The Ultimate Stack thread...

Can be used offensively but mostly a defensive army.
Polish:
5 Lithuanian Archers (place 3 of them as a row in the front and the other 2 on the left and right sides facing outwards so you have a half square, each formation 2 rows deep, then deploy stakes)
4 Spearmen (deploy behind archers as stakes will take out cavalry. Spearmen are for anything left over after a charge through the stakes or if enemy circumvents half square of stakes)
4 Polish Nobles (Most important units if fighting Timurid elephants. Send Polish Nobles to throw javelins at any elephant artillery first then goad enemy army to your half square using your harrassing PN. Polish Nobles kill elephants the fastest out of anything in the game except for a close up ribault)
3 Artillery (Fire at will. In the middle of the half square!!! Trebuchets and catapults or cannons, serpentines later on)
3 Polish Guard or Polish Knights
1 General Unit (these 4 knight units split into 2 units on each side of the half square far back so Mongol cavalry charges stakes not your cavalry! After Polish Nobles run out of javelins and archers and artiellery run out of ammo i use 4 Polish Nobles and 4 Knight units to surround whatevers left and mop up. Or to help half square if spearmen cant hold it against enemy infantry or something)
ONLY WORKS FOR POLISH AS THEIR ARCHERS CAN DELPOY STAKES AND PLUS THEY HAVE THE ESSENTIAL MOUNTED JAVELIN THROWERS TO KILL ELEPHANTS QUICKLY.
If you go up against a lot of elephants i would recommend replacing the polish guard or polish knights with more polish nobles.

I believe the Polish Nobles replacing the Knight units is enough, as against cavalry they shine with the Javelins, and against infantry, they have enough staying power for quick hammer/anvil tactics, and good enough attack and charge to break the enemy with flanking attacks. It's a good setup in any case.

The definition of ultimate is quite relative anyway, here are my ultimate stacks :
Portugal : (upkeep)
1 X General (250)
4 X Musketeers (600)
4 X Dismounted Conquistadores (600)
2 X Conquistadores (500)
7 X Adventuros (1295)
2 X Basilik (800)
= Total upkeep of 4045 per turn

Milan :
1 X General (250)
4 X Italian Cavalry Militia (600)
6 X Genoese Crossbow Militia (600)
9 X Italian Spear Militia (1075)
= Total upkeep of 2525 per turn.

So you could have allmost 2 milaneese armies on the field for 1 portuguese, and this is not counting the purchase price, the building requirements (and the events requirements) and the impossibility to retrain.
Technicaly the milaneese stack can be made with a merchant's guild and the first stone wall level.

I am a mostly a hevy inf and missile player, using cav only to destroy the enemy's and outflanking.
Here are a few that fit my playstyle:
English
1 General
2 English Knights
8 Retinue Longbowmen
5 Aurmored Swordsmen
2 Dis. English Knights
2 Of the best Artillery you can get at the time.
French
1 General
2 Lancers
4 Scots Guard
4 Aventuriers
5 Dis. French Knights
2 Pikemen Militia
2 of the best artillery you can get at the time

Here are a few more:
Spain
1 General
2 Conquistadores
9 Musketmen
6 Pikes (any kind will do)
2 Of the best artillery
Moors
1 Gen
2 Christian Guard
6 Dis. Christian Guard
5 Sudanese Gunners
6 Desert Archers

In my one poland game (only poland game I ever played in M2TW) I made armies entirely of horse archers once I could.

As England or France, I'd generally have 8 longbowmen (scots guard or retinue longbows), 4 of the best knights (including general), and 4 heavy infantry.

As France, two of the infantry would sometimes be armored spearmen, to protect against cavalry heavy armies, while as England I'd make a complete square of stakes and have the heavy inf in a thin line along the stakes, longbows in loose formation in the middle. Ridiculous strategies but it works every time.

I may say, I quickly got bored of M2TW.

:bow:

edit: ah... tremendous bump.

8 cossack muskeeters,8 Landsknecht pikemen,1 general,3 tsar's Guard

Basic strategy is to set up the pikewall,and let the enemy come to you,and be blasted apart by the musketeers on the way. Then I have my heavy calv for launching flank attacks on what's left of the enemy forces..

1 Family Member

General's Bodyguard

C
2 Heavy Cavarly

Western Knights, Kathaprankoi, Siphanis, Mamluks, Armenians...

H
2 Heavy Horse Archers

Boyars, Variodai, Siphanis, Mamluks...

W
4 Armored Core Troops

Dismounted Knights, Armored Sergenants...

I
2 Defensive Spear Troops

Pikemen, Spearmen...

D
2 Melee Shock Troops

Gallowglach, Hashasin, Varangians, Woodsmen...

S
2 Archers

Longbowmen, Turkish Archers...

A
2 Crossbows

Crossbows, Guns, Napatha, Merceneries...

B
1 Siege Weapon

Bombard, Trepuchet, Elephant Cannon...

X

H C H - I usually put the both H with the C and use them as "full frontal bomchikawaiwai charge". When they hit the target I whitdraw C and another H and then charge with them again. If theres space I go past the target and charge from behind or sides.

W W - I usually put these to "shoot and circle" and try to pull units out of enemy consentration with them. When theres enough of chaos around and weak units seperated from others I use them to charge them. And finally to chase down fleeing enemies.

D I I I I D - This is what my front line looks like. Their purpose is pretty much to keep in line and attack as one straight to enemy consentration. The spears are on sides because they are cheapest to replace but AI usually tries to flack with cavarly and I send them to bind them.

S B A A B S - This is the second line. I actually use the crossbows to kill the stacks hitting my front line and the archers to hit what ever is on the back ground. (Usually enemy archers.) The shocktroops at side are either for hitting the middle or killing of what ever D got on him.

1 general + 19 hungarian nobles (or vardartorais or sipahis)

or

1 general + 6 polish retainers + 13 polish guard

for sieges wait until they sally forth

not in regards to upkeep, i can beat anybody with:

1 General
2 Heavy Cavalry
9 Armoured Seargeants
4 Elite Archers (Venetian Archers, Retinue Longbowmen, etc.)
2 Pavise Crossbows
2 Trebuchets

Pretty realistic too; lots of bows and crossbows, and tons of spears.

Quote:

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not in regards to upkeep, i can beat anybody with:

1 General
2 Heavy Cavalry
9 Armoured Seargeants
4 Elite Archers (Venetian Archers, Retinue Longbowmen, etc.)
2 Pavise Crossbows
2 Trebuchets

Pretty realistic too; lots of bows and crossbows, and tons of spears.

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I've not gotten to that point yet but it sounds to me you will be hard pressed vs Mongols/Tirmurids or cav heavy Polish armies.

^ Nice army. You don't use any heavies? My favorites, always in my army when available, feudal foot knights?

My best Polish stack...

1-2x General - command & flanking
6x Polish Guard - frontal charge
2x Hussars - flanking & taking out rooters
2x Strzelcy - pike wall harraser
2x Lithuanian Cavalry - light infantry harraser
6x Polish Nobles - general, elephant killer & heavy cavalry harraser

Defensive infanry heavy:

1x General - command & flanking
4x Lithuanian archers - stakes & missile support
4x Serpentine - artillery support
5x Spearmen - holding the line
2x Dismounted Polish Knights - defending artillery & gunpowder
2x Arqebusiers - missile support
2x Hussars - defending artillery & gunpowder, flanking, chasing rooters