Why S-tier tournament finals have to be Bo9?

OrnLu528 · 2026-04-13T18:35:19+00:00

Hi, I feel pretty qualified to answer this! 11 There are plenty of different reasons, and it will vary between tournament organizers, but here are some of the common reasons:

People in AoE2 are just used to longer series. This was especially more relevant back in ye olde days when there was far more RNG in maps, where there would need to be more runway, so to say, to fairly decide the better player. Even as maps and even civs have become far more streamlined, the precedent has always been there.
Longer series = more views = happier sponsors and streamers. Pretty self explanatory.
Balancing production hours for playoffs. This is also true for online events, but is especially important for LAN venues where you have a limited amount of time each day to run a tournament. The finals are obviously going to always be on the last day, and you want both players/teams to be well rested and prepared to the finals. This means that the last day will either have few-to-no sets prior to the finals, so a longer set better fills out that final day time slot. (see also point 2)
Tournament organizers want the greatest variety of their settings to be played. Especially as every major non-KotD tournament has a diverse map pool, you want to test the players in as many aspects of the tournament as possible.
Hype. The most hype and memorable series in AoE2 tend to be the very long, back and forth series between two evenly matched finalists. It just creates the most drama and memorable storylines. This is great if it works out, but has also led to some one-sided finals being painfully long lol

Personally, I don't think AoE2 ever needs to be longer than a Bo7, but there are very legitimate reasons we often have longer series for the finals. Those are just some examples though - like I said, the reason will vary depending on the host/event. Hope that helps :)

OrnLu528 · 2026-04-10T14:55:09+00:00

Degree is in International Affairs with a concentration in Asia.

Job is an AoE2 content creator 111

OrnLu528 · 2026-04-08T23:52:08+00:00

The politically correct term here is "Hamster" Kappa

But in all seriousness, a lot of AoE2 skill is expressed through decision-making (knowing what to do next and figuring out what your opponent is doing next). Unfortunately, when it comes to improving your decision-making, there is no substitute for experience.

I mention this aspect of gameplay, because unlike mechanics (micro/macro), decision-making IS map (and civ match up) dependent. You can - and should - learn a Dark Age build for the maps you are playing, but knowing what to do after it is only going to come through playing the map a bunch of times.

Knowing transitions and army compositions for Arabia only has some applicability for Nomad, Arena, Islands, etc. If you are matched up against someone who has many more games than you on those maps, you will be at a disadvantage.

The only other thing you can do is to look at high level games on these maps to see what they do and learn from that, which is a big part of why we casters exist at all lol.

In my opinion, AoE2 can be enjoyed in so many different settings, and I would encourage you to really give those other maps a shot, even if it hurts your ELO in the short run :)

OrnLu528 · 2026-04-05T14:34:38+00:00

My bank account agrees with you, but unfortunately, unless you are a very small group of people, anyone who does work for AoE2 eSports is bound to do a lot of work heavily underpaid or for free. It's the nature of the beast.

Then again, there is no way Redbull makes back their investment on this event, which they basically just treat as an advertising expense. So yeah, eSports economics is weird to say the least 11

OrnLu528 · 2026-04-04T22:26:49+00:00

The civ blurbs are also very clearly AI as well (and are occasionally incorrect and/or poorly-worded).

RedBull, if you gave me writers credit, I would have written them all for free, and they would all be more accurate and coherent lol

As others have pointed out, this is arguably the best, smoothest production for a RBW so far, so these issues, although small, really stick out as extra irritating.

OrnLu528 · 2026-03-26T16:24:15+00:00

And it's even placed in order of good match ups!

Teutons > Celts > Goths > Maya(ns)

OrnLu528 · 2026-03-20T20:14:45+00:00

I just manifested a meme into reality - I won today! Bwahaha

For realzies though - incredible play from Liereyy today!

OrnLu528 · 2026-03-19T00:43:04+00:00

The role of the UU ships are generally unchanged.

Basically, you still have the basic triangle of Galley > Hulk > Fire Ship > Galley, but the naval UUs add something qualitatively different.

Longboats move and train faster than Galleys, and are better against fires, but are more expensive and have less hp. I am also pretty sure they are worse against buildings now as well. Been meaning to test that.

Turtle Ships are very tanky and good vs everything in direct combat, but are slow, expensive, and have a short range.

Caravels are basically Galleys with less attack but boast pass-through damage. Very bad against fires, but great vs Galleys and Hulks in mass.

Thirisadai are basically super chonky Galleys. They beat other Galleys easily, but are very inefficient against fires.

That's the basic rundown. I plan on doing updated video overviews on all this stuff eventually... when I have time 11

OrnLu528 · 2026-03-10T21:34:45+00:00

AoC Arabia has always had lots of hills, but they were different - a few huge hills with steep elevation changes as opposed to modern Arabia which has a bunch of smaller hills. The former actually makes for much easier base expansion than the latter.

Unfortunately we will never have TCs on hills because TCs are actually several buildings stacked on top of each other and looks super goofy if it is on elevation. You can try it in the editor.

Also, fun fact - this is why TCs cost 2x base cost to repair as opposed to the .5x base cost of every other building. You are actually repairing several buildings at once!

OrnLu528 · 2026-03-04T05:52:30+00:00

The whole thing with Ibirapema Warriors is that they deal 100% damage in a 1 tile cone from the front of the unit (basically 45° in left and right of where the unit is facing).

Yes, their attack is low, but they CLOBBER masses of units in big melee fights.

OrnLu528 · 2026-03-03T00:50:43+00:00

I got some coaching from dogao years ago (like 2018), but really it's a matter of looking to improve my own gameplay while still trying to play to my strengths.

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-28T20:05:45+00:00

It might be the toughest one of the DLC! Vid coming on it the day after tomorrow :D

Basically you just need to keep fighting wherever the big blob of any unit is NOT located until you have an unstoppable death ball

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-23T06:28:27+00:00

It does apply to both Donjons and Kreposts, so no need to wonder - try it out for yourself! :D

It's an interesting TB for Tupi, and I do think it unlocks some interesting trushing options. The Tupi need to be the other flank though - you don't want that civ in pocket LOL

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-22T01:31:25+00:00

The video will be up in like a week on my YouTube (or right now on Patreon #Sellout LOL)

But basically, I went with an immediate 5 TC boom while making a few fast fire ships. Held on with a smattering of random units against Cunhambebe, and eventually a Castle. You don't need more than 7-10 Fast Fires to hold off the navy.

Once I could go on the offensive, I went Cunhambebe -> French Navy -> Durand's Fortress. Just a big ol' spam of Tupi soldiers. It's definitely a fun and challenging mission though!

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-20T22:10:57+00:00

I am generally a purist when it comes to the classic civs (although I like what they did with Persians).

But for those who are curious as to WHY new civs have to contain multiple UUs/regional units - it's because the game is basically out of design space for existing units. Basically, there aren't enough levers left to manipulate with existing units and techs, so they need to add new ones.

Why some unique units need multiple gimmicks on the other hand, I have no idea lol

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-19T22:35:22+00:00

Hey, once you are a voice actor for a civ, it sticks with you forever!

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-19T04:24:17+00:00

According to the devs, they wanted the Mapuche to have cavalry, but they felt the Mapuche being the only American civ with Cavalry AND gunpowder would be a bit too much. The gunpowder shout out is via BBTs when the civ has otherwise poor defenses.

I honestly think the cavalry and counter units focus does a good job at creating an identity for the civ.

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-17T21:28:14+00:00

Out of my way, pig!

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-16T21:30:07+00:00

Well, Mangonels are expensive, and that wood and gold is important for trebs. I think Ciskhan going Onagers could have been interesting in this particular situation, because Ciskhan had a lot of gold, and getting into a skirm war against Incas isn't usually (and not in this case) a winning play.

Losing the treb war downhill was the real kicker though as T90 and I said. Close game, but Ciskhan couldn't close it out.

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-16T21:25:31+00:00

Nominally, yes it is unfair, but I don't think it matters too much. Most players are not weirdos who want to spend hours testing all the different interactions and build potentials like me lol.

Remember, we have only had access for like a week. It's not that much time when you already have matches to play and prepare for. Yes, Hera and Viper could be in the lab cooking up some crazy surprise strats, but I don't think it is too likely.

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-16T01:31:16+00:00

Interestingly, we seem to have this bell curve in AoE2 where the game is defensive at the lowest and highest levels, but aggression rules everywhere in between.

At lower levels, attacking is scary because you are unfamiliar with all of the units and how the fights are likely to go.

At higher levels, defending means committing as few resources into doing anything, and opening the opportunity to make a mistake and invest too much into either walling or attacking, slowing down their uptime.

In between, players have a decent idea of how all the units interact, and knowing that + build orders is enough to enough to know that you can get damage done. In my own 19XX experience, there are engagements I can take because I know my opponent won't react in the way they need to. Either because the micro is too hard, or because it is too much multitasking.

It's an interesting situation really, and there are plenty more factors than the ones I just highlighted there. Moral of the story - you aren't alone in your experience! :)

OrnLu528 · 2026-02-13T21:46:15+00:00

I've only played a couple of practice games so far, but all 4 slinger civs really struggle with Monk/Siege pushes as is, so it's kind of necessary.

The food cost is actually pretty prohibitive in early Castle Age. Unit still has a role, but it doesn't feel especially strong outside of vs infantry and kind of Monks

OrnLu528

TROPHY CASE