Power Rankings: Episode 19 – S2

Vihreaa:

We salute today our beloved Paraguay, NEVER thought to be the top prediction to win South America, following in the steps of Uruguay and Brazil. Unfortunately for them, a stagnant midgame prevented them from amassing the power necessary to win the continent. While they were NEVER among the strongest civs in South America for most of the game, Marajoara growing advantage finally broke the dam of peace between the two nations, and Paraguay quickly fell following the Marajoaran construction of Skynet. We salute you, Solano Lopez.

Vihreaa:

Another fallen soldier in the Ptolemies this week. Having a strong start to the game gave many people confidence that the Ptolemies could find their way to the top spot. While they remained a solid pick around 10th place for several parts, They were ultimately crippled by Nigeria deciding to roll over, with their technological superiority, the Ptolemies couldn’t do much of a thing. It is fortunate in itself that they lasted this long, as for the longest time their last city was surrounded by Nigerian units that just couldn’t capture cities. Silly AI! But alas, for we must say goodbye to the Ptolemies in the world, but we shall greet them again as they join us in the submarine.

Msurdej:Great Perm, in all fairness, was never really that great. While the PR crew thought Stephen I had a chance, it became clear that Perm would be playing second banana to the USSR. Trapped between the Soviets and PARG, Great Perm could do little to break out. In the end, the Soviets killed them, and they’ll be one of those civs you’ll almost certainly forget was the CBR. So long Stephen, you mediocre master.

Cloudberg:

Tongva is living—er, dead—proof that no one south of about 14th place should get comfortable. After climbing to a record high of 24th place last episode, a sudden blitz by the Dene and the Chukchi saw Tongva’s mini-empire overrun in a matter of turns, with very little that Toypurina could do about it: privateers just can’t  stand up to advanced destroyers. Tongva therefore drops 12 ranks to a final placement of 36th, although credit where credit is due, they finished 11 ranks ahead of where we put them in part 0, and they surprised everyone by taking the capital of the Chinook, a civ which was initially considered much stronger. So at the end of the day, Toypurina does have something to be proud of.

Cloudberg:

Spain will be dead in a matter of turns. Not even a miracle can save them at this point, because they will probably be dead before the Gauls even think about making peace. We’re so confident of this that we’ve put them ahead of the Mississippi, who are on one city with no hit points left. Now, watch us be completely wrong.

Random Strategy:

Mississippi is on its last city, and it's in black health. Yet somehow they are not ranked last? How is this possible? The answer: the lost Paraguay Paratroopers Peacekeeping Patrol. Even though their homeland has been destroyed, they are still able to prevent the same fate from happening to Mississippi. Though among them is also a sussy imposter... If the presence of the imposter affects the cohesion of the group in any way then Mississippi will die immediately.

Knot

With Paraguay dead, Palmares moves to 3rd most powerful civ in South America. Sure, that’s 3rd out of three civs, but that’s still an accomplishment considering how bad they’ve been since the Vandals attacked. Oh wait, Kulin is technically on South America, so I guess that makes Kulin the third best South America civ. Huh. Well, I tried to be positive.

Rosay

Laos has sort of become a Tibet of this game, Where only one regional superpower has all of the opportunities in the world to end them but chooses not too and keeps them as a pet. Honestly this is likely the best possible outcome for Laos, at least until endgame, considering that the other option is “die a horrific death and have a write up about you that says you did next to nothing this game.” Heres to hoping you do slightly better in endgame Laos.

Knot

I’m running out of ways to say that I hate Zanzibar. They continue to exist because Kulin surrounded their one and only city. They continue to take up space on the PR for no reason other than completion. They’ve made little to no impact on the game. They aren’t even hilariously bad like Peru Bolivia; they’re just here. They are the Muscovy of CBRXII. Who were the Muscovy, you ask? That’s exactly my point.

Random Strategy

It appears that enough civs have died that city states are now in the top half. Still dead as soon as anyone breathes in their direction, and Georgia doesn't even have peacekeepers to protect them.

Rosay:

Yep, they still exist. Nope, I do not care about them. Yes, I viciously hate them for being one of the few rumps nearly impossible to kill.

Msurdej:It was a quiet part for Burkina Faso this episode, and no news is good news in that regard. While Ubari may no longer hold the record for biggest population city in the cylinder, but the former Tuareg city in the middle of Libyan Sahara will always hold a place in our hearts.

Msurdej:While Hawa’ii has remained alive for now, it remains to be seen how much longer they’ll live. With only two cities and a pitiful army, either Kulin or Malacca could wipe them out in a matter of turns. It just remains to be seen whether one of them will take the plunge before Cycle 2, or if Lili'uokalani can survive the storm of Cycle 2.

Vihreaa: Sweden placing 26th while they are a two city rump state banished to the Arctic shows how the game is already thinning out. Being effectively the biggest rump, Sweden acts as the gatekeeper between civs that have no chance of winning and civs who still might try to pretend they have a chance of winning. Unfortunately for them, their time is numbered, as the inevitable occurrence of total war at the end of Cycle 1 will certainly spell Sweden’s doom.

Vihreaa:

Iceland in this world are kind of like the Amish, it would seem. They still have technology from centuries ago. Frigates. They literally are still using Frigates. I suppose nobody wants the cold wasteland of Iceland and Greenland enough to invade them. To each their own I suppose.

Cloudberg:

If not for peacekeepers, Kurdistan would have been dead 150 turns ago. That is a fact. But it also means that Kurdistan’s chances of making it to Cycle 2 are effectively zero, because they will die instantly when world war is declared at the end of cycle 1. The only question is what place they will finish.

Vihreaa:

Another day, another dollar! Or for Finland, another part where absolutely nothing happens. But hey, is that really so bad? Multiple power rankers weighed in on the matter, and agreed that Finland is probably one of nicer places to live on the cylinder. Not much of the dystopian technology, hasn’t seen war in a long time, and not in the middle of the desert or something.

Rosay:

Given the strength of its Neighbors, its honestly a miracle that Kosovo has survived for as long as it did. Granted a lot of this is due to terrain, but the nation's ability to not die is pretty note worthy. Its not like an annoying outlasting either where the civ should be dead but isn't do to peacekeeper bullshit (looking at YOU Yuan) id honestly give the nation a 50/50 chance of holding out until endgame though alot of things can change in the course of a few turns, but the best possible scenario for Kosovo would likely be Germany collapsing by the hands of the Soviets, leaving Kosovo to pick of the crumbs from the conflict, with the worst being a Soviet or German invasion of Anatolia.

Vihreaa:

Taiping, uh, hasn’t really done much of anything for quite a while. It seems to me like they’re kind of just like waiting to be eliminated. (Malacca make it happen) With only 78 techs, they are neither large enough nor technologically advanced enough to win any wars against their neighbors, so they’re just spinning their wheels waiting for the inevitable at this point.

Msurdej:  At the bottom of the Top 20, we have Two Sicilies. Having ended their war with Germany this part, Ferdinand now has one goal in the game: Survive until Cycle 2. While they have a decent enough empire, this war has proven they can’t become a great, or world power in this cylinder. In Cycle 2 though, Ferdinand can make a larger empire, use their uniques to take control of the Mediterranean, and become a power that way. It’s a long shot, but it's the only shot he’s got right now.

Knot:

Mapuche continues its fall from grace as the reality of their situation continues to cement itself. Of the “real civs” that have the tiniest, tiniest chance of still winning the BR, I consider Mapuche to be the lowest civ that technically falls into that category (maybe Taiping? I don’t know). They settled enough cities that Cycle 2 could still hold some sort of incredibly lucky start for them that makes them a superpower overnight, but the odds are incredibly low. More likely than not, they get eaten by Marajoara, and we’re writing their eulogy here very soon.

Knot:

I think the Gauls are one of the most important civs remaining in the game at this moment. No seriously. Think about it. The era of easy expansion for most civs is long gone. There’s no more Paraguays or Burkina Fasos that are just sitting there waiting for a stronger civ to eat them and thus become a world power. Most of the remaining civs are all either rumps, big enough to be very annoying to fight, or super powers that will not bend easily. The Gauls are one of the few remaining civ right now that would be easy to take out, but would provide a huge advantage for the civ that did, and there are some very good contenders. The Vandals and Germany are the two obvious ones, but I could see a USSR snipe, or even a Nigerian or Uzbekistan attack if either of them get real ambitious. I predict the civ/civs that get the Gaul’s goods is gonna be the last big movers of the pre-cycle-2 round, and I’d be surprised if no one does it. Their eventual butchering of Spain should all but ensure that someone will get mad at them. The Gauls can’t keep living on borrowed time forever

Cloudberg:

Lesotho is in a solid position for Cycle 2, as long as they can avoid any major wars up until that point. The difference in stats between them and their nearest remaining neighbor, Zaire, is low enough that the two would be evenly matched by the time they meet each other after the reset, meaning that Lesotho will have a lot of space to expand and no neighbors who start out with more bonuses than they do. But will Lesotho ever break out of the zone between ranks 15 and 19, where they have been since episode 5? Only time will tell.

Rosay:

Northern Yuan continues to land within the tier of “civs which are noticeable but not remarkable,” Though at least they had a pretty good part all things considered. Along with a nice set of intercontinental proxy wars, further bullying Taiping, and taking some cities off of PARG. Of course it isn't all sunshine and rainbows for the nation, after all the nation will likely entire another debt cycle though hopefully it wont be as bad as Uzbekistan's (oh we'll get to them). The true loss however, is the tragedy of Northern Yuanmerica, gone too soon, you were too precious for this world.

Cloudberg:

PARG is perhaps lucky to fall only three ranks this episode after losing four cities to Punjab, despite Punjab bringing like three robot infantry vs. Kolchak’s massive carpet of modern armor. But that’s what air superiority will do to a civ, isn’t it! The outcome of that conflict, which Kolchak himself started, raises questions about whether PARG is capable of defending itself for long enough to survive until Cycle 2, especially considering that they’ve simultaneously racked up two losses against Northern Yuan. Any time now, it seems, the other shoe is going to drop.

Vihreaa:

Chola rises one rank this week, up to 14th. With their hyper coastal empire, Chola has one of the most technologically advanced navies in the game. Unfortunately for them almost their entire empire borders Punjab, one of the strongest land based empires. In many ways, Chola is like a B tier Malacca, and in my opinion, would be quickly rumpified in another war with Punjab. Perhaps lasting until Cycle 2 will be their salvation.

Random Strategy

The reason for Zaire gaining a rank is PARG going down. However, there is also some hope on the horizon. Nigeria is about to finish the tech tree, and has already got every useful tech, which means that Zaire is going to start closing the tech gap. That tech gap was Nigeria's main advantage so it disappearing is great for Zaire. In Cycle 2 Africa is going to be quite crowded, with the Vandals, Nigeria, Zaire and Lesotho vying for limited space. To best prepare for it, all I can do is suggest the same as last week: weaken Lesotho as much as possible. Going into Cycle 2 with a weak, easily conquerable neighbour could be the thing that allows Zaire to get ahead of Nigeria in Cycle 2.

Vihreaa:

Germany rises 1 rank this week, but is still in a precarious position. They have not had any wars with major gains recently, and their war with Two Sicilies stalled out with minimal gains. With a large portion of their empire carpeted by other nations, Germany needs to build an army to conquer some of their neighbors before cycle 2 begins. Doing so would give them more space to start with, thus improving their chances in the long term.

Genseric takes a tumble this week, after his failed war against the Rio Grande. But all things considered, this could have gone MUCH worse for The Vandals. With a enemy with more tech, forces, and a bugged defense for their cities, The Vandals could have lost more than just two cities. But the war has shown that Genseric can’t keep up with other top tier civs on the battlefield. Their best best is to use the backroom savvy they got the peace deal with to keep things civil until Cycle 2.

Rosay:

We have gone thirty turns without the Uzbeks reasearching a single technology and this is entirely due to the nations black hole of a treasury. Instead of selling units outside of their territory (like they should) the Uzbeks have decided to carpet even more units, further feeding the endless debt that the nation suffers further stalling the nation's technological progress. Now Punjab, The Soviets, hell even PARG (to an extent) can all become a massive threat to the nation with half of its ground forces scattered across the cylinder.

The Dene reach their highest rank so far in the royale, placing 9th this week. They are an exciting underdog, having consolidated power through conquering most of Mississippi and Tongva, but lag behind in key demographics such as techs and production. With their direct neighbors being two higher ranked civs, a metaphorical rock and a hard place, the Dene have an uphill climb to the top, and 9th place may be their ceiling for the game.

Rosay:

The USSR has so many opportunities to really make a splash right before we reach endgame to become a true force to be reckoned with. Parg is significantly weaker than the Soviets and the two can possibly recreate the Russian civil war, Germany has been stagnant for several parts, Uzbekistan is utterly in the economic shitter, and the rest of the soviets neighbors are rumps. However the overall landscape of the game is likely to neutralize soon, as we reach the end of the tech tree, overall game momentum has begun to stagnate as late game technologies and AIs bashing their heads against brick walls usually result in no progress being made. If the USSR wants to make some final moves, they need to act fast or else they will not stand the test of time.

Random Strategy:

This part, the Vandals foolishly declare war on Rio Grande, allowing Antonio Rosillo to grab the entirety of the east coast... or not, as the Vandals realise their mistake and sue for peace only 6 turns later, and Antonio Rosillo is apparently very forgiving. Still, the sheer dominance displayed in this war by Rio Grande against another top-tier civ is good evidence of Rio Grande's capabilities. They don't only have cheated defence, they have also risen to 4th in tech, with a vast array of powerful units such as giant death robots and chimeras. Due to the Dene running out of money last episode, Rio Grande is currently significantly outteching them (and thanks to nuclear fusion, also significantly outproducing them), which means now is the perfect time to strike, before the Dene can catch up. And being alone on your continent is a far better Cycle 2 situation than having to share.

Random Strategy

A significant conflict this part was World War Yuan (which consisted of pretty much the entire world against the Northern Yuan peacekeepers). The Chukchi, however, were notable by their absence from this conflict. The one civ that could actually deal with the source of the problem. Instead, they prefered taking on the much easier - and much more worthless - target of Tongva. Come on, Lawtiliwadlin, have a little more ambition. Last write-up I did suggest Tongva first, then Northern Yuan second, but when there is an amazing opportunity of conquering Northern Yuan without taking diplomatic penalties you should take it! Now all that's happened is Northern Yuan is slightly stronger (though still very conquerable by the Chukchi).

Vihreaa:

Punjab maintains their fifth ranked position again this week, amid making unexpectedly large gains against PARG. One of the biggest things holding them back from being ranked higher in this game is their tech, having only 106 techs while 3 of the 4 civs ranked higher than them have already finished the tech tree pretty much, at about 122 techs. Fortunately for Punjab, though, that advantage will only shrink as time passes. Punjab is in a good position geographically, having multiple neighbors they could make gains on in future wars. Uzbekistan, for example, is a few techs behind Punjab with 0 effective science due to their incredible deficit of GPT. This means that as the game goes on, Punjab will gain a greater tech advantage over them and thus be more capable of defeating them in a war.

Vihreaa:

The Kulin maintain their rank of 4th this week, and I believe it’s apt to explain why they only rank 4th, despite their higher placement in different key stats. As you can see by our ranking of the Kulin, we have little confidence in the Kulin to actually win the game. In all of our royales, we have seen a strong empire basing in the Australian continent, but they have been yet to successfully capture and hold meaningful territory outside of Australia or Pacific islands. Kulin’s two avenues for expansion lies with Marajoara and the Mapuche to their east, and Malacca to their west. The logistics of crossing an army across the Pacific is a problem in itself, and beating Malacca in their home territory is another entire battle in itself. It is my prediction that Kulin will only take the number one spot if they can manage to capture and hold an overseas colony, something no Australian based empire has done before.

Vihreaa:

Marajoara’s expert takedown of Paraguay has put them on the fast track to being the strongest empire in South America. With the only other major empire with a presence in South America being the Mapuche, an empire that Marajoara has over 4 times the production, 10 more techs, and a 6 times larger military, Marajoara can conquer the Mapuche at any time they want. Expansion towards the north in Rio Grande is basically impossible unfortunately, with their cities with over 600 defense on average. Consolidating power in South America is always a good sign for that civ, though, as those who have done that have historically done quite well, with one victory and another top 3 finish in the previous two royales we have conducted.

Knot

Yes, for the first time in six parts, Nigeria falls out of the number one spot. It might look like a sudden shift, but Nigeria’s been kinda stagnant for a while. They’re no longer number one in stats. It’s not like they stopped bolstering their stats, but they haven’t been going quite as bananas as other top contenders like our new #1. Their main lead for most of the game has been in science, but as we reach the end of this cycle, that tech lead starts to matter less and less. Zaire and the Vandals are projected to finish their tech trees within the next part or two, and once that happens, Nigeria is not going to have the same advantage over its neighbors that it had before. On top of this, Nigeria didn’t gain some of the best wonders they were expected to receive, and their military isn’t quite as scary as it was before. There’s some cause to argue that Nigeria has squandered their lead a bit. However, I personally think Nigeria is still in a fantastic position. All it takes is one war on the Vandals or Zaire, and they basically get to start cycle 2 with an entire continent all to themselves. We may see Nigeria reclaim their throne very, very soon

Cloudberg:

After five straight episodes in second place, Malacca has regained the top spot, but there’s no single, satisfying reason as to why. However, there are plenty of small reasons. For one, they built several excellent late game wonders and made it to the end of the tech tree ahead of Nigeria, the previous number one, who they have surpassed in a number of other stats as well. Malacca is now second in stats only to the Kulin, but does not have the Kulin’s relative lack of invadable neighbors. Malacca is also engaged in a war in North  America, where they took a couple of coastal cities from the Dene, including the former Tongva capital, and seem likely to hold them. But there is reason for concern, mainly because they haven’t upgraded their navy from regular destroyers to advanced destroyers, while Kulin has. So unless they do it soon, we might change our minds about putting Malacca #1.