1: Rapa Nui
Cloudy:
We’re just waiting for Chono or Caral to decide Rapa Nui’s time is up. But it hasn’t happened yet. Hang in there you fuckers.
Power Rankings: Episode 15 – S5
May 12, 2026
Power-Rankers
Abstract
Power Rankings! The rankings…of power! Dun dun dunnnn!
Viewing: Vertical
2: Pegu
JDT: The fact that they might actually die courtesy of Tang and Lanfang brings me immense joy because it brings me something to talk about. Unfortunately, the AI is the AI and Dagon is a difficult city to crack for even more experienced players, so it may take a while yet for them to die.
3: Ma’in
Leman:
Hello. Ma’in might die. I think they won’t because despite Ma’in sucking, Phoenicia and Sumer also suck. I think Seychelles will kill them in 11 episodes.
4: Wassoulou
Archimedes :
Gone are the glory days of Wassoulou, if they ever really had any, as we watch the Aures war machine march on their cities. With only three cities to their name, and with the relatively flat terrain of West Africa providing little to no production, the chances that Wassoulou can mount a defense to hold off Aures ad infinitum is slim to none. We’re watching the clock tick further and further down for what could have been a cool underdog of a civ to the dominant Aures, but that’s how things shake out sometimes. Let's look at how quickly this downfall will come.
Wassoulou, with their three aforementioned cities, only has 60 production to scrape together, a number even below their fellow rump states like Maravi at 65 and Karankawa at 94. They have at least focused well on pumping up their population and science, with 77 effective science to their name and a decent 25 techs for being in this state. With the advent of Theology on the cusp, it’s reasonable to assume that Wassoulou is trying to grab Education, a key tech that would help balloon their science and give them access to better war technologies. But, unfortunately for them, Aures bears down with a mighty fervor. Aures themselves are on the cusp of nabbing Chivalry, allowing them to transition their unique horsemen into a wave of knights that could crash upon the shores of Wassoulou and wipe out their remaining defending units. Even if Wassoulou managed to research techs to defend themselves, the raw amount of production Aures is outputting unfortunately dwarfs them nearly 5 to 1.
Though Wassoulou is definitely at risk of being eliminated, luckily enough they are only threatened by a beefy Aures and an existing Portugal. Hugging the coast of West Africa, and with really only the advent of deep sea naval opening them up to more vectors of attack, we’ll have to wait for the cavalry dominant civ to slowly but surely chip away at their defenses. With cities solidly in the 20s of defense strength, and with only composite bows and catapults to ping away at those walls, we may actually end up seeing Wassoulou last a little while longer in this game. And, while I would have loved to see some of the guerilla tactics that their UA provides to this game, their African Telegraph unlocking new Trade Routes for Wassoulou, I feel it’s all but certain that Wassoulou’s days are done, and they will be eliminated soon in this game. o7 to what truly could have been.
5: Ponca
JDT:
Welp Ponkers, you will want to avert your eyes because Ponca is getting thoroughly ponked right now. Even if they flip Nanza back, the Ponca are still in a very losing position. The Anishinaabe have the majority of their troops set up to push them up, almost certainly recapturing Nanza and potentially threatening more of their lands. While yes, the city gift from the Karankawa is very helpful, and Onondaga is at war with the Anishinaabe, the Ponca look so depleted I don’t think it really matters. And with how flat and open the rest of their empire is, things will go very, very poorly very quickly for the Ponca without a peace deal. That's not even mentioning the fact that the Susquehannock are coming in just to kick on them even more in the future!
6: Maravi
NopeCopter:
Not much has changed for Maravi this episode, which is to say they still look completely and utterly boned. If nothing else, they’re acting as a potential mainland foothold for the Seychelles! That’s neat, unless you don’t like the Seychelles and/or are a Herero fan, in which case it’s kind of terrifying. Their stats are bottom five, with nothing particularly stand-out. If nothing else, their capital is pretty damn defensible, so they’re likely to stick around for a good while longer… but then again, that goes for a lot of rump states right now, so it might not even help them outlive any other civs.
7: Karankawa
Reformer:
Karankawa escapes the Ponca war with only a flesh wound. However, Susquehannock has returned to continue the previous bloodshed. Together with the Onondaga war, we can no doubt say bye bye to the remaining Karankawa colony up north. Whether Susquehannock can actually get into Karankawa’s core is of course slightly doubtful, but hey, it’s a possibility. Indeed, we can only hope!
8: Xavante
Cloudy:
Xavante isn’t losing. They’re just establishing a new way to play the game where expanding and winning aren’t everything. Call it... Xavant-garde.
9: Papal States
Orange:
It has to be said, Wallachia is ranked higher than the Papal States for some reason yet this time we have clear evidence of the contrary: The Papacy may have given up a dumb city to Aures, but the Cheese Pope did not give anything up to a nation that couldn’t break through the Alps, France. And you know who did? That’s right. Wallachia. Other rankers, swap these two, I demand it! *Checks own ranks of Papal States 50, Wallachia 49* Ah well you know maybe they have a point. Nonetheless, perhaps Julius can go settle Venice if that gifted city burns all the way down.
10: Yunnan
Leman:
Everyone declared war on Yunnan this week including Tang, which should be terrifying. By also, Yunnan’s capital has 62 strength. Sixty-two. They’re fine.
11: Ternate
Orange:
Perhaps now is the time to take back that city from Bunuba, or maybe go after Cebu, or something, maybe. Idk everyone around is stronger and like we all knew Ternate would suck shit.
12: Sumer
Leman:
So Sumer is trying. And that’s nice. It's cute. Sweet even. It’s not gonna work. But they have to try.
13: Green Ukraine
ItsTruckMonth:
Well, the good news is that Yurii has managed to get out of his war with both Rouran and Japan. Bad news is that he’s now down a total of three cities and stuck between multiple contenders. Add to the fact that their stats are in the bottom 15, and safe to say that his hopes at a title run are over.
If only you were in another simulation Mr. Potential Civ!
14: Xaragua
JDT:
Apparently they declared war against the Karankawa. I would call Toxic Yuri but unfortunately this is hetslop through and through. Aside from that, yeah nothing changed man this civ is kinda cheeks lmao.
15: Wallachia
ECH:
I liked you better when you’re comedically broke.
16: Vyatka
Leman:
I’ll admit that I didn’t think Vyatka would do anything again until they died. Yes, I was surprised, no, shocked, when they snapped up a Bjarmian city. I am even more surprised that now it looks like they are gonna grab a second one. Maybe. It's starving, so it's taking real economic damage. I’m rooting for them.
17: Zazzau
Cloudy:
Good news: Zazzau captured four cities this episode, according to the info sheet.
Bad news: all of them were Adama.
18: Hanseatic League
Leman:
Well, they managed to keep it. Technically this war with Estonia was slightly worse. Last time, even though Estonia managed to also murder basically everyone in Rostock, they did, for some reason, give up Rakvere. This time, again Estonia murdered everyone in Rostock, but they did not give up a city. So things aren’t looking great for Hansa in round three, where Estonia murders everyone in Rostock and finally takes a city. Probably Rakvere honestly, so they have more opportunities to murder everyone in Rostock.
19: Portugal
Leman:
Portugal is up there with a healthy nine cities, but honestly, they’re still ass. Yes they did just pilfer Wassoulou’s festering corpse, but still. France has shown they can and will beat they down, Aures is a full monster, and even Umhail has sailed down to harass Portugal before - which I expect will be happening soon. I just don’t have high hopes I guess.
20: Phoenicia
Archimedes :
At one point or another in the CBRX5’s history, Phoenicia was a glowing fan favourite, a civ that many called the GOAT of the CBRX. And while I never quite bought into the hype around this, I could definitely see why people's opinions of this plucky Mediterranean civ were so high. But, 10 episodes later, after a lot of the dust has already settled, we find ourselves looking at a shadow of a former goat, one that’s having cities picked off one by one. With Pakistan threatening to completely annihilate the eastern arm of this civ’s reaches, we find ourselves looking at what really went wrong with Phoenicia.
With 9 cities at the moment, Phoenicia is struggling to hold onto their yields. Their production stands poor at 175, well within the lower brackets at the same level as Bactria, Kipchaks, Potiuguara and Onondaga. Their science is also quite lacking, with only 131 effective science and 27 techs to their name. Their cities stand in fairly poor spots, with a lot of conquered desert cities that formerly belonged to Ma’in making up a large part of their empire. And their food and population stand poor as well, right on the cusp of their cities starving away. Nothing looks great when looking at Phoenicia’s empire, and not even their foray into Theology can bolster what they already have.
As Pakistan bears down in the east on the city of Sarepta, a city that Bactia famously lost thousands of soldiers to, there is real concern that the city falls to the marching knights, pikemen, and crossbowmen. To the south, Phoenicia continues their back and forth with Ma’in, two underdogs squabbling for scraps along Ethiopia’s coast. Phoenicia has little chance of actually claiming the Ma’in capital, a city in an incredibly defensive position. And Hyksos, the undisturbed sleeping Egyptian civ, stands menacingly next to a bunch of Phoenicias cities, ready at any moment to sweep in and spell an end in hieroglyphics. With so many capable, mostly competent civs bearing down near Phoenicia, there’s a good chance that one war could spell their end. With so much war in their past, Phoenicia has definitely built up some ire from their neighbours, and I expect that at any moment their trading house of cards could fall. Out of all the options, I personally hope that Circassia is the one to gobble up the remnants of Phoenicia, though Sumer and Hyksos could both make a great showing. Apologies to those former fans of Phoenicia who once called this civ their unwashed GOAT of the game, but Phoenicia’s glory days are definitely over.
21: Kipchaks
JDT:
Very quiet episode for the Kipchaks. Not a single mention, and only a brief look at a bit of their land in one slide. But hey, they went up by 2 in the infoaddict sheet, and in some cases, like this, no news is good news.
22: Bactria
Leman:
Bactria? More like Bactria’d into a corner. Eyyy I’ll be here all day.
The war is not going well.
23: Potiguara
Cloudy:
After getting humiliated by Guaycuru, we stopped talking about Potiguara. They’re just Palmares 2.0. If their capital gets captured by an African civ, that would seal the deal.
24: Hyksos
JDT:
They’re apparently a big science turtle now. Is this the next Nigeri…hahaha I’m sorry I can’t finish that sentence they probably will continue sitting there doing nothing until the Aures eventually destroy them.
25: Estonia
Reformer:
WOOOOOO WE KEPT ROSTOCK SAFE AGAINST kALMAR! Aw fuck we let Hansa have it. Goddamn this civ is a rollercoaster. And not an exhilarating one either, they’re far too feeble for that. Estonia is the teacups of the amusement park. The shallow end at the swimming pool. Fuck you Estonia.
26: Umhaill
Orange:
I’d like to take this moment to point out Umhaill settling two more cities on Ireland. Ballynahinch couldn’t really be settled before the settling mod got turned off I don’t think? (The settling mod made it so cities could have 2 tiles between if one was on the coast, but 3 tiles between if not, got turned off around t200 because it was causing crashes so now its 2 tiles everywhere rather than just on the coast). Though I’m not entirely sure how the distances work across water, ask Thy not me. But Doona could’ve been settled this whole time. THIS WHOLE TIME.
27: Bjarmians
Cloudy:
Now that the Bjarmians are at peace with Kalmar, they’ll bring their full wrath down upon the hapless Vyatkans... right? Surely they’ll at least recapture the city they embarrassingly lost? Right?
Well, given the state of the front, I wouldn’t count on it. Nevertheless, the Bjarmians’ massively improving stats—including reaching 15th place on the cylinder in production—have led the power rankers to raise them slightly in anticipation of a more favorable battlefield outcome.
28: Luba
ItsTruckMonth:
Sorry, Herero, but North Africa is CLOSED!
Luba remains the ultimate wall keeping Herero (and I guess Maravi too) locked in Southern Africa, as their middling stats are nullified by the Congolese jungles.
Does Luba have any shot of making a run for total domination? Nah. Are they sure as hell going to deny Herero (and I guess Maravi too again) that luxury as well? Hell yeah.
29: Pomo
Orange:
Pomo are, well, continuing. This war with Tlingit is dragging on and the north is just flipping back and forth. My biggest worry right now is that when peace is made Pomo gives up a city, they really shouldn’t, because Tlingit are absolutely failing to cross the mountains, but I’m gonna worry about it anyways. Really hoping they can get out of this, rest up, grow their empire back up, and get back into the top of the stats. It’s a bit of a dream, but I’m gonna hope. It’s all I’ve got.
30: Ethiopia
Orange:
Ethiopia is continuing to struggle against the powerhouse that is Zazzau, at the end of the episode keeping hold of Fatika but letting Adama slip out of their grasp again. And at the last glimpse we saw, they’re about equal in terms of armies there (stats wise Zazzau is actually slightly in the lead, but some of that is boats that can’t do anything).
31: Herero
ItsTruckMonth:
Aaaaaaaaaaaand Herero gets cucked out of Northern Africa again as another war with Luba ends in nothing happening whatsoever. What’s worse is that Luba is actually beating out Herero in terms of their infoaddict stats.
Time is running out for our boy Jacob. While he stalls, punching the Luba wall, the rest of Africa is consolidating. Unless he can find a way to get past that wall, his chances are starting to slim, and fast.
32: Onondaga
Archimedes :
If you were to pick an absolute snoozer, a loser, a washed up has been out of North America, your first pick may be Karankawa or Ponca, two civs that have undeniably done little with their starting position, and have become overlapped by their stronger constituents. But, with those two picks out of the way, your eye may wander over to Onondaga, the civ that has been slowly puttering away in eastern Canada, doing nothing more than grabbing some Greenlandic colonies. And though Susquehannock to their south may look similar, as they have for the past 15 episodes, I’ll point out a couple of reasons why Onondaga are the lower of the two picks.
The first damning piece of evidence is their stats. Notably lower than Susquehannock, and definitely lower than Anishinaabe as well, Onondaga has somewhat stagnated, only producing a grand total of 162 production from their cities. With 13 cities to their name, this is especially abysmal, and is definitely being dragged down by their numerous Greenland settlements. Their effective science is also quite low, at only 125, they are quickly falling behind other top producing science civs, and their army is looking fairly outdated at this point. With Anishinaabe currently researching Gunpowder, Musketmen have a good chance of tearing through Onondaga territory, if Susquehannock doesn’t try first.
To be fair to Onondaga though, they do have a defensive edge in the cities of theirs with hills, gaining an additional 15% combat strength and an extra 25% xp to all units. Otherwise though, with Pikemen being their most advanced unit until they finish Chivalry and unlock Knights, Onondaga feels pointedly outclassed by their two nearest neighbours. Only Karankawa stands as a saving grace, with their one Newfoundland city standing as a small reminder that Onondaga isn’t the smallest fish in this North American sea. But, expect Onondaga to become fish food themselves soon enough, as their neighbours outscale and outclass them in the near future.
33: Kalmar Union
Reformer:
Kalmar chills out this ep. Peace with Bjarmia and Estonia. Now we finally get to rebuild a bit, before, in order: taking out the Scythian exclave, beating up a Bjarmia, beating up an Estonia, and then finally taking revenge on Scotland. Easy as pie! Anyone could do it. Shame we didn’t keep Rostock, but that’s ok…
34: Guaycuru
Leman:
We didn’t see Guaycuru this episode. We actually didn’t see much of South America at all. And that’s fine, Guaycuru finished butchering Potiguara last episode, and is meatgrinding with Xavante in the Amazon. Not an exciting front really and hopefully Guaycuru uses this time to beef up a little more.
35: Circassia
Reformer:
War against Wallachia continues to go nowhere, seemingly due to the terrain. Defense against Bactria is going swimmingly, seemingly due to the terrain. Truly, Circassia lives and dies by the terrain. A familiar experience for the Caucasus civs, no doubt. Unfortunately for Circassia they seem to be falling into the same conundrum as countless others before them. It proves very difficult to break out of defensive terrain. It is a poor launching point for the AI’s invasions. Previously Circassia was able to beat up a very overextended Phoenicia, of course in part due to the easier-to-attack terrain of Mesopotamia. Against Wallachia, Circassia can enjoy neither advantage: Wallachia is not overextended (because they’ve barely even captured one city in 200 turns), and the approach through Black Sea and along the Black Sea coasts is nightmarish to say the least. Circassia should definitely give up on fighting Wallachia at this point, and just eat up more of Phoenicia for some girth. Don’t get stuck fighting a futile stalemate…
36: France
Reformer:
Oh hi again. This is France. Yeah…very sad to see. Should’ve been Aquitaine or Brittany or AT LEAST Francia. Alas. But enough lamenting our miserable fate, let’s see. Ah! That’s right. France received a city in a peace deal from Wallachia. Back when they declared this war I bemoaned it as quite silly. (Though, it is par for the course with these coalitions, which the AI will join quite eagerly, even from rather far away.) But, of course, Robespierre was one step ahead, knowing all along that Wallachia was a soft target that would give up land for free after some pressure. Some pressure being none pressure, mind. But some fold more easily than others. Not that the city is that valuable to France right now, but maybe they’re planning to finally fight Hansa next? That’d be swag af.
37: Japan
Leman:
Japan gets punted five ranks south as they lose cities to Itelmen of all civs. Granted one was a fresh capture city gift, and another was a pretty difficult to defend outpost, but still, its not a good look because Itelman had a pretty remote island city in the sea of Japan and not only could Japan not take it, I’m not even sure if they tried. They’re not down and out but Japan is clearly no longer the regional power they were last episode.
38: Bunuba
Msurdej:
Bunuba makes two important peace deals this episode, ending two major wars (This PR is of the opinion the Yunnan war that started this episode will go nowhere). With Chono, Jandamarra secures a tenuous peace along the eastern islands, ensuring no more raids from the South American nation. The stalemate with NSW though, was gained by giving up two luxury goods.This might not hurt Bunuba much in the short term, but this puts their southern neighbor closer to being happy again, which will put NSW in a much stronger position overall. The war may not have been a defeat in terms of cities lost, but it may prove to be another cut in the legacy of Jandamarra.
39: Qara-Khitai
NopeCopter:
Hopes continue to run high for Qara Khitai as they inch closer to their Unique Unit, the Ordo Cavalryman. I won’t repeat Archimedes’s very thorough analysis from the last PR, but in summary, Qara Khitai having access to a full carpet of mounted units that can feasibly match or exceed the strength of a Longswordsman against a city is a pretty terrifying prospect. It might be just what they need, too, since their terrain is as restrictive as ever and they have pretty rough competition on three sides. Luckily, the Kipchaks and Bactrians should be free meals if Qara Khitai can just power through their carpets, and their Production is solid enough that they can easily rebuild any units they lose. The only problem aside from that geography is that their Tech count is still pretty abysmal by top-tier standards. Still, if they can be as opportunistic as they were in the early game, they might still have a chance to be a world-class power yet.
40: Cebu
Cloudy:
An episode of peaceful rebuilding was exactly what Cebu needed at this point in the game. They were getting stretched thin with all their conquering, but fresh meat like Ternate and Yunnan will still be there next week, and now Cebu’s stats are increasing at a comfortable clip.
Or... well, having said that, it must be pointed out that Tang is invading Yunnan, and Tang has galleons, the next level of melee ship above Carracks, where Cebu currently is. So clearly the move here is to attack Yunnan ASAP, grab a city or two before Tang can, and try to get on Tang’s good side while beelining exploration to unlock galleons. Because if they don’t... the next Tang invasion might not go as well for our friends in blue. But until then, we’ve allowed Cebu to reach a new high of 21st. One more brilliant play and they’ll burst into the top 20. Will it happen? Tune in next week to find out.
41: Susquehannock
Msurdej:
Old Sheehays is goin' to war! Both Ponca and Karankawa are the target of the Susquehannock spear, and it just might end in some gains by Susquehannock. Their Palisade Village Ui has boosted their production and population, and their military has grown with it. Whether or not Old Sheehays is able to make something of these boons in his now 2v1 war remains to be seen. But this Power Ranker remains hopeful.
42: Bangladesh
Reformer:
Bangladesh is still just vibing! Still just vibing…and it’s not doing any favors to their stats, which are continuing to slowly backslide. There isn’t any particular reason besides inaction. But it has to be said, the decline is so incredibly slow that they have plenty of time to course-correct. I for one am not that worried…though their long-term prospects do look tough. Between Mysore or Pakistan, Tang, and Lanfang, it is not a nice place to be.
43: Scotland
Archimedes :
Scotland is surely the brave, and Scotland is surely the bold, with one of the largest, most successful empires in Western Europe this game. Their cities are plentiful and populated, and their stats are bold and booming. Though their war with the Kalmar Union may have gone not the strongest, and they’ve seemed relatively subdued in their more recent episodes, despite taking a city off of Tlingit in Greenland, Scotland stands as a shining blue gem in the British Isles.
With 247 production on the board, Scotland isn’t actually the most productive civ, mostly due to their cities primarily being scattered along the coasts and islands around the British Isles. These heavy food cities are reaching up into the high 10s and low 20s in terms of their population, providing a heavy chunk of science and securing Scotland as one of the forefront scientific minds in Europe. Unfortunately for them, the forefront in Europe is not the forefront in the rest of the cylinder, as their science is actually a bit underwhelming at only 258, similar to the Itelmen, Scythia and Cebu, and far below Tlingit’s terrifying 547. One can hope that this number only grows larger, as they have just recently picked up Education and could still be lacking the requisite production to have built Universities in all of their cities.
Scotland has notably also picked up Compass, a technology that keeps them comparable with their other naval neighbors that are all sporting carracks and galleases. Though their armies have yet to be fully upgraded, in the case of war breaking out they are going to be well able to defend themselves, or go on the offensive. Scotland has also notably picked up physics, and is researching steel, two land military technologies that could mean a coastal landing on Ireland to attack Umhaill could be in the cards, or a proper invasion of France, who have exhausted themselves fighting against the Papal States. We may soon see a relatively sleepy Scotland once again wake up and begin to take swathes of territory, which could help bolster some of their lacking stats. Whether an actual mainland invasion is feasible though, even with an existing landing point of Inverness right across the channel, is another matter. France has the potential numbers to beat back an invasion, though the Hanseatic League could be a potentially properly tempting target.
44: Itelmen
ItsTruckMonth:
As a Hideyoshi fan it pains me to say this, but Itelmen, I kneel.
Harchin’s opportunism has worked wonders in this instance, as they press on a war-weary Japan and take not only the exclave of Hiroshima, but also the gifted city of Nikolaevsk-Ussurisky (jfc man). Not only that, but Itelmen basically surpasses Japan in every stat at the moment (bar tech counts). Things are going quite swimmingly for the ravens’ greatest op.
That said, things are starting to slow down. The Japanese mainland is absolutely stacked with units, and Itelmen’s own frontline post of Karymchin is beginning to take damage. It’s about time that Harchin takes his W.
45: Caral
Archimedes :
Once again we see Caral-Supe trucking along, slowly but surely winning more and more as they gain in stats and gain in prestige. Their Papua holdings continue to grow, and the seas of Polynesia are filled with their Carracks, Horsemen, and Fishers, acting as blockers for many of the new Polynesian-inclinded civilizations milling about. But, with New South Wales both grabbing and fortifying their line of cities from New Zealand upward, Caral’s holdings are looking a little bit more tenuous, and their reluctance to actually settle Polynesia is becoming more and more apparent. Is Caral beginning to lose the lead they once commanded over the area?
Good news from the statistics department, Caral continues to have a solid amount of production, enough to pump out the ships needed to keep opportunistic eyes looking perhaps elsewhere from their coastal cities. And, with these coastal cities pumping out population numbers, and the newly acquired Astronomy bolstering their science in their core mountain cities, Caral boasts an impressive 313 effective science, keeping them in the top echelon of the science powers. Their 32 researched techs is as well fairly on par with the top science tiers in this game, and picking up Chivalry into Banking means that Caral will soon be headed to some of the central, wonder filled technologies in the tech tree. Caral already has precedence of liking and building wonders, so we’ll likely see them nabbing a few here, hopefully ones that do more than just adding government options for flavour reasons.
Though Caral looks to be in quite a solid position, rivalling even Aures in terms of overall outlooks, there are a few flaws to be seen. Bordering the threatening New South Wales is the most obvious one, a civ with both a commanding navy at the present, and a civ with access to more settling options to further cut Caral off from their Pacific cities. Yanomami to their north is also an issue, holding on to their solid core a lot better than most rankers would care to admit, myself included. And Teotihuacan to the further north continues to be a future threat for Caral’s supremacy in the region, a civ that Caral has been at war with for the past 87 turns. If Caral really wants to get in the game, they need to properly commit themselves to a war they can win, perhaps by taking out Ternate or Rapa Nui properly, and grabbing some sizable city and land. I do think they have what it takes to clutch out this game, especially with a religion that frankly is one of the best on the Cylinder. It’ll just be a matter of when and who will be Caral’s first official stepping stone.
46: Yanomami
JDT:
Statistical noise sets the Yanomami down one. Their statline is still pretty good, their one issue is that they are kinda hardstuck within their region because Teo is such a statistically dominant civ while any other avenue of attack is hampered by mountains and jungles. But then again, Potiguara and Xavante are really bad and Xaragua is one of the civs of all time. So perhaps with their 5k troops they can come in with the steel chair
47: Mysore
ItsTruckMonth:
Mysore finds itself in the genuine fucking thunderdome that is South Asia this season as they’re essentially trapped between two other top 20 powers in Pakistan and Bangladesh. On paper, they’re an absolute menace: having a top-tier military, the 3rd highest overall production, and the best food stats around.
Unfortunately, Pakistan sits just above them in overall stats, and their only other neighbor, Bangladesh, is thirteenth. Any attempt to solo one of them will be an absolute meatgrinder, and a coalition between the two to split Mysore would be a nightmare scenario. Tipu’s gonna have to bide his time and play his cards well, and wait for the perfect moment if he wants any shot of being a top dog.
48: Chono
JDT:
The Chono’s perennial laziness finally catches up to them, as their statistical advantages no longer parlay into high ranks thanks to other powers catching up statistically while being in either better positions or being more active. It's crazy. Chono has everything needed to dominate South America, but it seems like they are allergic to warring anyone adjacent to them. Unfortunate.
49: Seychelles
ECH:
Believe me, I am truly rooting for Seychelles. I like their vibe, I like their look, I love me a naval power… it’s just, you can’t cheer for a favorite contender WHEN THEY DON’T GET OUT OF THE BLOODY SLEEPYTIME HAMMOCK, MR RENE!!!!!
If I were a gamblin’ man, I’d put some chips on Seychelles prospects with the PR’s declining soon if they don’t start actually doing something. The stats are there and they certainly have targets to aim for, but we don’t kid when we say a civ needs to show a certain personality to be seen as a genuine potential champ; prove that they will actually go to war and expand to, you know, win a Domination victory as the whole point of this show is. Seychelles doesn’t even have the excuse of being stuck with triremes now, time to recall the sailors back from fishing and stake some prime bays off their rivals!
50: Scythia
Archimedes :
Not too much can be said about Scythia at the moment, a civ that was a resounding success just episodes ago with conquering their way all over Vyatka. With only a single reference in this episode, a shot where we’ve been able to see their newly acquired advancements into Chivalry, it’s fair to say that Scythia has at least stabilized after their previous conquests. Fans out there may be hoping for more action, drama, and romance, and rest assured I expect we will be getting more of that in the future, but at the present moment Scythia seems to be content just sitting tight and raising the bar, preparing and machinating for their next big moment.
Statistics wise, we’ve actually seemed to see Scythia stagnate a bit, as their production of 236 is quite low for this stage of the game. Though they managed to pick up a big chunk of cities from Vyatka, their empire remains by and large a flatland one, lacking in the requisite hills that could turn them into a powerhouse. Their science is decent with a standing 273 effective science score, and their 31 technologies does bring them into the upper half of civs in this game, but their focus on Compass and Astronomy recently leaves a bit to be desired.
Astronomy, however, could be a bit of a portent for who their next target is. With Wallachia to the south, hilly and mountainous, there lies a potential answer to both their production and their science woes. With Wallachia being stunted from years of bankruptcy, and wars from all sides thinning their army to bare minimums, a targeted attack with newly minted Knights could be just the thing Scythia is waiting for. Though Scythia’s happiness may still lie at -10, a bad portent for both combat and holding onto newly conquered cities, the civ is known to push through adverse conditions, and could sooner rather than later go on the offensive. Whether they hold for the moment and consolidate their cities even further, or actively push out despite their woes for a risky gamble, is something we’ll have to see with our own eyes in the next episode. I feel bullish that they can make do, even with a -20% combat malus threatening to pull them down.
51: Rouran
Orange:
Wriggling their way to getting Nikolaevskoe for free since they couldn’t take it directly. But a win’s a win as they say, and Rouran is slowly trying to rack them up. Though Green Ukraine has been by far their weakest neighbor, we’ll see how they fair against greater threats…
52: Lanfang
JDT:Lanfang goes down by 4 due to accusations of entropy and several powers, most notably the Anishinaabe and Pakistan, surging up the stat sheet to surpass their statline. Make no mistake though - Lanfang is still an amazing civ that is in a very doable situation. While some people are doubtful that they will make many gains against Yunnan, keep in mind Yunnan is getting tag teamed by Tang, and there is ample space in SEA for a potential snipe or two. Retaining the city is a different question, sure (and they did fail to retain their Siberian city), but in a full war Lanfang is still more than capable of throwing hands with anyone around them.
However, if Lanfang wants to continue to go up and up, they will need to contend with 3 major issues. First is just the fact they are being outclassed on the stat sheet. The solution for this is simple - rush the right techs and keep growing tall. Take a few cities from Ternate and Yunnan here and there. The second issue is unhappiness. The solution is simple here too. Trade for unique luxuries (or conquer them), rush for Machinery to get Taverns and get policies that give Happiness. The final issue is the big one. Where do we go next? Traditionally, the true powerbase of Indo civs is Australia, as Wahgi and Timor Leste demonstrated, but Bunuba and NSW are both super fortified, and the Pacific are filled with monsters. However, the truth of the matter is that aside from Tang, Lanfang is simply better than all of them. In any given matchup, given time Lanfang will simply be able to statistically overpower anyone directly rivalling them. The slump in the stat table, in my eyes, is temporary. The glory that may be gained in the future is forever.
53: Pakistan
Orange:
Pakistan rises again up to 8th without even needing Lynn to rank them 3rd, seems everyone thinks quite highly of them. They have the largest military somehow, highest production per city, and a huge pop for how few cities they have. There’s a lot of reasons to put ‘em high. I however did not. I know they just took one of Phoenicia’s cut off cities, but they also lost a city to Sumer recently, and they are still pretty trapped by mountains and Mysore who have an impressive army of their own.
54
Archimedes :
CALLING ALL TEOTIHUACAN DOUBTERS.
If you or a loved one has doubted Teotihuacan’s prowess in this game, you may be entitled to get your opinion corrected. Teotihuacan is a mesoamerican civ that has dominated Central America, linked to growing statistics across the board. Exposure to Teotihuacan in the Caribbean, Colombian Lowlands, California, or Southern Texas regions may have you at risk of giving away one of your cities in sheer awe. Please, don’t wait. Read the reasons for why Teotihuacan is improving every minute here, or pick up a statistics package on your way out of these Power Rankings. Teotihuacan doubters call now!
1 800 TEO WINS
In all seriousness, even though Teotihuacan really didn’t feature much outside of being on the margins of some scattered screenshots throughout the episode. But, despite lurking in the sides of other important comings and goings, Teotihuacan has risen the ranks to stand tall amongst the giants of this Cylinder. Though they’ve been consistently brushing up against the top numbers for a long time throughout this game, Teotihuacan has time and time again been struggling in one specific aspect : their Science. And yet, once you’ve finished reading through the pages of the episode and decide to take a peek at the statistics page, you’ll see that Teotihuacan has rocketed up the stats page to an almighty 3rd in science, just barely behind Mysore and, admittedly, quite far out of reach of Tlingit. With a stunning 407 effective science, and a very solid 31 techs researched, Teotihuacan has shored up its greatest weakness and proved to all of the doubters that it is a truly monstrous contender in this game.
In addition to their scientific breakthroughs, Teotihuacan has also picked up some remarkably important technologies. One after another, Teotihuacan has picked up Compass, Education, Astronomy, and finally Exploration, a solid path along the top of this tech tree. With Education and Astronomy likely the culprits of their massive science scores, Teotihuacan has leveraged themselves into a very important military technology, Exploration unlocking access to the Galleon naval unit. This melee naval unit boasts a stunning 28 combat strength, 10 above the comparatively obsolete Carrack unit that Xaragua and Yanomami worked so hard to unlock, and the Galleon can also cross into deep ocean tiles. With this unit, Teotihuacan instantly is able to threaten all of Xaragua’s cities, and a decent portion of Yanomami’s coastal cities as well. Susquehannock, still currently at war with Teotihuacan, is also very threatened by these Galleons, especially if their conquests into Karankawa open up new naval passageways that Teotihuacan can take advantage of.
With such a strong technological advantage, and the soaringly high production to back up their military might, Teotihuacan threatens all of their neighbours. They have shown an aptitude for simming their core cities, keeping pace with high ranked contenders and flexing well developed lands. With a growing technological advantage, they may even be able to contest wonders, something that I have desperately been hoping for throughout this game. Being at the forefront of technological advantage means that Teotihuacan may end up picking up a wonder that they can leverage their religion around, especially with their wonder production ability bolstered by the many wars they’re keen to fight. Will we finally see the true expression of Teotihuacan in these coming episodes? Will the Teotihuacan doubters be financially compensated for their wrong predictions? I feel hopeful that we’ll be seeing a second wind of mesoamerican domination, the likes that no previous season of CBRX has seen.
55: Anishinaabe
Archimedes :
There has been quite the jump in rank for Anishinaabe this week, and there are certainly a few factors that can account for that. Some war success, some technological advancements, some overall good looking vibes; all contributors to a good feeling among the Power Ranking team for this plucky Northern Canadian contender. But does the Anishinaabe really have what it takes long term in the battle for North America?
The biggest thing to note for Anishinaabe is that they’ve had quite a decent stat jump since we last saw them. With 332 production on the field, 495 overall crop yield, and a stunning 56 excess happiness, the Anishinaabe are actually rivaling Tang in terms of statistics. They’re even doing this with a grand total of 15 cities to Tang’s 21, though we’ll likely see that number jump to 16 or even 17 due to their current war state. With only 264 effective science, however, Anishinaabe actually is lacking behind a lot of other top spots in the region, being absolutely dwarfed by neighbouring Tlingit’s current 547 science. This trailing science score could be an issue in the future, if Anishinaabe can’t manage to bolster that number up.
In terms of techs, one of the biggest reasons the team is so bullish towards Anishinaabe is their tech path. Picking up Steel 25 turns ago, they are currently working their way through researching Gunpowder, the first on the cylinder to do so. Anishinaabe also happens to have a Musketman Unique Unit, the Ogichida, which is cheaper to produce, happens to be lower in combat strength, but ignores enemy zones of control, allowing them to slip in and out of enemy lines to better encircle their foes. This push to nab Gunpowder puts them as potentially the top military power in all of North America, and their central position means they could strike anywhere on the map, from Onondaga to Susquehannock to Tlingit to Pomo to Ponca.
Speaking of Ponca, their war with Ponca has gone swimmingly, with Anishinaabe sweeping in and conquering their capital of Nanza. Though currently not in Anishinaabe’s control, the vast amount of nearby military means we are likely to see it fall again, and the new city of Xada De included alongside it. Though Ponca in general will be a tough nut to fully crack, owing to their mountain citadel of Wain-Xude, we’ll likely to see Anishinaabe continue to sweep through Ponca lands, making their way down to the ever present and ever weak Karankawa, another potential military target to conquer. And, if Anishinaabe ever felt like turning their head to the east again, they could more than easily pick up their war with Onondaga once more, marching their new muskets across lands that are honestly fairly undefended.
There is definitely a good reason why Anishinaabe have climbed up the ranks this go around. And though some of their long term prospects may look dicey, the decisions they’ve made amount to a very solid position in an area that already has some pretty tough competition. Look forward next episode to a continuation to this Ponca war, and hopefully their new Musketman Unique makes a resounding, powerful introduction.
56: Ket
Archimedes :
Once again we find Ket at the top of the rankings, not for any particular thing that they’ve done in recent history, but more for the fact that they picked a religion up early in this game. With the small, coastal, glacial city of Glazov making a brief appearance in the top right corner of a Vyatka slide, we can see that Ket’s religion, Samanism, is blessing their cities with inordinate amounts of city defense, as proven by the 47 strength that Glazov boasts. One can only imagine just how terrifyingly defensive the rest of Ket’s cities may look, and it’s a thankful blessing to the other contenders nearby that Ket has largely been a sleepy civ, mainly keeping to themselves in the frigid north.
Ket isn’t without their strengths of course. Statistically they still sit in the upper echelon, with 18 cities, 329 production, and 311 effective science. These are all markers of a top tier civ, competing with the likes of Teotihuacan, Aures, and Bangladesh. Their armies are plentiful, and they seem to be technologically relevant, with Civil Service, Education, Physics, and soon enough Machinery under their belt. Machinery brings new wonders to the lands of Ket, with Crossbowmen acting as a solid defensive tool for a civ that doesn’t need them, and the Enlightenment Era Tavern that can help bolster their somewhat lacking -3 happiness. Ket finds themselves in a good, if somewhat boring, position with their core of cities well developed.
Ket could, at any moment, decide to break out of their glacial snooze and pick at some of their neighbours. Qara-Khitai, with their borders reaching into Ket lands like tendrils reaching to the heavens, is a solid target, despite the advent of Qara’s new unique unit the Ordo Cavalry. Rouran and Vyatka both could also be swept upon, or potentially even the Bjarmians with a naval invasion, as difficult as that may be. As noted by some on the power ranking team, Ket managed to take a Lanfang city at some point, one that was settled in the frozen north by Pegu originally, and burned it to the ground, likely due to their happiness issues. Hopefully the razing of that city is at least a glimpse at how destructive Ket could be if they put their mind to it. For now though? They’ll continue to hibernate, a bear that no other civ dares to touch.
57: Aures
ECH:
My honest sense of the PR horse race right now is that this one rank drop for Aures is more to do with broader shuffling than any real fall in their stakes. However, you’re not here for vague shrugs are you. No, you FREAKS come here for exactitudes on the performance of decorated lines of code, and we exist to serve your abominable desires here, bleh!
If I were to point at tangible reasons for their departure from the top 3, it must be admitted that they have suffered peculiar stats drops in the key categories of science and production, down to 10th and 9th, while their military score is even further. Now, I personally would attribute a lot of this to the realities of long-term border-warring on a civ, wearing down military and stagnating urban development in favour of units, but I couldn’t blame one for using these facts as justification for a small move downwards, regardless of Aures retaining an astounding target list, great stats base, no major threats and, perhaps most vital of all, a proven determination to make use of these advantages.
58: New South Wales
Archimedes :
A lot of what’s been said about New South Wales seems to stick for this episode as well, despite a tenuous land altercation with Bunuba around Uluuru putting a bit of doubt into the heart of the one New South Wales fan that exists reading the CBRX5. With massive stats and massive land opportunities, New South Wales seems to be the dominant power in the Oceanic area, threatening still to envelop both Bunuba, Caral, Ternate and Lanfang. Some rankers still hold out however, with a reasonable grudge the size of Australia itself, stating that Bunuba still exists as a relevant threat, and few routes to break out of the area prove that New South Wales is not in fact a top tier power. Will this be the case in the future? Or are we likely to finally see New South Wales prove it can make further progress than anyone could imagine.
We once again turn to the statistics page, in which New South Wales dominates a lot of the figures. A production of 456 is just shy of Tlingit’s 476, but a remarkably high number all things considered, with the potential to both pump out new buildings and new units as they’re unlocked. Their population is also at a stunning second place with 243 individual citizens, spread out across their 24 cities. With so many cities, and with new settlers still roaming the Pacific looking for suitable islands to settle, it is undeniable that New South Wales stretches farther across the cylinder than any other civ in this game. And their science, a very solid 398 with 35 techs researched, proves that they’re putting their citizens to good use, even if they’re hovering around -3 unhappiness.
And with these Technologies, New South Wales has been slowly but surely ticking the boxes. Nabbing Banking, Physics, and Machinery in the last episode, the bottom half of the tech tree is slowly but surely filling itself out, on a potentially heated path towards Gunpowder and Musketmen. Their last tech grabbed, Machinery, is also an important one for New South Wales specifically, as the Enlightenment Era mod the CBRX is using adds the Tavern here, a building that grants 2 local happiness to the city that it is built in. With New South Wales foaming at the mouth to nab even more Polynesian holdings, this additional happiness boost spread out across their 24 cities could be just the thing for New South Wales to manage their spotty happiness problems, an issue that also caused them to flounder in their war with Bunuba.
New South Wales obviously still has some issues with breaking out of their neighbourhood, but with the advent of Astronomy we do see some chances of far away wars being on the cards. New South Wales is still at war with Pomo, and could potentially be a target for a flotilla of Caravels to pop over. For now though, New South Wales continues to bolster their core, fortify their new Polynesian holdings, and stabilize after a minor skirmish with their other Australian adversary. As much as I’m not a fan of New South Wales, it’s impossible to admit that they aren’t one of the top contenders in this game, and likely one that will have an entire holding over Oceania.
59: Tang
Leman:
Lots of discussion on the PR discord about Tang this week, despite them not doing a whole lot this week. As shaggy said Tang has sheer mass on their side, and therefore are kind of favored in any war with any of their neighbors at this moment. This week they went after, what I think, is their worst target. Yunnan. Yunnan’s UA and the geography makes their capital virtually impenetrable at this point in time, and Tang doesn’t seem to be putting a whole lot of effort into the other cities. Doesn’t really matter, as Tang has been quietly pumping up their other stats in the background and are looking great.
60: Tlingit
JDT:
And returning to the top of the charts for the umpteenth week its Tlingit! While their Poblometrics rankings, especially grit, may be a bit lacking, their position and box score are so dominant that we once again are behooved to put them first. Especially in the light of them getting Swords Into Ploughshares, which gives all their cities +1 food and +15% growth while at peace, and galleons to further compete navally. The competition is heating up though. Pakistan is surging up the stat sheet with their super tall capital. The Anishinaabe might eat half of the Great Plains in one fell swoop. Tang might just finish off the reunification of China, bolstering their already absurd statlines with 4-5 more thicc cities. NSW, Mysore and Teotihuacan are keeping pace statistically, the lattermost serving as an impediment to southern expansion. And the Aures and Scythia both still have the most insanely ripe conditions for a rapid contest I’ve seen in a while. By contrast, the Tlingit may not have such an easy time piercing their foes in spite of total superiority, as the Pomo proved last episode. Will they remain at the top next week? Find out soon in the next episode of the Civilization Battle Royale!
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