Brief Summary
This video compares Leelchair and Bike Key, two of the strongest infantry commanders in the game, to determine which is the better investment. It examines their strengths, weaknesses, ideal pairings, and overall effectiveness. The conclusion is that while both are excellent, Bike Key is generally the better first pick due to his superior expertise, unless specific commander pairings already exist in your roster.
- Leelchair boasts a five-target AoE, smite damage, a useful march speed reduction debuff, and well-rounded stats, making him a sustainable and versatile commander.
- Bike Key offers a slightly stronger five-target AoE, a chance to inflict extra damage, and significant damage reduction through his expertise, making him a formidable force, especially when unit numbers are low.
- Both commanders share similar pairings, but Leelchair synergises better with Alexander the Great, while Bike Key pairs exceptionally well with William Wallace.
Introduction
The video addresses the common question of whether Leelchair or Bike Key is the superior commander, aiming to guide players on which to invest in first. The presenter intends to analyse the advantages of each commander, highlighting where one outperforms the other.
Leelchair's Advantages
Leelchair's strengths include a five-target AoE with smite damage and a 40% march speed reduction debuff, useful for chasing enemies. His stats are more sustainable and tanky compared to Bike Key. Leelchair also has normal damage bonuses and additional tankiness in his fourth skill, complemented by a strong expertise. His kit is well-rounded, with the smite damage synergising well with commanders like Gorggo, who benefits from smite damage triggers. Leelchair's expertise, which includes combo attack damage, works effectively with commanders like Alexander the Great, enhancing normal attack damage.
Bike Key's Strengths
Bike Key also features a five-target AoE, slightly stronger than Leelchair's. Although he lacks a debuff, his active skill has a 30% chance to increase the damage a target takes by 15%. Bike Key's stat bonuses focus more on damage output than tankiness, but his expertise provides significant all damage reduction when below certain unit thresholds. He gains revenge damage through malice stacks, dealing additional smite damage and inflicting severe wounds when he has more malice than his opponent. His expertise can be activated by killing barbarians, granting up to 5% all damage.
Comparing Active Skills and Expertise
Leelchair's active skill, with its march speed reduction, is considered slightly more versatile than Bike Key's all-damage skill. However, Bike Key's expertise is significantly stronger, granting up to 150% all damage bonuses when below 15% units. While Leelchair's expertise provides combo attack damage useful with commanders like Alexander, Bike Key's expertise offers unparalleled stat boosts. Without his expertise, Bike Key's overall stats are weaker, with only a 10% health bonus, compared to Leelchair's 20% infantry defence, 20% skill damage reduction, and 10% damage reduction.
Commander Pairings
Both Leelchair and Bike Key have almost identical commander pairings. Leelchair works well with Alexander, William Wallace, and Gorggo, and is excellent with Bike Key. Bike Key is also effective with William Wallace (arguably his best pairing), Gorggo, and Leelchair. The main difference is that Leelchair's expertise makes him a better match for Alexander, while Bike Key's kit synergises better with William Wallace due to his tankiness.
Which Commander to Pick First
Both commanders are very strong and synergise well together in a meta infantry march. However, if you can only pick one, Bike Key is generally the better first choice due to his superior expertise. Bike Key's kit relies more on his expertise compared to Leelchair. If you cannot expertise either commander, Leelchair should be picked first and maxed to 5515. If building a two-march infantry setup, Bike Key should still be prioritised and paired with William Wallace, as this combination is slightly stronger than Leelchair with Alexander. Alexander is an older commander, and a newer, more powerful commander may eventually replace him, making Bike Key a more future-proof investment.
