How to beat
Ottomansas Chinese
Matchup tips
You don't want to stay in feudal against Sipahi plus Mehter because you're not getting a lot of value from your standard force. So you want to get to Castle as fast as possible.
Ottomans don't have as many food issues, especially with military schools producing free units passively nonstop. That's one reason they match up well against food-reliant civs like Chinese.
China is one of the most difficult civilizations to play, making it hard to squeeze maximal value from all bonuses. Ottomans just invest into military schools, and once up, they passively generate value nonstop. That's an enormous advantage.
Chinese players sometimes try double stable horsemen. You can get more ponies out than Ottomans, but it's quality over quantity — Sapahi are better. And you need to have a way to deal with the imams.
China has insane age-up speed. You can start your age-up when the Ottoman is halfway through and still finish first.
Janissaries take a while to mass in Castle Age — through the vizier point, military schools, or manual production. Early on, cavalry can get plenty of advantage. But later, once there are enough Janissaries, cavalry cannot be present in a fight and are forced into raiding.
Nest of Bees without the Astronomical Clocktower bonus are less oppressive. Sapahi are excellent at sniping siege — their extra range allows them to hit past spearmen.
Ottomans can field a Great Bombard in the Castle Age — a massive timing that Chinese struggle against.
The Ottoman deathball composition — Sapahi, Janissaries, Men-at-Arms, Springalds, and Great Bombard — is extremely hard for China to deal with once it forms.
Ottomans historically suffer from lack of mobility — a slow, scattered army, especially with siege. Chinese can fully punish that by playing defensively and reasserting map control.
Food becomes very hard to come by mid-game. While other civs run out of food, Ottoman passive production from military schools is insane. You'll often see players actively build Janissaries but passively build Sapahi because it's more gold-demanding than food-demanding.
Ottomans Unique Units
Ottomans Landmarks
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