EPTRise of Nations is a more exciting, strategic and team based RTS game first released in 2003, which is somewhat comparable to Age of Empires mixed with some mechanics from Civilization relating to the concept of territory, which makes city placements extremely important for positioning on the map when it comes to map control. You can heal in your own territory so there is an inherent "defender's advantage" in most instances. However a well timed rush can easily crush a city that's unprepared. Similarly, "booming" is a very common strategy too but can be risky.
It is the ultimate strategic real time strategy game. A thinking man's aoe2.
There are so many mechanics which make it extremely entertaining to watch and play.
PLA vs TUF
TUF come into the Grand Finals as the overwhelming favourites. Made of a mix of the best former two Chinese players, as well as all stars from across the world. PLA are underdogs, 100% chinese team who had two members defect to TUF. THey have a chip on their shoulders. So far they exceeded all expectations after a massive upset in the Semi Finals, beating last year's champions [El] in a BO7 by 4-2. They have the world's best player on their roster, Linckey, while TNT/Timeless are not nearly as respected. TUF's best players are Serg and Mouse, with a reliable rotating roster for their third in Flames/TNO/Cold5r (Coldfire).
FULL SERIES (BEST OF 7 GRAND FINALS):
PREMATCH INTERVIEW WITH PLA (CONTROVERSIAL):
I encourage everyone who sees this to watch the finals in full. Enjoy!
