Do you guys have favorite units, units that you find are both fun and effective, tilting you to select certain civs above others?

I know I do, and I wanted to know a bit more about the community.

My question is, do you have a favorite unique mounted unit, and why?

Here's a rundown of all unique mounted units and their baseline Elite stats:

​

Elite Royal Knight (French & JDA)

• Attack: 29
• HP: 270
• Armor: 5/5 (melee - ranged)
• Ability: passive heal when not in combat

​

Elite Camel Rider (Abba)

• Attack: 16 ( 16 vs cavalry, but no charge attack)
• HP: 320
• Armor: 0/0
• Ability: 2 melee armor, armor aura to infantry ( 2 melee and ranged armor), attack debuff to enemy cavalry (-20% attack)

​

Camel Archer (Abba)

• Attack: 15 ranged ( 15 vs light melee infantry, mostly spears, musofadi warriors, donzos, and Landsknecht)
• HP: 200
• Armor: 0/0
• Ability: armor aura to infantry ( 2 melee and ranged armor), attack debuff to enemy cavalry (-20% attack)

​

Elite Desert Raider (Ayyubid)

• Attack: 19 ( 19 to cavlary)
• HP: 175
• Armor: 0/7
• Ability: nearby infantry increases camel armor by 3/ 3 , 205 attack speed at Golden Age 5, construction of siege engines with Military Wing: Reinforcements - I've also noticed that Ayyubid camels give an armor buff to infantry, is this a bug?) , -20% attack debuff to enemy cavalry

​

Elite Camel Lancer (Ayyubid)

• Attack: 27
• HP: 245
• Armor: 4/5
• Ability: charge can increase damage by 20% for charge distance. Nearby infantry increases camel armor by 3/ 3 , 205 attack speed at Golden Age 5, construction of siege engines with Military Wing: Reinforcements - I've also noticed that Ayyubid camels give an armor buff to infantry, is this a bug?) , -20% attack debuff to enemy cavalry.

​

Elite Fire Lancer (China)

• Attack: 13 ( 20 to siege) / 14 torch damage compared to horseman
• HP: 180
• Armor: 0/2
• Ability: charge deals AOE damage. benefits from a unique landmark tech that raises its damage by 20%

​

Imperial Guard (Juicy)

• Attack: 28
• HP: 340
• Armor: 10/3
• Ability: benefits from a unique landmark tech that raises its damage by 20%

​

Elite Yuan Raider (Juicy)

• Attack: 15 ( 5 to workers, 10 to siege)
• HP: 200
• Armor: 0/4
• Ability: the fastest cavalry in the game

​

Elite Sofa (Malian)

• Attack: 25 ( 4 to infantry)
• HP: 230
• Armor: 4/4
• Ability: 2 melee armor tech, it can increase movement speed of nearby infantry by 15% , increased torch damage through a Landmark

​

Elite Warrior Scout (Malian)

• Attack: 11 ( 10 vs scout, 10 vs siege, 11 vs ranged)
• HP: 155
• Armor: 0/0
• Ability: passive life regen (1Hp per second), increased line of sight

​

Elite Sipahi (Ottoman)

• Attack: 18 ( 18 vs ranged, 10 vs siege)
• HP: 220
• Armor: 0/4
• Ability: its attack speed, movement speed, ranged armour or melee armor can be increased through the Mehter

​

Elite Ghazi Raider (Delhi)

• Attack: 18 ( 13 vs ranged, 4 vs heavy units)
• HP: 200
• Armor: 0/4
• Ability: its attack speed can be increased through a monk

​

Warrior Elephant (Delhi)

• Attack: 50 (tusks) 25 (spears). 45 vs building, 40 vs cavalry
• HP: 850
• Armor: 4/5
• Ability: 4 ranged armor and 25% through unique imperial tech (takes a lot of time). It costs 3 pop

​

Tower Elephant (Delhi)

• Attack: 30 (tusks) plus the damage of either two archers or two elite crossbowman
• HP: 600
• Armor: 0/7
• Ability: 30% HP and 4 ranged armor to elephants through unique imperial tech (takes a lot of time). It also changes archers for elite crossbows. Its attack speed can be increased through a monk. It costs 3 pop

​

Sultan's Elite Tower Elephant (Dehli)

• Attack: 30 (tusks) plus the damage of either two handcannonners with or without chemistry on top
• HP: 600
• Armor: 0/7
• Ability: attack speed can be increased throug a monk. It costs 3 pop
• ​

Elite Mounted Samurai (Japan)

• Attack: 29 (plus a charge attack)
• HP: 270
• Armor: 5/5
• Ability: it can deflect one attack every 8 seconds, but it recharges out of combat (Deflective Armor). 10% movement speed when Deflective Armor is active. Uma Bannerman can increase its damage by 15%

​

Elite Onna-Musha (Japan)

• Attack: 10 ( 9 vs heavy units)
• HP: unsure! 90?
• Armor: 0/0
• Ability: active ability to increase movement speed

​

Elite Gilded Horseman (Order)

• Attack: 20 ( 20 vs ranged)
• HP: 360
• Armor: 0/4
• Ability: prelates can increase itsd armor and damage. It costs 2 pop

​

Elite Gilded Knights (Order)

• Attack: 42
• HP: 460
• Armor: 7/6
• Ability: prelates can increase its armor and damage. It costs 2 pop

Mangudai (Mongol)

• Attack: 8
• HP: 120
• Armor: 0/0
• Ability: they can attack as they move

​

Keshick (Mongol)

• Attack: 23
• HP: 210
• Armor: 5/5
• Ability: they can heal as they attack (3HP per attack)

​

Cataphract (Byz)

• Attack: 32
• HP: 405
• Armor: 5/5
• Ability: they can't charge, but they can "Trample". Trample allows them to charge through enemy units dealing 10 damage to each unit they trample. They can have the "GULP!" potions to heal every so often through a landmark. Another landmark gives them momentary healing and attack damage.

​

Horse Archer (Rus)

• Attack: 14
• HP: 100
• Armor: 0/0
• Ability: active ability to increase their range by 2 for 8 seconds

​

The question is...

not what is the most powerful unit, as that is highly debatable. It's the unit you have like the most both in terms of fun and effectiveness. In other words, which mounted unit do you tend to win when you mass it? Wich is the one you prefer to mass, or the one you never play without?

​

For Ottoman mains, for example, it's probably the Sapahi, as it does a fine job protecting Janissaries from archers.

​

As for me, my favorite mounted unit is the Camel Archer. It's great for raiding, defending in feudal, buffing up units, debuffing cavalry, and a general unit you can mass in Imperial without spending gold - it hits quite hard.

​

The second most favorite one, although it can be a bit of a meme, is the Sultan Tower Elephant. The sight of two handcannonners above a war elephant is awesome!

​