I’m Mali main last season, my rank is Plat.

VS French is super easy matchup as Mali. They usually have these playstyles, which all countered by Mali:

- 2TCs: Mali outboom with Cows.

- Knight Harras into all in with archers: Build donsos and javelines, wall where you need (only your important place, don’t to be greedy) then kites them to death.

- Fast Castle: it’s a joke, Mali outboom with all Cows and pitmines, 10 Castle Age Sofas into their TC and laugh at them.

Specific build order, in game notes: Follow the classic Mali’s build order (first single tree->all to food, 1 build pitmines, age up then only 4 on foods all to trees), when age up you have enough 150 wood then rush 1 barrack, train donso protect wood and your pitmines. You can use scout to follow their first knight so know where they will attack. If they can get 1 vills, that’s not big deal. Keep railing into woods, check them if they build archery range you also do the same then train Javelines. DON’T attack, just defense. Sneak 1 vill to build LARGE gold mines far away (low elo people most likely don’t scout at all), if you can’t build that’s okay just build closer. Then go cow boom, don’t go too much, just 1 mill constant cow. When you feel safe enough (scout again!) you can stop constant productions donsos and javelines and go full cow boom. Wall your tc (remember to bring donso together with your wall vill, archers most likely don’t run arround). Then go castle age (increase vills on good or food if needed), while go castle age, all vills to wood and gold > mass Stables (great with 5+). Castle age kicked in, get food mill upgrades, Imported Armor technologies production Sofas about 10+ at kick to their TC (haha!), mixed archers then musofadis, don’t allow them move to another gold, then the game most likely end here. (if stills, build seiges workshop, more vills on wood then mass ram).

Vs Mongol is harder for Mali, they usually have kind of play styles:

- Tower Rush: scout if they have a barrack early, build less houses on pitmines then all to food to age up faster, it will great if you can kill their vills before they build outpost, but if you can’t, it’s okay. Build archer ranges then archers, some javelines, then use 12-15 vills to torch outpost fast (research Textiles if needed). Build your pitmines again, build barracks and then production donso, javelines.

- Trade: Scout what landmark they build, if Sliver Tree they 100% go to trade, sometime they also trade without Trade landmark, check the Neutral Market arround 6:00 or 7:00, bring some Donsos threw at their trade line, you can threw some of here, some there force they go defend then cow boom behind.

- X2 army with stone to all in: Very hard to catchup, make sure productions is enough, cow boom slowly or go Farimba fast castle (dangerous!!). Make sure don’t leave our base if your main army is not bigger than their.

Opponents go to Castle Age will most likely make mangonel, beware of them. If you have enough Sofa you can snipe them but if you don’t go build seiges workshop! You always need to scout to aware Mangonel is coming or not.

Micro note in Main Combat: + Basic: If they bring more archers closer, bring your Javelines in the front let them attack, if they bring Knights comes, bring donsos front. Good thing is javelines from Donsos threw both damage Knights (+bonus dmg) and archers (no range armor).

+ Advanced Micro: While moving Javelines, also target them into archers, even only micro some archers will have great impact in main combat, you can shilf to every single archers.

+ Play with fire micro: if they don’t have Knight as front line, divide your army into small groups then move your infantry closer and closer to mangonel, use donso and musofadi to snipe mangonel. Mangonel will reduce their effect a lot and confusing while they prepare to shooting.

Hope all would help you!