RusWith Rus, you will never be able to stop their castle age; they don't need to get gold to age up.
If you see a Rus player going for 10 on wood, it usually indicates feudal aggression or at least getting units out to deny relics from a fast castle HRE.
Never underestimate warrior monks: they bring back relics insanely quickly, moving faster than slow infantry while carrying a relic.
The mobility tempo of Rus with horse archers and superior knights is something even HRE can struggle with despite their fantastic boosted economy from the Aachen Chapel. HRE can shut down pro scouting, but it delays them quite a bit and opens them up to harassment. If HRE can stop the deer packs, they might outlast.
Opening with spears can be prudent against Rus because HRE spearmen are faster than regular spearmen, making it easier to deny deer packs from scouts.
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