Alphabattle Part D: Death and Destruction!

Welcome back to the Alphabattle, where 26 civs battle it out to decide which is truly the best letter of the alphabet! We ended the last part with Corsica on its last legs, the Uyghurs getting attacked from all sides, Poland battling to regain their capital, and the Finland-Bulgaria and Ottoman-Taiwan wars going strong.

In the strawpolls, Qocho remained the favourites to win, with Wampanoag in second place, and Finland and Yukagir also picking up votes. Unsurprisingly, Corsica was unanimously chosen as the next elimination, while Wampanoag picked up the coveted fan favourite award. So without further ado, let's see how accurate your predictions were!

We begin the part with the Uyghur's city of Urumqi somehow surviving another turn, despite being surrounded by three civs' armies, all with melee units in range! But it can only be a matter of time before it falls; the question is, who will claim the prize?

The Bulgarian army marches towards the recently Finnish city of Lungzi, as Normandy, Minoa, and Lithuania show themselves to be fans of the letter X, as they symbolically join in the war against the Finns in protest of their elimination of the Xiongnu.

In the west, Corsica's time left on this cylinder is running out, as it falls to the red with four melee units around to deal the final blow. To the south west, Iberia constructs Chichen Itza for extra golden ages.

Mannerheim (Finland) persuades Bulgaria that his lands of ice and tundra are really not worth conquering, almost definitely saving Lungzi, if not more of his empire.

Sure enough, Yukagir captures Corti, eliminating Corsica in 25th place. Corsica started reasonably well, but forgot to build an army, and paid the price for it when Poland attacked, taking both of their non-capital cities. When Yukagir expressed an interest in Corti, their fate was sealed. Press C to pay respects.

Yukagir celebrate their capture by joining in the symbolic war against Finland, hoping to distract everyone from the fact that they've now also eliminated a civ.

Urumqi finally falls, and surprisingly it's the Zapotecs who take the prize, despite being the civ to move last. All three armies now turn their attention towards Karamay, which finally starts to take damage.

In a flurry of diplomatic activity, Vietnam, Qocho and Poland join in the symbolic war against Finland, as the cold seclusion of the Finnish empire proves useful in keeping all their new enemies at a safe distance. Yukagir are not so lucky however, with both their Eoran and Iberian neighbours declaring war on them! Andrushkino is already in danger from the Iberian army, and both Ziryanka and their recent capture of Corti could be in danger from Eora. They do however now have the defensive bonus of the recently captured Great Wall to slow down the offence within their borders, which could prove vital. The only problem is, Andrushkino has no borders to speak of...

Akkad makes peace with the Uyghurs, even managing to grab Kashgar in the peace deal, which they immediately burn to the ground, suggesting they're struggling with happiness after all their recent conquests. This desperate peace deal could prove fatal for the Uyghurs, as they now have only one city remaining, Karamay, which is in the yellow and surrounded by the Zapotecs...

We get our first look this part at the second Ottoman-Taiwan war, where the Ottomans have managed to clear out most of the Taiwanese units, and are putting the pressure on Taipei, as well as harassing Tainan. Could the end be nearing for our boys in blue?

In the south west, Iberia has yet to make any real progress against Yukagir, though they've got a large army in reserve which could prove deadly if they actually brought it to the front. They could really do with upgrading those archers though... Eora is focusing on Ziryanka, leaving Corti safe for now, and limiting Eora to only two fronts to worry about.

We head back up to the Ottoman attack, and while Taipei now seems reasonably safe, it's clear that the Ottoman's real target is the capital, as Tainan starts to take damage, and yet more Ottoman reinforcements are on their way.

Karamay finally falls to the Zapotecs, eliminating the Uyghurs in 24th place! The Uyghurs expanded just a bit too swiftly, but their biggest flaw was their incredible ability to make enemies, as after constant small skirmishes with the Xiongnu, Hejaz, Romania and Lithuania left their army weakened, their five city empire crumbled under a combined attack from Akkad, Hejaz, Qocho, Wamapanoag and the Zapotecs. Press U to pay respects.

We also see Andijion settled by Qocho in the exact spot where they burned down the Uyghur city of Shihezi. You're a cruel man, Süngülüg.

Wampanoag and Minoa declare war on Poland...

...and Iberia and Akkad quickly join them. Iberia is the only one who could really get troops to the front line though, and they're busy with Yukagir, having destroyed most of the forces around Andrushkino at the price of many of their own. While Iberia do still have the advantage in the south, in the north Yukagir is actually making inroads against Eora, and is putting pressure on their capital.

After staying silent for two parts, Jomon now declares war on Hejaz, bringing the ever willing Lithuania along with them! The terrain will be tough, with a one tile mountain path to traverse in the south and a large lake to cross in the north, but it's all or nothing for them now, as all their other expansion opportunities are gone, besides setting sail for islands anew.

On the other side of the island, we see the price Khazaria is paying for pulling back forces from the Polish front to defend their capital Itil, as Poland now have a strong and well balanced army looking ready to recapture Warsaw! Will Khazaria redirect their troops effectively once more, or will Poland regain their original capital?

Alberti brings us news of the early tourism game, where Iberia, Qocho, and Khazaria are all doing well. In the background, the Taiwanese capital continues to take damage.

Jomon seems more interested in Medina than Mecca right now, having noticed its much smaller defensive force. In Mecca we see Hejaz's UU, a Great General replacement that can debuff enemy troops; Jomon have chosen wisely.

Warsaw falls to the yellow, and there are no Khazarian reinforcements in sight. Are we about to see a very delayed flip, now 27 turns after the city was first captured?

Suddenly, diplomatic chaos erupts across the cylinder! Romania declares war on the Zapotecs, bringing Eora along with them, though only Romania has a (jungle filled) path to the front line.

Khazaria uses all its diplomatic skills to persuade Poland not to damage their old capital further, successfully making peace and keeping Warsaw. Clearly Casimir (Poland) prefers the slower pace of life in Lento. Hejaz's declaration of war against Poland may have helped in Casimir's decision too, though personally I'd be surprised if Hejaz manage to get any troops that far across the island.

As for Yukagir though, well, clearly there were many fans of the letter C on the cylinder, as eight more civs join Iberia and Eora in the attack: the Dervishes, Hejaz, Khazaria, Lithuania, Minos, Edinburgh (formerly known as Scotland), Wampanoag, and the Zapotecs! Of these eight, Khazaria and Minos are the two that Yukagir should worry about, as Khazaria have easy access to Corti, while Minos can strike right at the heart of their empire.

In more positive news for fans of the letter Y, the Iberian offensive against Andrushkino has been slaughtered, as Iberia opts instead to help Eora defend their capital.

Jomon continue trying to put the pressure on Hejaz, and have started to damage Medina. Qocho reforms their religion, while Akkad also joins in the anti-Y coalition.

Vietnam also joins the anti-Y coalition, and they're close enough to be a real threat to at least Corti. Lithuania, Wampanoag, and Khazaria all start sending their armies to the ex-Corsican capital too.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria ends a war with Wamapanoag that was so quiet I'd forgotten it was even a thing.

Taiwan has successfully defended themselves against the Ottomans, having killed all their invading melee units and forced their bowmen to retreat. Their fields are burning though, and they'll need some time to rebuild even if the Ottomans don't send a second wave.

Iberia decides to leave Yukagir to everyone else and makes peace, as the residents of Andrushkino breathe a sigh of relief. The residents of Nelemnoe, Yukagir's capital, aren't quite so relieved, as Minoa is sending quite a large army in their direction...

We take our first look in a while at the north east corner of the island, where things have been quiet for a wee while now. However, Romania and Qocho are currently in a desperate battle for the single tile of land that would either join Iasi to the Romanian empire, or Yarkend to the Qochan! Who knew borders could be so fun?

Iberia continues their wonderwhoring ways, constructing Alhambra to boost their troops and their culture simultaneously.

Khazarian troops have entered Yukagir's borders, but do they have a large enough force to properly threaten the city through that great wall? Meanwhile we see what Iberia's forces were actually up to, not defending Eora but attacking Poland!

Bulgaria has grown tired of Edinburgh's insistence that they're a true city state and their requests for gifts of gold to boost influence, and declares war! Edinburgh panics and asks Wampanoag to gift units for their war effort. Wampanoag just looks on in pity.

The second Ottoman-Taiwan war ends with no cities changing hands, though the Taiwanese land is a bit worse for wear.

In the east, Jomon have given up on Medina, but are actually making progress through the mountain pass to attack the Hejaz capital of Mecca. They'll need to get a few more units to the front, especially melee units, to start making Hussein (Hejaz) actually worry though. Bulgaria builds Petra, which should help out the desert city of Skopje (bottom left, off screen) somewhat.

Edinburgh starts to take damage, as the Scottish warriors are no match for the Bulgarian pikemen. We get a slightly better look at Skopje here too, Bulgaria's new Petra city.

Despite being public enemy number one right now, Yukagir actually goes on the offensive against both Minoa and Eora, threatening Gournia and Parramatta simultaneously, while defending their capital well.

Up in Corti it's a whole different story however, as the Khazarians continue their advance, and should they falter, there's four more armies on their way to clean up: the Dervishes, Vietnam, Lithuania and Wampanoag are all approaching.

Yukagir manages to bring Gournia down to two thirds health, and it even looks like they've got the troops to capture it! Parramatta seems pretty safe though.

Edinburgh is surrounded. Bulgarian bowmen start to take up position. James VI (Scotland) sends a message to his remaining settler to flee from the Bulgarian menace and prepare to start a brand new city state somewhere else.

In a stroke of luck for Yukagir, the Vietnamese army that's currently approaching Corti is forced to retreat, as the Ghaznavids declare war on Vietnam! While Vietnam's got good tech, they clearly don't have access to iron, as they're still fielding warriors on the front lines. No such worries for the Ghaznavids, as their Ghulam UU is a longswordsman replacement which doesn't require iron, which also gains extra health and XP when ending its turn on pillaged tiles. Saigon could be in real trouble here.

Yukagir's good luck and good play continues, as they bring Gournia to the red, and it seems sure to fall.

In the east, Jomon are still struggling to make any significant progress against Hejaz, though they've brought a boat to the frontline too! They'll need a few more of those to make any real difference though.

No such problems for Yukagir though, as they capture and burn Gournia, leaving Minoa with only two cities. Poland quietly makes peace with Wampanoag, and constructs Machu Picchu for extra gold.

Three of five armies continue to slowly battle through the Great Wall towards Corti, while Vietnam starts bringing their troops back to defend Saigon from the Ghaznavid units that have started to arrive. Finland and Poland end their token war.

Normandy, Minoa, and Lithuania also end their token wars against Finland. Edinburgh is down to two-thirds health.

Corti falls to the red, and it looks like it'll fall to either the Dervishes or Khazaria before Wampanoag will arrive. Saigon takes a nick of damage, but doesn't seem too bothered yet.

As you may have spotted in the last slide, we have a brand new war starting up, as Qocho is fed up with Normandy! The mountain wall will make troop movement tricky for both sides though, while Hami's local geography should keep it reasonably safe.

Romania make white peace with the Zapotecs, having been defeated by the rainforest rather than their troops. Vietnam also negotiates a peace treaty with the Ghaznavids, ending that short skirmish.

Corti remains in the red, while Gournia is now Gone-ia. Yukagir sends out a few troops to scout out the Minoan capital, looking to deal even more damage to Minos.

Jomon give up their campaign against Hejaz after struggling with the terrain. Their expansion prospects now look bleak.

Edinburgh falls to the yellow, but the wannabe city state may have a chance as Bulgaria restarts their war against Finland, bringing along Romania for good luck! Will this distract Bulgaria enough to give Edinburgh a second chance? Finland meanwhile end their token war against Yukagir as they realise that they've barely any troops to defend themselves with.

Corti has just a sliver of health left, but will it fall to the Dervishes, Khazaria, or even the opportunistic Zapotec scout?

Bulgaria shows they're not as easily distracted as Finland were, as they bring Edinburgh to the red and look like they'll finish the job before they turn on Finland properly.

The third Ottoman-Taiwan war starts, and once again the Ottomans seem to have a slight edge, boosted by their strong Janissary UU which they have just unlocked. But will it be enough to make this war end any differently to the previous two?

Eora and Yukagir make peace after a disappointing effort from Eora, but more importantly, Corti has finally fallen, and it's Khazaria who claims the prize! It seems only right, given they dealt the large majority of the damage. The Ghaznavids take peacekeeping to a new extreme by settling Kabul between Yukagir and Minoa, then along with Jomon, they join the war against Finland to improve their relations with Bulgaria.

Edinburgh finally falls, eliminating the city state formerly known as Scotland in 23rd place. Scotland found themselves forward settled on all sides at the start of the game, so decided that life as a city state was their true destiny and refused to settle their second city. This does mean they still have their other starting settler left though, so there's still some hope for a resurrection! Until then, press S to pay respects.

Normandy starts to advance on Hami, but the geography requires a naval route for any significant hope of success, and the Qochan navy is doing a decent job of putting a stop to that for now.

Pliny interrupts to tell us which civs have the most production per city, and Qocho unsurprisingly take the lead, with Eora taking a more surprising second place. In the background, we can see the Bulgarian forces moving on from Edinburgh into Finnish lands.

The Ottomans continue their war of attrition against Taiwan, knowing they've got the larger reserves and production to win in the long run if necessary. Off screen, Poland ends their quiet war against Wampanoag.

With Corti claimed, Vietnam makes peace with Yukagir. Iberia and Poland continue to throw some troops against each other for no great reason.

Two more long distance wars end, and we see a fantastic citadel from Khazaria splitting Poland neatly in two.

The Ottomans fill up the Taiwanese fields and prepare to start doing some damage...

...or not, as Taiwan's silver tongue (or golden coffers) persuade Suleiman (Ottomans) to leave.

The Bulgarian forces south of Edinburgh have been thoroughly destroyed by Finland, but more are now threatening Lungzi.

Scotland insists they're down but not out as their settler declares war on Finland, while Lithuania also makes peace with Yukagir now that Corti's off the table. No progress has yet been made for either side in the Qocho-Normandy war.

Akkad joins the trend of making peace with Yukagir. Bulgaria takes a nick of health out of Lungzi, but will surely need to bring more troops to the front line if they want to be serious about capturing it.

Lithuania builds Himeji Castle, always useful in a domination game. They also boast a large army of musketmen which could do some serious damage to any of their neighbours.

Bulgaria accept a white peace with Finland, relieving Lungzi's citizens. Meanwhile, Lithuania founds the world congress, while Minoa reforms their religion.

Qocho builds Angkor Wat, but are definitely on the defensive in the war they started, as a Norman Chevalier UU threatens Hami.

Minoa resettles Gournia in exactly the same place, but the nearby Yukagir army also looks ready to repeat history.

Akkad declares a surprise war on their old allies Hejaz, bringing along Taiwan for moral support! They've a large and advanced army with plenty canons and knights, which could spell serious trouble for Hejaz...

Gournia II does indeed look likely to face the same end as Gournia I, as Yukagir surrounds the city and starts the attack. Lithuania makes peace with Hejaz.

Akkad's knights flood into Hejaz's land, as Lungtang starts to take damage. Hejaz's only saving grace is that Akkad has no coastal city, so Jeddah, their city on the island of Zealandia, is safe. In more peaceful news, Minoa enhances Hellenism.

Hami continues to be a grind for both civs. The western front isn't proving any more fruitful either.

The Ottomans send their army towards someone other than Taiwan for once. But who are they targeting?

At the last second, Minoa manages to negotiate a peace deal with Yukagir, keeping Gournia II in the process.

Akkad captures Lungtang just four turns after declaring war, and they're not done yet, as they send forces towards both Medina and Mecca!

And that capture brings us to the Info Addicts stats! Wampanoag have the lead in population...

...while Minoa and Yukagir trail.

Qocho maintain their clear lead in production, though Akkad and Khazaria are also doing well.

Minoa and Yukagir are struggling here too, while the Dervishes' flat lands again put them in the bottom.

Lithuania's musketmen top the military chart...

...while Hejaz has even less military than our submarine. Things look grim for them. Normandy's army is also dangerously low for someone fighting the third largest military in the cylinder.

Khazaria and Wampanoag top the tech stats, closely followed by Akkad, though it's still a small lead.

Hejaz once again appears at the bottom of these stats, while the Ghaznavids, Yukagir, Bulgaria, and Poland all also have some work to do.

And the religion map, where Qochan Manichaeism, Eoran Protestantism, Finnish Oriental Orthodoxy, and Vietnamese Buddhism have claimed most of their corners of the island, while Ghaznavid Islam is beating Minoan Hellenism to dominance in the centre, which has yet to leave Minoa itself.

And that's it for this instalment! Three more civs have fallen today, but who will be next? Will Hejaz be exiled from the main island? Will Qocho or Normandy manage to overcome the terrain and make gains?
Will Scotland settle themselves back into the game?
Watch this space!

Here's the strawpolls for your predictions and opinions:
Who will win? https://www.strawpoll.me/15647524
Who will be eliminated next? https://www.strawpoll.me/15647529
Who do you most want to win?https://www.strawpoll.me/15647533