It seems to me Skirmish is going to become the main mode for small scale, competitive play among clans. So, I've been playing it quite a bit and I've came up with what I think the best strategy is. It's boiled down into two important (the first of which is more important, granted) points.
So, before I bother making this into video format along with fancy animations and all that, here's a text version to get you guys' opinions.
-> General behavior
Keyword : SPREAD. OUT.
Mostly playing with full random teams so far, I've noticed one thing that annoys me quite a bit : people are convinced grouping up is the best idea.
It might seem so : the more the merrier (and the stronger), right ? It is true, however here's the issue : Skirmish is half brawns, half brains. And grouping up to the best ganking 6 men squad is all brawns, no brains.
And it is a valid strategy. I've lost plenty of matches against it... when I had an unorganized team. It does work okay when the team is well composed (one cav, couple archers and infantry is really good in all out 6v6). So it only reinforces the belief grouping up and playing this mode like a 6v6 TDM with limited respawns is the way.
However, there is another path : spreading out.
The idea is to counter teams who all stay together (and therefore can only be in one place at a time) by spreading out and taking all flags at once. When their gang reaches the one flag they are going to in full force, withdraw whoever is there and take it back when they leave for the next flag. Force them to split up, take some of them out. Only EVER fight Full Team vs Full Team in one place when only one flag is left.
See, it is tempting to treat Skirmish like a 6v6 old school "Battle" mode, but the truth is, fighting 6v6 is really risky, and doesn't emphasize individual skill as much as you'd think : during these fights, especially when uncoordinated, it is very common for localized 2v1s or 1v1s with a cav involved to happen. The more people fighting at once, the more the fight is based on luck and composition.
Winning by going for the flags and avoiding major engagements makes sure every fight is either :
-> Someone caught in a gank, effectively spending their gold to waste as much of the enemy's time as possible
-> Very small scale team fights / duels.
-> Picking off isolated enemies with archers cross-firing and lancing from horseback
-> The one final confrontation for the one flag left.
The first three of these situations make much better use of individual player skills, make coordination in a fight easier and makes luck a much less important factor. However, making sure only these happen requires brains and keeping track of where the enemies (as well as your allies) are.
At round start, the team should split up into 2, maybe 3 groups and go take all flags. If the enemy is also spreading out, then fight them outright. If they're too strong in one place, simply let them have it. In the latter case, keep track of where that force goes, and don't be afraid of withdrawal. Gold is to be saved !
-> Team composition, and how to counter "unbalanced" compositions
The best composition couldn't yet be worked out, because of the lack of people (for now) I can call upon to play organized 6v6s. However, I did play quite a bit with one friend, and here's what we found :
For sub-teams of 2, two compositions are really useful both for picking enemies off and helping team. These are Cross-Fire Pair or Sword & Spear Pair. The idea behind both pairs is the same : quickly dispatch isolated enemies, good scalability into bigger team fights, and adaptability against any single class.
The Sword & Spear pair always has their spear out, and only the one (or sometimes both) who has to handle the active offense of an enemy should draw their sword. The remaining member of the pair makes sure they don't get surprise-hit by a target switch, and threaten the enemy at spearpoint should they try to counter attack.
The Cross Fire pair attacks from range, and spreads out when attacked to take advantage of cross fire, hence the name. They may also take position to cross fire the enemy team while they're busy with the rest of the friendly warriors. Having a shield or a two hander is needed to not be at a complete disadvantage when caught in melee.
However, we didn't think that simply using 3 of these pairs to form a team of 6 would be a good idea, because cavalry is indeed very important. Your team needs eyes ! And it also needs these nice, free pickoffs during teamfights. So, my current speculation would be as follow :
-> One Sword & Spear pair - 2 players
-> A Cross Fire team, along with a support spearman to help against cavalry and melee fights (if the archer class has access to a spear, the support also uses it) - 3 players
-> A Outrider whose job is to take isolated flags, waste the enemy's time and ammo, and only if really reliable, pick off the enemy with a couched lance. If they have a bow, outright killing from a range is an option - 1 player.
I have never experimented with the full composition, but on paper I'd argue this is the best. Now, it is probably a bit weak against some spams like heavy cav spam, but it is never impossible to win with it.
-> How to deal with common spams
It is not uncommon to have to deal with archer or cavalry spam, sometimes both at once. Here's why my strategy beats them, and how :
-> Against foot archer spam, the keyword is still to spread out. You can't catch a spread out team in a cross fire, while the idea of forming a "safe circle" or "shield wall" is simply unrealistic. Force the archers to isolate themselves, return fire, waste their arrows and make sure your cavalry has a clear field to pick them off one by one. Taking a flag is really the only point where you are truly vulnerable : once taken, you can retreat to cover nearby. What is the archer going to do, stand their ground as you prevent them from taking the flag ?
A very similar strat can be applied to horse archers. Even better, you can take advantage of the fact their speed is both a strength and weakness : they are bigger targets, not as maneuverable in tight areas, can't as easily use cover and can be ambushed at corners.
-> Against lance cav spam, it becomes a game of forcing them to ride off of flag capture area, using cover and making sure your spear skills are on point (yes, I am proud of it). Similarly to archers, they will seldom abandon their horses to defend a flag they're taking. Furthermore, cavalry relies on outnumbering you in order to have a chance at spearing you in the back. It is very easy to have one player wasting the time of 2 cavalry. Depending on if they have armored mounts, archers should target the rider or the mount.
Cavalry is usually more expensive too, some classes only get one life per round regardless. During the last fight, however, they're at their strongest : however, cavalry is usually very offensive and it is unlikely they will have 6 full health riders left.
There we go ! To be expanded, and proven through proper experimentation. I am thinking of creating a video version of this guide once it's established to be a working strategy. Please give me your feedback !
So, before I bother making this into video format along with fancy animations and all that, here's a text version to get you guys' opinions.
-> General behavior
Keyword : SPREAD. OUT.
Mostly playing with full random teams so far, I've noticed one thing that annoys me quite a bit : people are convinced grouping up is the best idea.
It might seem so : the more the merrier (and the stronger), right ? It is true, however here's the issue : Skirmish is half brawns, half brains. And grouping up to the best ganking 6 men squad is all brawns, no brains.
And it is a valid strategy. I've lost plenty of matches against it... when I had an unorganized team. It does work okay when the team is well composed (one cav, couple archers and infantry is really good in all out 6v6). So it only reinforces the belief grouping up and playing this mode like a 6v6 TDM with limited respawns is the way.
However, there is another path : spreading out.
The idea is to counter teams who all stay together (and therefore can only be in one place at a time) by spreading out and taking all flags at once. When their gang reaches the one flag they are going to in full force, withdraw whoever is there and take it back when they leave for the next flag. Force them to split up, take some of them out. Only EVER fight Full Team vs Full Team in one place when only one flag is left.
See, it is tempting to treat Skirmish like a 6v6 old school "Battle" mode, but the truth is, fighting 6v6 is really risky, and doesn't emphasize individual skill as much as you'd think : during these fights, especially when uncoordinated, it is very common for localized 2v1s or 1v1s with a cav involved to happen. The more people fighting at once, the more the fight is based on luck and composition.
Winning by going for the flags and avoiding major engagements makes sure every fight is either :
-> Someone caught in a gank, effectively spending their gold to waste as much of the enemy's time as possible
-> Very small scale team fights / duels.
-> Picking off isolated enemies with archers cross-firing and lancing from horseback
-> The one final confrontation for the one flag left.
The first three of these situations make much better use of individual player skills, make coordination in a fight easier and makes luck a much less important factor. However, making sure only these happen requires brains and keeping track of where the enemies (as well as your allies) are.
At round start, the team should split up into 2, maybe 3 groups and go take all flags. If the enemy is also spreading out, then fight them outright. If they're too strong in one place, simply let them have it. In the latter case, keep track of where that force goes, and don't be afraid of withdrawal. Gold is to be saved !
-> Team composition, and how to counter "unbalanced" compositions
The best composition couldn't yet be worked out, because of the lack of people (for now) I can call upon to play organized 6v6s. However, I did play quite a bit with one friend, and here's what we found :
For sub-teams of 2, two compositions are really useful both for picking enemies off and helping team. These are Cross-Fire Pair or Sword & Spear Pair. The idea behind both pairs is the same : quickly dispatch isolated enemies, good scalability into bigger team fights, and adaptability against any single class.
The Sword & Spear pair always has their spear out, and only the one (or sometimes both) who has to handle the active offense of an enemy should draw their sword. The remaining member of the pair makes sure they don't get surprise-hit by a target switch, and threaten the enemy at spearpoint should they try to counter attack.
The Cross Fire pair attacks from range, and spreads out when attacked to take advantage of cross fire, hence the name. They may also take position to cross fire the enemy team while they're busy with the rest of the friendly warriors. Having a shield or a two hander is needed to not be at a complete disadvantage when caught in melee.
However, we didn't think that simply using 3 of these pairs to form a team of 6 would be a good idea, because cavalry is indeed very important. Your team needs eyes ! And it also needs these nice, free pickoffs during teamfights. So, my current speculation would be as follow :
-> One Sword & Spear pair - 2 players
-> A Cross Fire team, along with a support spearman to help against cavalry and melee fights (if the archer class has access to a spear, the support also uses it) - 3 players
-> A Outrider whose job is to take isolated flags, waste the enemy's time and ammo, and only if really reliable, pick off the enemy with a couched lance. If they have a bow, outright killing from a range is an option - 1 player.
I have never experimented with the full composition, but on paper I'd argue this is the best. Now, it is probably a bit weak against some spams like heavy cav spam, but it is never impossible to win with it.
-> How to deal with common spams
It is not uncommon to have to deal with archer or cavalry spam, sometimes both at once. Here's why my strategy beats them, and how :
-> Against foot archer spam, the keyword is still to spread out. You can't catch a spread out team in a cross fire, while the idea of forming a "safe circle" or "shield wall" is simply unrealistic. Force the archers to isolate themselves, return fire, waste their arrows and make sure your cavalry has a clear field to pick them off one by one. Taking a flag is really the only point where you are truly vulnerable : once taken, you can retreat to cover nearby. What is the archer going to do, stand their ground as you prevent them from taking the flag ?
A very similar strat can be applied to horse archers. Even better, you can take advantage of the fact their speed is both a strength and weakness : they are bigger targets, not as maneuverable in tight areas, can't as easily use cover and can be ambushed at corners.
-> Against lance cav spam, it becomes a game of forcing them to ride off of flag capture area, using cover and making sure your spear skills are on point (yes, I am proud of it). Similarly to archers, they will seldom abandon their horses to defend a flag they're taking. Furthermore, cavalry relies on outnumbering you in order to have a chance at spearing you in the back. It is very easy to have one player wasting the time of 2 cavalry. Depending on if they have armored mounts, archers should target the rider or the mount.
Cavalry is usually more expensive too, some classes only get one life per round regardless. During the last fight, however, they're at their strongest : however, cavalry is usually very offensive and it is unlikely they will have 6 full health riders left.
There we go ! To be expanded, and proven through proper experimentation. I am thinking of creating a video version of this guide once it's established to be a working strategy. Please give me your feedback !
