[EB] Phalanx Noob Box - And how to beat it?

[athanaric]

Pack some Gaesatae, Tindanotae, Pictone Neitos or Worgozez. Fear effect + heavy javelins + high lethality + high attack/def skill + very high morale = phalanx breaker par excellence.
Even more effective are Sreni Pattya Yoddaha/Rhomphaiaphoroi/Kluddargos. Or Lugian Swordsmen.
As has been suggested, the arrow throwers are also effective (the smallest version).
Nomadic nobles with a lot of micro ("Fire at Will" turned off) can also help.

If all else fails, drop a strategic missile. Oh wait, that cheat was disabled...

Your friend deploys his phalangites in a box-formation? What kind of a game is that anyway?
If i was in your place, i would instantly quit the match.

Another possibility (and watch the look on his face, haha).
That was my reaction to more than one WarCraft III match. Some people just never learn to adhere to rules, nor to leave their competitive ambitions aside for a while.

[Macilrille]

Those are all expensive units Athanaric. And quitting is not an option if they have not agreed to not play with such cheats.

I gtg read some Economics, but here is brief, cheap Sweboz army that might deal with him.

4- 6 Medininkas to pepper the back of his units on the opposite side. More packed = more targets, do not empty their quivers, but save 2-4 salvoes
2 Worgozes or the like to scare.
Bodyguard.
0- 2 Kludda Lugia
8- 10 Slagonez
Rest LT Cav, german or gallic, to pepper him with Javs and run down routers.

You can afford the many units as Phalanxes are expensive, you may even be able to afford some upgrades on them.

Set up with archers in front, rest behind. Everything in Guard Mode.
If he has archers or slingers inside his Noob Box, shoot them first, while keeping your infantry out of range, except that you might want to send the bodyguard forwards to absorb arrows and if you have Cav, let them throw their javs.

When most ammo is spent, stop shooting. Move infantry forwards still in Guard Mode to the units you with to attack- the already depleted ones will be ideal, let them throw their javs to cause even more losses, then click behind the units you want to kill. AFAIK, your units will walk into and through his formation with few losses.

When it is well mixed up, click on his units with Guard mode Off and watch them be clubbed to death- Slagonez kills any armoured unit they are in close contact with. Meanwhile when he starts to waver you have moved your scary units up, but not in contact- their presence is anough, and fire a couple of fire-arrow salvoes on wavering units. They should rout then and his fine Noob Box is no more. While your cavalry runs down routers, you start concentrating on the individual parts of his formation as you are much more mobile then him.

Another tactic is to get an army of (horse) archers- or even the army described above, move up and shoot him up (always targeting the unit opposite's back or his missile units), then when your quivers are empty, withdraw to your own start position. You have not beaten him, but you have cause losses and he has not... you then hold the initiative as he has to move if he is to beat you and you will be able to concentrate all your force on a small part of his as you are more mobile.

just suggestions, dunno if they will work. Never play MP. GTG read.

[Ludens]

That was my reaction to more than one WarCraft III match. Some people just never learn to adhere to rules, nor to leave their competitive ambitions aside for a while.

If SkullheadHQ nearly always wins these matches, I can understand why his competitor would switch to cheesy tactics. Skullhead, I think you should talk to this guy and agree to some handicaps in return for him not using noob boxes. An one-sided competition is no fun for the other side.

[Skullheadhq]

I've proposed a handicap many times, but they won't, they say that if they win it isn't a real victory.