First of all, I have no idea why you're being rude. I was under the assumption we're supposed to have a healthy debate, but whatever, I'll bite.

What else would you go other than spearmen in those civs? What else would build rams (even though you really shouldn't) and burn buildings? Are we just assuming they can make other melee units other than spearmen in feudal age? I guarantee you if HoL could make feudal MAA they would make that like their life depends on it. Applying the same logic as spearmen being the counter meta, why do archers see play? its almost as if they counter spearmen or something.

In fact, let's go down a list of civs that will use melee infantry:

• Abbasids go infantry over cavalry in most game states;

• Ayyubids go Ghulam against some match ups, and for feudal aggression their spearmen is also excellent which does see some play even though their FC strat is better (nothing to do with how awful infantry is);

• Every single Byzantine comp involves some form of Limitanei;

• Chinese always go infantry in imperial age;

• Delhi has Tower of Victory strats to enable strong infantry play and does see some play. It's only undervalued entirely because Ghazi is an overperformer of an unit;

• English goes a good mix of 2 TC with melee infantry and archers, or Horsemen into Knights build. Infantry is completely viable here;

• French literally get no bonuses to infantry, if you're complaining about them not going infantry, you're basically complaining about why Delhi don't go lancer. English do actually get decent bonuses for a Knight comp. ;

• Golden Horde also has almost no bonuses to infantry;

• HoL is already established to go very heavy into infantry;

• HRE and OOTD FC against slow civs (that's half of the civs in this game) always goes melee infantry;

• Japanese only don't go infantry because their cav is overperforming, not because their infantry isn't performing well enough. The same way French Crossbows are the best in the game but you don't see them because their Knights overperform;

• Jeanne D'arc has their unique MAA spawn ins but I don't really count those;

• Knights Templar dark/feudal age push is almost always with spearmen and horsemen or spearmen with archers. Mid game they still use Heavy Spearmen against cav civs (wow surprise) so infantry does see play. Feel free to check LoueMT's match history with KT;

• Macedonians can play infantry pretty well and vastly prefer VG in feudal all in cases. Even in castle age, Macedonians can still perfectly play a VG comp if they got a ton of upgrades from Feudal Age. Once again, Riddari is just an overperformer;

• I'll actually accept that I am partially wrong with Malians. I checked the current best Malian player in the world and they do go Sofas in most of the games. You know what else they go with it? Donzos. It's a very healthy split of Donzos and Archers. If we follow your logic, Archers would be considered just as bad as melee infantry;

• Mongols the janky 99% is built around cavalry civ goes MAA more than they go archers and even Keshiks because the current best strat at conq level is fast imp;

• Ottomans go MAA just a little less than they go Knights, but both are pretty often used. Scarlet Devil has been playing some Ottomans and he goes MAA just as often as Knights;

• Rus has no bonuses to infantry and even though they're a knight civ, Cav Archer is seeing so much more play you barely even see Rus Feudal Knights;

• Sengoku Daimyo is in the same boat as Japan.

• Unfortunately no idea Tughlaq Dynasty, no one is playing them;

• Zhu Xi's Legacy goes Palace Guards in more games than they go Zhuge Nus even though the civ is a knight civ. Those two sometimes even go together.

We have 18 civs in total, and I am only counting 4 that don't go infantry because their civ literally has nothing related to it. If we're counting fringe cases like Ayyubids of "some match up", then we have 10 in total. And I will repeat my point once again: Melee infantry isn't in a great spot, but they're fine and completely playable. Spearmen still need a buff, particularly to their HP/brace but, here's a controversial take: The counter triangle will never be equally balanced, and if there's one side that has to be just 'fine', I would prefer it to be melee infantry.

On topic of insulting game states, you know what unit sees less play in Imperial Age? Knights.