3v3 Guide: IF Spain

Upon agreement from (now former) Order of The Emperor members, we have decided to release all of the guides, expansions & other helpful threads that we used inside the clan. Almost all of these are made by Garde, Tirpitz, or Almighty.

Do be mindful that these guides may still be updated over time and have sections put on them ahead of time- Also be mindful of other peoples' views.

3v3 Guide: IF Spain was made by Garde.

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Starting Units: 25 (43+Gen)
Starting Cash: 3080 (+398)
Difficulty: Moderate (3/5)

Spain in theory should be a dominant power of the lower Mediterranean, or at the very least contest most other powers surrounding it: It has three bluewater ports excluding Bilbao over on the Bay of Biscay. But as we know, power on comes with the ability to excise it, and this is a discipline Spain simply does not partake in, as there are only a few local territories one can realistically expand to normally on T1, and even less so with Iron Fist. So why bother playing a strategy in a pick dependent on securing the few territories surrounding it? Iron Fist's unmatched ability to win battles based upon high HP and unhindered ATK/DEF/Crit marks it as one of the best- if not the best- rushing Strategies for West, but only if you can maximize your range completely to rush whatever target it is you're vying for.

Theory:

The basic premise of any successful Iron Fist Spain player is to secure a rush target, and Doomrush it completely, or as much as you can. In the current metagame (Autumn 2019), this target is typically Italy. The only other countries realistically trying to secure Rome T1 are France and Turkey, with the latter having zero chance in actually winning unless his team wills it, for whatever reason they may have. Germany can realistically send units there as well, but it would be costly and could never be a legitimate attempt to win the rush compared to France of Spain, only aiding either in their conquest. Therefore, as an Iron Fist Spain player, your main concern is with beating France in the rush. Otherwise, Iron Fist is mostly played as a Defensive strategy out of habit, but in actuality it has unabated expansive power that normally goes untapped due to a lack of foresight, practice, and skill regarding range maximization; You can rush Portugal if you believe France will do the same here, but you're mostly just concerned with Italy if you're opposing France. if your opponent happens to be Italy, you're concerned with taking France.

France historically can only rush Italy with Naval Commander, although back in 2015 a user by the name of Klevis managed to successfully rush Rome with 46 Infantry and his General using Perfect Defense. Whether or not he cheated/glitched to do this is still a point for debate by many including Witch-Doctor who claims to own proof stating it was indeed cheating, whilst other players such as 0.0 and Jugers2 claim it to be completely legitimate... even though no known expansion can possibly maneuver to Rome, yet. Nonetheless, as of the current metagame (Autumn 2019), one need not worry about the possibility of a Perfect Defense rush just yet, but Lucky Bastard has fluctuated in popularity too. The question here is: Can Iron Fist Spain beat either of these? Is it good against these strategies? Is there a better strategy for this?

This same question can be posed about rushing France T1 if your opponent is Italy. While more uncommon and perhaps even rare, Italy poses a serious threat to a T1 France rush, especially if Germany is on their team. In a four-way rush for Paris like what typically happens in these scenarios, Paris serves as a crucible where only team- perhaps only one player- will stand victorious, so ensuring you win this rush could mean the entire game, East be damned.

Strengths/Weaknesses:

Iron Fist Spain versus Naval Commander France

Iron Fist Spain versus Lucky Bastard France

Iron Fist Spain versus Perfect Defense France

Iron Fist Spain versus Lucky Bastard Italy

Iron Fist Spain versus Relentless Attack Italy

Units:

Much like any other Iron Fist pick, you want to force a decent mixture of Tanks and Infantry for the best early-game results. A common mistake many beginners or Iron Fist greenhorns will make is spamming nothing but Infantry to save money early-on, especially in Spain. Your only goal playing Iron Fist and rushing this early- especially as Spain- is to win the rush by any means necessary. Your chances of doing this are far less so for every Tank you skip out on to skirt some cash. Playing with the unit totals in each Spanish city while ensuring you can complete the rush to Italy without rangefailing will teach you how to properly micromanage your Infantry:Tanks ratio at an appropriate pace. Having but 150 cash or less at the end of T1 is completely fine, provided you win Rome. Bombers can be a good substitute for Tanks if you're in a pinch or simply need air dominance, provided you can sustain these high-cost units.

Routes

Walls:

Iron Fist poses an interesting question with its walls: How do you make them out of Militia? Without your general, you don't. That's the magic of it however: You don't necessarily need many walls with Iron Fist outside of your important cities; keeping those Militia totals in your open cities is a primary psychological mechanic with Iron Fist that one should master early. An open city will always be viewed by a prospecting opponent as a possible target, but having many of them may overload his typical means of determination in regards to where he will rush. Keeping your militia totals in these cities high as well will pave the way for the ultimate slowroll campaign you must adhere to if you wish to win with Iron Fist Spain properly.



Expansion 1: Doomrush Italy

Guide coming soon





Expansion 2: Doomrush France

Guide coming soon





Expansion 3: Softrush Portugal

Premise: You're aiming for an expansion that will allow you to comfortably turtle in Iberia, but extend your influence deep into France from the very beginning, despite Spain and otherwise.You've got until Turn 4 at the very earliest until you're able to be capped by United Kingdom or France with the Doublewall (pictured below) you should consider, as well as a deep rush into Switz T1, and the ability to rebound fairly quickly from Portugal with your Genstack.

How-To:

Things to look out for: