THE OFFICIAL CIVILIZATION BATTLE ROYALE X POWER RANKINGS: EPISODE 30

Aaron: Today we say goodbye to Muscovy. Their only accomplishment this game was to be extremely long, stretching all the way from the Black sea to the Arctic. They completely separated Europe from Asia and prevented many wars by just being in the way. I guess they also managed to flip 1 Prussian city all the way back in the ancient era, but that was only as part of a giant coalition containing all of Prussia's neighbors, so that's not really that much of an accomplishment, more of an embarrassment that they couldn't do any lasting damage despite very favorable conditions. The most surprising thing was that despite great weakness, no one ever bothered to attack them - they just stayed there, a constant roadblock to everyone. That is of course, until they did attack them: the Sami quite easily demolished their northern cities and rumpified them down to 3 cities. Prussia took another 2, leaving them with just a heavily citadelled capital. And finally the Sami have finished them off and Muscovy finish at what I consider a far higher rank than they deserve considering their constant mediocrity throughout the game. Ivan the Terrible, you truly were Terrible... at the game.

Shaggy: So, uh, I really didn’t love the in-part eulogy for HRE. A lot. So I decided to do the hydra-eagle civ justice and made some OC as a sendoff to the HRE, check out the link at the bottom of this writeup and/or look for the OC post on the sub. I took some creative liberties with when Theodora took power, so there are some events that happened in-game under Boudicca that I’ve made part of Theodora’s reign, I feel like she works as a tragic figure a bit better. But yeah, we kind of all knew this was coming once the core of the HRE was consumed by Venice and the Vikings. Rest in peace, HRE, I liked the craziness of your politics, but your military was kind of blech. F

reddit.com/r/civbattleroyale/comments/er13ck/theodoras_tragedy/

LRS: It’s the eventual fate of any rump state worth its salt to become nothing more than a mere pawn to squabble over in the conflicts between their mightier, more competent neighbors. Case in point: the Aztecs, about five seconds away from finding out what it’s like to be on the other end of ritual sacrifice, their heart held in their stomach indefinitely by a spitefully petty Haida. Really, there’s no reason for the Haida to be fighting so hard to preserve Montezuma’s life other than spite. They don’t like the Aztecs, if the war against them that led them to this tortured state is anything to go on. It’s not like the Apache stand to gain much of anything from Tlacopan, which, in practical terms, is just one city that will hardly compare to the pile of them they’ve hemorrhaged to the Iroquois. And, hell, it’s not even like the Haida value the sanctity of life, what with their dealing the finishing blow to Korea. According to practically the entirety of geopolitical theory, the Haida should have no incentive to save Montezuma’s sorry ass. So, then, the reason for their doing so is quite clear. They want to deny Geronimo even the smallest of victories. Which, honestly? Fair.

Bors: The last time I did a writeup, about 3 months ago now, it was for the Seljuqs. What blows my mind is that in all the time that has passed, they’ve barely changed. Admittedly Arslan’s empire has only gotten smaller, and his island paradise has since been lost, but fundamentally the Seljuqs play the exact same role as before: sitting in silence waiting for the titans around them to have mercy on their souls. It’s a depressing life the Seljuqs live, but one that allows for survival, where mightier foes have fallen.

Bors: Finding exciting things to discuss about the Nenets usually involves intense mental gymnastics and consideration of unlikely hypotheticals. For example, if the Prussians utilized their resources properly, they could use the arctic megacity of Elbing as a production base for a successful war against the Nenets. It wouldn’t be difficult for a human, given the massive technological disparity between the two civilizations, but as it requires a pretty precise combination of units, an AI managing to do so would be highly surprising. Nonetheless, there’s a timeline where the planes and paratroopers of Elbing crumble Tarko-Sale’s walls, bringing the Nenets under serious threat of elimination.

Doom: The Ottomans continue their unprecedented rise through the ranks reaching the lofty height of 37. They even appeared in multiple slides this episode. How many more deserving civs will Mehmed outlive ? Hopefully none.

Techno: Long gone are the days of Alpha Israel, but their time out of the spotlight is not likely to end soon. With a defense-oriented landscape at their disposal and, more importantly, a number of peacekeepers in their land, Beta Israel seems far harder to dislodge than most of the rumps. Zimbabwe's likely the only one who could pull it off, but given that Zimbabwe currently has peacekeepers stationed in Beta Israeli territory, their relationship seems strong enough that such an invasion is not likely.

Msur: IS it Tonga Time? I think its Tonga Time
And unfortunately, Tonga Time is getting smaller and smaller as New Zealand and the Nazca continue to make inroads in the Tonga core. Tonga's cities are getting battered and bloody, and their army has fallen to a sham of its former self. While Siaosi was able to reclaim his capital from New Zealand, the damage has been done. The best thing to do now is to make peace and cut his losses, otherwise Tonga Time may be over.

Doom: Nepal is still hiding somewhere in the Himalayas but eventually someone will find them. Nothing really changed for them this episode so I'm going to talk about how much of a disappointment they were through the full BR. Many hoped they could be a top 10 power but after constant failed wars against an equally disappointing India they never actually accomplished anything. They don't even have the decency to die in proper time.

Shaggy: It may have taken centuries, but the collective powers of the cylinder have beaten back the eldritch horror to quite literally the ends of the earth. Stuck on the tip of South America is not the place to be with world domination in your heart and the great god Cthulu in your ear, Xo’on Uhan-Té. Backed up against the wall, I expect the Selk’nam to either go out in a blaze of glory worthy of the Fuego of the Tierra they live on or they will limp into Endgame and continue to torment the dreams of the cylinder.

Gragg: I’m beginning to think the OG rump will make it all the way to endgame. They’ve weathered several storms and are currently at peace. Taungoo and Qin are, of course, ever present threats. If they can avoid and/or survive wars with those two powers they could go all the way.

Cloudberg: The Evenks fall another two ranks, and if they fall anymore, they'll officially join the rumps, as Selk'nam did when it fell behind Canton this part. In fact, Canton has marked the boundary of rump and non-rump for pretty much the whole game. What should we call this? The Canton Effect? Anyway, yeah, the Evenks lost several more cities to Shikoku and the Kazakhs this part, and the invasion shows no sign of slowing. Bombogor just isn't capable of putting up a long-term defense against two of the most technologically advanced civs on the cylinder, both of which are well into the future era.

Cloudberg: Yup'ik is in a pretty defensible spot, blocked off by mountains and ice and chock full of peacekeepers, but they are nevertheless in a precarious situation. The Metis military has surged to the largest in the world, and whenever they find a gap in Yup'ik's defenses, they flip a city and kick out all the peacekeepers, allowing them to advance further. It seems unlikely that this war will result in Yup'ik's total elimination, or even the loss of their capital, but they are definitely losing strength rapidly, and a Haida declaration of war right now would probably do them in.

Cloudberg: The most common refrain about the Manx around the PR server is: Why are they still alive? Why haven't the Moors or the Vikings just rolled over in their sleep and squished them? Maybe they're scared, because Illiam Dhone somehow fumbled his way into repelling the Iroquois invasion? Honestly, who knows. But if one of those civs did declared war, the Manx would be dead inside 2 parts, maybe one.

Shaggy: Nukbia? NUKBIA? Hell yeah, Nukbia! This escalation in the African dick measuring contest sends Nubia up a couple of places in the rankings, surpassing the Manx and the Evenks. I’ve been thinking about using Nubia as the barrier mark between civs that have a shot at making it to Endgame and civs that don’t, and this week kind of cements that for me. Finishing the Manhattan Project at least will make taking Nubia significantly harder for anyone that isn’t Zimbabwe (right now), and if even the Great Zim is being slowed by the Chad’s mountains, nukes won’t be much easier to force an army through. That being said, unless Nubia wants to start picking fights with eastern Europe or joins in on a coalition against Benin, I don’t see them expanding much. Speaking of Benin, I also have their writeup this week, so go read my take on the other side of the middling African civ axis below.

Techno: While Zimbabwe's sheer military might and conquest of Beta Israel dashed all of Madagascar's hopes for power long ago, they still remain relevant, not for war, but for peace. Madagascar's peacekeepers eternally populate the lands they've been tasked with defending, although now they're joined by the numerous other nations following in the path Madagascar pioneered. And peace shall remain - with their island position and the recent reluctance of Zimbabwe to fight a war, I don't see them falling anytime soon.

Gragg: We’re reaching the point of the game when India discussion will always center around nukes. They are most everyone’s guess for the first civ to use them due to their love of eviscerating their neighbors in nuclear fire. Both Maratha and Parthia have few peacekeepers and are likely targets. This episode they built their stockpile and currently have 6 nukes.

Gragg: Parthia is still a weakish civ with a great position. They still have fairly small borders with Palmyra and Kazakhs and a long border with the still-weak India. Of course, India has nukes now and Parthia has very few peacekeeprs. If Parthia does try to expand in that direction, expect some long-awaited nuclear fallout. Still though, that’s probably their best option. Kazakhs have been getting beefier and Palmyra is still too strong.

Aaron: GLORIOUS PRUSSIA DESTROYS ITS ENEMY WITH RUTHLESS EFFICIENCY. THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE IS NO MORE! BRNO AND ITS HANGING GARDENS IS NOW IN PRUSSIAN HANDS! SUCH A MAGNIFICENT DISPLAY OF PRUSSIAN SUPERIORITY! THE WORLD TREMBLES AT THE SIGHT! DEATH TO THE RUMP STATES! And with that in mind, Prussia continues to assert its dominance over rump states with the attack on the Nenets. HA! THOUGHT YOU COULD HIDE? WELL PRUSSIA SEES YOU AND YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A CIV! The city state of Elbing is indeed superior to the entire Nenets civ, so could capture Nenet cities. Maybe even eliminate the Nenets completely if they go for it. Finally, one last important point, Prussia has the bomb. And not just the bomb but the missile too! Production is already under way and 4 are already complete. Wait, what's this? Benin has 26 bombs and Apache have 41? Yep, and Benin and Apache overtake Prussia this week thanks to superior nuclear arsenal.

Lonely: Don’t let the no-rank rise fool you: the Apache had an action-packed part. Issue is, the action’s going in both directions. On the one hand, Venezuela looks remarkably less scary with a meatshield comprised of sympathetic peacekeepers from around the world stopping the bleeding like a bandage hastily made out of a friend’s jacket. On the other, there’s a good chance that they’ll fail to take a city off a one-city civ they border, and it’s all the Haida’s fault. Koyah, as it turns out, is why the Apache cannot have nice things. Still, despite all this excitement, the underlying issues with the Apache still remain – namely, that they’re the only civ both sad enough and large enough to actually benefit from being filled to the brim with peacekeepers. “Paper tiger” is not a dramatic enough term to encapsulate what the Apache are, to accurately reflect the state of a civ that covers the plains of North America and yet has a larger naval presence than a land one, falls tragically short when describing a civ who’s been run over by almost all their neighbors despite being of comparable size, fails to provide a valid explanation for how any one nation can cover so much land and yet still be forced to rely on those dreaded mountains of sympathetic foreigners to keep them from being wiped out in the blink of an eye by a civ which doesn’t even lead their own continent. Geronimo is no paper tiger. He’s a soap bubble. A massive, completely unsustainable soap bubble.

Shaggy: Despite apparently inventing hydrophobic ships (big fan of graphical glitches, sue me), Benin is not exactly a scientific powerhouse. In fact, Benin is one of the least scientifically advanced civs in the top 25 (which isn’t exactly the most exclusive club anymore, but whatever). As such, they will definitely benefit from the existing scientific policy of the United Nations, but that, in conjunction with their friendly neighborhood SpiderZim, more or less relegates them to turtle status for the time being. And in this world of peacekeepers and oceanic garbage heaps (sorry Prussia, but its a bad look #sorrynotsorry), being able to hole up in your own cradle of the world and know that you are probably safe for a bit is quite the asset. “Now why, Shaggy”, you might ask, “is anybody safe next to Zimbabwe?” If you’ll remember from our civ civics classes that all PRs take in our pupate stage or from a simpler time where we could actually see the land beneath the boots of the world’s militaries, Benin has the power of to construct Iyas aka Turd Walls. If I understand how they work correctly (which should be taken with a grain of salt), they should provide a very healthy defense against nukes and other long-range methods of city destruction and conquest. Benin moves up 2 ranks this part as they ossify their position in Africa, if not the PR's.

Cloudberg: In an alternate timeline, Venice kept its carpet of paratroopers that had spilled into Evenk territory, pulled a Finland, and painted the Arctic purple. But unfortunately, last part the Evenks ended their open borders with Venice and all those units vanished because there was nowhere for them to go. Venice lost quite a bit of military strength as a result. Now they just have a few peacekeepers scattered across the world, not really enough to do anything. They could try taking on some of their neighbours, but hilariously, the Evenks were probably their best expansion route for a little while there.

Msur: Alaric made peace with Prussia recently, but with how long parts are taking, we may see him declare war again soon. Frederick's elimination of the HRE may trigger a blowback from other nearby civs, and with the Goths having a large border with Prussia, Alaric could make some serious gains. While their armies are relatively on par tech wise, the Goths still have a larger force, and could make some serious gains westward. Outside of Prussia though, the Goths have little room for expansion, and will continue to meander in the 20s and low teens unless they get it together.

Lonely: Cahuachi, it appears, would like to make his case that New Zealand’s plowing through the Tonga was hardly anything special. The Nazca have been cutting through the islanders like a hot knife through butter, taking advantage of the relative lack of peacekeepers to charge all the way to Seddon’s doorstep – and, thanks to an intensely tactical campaign to leave Tonga’s navy a neutered mass of submarines and nothing else, they might just be able to keep it that way. It’ll take a while to get the war machine going again, sure, given how hilariously indefensible the front would be if Tonga wasn’t the CBRX equivalent of a declawed housecat, but with a navy sailing in to provide support to ‘Uiha, they might just be able to go even further if they can outlast the submarines there. Of course, they’re expending a lot of resources to get to that point, but the fact that it’s all naval resources means that neither the overextended kiwis or naval-allergic Uruguayans stand so much as a chance of carpeting the seas and sabotaging Nazca’s future efforts. None of this will help them when Uruguay or Venezuela come knocking at home, naturally, and they’re forced to contend with their being the filling in a South American sandwich, but, if nothing else, they’ve secured themselves a hell of a vacation spot for when shit inevitably goes sideways on the home continent. The waves in the South Pacific are killer for surfing, after all.

Msur: The Haida are currently not at war with anyone, which is an increasingly rare thing in the cylinder. The clear best route for them to bo is after the Yup'ik with Metis, but the harsh terrain and climate will make it hard for Koyah to make gains off a war, especially as the number of Yup'ik cities on the shore drop. Haida's strength is in its navy, and it seems unlikely this navy will be much use against Apanuugpak. But Koyah must also be cautious; nearby neighbor Shikoku has been on a roll lately, and if they ever get tired of the Evenks, they might turn east and head for Haida's throat.

Techno: New Zealand had a rather pivotal role in this part, which for a civ that had been down on its luck, was very important. It did not earn them a boost in rankings, it did solidify New Zealand's transcontinental position, cut off Uruguay from an easy conquest, and earned them important extra productive capacity. The reconquest of Palmerston North was particularly helpful given its large population. While the war with Tonga is over and the war with Selk'nam is at a stalemate due to Guay, both campaigns have been major Kiwi victories. If they can simply claim the rest of Tongan and Selk'nam territory, they'll actually be in a decent position to challenge the likes of the Nazca and fend off any Aussie or Taungoo incursion.

Msur: While Venezulea sticks at 16, they end the part a little worse off than last time. Geronimo reclaimed Tsokanende this part, and Chavez has no ability to reclaim it from the hordes of peacekeepers protecting it and the rest of the Apache lands. To the south, the Nazca are slightly preoccupied with burning Tonga, but also make up a great deal of the peacekeepers in Apache lands. If Chavez were to attack Nazca, it could quickly lead to him getting double teamed, despite the fairly even stats between the two. This leads to Chavez being sandwiched, with nowhere really to send his strength

Techno: Oh, I remember the days when Maratha was ranked second. They were one of the first large nations to field a military too large for their own borders. Alas, that military was their own downfall, as they relied too heavily on 1-tile ranged units. They could barely dislodge Nepal despite the huge power disparity. But while they have replaced these obsolete units with far more effective drones, their stats have long since fallen behind many other strong powers. If Maratha wants to catch up, they need to exert hegemony over their subcontinent, and they need to do so before another nation (Taungoo mainly) takes the initiative or peacekeepers clog up everything.

Gragg: Most of us have heard the jokes about sleepy Palmyra. The same jokes we made about Taungoo, Metis, Haida, Qin, etc, before they started dominating. Palmyra has a great many opportunities around them and I fully expect them to eliminate someone within the next few episodes. The real question is if it will be enough to turn around their sinking stats and catch up with the frontrunners.

Cloudberg: The Khamug Khanate drops to 13th this episode, tying for the lowest it's ever been. As time passes, it's becoming increasingly clear that Jamukha simply has no interest in ever expanding. Despite his empire's large size, he's been one of the most peaceful leaders in the entire game, never once going to war with any of his immediate neighbors. Now that he's made peace with India, will he turn against someone more relevant? I wouldn't get my hopes up. The best a Khamug fan can reasonably hope for is a strong start going into endgame.

Aaron: Qin rise above the Khamugs who just made peace with India without any gains and who seem set for several more centuries of sleep. However, Qin's war with Nepal isn't going any better, as peacekeepers prevent their paratroopers from landing. The main problem the Qin have is a lack of population (22nd in the cylinder), which is in turn leading to a lack of production (18th in the cylinder). Their army is fine, their science is fine. But they don't have any of the 50+ pop megacities that are covering the cylinder at this point and that most civs have at this point (hell even Canton is a 57 pop megacity). It is true that their capital has been citadelled and is a bit shit but there are still plenty of other cities in their empire. So yeah: Qin need to use their large army to conquer better lands and bigger cities. And although Nepal's exclaves are a good idea, peacekeepers are preventing that. So the most obvious target is of course Canton, who are just ripe for the picking! Maybe a bit overripe actually considering Canton has just built 5 nukes this part and those might hurt.

Bors: THE SAMI DID SOMETHING! SOUND THE ALARMS, THE BEAST IS WAKING! Wa-wait what? They just put Muscovy out of its misery? Oh… Nevermind cancel the alarms. On the one hand, seeing the Sami conquer cities at all is refreshing, on the other, they’ve done so on such rare occasions that they’re finding themselves outpaced by the vikings, and their once overwhelming stat advantage has actually reversed in some cases.

Aaron: This week, Australia drop back down below the Moors (who should never have been rated that low in the first place, what with being 3rd place of the stats and quite far ahead of 4th place). With their victory over Tonga, New Zealand are back on the upswing which is not good for Australia. Australia are still stronger than New Zealand but New Zealand will be harder to invade if war ever comes. The best time to inavde new Zealand was last part, but this part is still the next best time. They just need to make sure they do it before New Zealand's recent conquests come online. Meanwhile, obese Taungoo is rapidly strenghtening up (as obese civs tend to do). Whilst before they were statswise approximately equal in power to Australia, now Taungoo far outclass them, as their useless cities grow and become good. What Australia needs to to take out New Zealand before Taungoo becomes a problem.

Msur: Ragnar falls a bit this week as the Sami finish off Muscovy. His continued snoozing while others get more powerful will undoubtedly lead to his downfall if he doesn't do something. Fortunately, Prussia's elimination of the HRE may give the Vikings a good casus belli to go raiding Frederick's beach houses again. With a strrong navy and far more advanced tech tree than Ol Fritz, Ragnar could make some serious gains if he moves fast. If not, he may find himself the next target when the Sami roll over in their sleep.

Bors: In the early days of the cylinder, Madagascar pioneered the art of peacekeeping. After the conquest of Oman, the ways of the peacekeeper spread like a virus, contaminating every corner of the world. But in an era defined by unit spam and peacekeeping, a new champion has emerged, putting all other armies to shame: The Metis. Though always a civilization of tremendous girth, they often lacked an army to back it up, and were seen as vulnerable to their superior North American neighbors. In fact, the Metis were often picked on by every single one of them, suffering through 2 or more wars with the Iroquois, Apache, and Haida each. Unfortunately for those civs, the Metis are like the kid you pick on middle school. Shaped by their bullying, they’ve been hitting the gym and are now a 6’5” pile of pure muscle and intimidation. Now just replace those metaphorical guns with 1.600.000 actual guns and you’re looking at the Metis as we know them. Following several devastating conflicts across North America, The Metis now boast an army twice the size of any other continental threat, and have spread their forces all across the cylinder. Now if only they had an ounce of aggression.

Doom: The Moors continue to improve their stats while remaining at peace. As such they move up to a more comfortable spot in the top 10. Peacekeepers continue to loiter in their lands but their navy is impressive and at the moment that counts for a lot more. Their neighbours, especially the Manx are quite vulnerable and it's only a matter of time until someone else like the vikings, remembers they exist and gets the cities. It's still difficult to see any neighbour posing a serious threat to the Moors in the immediate future.

Lonely: The war with the Evenks continues to go frightfully well, with Shikoku blazing across the ruins of the old reindeer empire at terrifying speeds… for this era. If the parts weren’t being lengthened as they were, we’d probably be bemoaning how molasses-slow this war is. As-is, though, we get to be entertained. And Sakamoto Ryoma has certainly pulled out all the stops on the front, bravely taking the aerial route around peacekeepers and odd, scattered, wayward Evenki troops alike as he and the Kazakhs work towards ensuring the continuation of the balance of power in Asia in the only way they know how. It should go without saying, of course, that these conquests up north are a huge boon for Shikoku, allowing them an honest-to-god foothold on the mainland which they could easily leverage with their tech level and highly mobile army to tear through the continent at mach speeds. Factor in the clutch Mneomsyne City build (more notable for being a wonder Uruguay hasn’t got than anything, but still, every little bit helps!) and some incredible city defense numbers on the Qin’s front door, and Shikoku are fast becoming the best kind of glass cannon, one which can rip through enemies with but a single blast and which is durable enough to take a hit or two when it needs to. Good thing, too – the rest of Asia’s finally waking up, and the number of easy kills waiting in the wings is dropping fast.

Bors: The Kazakhs have slowly been redeeming themselves from their disappointing start, having risen to their highest ranking since part 1, where they were ranked 2nd. Though they are often criticized for their inability to roll over weaker neighbors, the truth is that Kazakhs have successfully pushed in every single direction. To the North, they’ve gained a multitude of cities off the Nenets. To the West, a successful war against the Goths. To the South, they’ve found redemption from their early failures against Parthia. And to the East, they’re aiding Shikoku in bringing the Evenks to their knees. Though Shikoku is not a neighbor one wishes to have, as of right now the Kazakhs are mightier than any of their neighbors, having materialized a terrifying army out of seemingly nowhere, finally putting their enormous production to use. If Ablai Khan continues to wage war wisely, then perhaps he can reclaim his spot at the top.

Gragg: We haven’t heard much from Taungoo lately. Then again, I typed that same line for episode before they consumed Sulu. Everyone neighboring them should be worried about the ‘Goo awakening. Especially Canton. In the long term Taungoo will be the biggest obstacle to the newly stronk Australia. So if you hate Straya (freedom haters) then cheer for the ‘Goo.

Doom: The Iroquois stay at 3 this part. They maintain their production lead but haven't rebuilt a good military yet. Meanwhile Metis now have the number 1 military in the cylinder. As with a lot of the cylinder it's still unclear of they can apply it through the peacekeeper swarms. Hiawatha seems to have chosen international projects over military. Now that several of the international projects have been built the Iroquois can presumably return focus to military. This raises the question of where the Iroquois can go from here. Europe is fairly open but that could change suddenly if Uruguay get there first.

Lonely: After a brief reign atop the power rankings, marked by rebellion, mistrust, and a curious propensity for non-lethal methods of neutralizing other civs, Uruguay has finally reclaimed the throne, restoring the natural order. So where does that leave Zimbabwe? Actually, quite well off. Second isn’t half-bad when globalization’s still incomplete, and neighbors do still matter. And, honestly? Zimbabwe has some good damn neighbors. Between the horribly outdated Beninese (still fielding basic cavalry, and still Madagascar’s whipping boy), the immobile husk of Beta Israel, and Madagascar’s isle of inactivity, a sudden naval strike by the blue menace is all that could give the Big Z even momentary cause for concern. Hell, what with the peacekeeper spam and paratrooper bias, Zimbabwe could realistically serve as the grim reaper for a whole host of hopeless and dying civs. The Evenks? Nepal? Canton? Zimbabwe is the lead player and primary villain in a horror film of their own design, and the rump states of the cylinder are the idiotic teenagers who decided to pay the creepy old shack built on an ancient burial ground a visit. The entire world is Zimbabwe’s oyster. All it’d take to thrust them back into the top spot for good is for them to realize that.

Doom: Uruguay finally retakes the number 1 spot as Zimbabwe remains dormant. Very little changed for Lavalleja this part. A Pacific port could be a good foothold for the future but probably not the best avenue of expansion for Uruguay right now. It's unclear if Uruguays troops will be able to run the peacekeeper gauntlet to reach the Manx. The best thing they could do now would be to focus on their own continent for the first time since the infamous Kuikuro war. The Nazca and Selk'nam don't even have peacekeepers to defend themselves with.