy manages to slip a team of Hussars past your defences and into the back of your town, or worse, your trade route, they can cause major economic upset which will eventually lead to your demise. By walling your town like you’re in some sort of giant Arena, it makes raiding harder for your enemy and on top of this helps reduce the threat of surprise attacks as they have to crack through a wall first.
- Outposts: They finally have a decent use! It is highly advised to litter your wall of trees with Outposts (coupled with Town Watch & Town Patrol to increase their Line of Sight). These things can see for miles so when the enemy starts to cut through you will have a fair warning to set-up a decent defence.
- Don’t Wall The Trees: Huge waste of stone. And as your opponent is going to be cutting through them trees with Siege, they will easily have the tools right there to smash straight through it without a moments hesitation. Outposts serve as guides for where the enemy could potentially strike.
- Pick your civ wisely: It is important to select a decent civ when playing Michi as it needs to be able to do either one of 3 things. Boost the Team with a bonus, effectively defend the pathway(s) with Towers or be able to create Siege Onagers – without a civ with these on your team you will most likely be waiting for your opponent to attack you, you lose the element of surprise (as trebs cut far too slow) and with the first two, you will be behind economically, which leads me to my next point…
Which Civ Should I Use?
Luckily there are a few options, I have explained why next to each candidate:
The “Better” Civs
Koreans – First and foremost these guys get Siege Onagers, but not just any Siege Onagers, extra RANGE Siege Onagers. When troops are in a bottle neck these can decimate armies in a flash if well microed. Coupled with Long Range Towers, enhanced Stone mining and the ability to block pathways effectively with large armies of War Wagons, Koreans easily become a map favourite.
Celts – Quick chopping bonus and super siege (including the ever useful Siege Onagers), the celts also get Paladins which are usually a staple in most Michi Armies due to their Heavy Armour and High HP. They lack defensive capabilities though...
Spanish – These guys lack Siege Onagers, but what they provide instead is great. Spanish have an excellent army which is usually gold heavy and slow to mass, but with “no cut before xx mins rules” in effect and a huge trade route you will have all the time and gold you need. Their team bonus benefits everyone’s trade (Thanks!) and with Bombard Towers, Bombard Cannons, Paladins and resilient, quick building Villagers to keep the construction going, the Spanish are a fine choice.
Teutons – The Teutons are a fairly decent support civ, but they find their way into this category for having access to Paladins, Bombard Towers, Crenulations and of course, Siege Onagers. Their farming bonus also means that when wood supplies start to run low that they can still have enough wood stockpiled to keep the siege production up.
The “Above Average” Civs
Turks – Although lacking Siege Onagers. These guys have the best Bombard Towers in the game which are crucial to defending your entrances. Less used though due to the lack of a varied army.
Mongols – Very lacking on the defensive department, but they easily have some of the best Siege Units in the game thanks to Drill. Their Siege Onagers are quick to move and their Elite Mangudai make short work on the hordes of Rams you can expect to see trying to take down your towers. Outside this though, they don’t have too many other options.
Chinese – These guys can be quite useful. The reduced cost techs and access to Bombard Towers will prove very useful. On top of this their Heavy Scorpions have a nice boost to slaughter all the troops forced down the tree-paths. A nice all rounder with discounted technologies and the ever useful quick start as well.
Byzantines – With superb defensive capabilities the Byzantines are best suited for what their used to, defending. Their high HP buildings, including Bombard Towers mean they are great at covering an entrance. Given the time they can also have the opportunity to mass Cataphracts and even cheap trash units to help throw support where it’s needed. I wouldn’t recommend mounting a full on assault with these guys though.
Saracens – These guys really need a tier of their own. What they excel at is their countering ability. They only have access to Keeps and so their defence isn’t the greatest, but they also get Siege Onagers for cutting and being a camel civilisation they make short work of the amount of Paladins you will likely come across.
The “Average” Civs
Aztecs – They get Siege Onagers and have the potential to boom very quickly, but the Aztec Army is lacking outside Eagle Warriors for rushing siege. What sets them above others is their Team Relic Bonus which makes for an awesome eco-boost.
Persians – With poor defence and no Siege Onagers to throw into the fray, the Persians have one saving grace, their unique unit, the elephants. As we all know their mountain of HP is great for taking down enemy towers and being an excellent meat shield to absorb Siege hits. They also have access to Paladins and Bombard Cannons which can come in handy.
Franks – The Franks are almost an awful civ. What keeps them out of the bottom tiers is their awesome Paladins and cheap Castles. With these they can at least mount a fairly decent (although obvious) offense with at least some contribution to the defensive line back home with their castles. Without these 2 elements they would be fairly useless to say the least!
The “Below Average” Civs
Britons – The British can use their ever-awesome longbowman to help cover an entrance from far away and their Keeps provide a tiny bit of extra punch, but ultimately the Britons don’t excel ay anything too useful in a Michi situation. They don’t have a bonus to contribute to their team and they’re decidedly average across the board. All Blacksmith techs help keep the army varied but being stuck with Cavaliers, no Siege Onagers and no Bombard Towers mean they don’t stand out as being a superior civ here.
Japanese – The Japs have decent Trebs and average defence, only mustering Keeps. They also don’t get Siege Onagers or great Cavalry meaning they would have to stick to Infantry, but they have more options than say for example, Vikings. With their quick Trebs they are best used as a support role when pushing forward to clear the enemy towers or fire at enemy Siege to clear the way, beyond this their a little stuck.
Mayans – If it wasn’t for their economy bonus and extra HP Eagle Warriors the Mayans would be bumped down a tier. Thanks to this they can horde a ton of resources as they are given the time to boom and Archers can make for good supporting fire when pressed by an attack, but with a lack of decent defence they won’t be as useful as they are in a standard RM game.
Huns – I almost put these guys in the next tier down, but they’re not quite as bad as the Goths. They get Paladins, but the lack of Armour really hurts. Their defence is mediocre with only Stone Walls and only Watch Towers. Cheap Cav Archers can only provide so much! But if allowed through they can do what their best at, raiding, try and slip past the enemy with your quick moving troops and try and disrupt the enemy trade and eco while your allies push from the front.
The “Awful” Civs
Goths – The Goths are designed to do one thing. Infantry Rush/Flood. With the big wall of trees they can’t rush. Without Siege Onagers they can’t cut effectively and without walls and only having Watch Towers they can’t help defend either. What infantry they can mass will be funnelled into the bottle necks and slaughtered by BB towers and siege, the pierce armour won’t count for sh*t!
Vikings – Unfortunately the Vikings won’t find any water here. Their economic bonuses mean they can field a great boom as always but it’s their lack of defensive and offensive capabilities on land which let them down. With only slow moving infantry to add to the fray, they will likely be outclassed and out gunned when it comes to fighting and will not do enough to win the game. They do get Siege Rams which are handy, but you can’t go in alone with them.
Right, I think that will do for now, I will hopefully add more to this when I think of it. If I need anything changed or added please let me know