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Last few replies share the point, I'm not saying the levy phalanxes are anywhere near as good 1v1, its the cheapness and availablility that count, like I said as long as you dont let them get flanked, and use them as support or well supported themselves they do the job, especially early on for obvious reasons.
Cheers
Yes, phalanx is best used when having many of them in a long line. 4 or 5 should be the minimum in a full stack. I usually have 10 units for the phalanx-line, that is 6 phalanxes, 2 swordfighter or axemen, one on each wing immediatly next to the phalanx, and one unit of non-phalanx spearmen next to the swordfighters. The rest are the support- and assault-forces: slingers, cavalry, more medium infantry.
When I am not able to field at least 4 untis of phalanx for an army plus all the support forces, I made it a doctrine to not use any phalanx at all in that army. From my experince, when you don't have enough phalanx to let these do most of the fighting against the enemy infantry, you are better off without them because then they just stand in the way of the more mobile units.
From that point of view the best phalanx is the cheapest - as long as you don't have to fight an enemy who has either more of them or the same number but better units.
What about the Chaonion Agema?
I like Pezhetairoi the best, probably.
Good looking, efficient, dependable, and not-too-expensive, they form a solid battle line to pin the enemy down with.
Of course, the elite ones are better 1v1, but they're usually also awfully expensive, and due to the fact that I usually start building a new army always when I get enough incomes I never get enough income to build elite-armies.
While I understand the pro's of the cheap levy-phalanxes, they usually suffer more losses, can't be trusted as well, and, well, (vanity FTW) they usually don't look that good, and thus be unfit for ze Imperial Legions.
So, I'm gonna go with Pezhetairoi.