Empire 4: Persia

Persia runs on the Immortals — units who are always replaced when they fall — plus war elephants as the heavy end of the roster, and a treasury fed by satrapies. It is the resilient middle ground of the five empires: not as explosive as China, not as tall as the Ottoman tree, but uniquely hard to grind down. Every trade you take against Persia gets answered by a replacement; every long game funds their next wave.

Persian matches are wars of attrition that quietly become wars of economy. The satrapy-fed treasury means the Persian player can keep affording what the match demands — elephants when the board needs ruling, replacements when the Immortals fall. The counterplay from the other side is to end things early or win above the board (seals, burn, diplomacy), because straight unit-for-unit trading into an empire that replaces everything is a losing ledger.

The signature Persian seal is the Signet of the Shah. Seals that protect your economy or deepen your late game are the natural fit: Persia wants the match long enough for satrapies and Immortals to compound. War elephants are your finisher — resist spending them as trades, and let the replacements handle the early scrap instead.

• The Signet of the Shah is the thematic seal; economy seals compound best.
• Immortals make offensive trades for you — attack into their board, not yours.
• War elephants close games; replacements protect them on the way in.