Brazil
Brazil is an Industrial Age Revolutionary Nation with Rio de Janeiro as its Home City. It builds a large Voluntários da Pátria force supported by Town Center production. The transition changes population and army management: individual units are less durable, so Brazil relies on numbers and replenishment rather than elite efficiency.
Access & effects
Settlers become Voluntários da Pátria and population cap becomes 200. Their individual hit points, damage and cost are reduced relative to conventional troops. Town Centers generate recurring reinforcements and gain four build-limit capacity. Concentrate infantry to surround targets and focus fire; area damage punishes dense groups.
Availability
Dutch, Italians or Portuguese; Industrial Age. Home City: Rio de Janeiro. Population cap becomes 200; Town Center build limit increases by four.
Army & economy
Revolt when the immediate army can take map control and Town Centers can remain active. Rally units together instead of feeding them piecemeal into a defense. Prepare shipments and resources before converting workers, protect Town Centers, and bring siege against an opponent holding behind artillery.
Reinforcement cycle
Brazil’s Town Center effect makes production infrastructure central to the revolution. Reference data describes Town Centers spawning nine Voluntários at recurring intervals, so preserving multiple safe Town Centers has direct military value after workers convert. Their increased build limit creates room to extend that system. The infantry are cheaper and weaker individually than the replaced Settlers, which explains why the route emphasizes a large stream rather than a small force of durable units.
Population and attack planning
The 200 population cap gives the army room to grow, but the player still has to manage population and keep production buildings alive. Focus fire, surround isolated targets and use buildings or terrain to avoid taking every fight under enemy artillery. Before revolting, complete useful shipments and gather resources for the first reinforcement period. After the transition, ordinary Settler production is no longer the way to restore the economy; the Town Center stream and the revolution deck shape the follow-up.
Transition effects and commitment
Brazil is a political and economic conversion, not a normal unit unlock. At revolt, the population cap becomes 200, Settler, Merchant and Fishing Boat training is disabled, and all Villagers become Voluntários da Pátria. Each converted worker also creates an additional Voluntário at the shipment point; converted Settler Wagons and Architects generate three each. The units have half the hit points, damage, cost and experience bounty of their normal Revolutionary counterparts. This makes the opening army unusually large but individually fragile. The decision should be made with a concrete attack or recovery plan because ordinary Villager production is no longer available afterward.
Voluntários as a mass army
The Voluntário’s reduced cost and statistics define Brazil’s combat rhythm. The army can surround a target, flood a defended area and force the opponent to spend resources on repeated engagements. It is less effective when divided into small groups or sent one wave at a time into artillery. Massing creates the numerical advantage that compensates for low durability; focus fire removes enemy counters before they can inflict repeated area damage. Keep stronger support units behind the infantry and use the Voluntários to protect them and occupy space.
Town Center production
Brazil increases the Town Center build limit by four. Each Town Center periodically spawns nine Voluntários da Pátria every 146 seconds, making the structure a continuing military producer. Protect existing Town Centers and add new ones only where the army can defend them. Covered Wagons or the Explorer can help establish additional Town Centers, and Portuguese age-up rewards make that expansion easier. A Town Center placed too far forward can be destroyed before it repays its cost, so connect it to a defensible route and treat it as part of the army plan.
A military stream that can fall behind
Automatic troops reduce the need to spend shipments on basic infantry, but their relative value declines when the opponent completes unit upgrades and adds high-damage counters. Brazil should use the recurring spawn to buy time for better units, shipments and technologies. It is possible to keep the Voluntários coming while adding Gatling Guns, Dragoons, native warriors or artillery to answer the opponent’s roster. The mass is a way to maintain pressure and protect investments, not a reason to ignore combined arms or technology timing.
Economic recovery shipments
Minas Gerais and Feitorias are major economic steps in common Brazil plans. Minas Gerais supports the transition by bringing workers back through its effect, while Feitorias establishes a renewable resource base; their timing determines whether Brazil can sustain an attack or rebuild. Brazilian Importers sends Infrastructure Wagons for Estates and accelerates later shipments. Bahia brings resources and expands Church capacity. These cards can turn an all-in transition into a longer game, but the player must protect the structures and wait long enough for them to generate value.
Portuguese, Dutch and Italian paths
Portugal usually has the easiest Town Center expansion because it receives a Covered Wagon with each age advancement. This supports both the initial reinforcement network and a reboom if the attack stalls. The Dutch can keep Coin flowing through Banks that do not consume population, leaving more capacity for troops; Bank shipments and related economic cards help extend that route. Italians can use Lombards and resource-exchange cards to balance the economy, along with Italian arsenal and experience synergies. The Brazil deck is shared in theme, but its practical build order changes substantially with the parent civilization.
Jagunços and livestock
Jagunços are an outlaw light ranged cavalry unit that can be unlocked for training by a shipment. They gather food from herdable animals and provide a raiding option after ordinary workers convert. Their strongest combat use is against heavy infantry, so they are a specialist support unit rather than a replacement for the Voluntário mass. Their ranged attack is useful for raiding; their hand attack is much weaker. Ranching, Stockyards, Cattle Drivers and already fattened Cows or other herdables make the livestock interaction more useful. Folk Heroes can improve the outlaw part of the roster.
Bandeirantes and the Explorer
Bandeirantes can provide a second Explorer, giving Brazil another builder and hero for map control. The card synergizes with Rio de Janeiro and with Capitol technologies such as Knighthood and Peerage. The Explorer can help establish Town Centers and other structures, while a second hero can improve scouting, treasure recovery and shipment experience. Protect the hero when using it to build forward: losing the builder before the military network is established can delay the plan. The card is most useful when the player has enough map access to take advantage of the additional Explorer.
Combat shipments and available choices
Brazil has non-infinite and infinite shipments for several roles. Jagunços unlock training and supply a mobile raider. Cattle Drivers increase Cow capacity. Wildlife sends huntable animals and can defer a Mill or Estate transition when local hunts are depleted. Other options include Bahia, Brazilian Importers, native allies, Gatling Guns, Ironclads, Covered Wagons and a Fort Wagon. Some shipments add value beyond the delivered units: extra buildings, production access, improved shipment tempo or a new unit-training option. Choose cards according to the current shortage—military pressure, map access or economic recovery—rather than ranking them only by resource value.
Improving the army before and after revolt
Infantry attack and hit-point cards support Voluntários, whose main weakness is low individual durability. Cavalry Combat or a parent civilization’s Dragoon shipment helps Jagunços and other mounted units. Advanced Arsenal supports mixed armies, while Italians can use the Milanese Arsenal route. Native Treaties, Legendary Native Warriors and related upgrades add units that can complement the infantry mass. Factory shipments and permanent resource trickles are useful when the Villager economy pauses or has been removed. Send essential pre-revolution shipments before changing the Home City deck, then choose post-revolution cards that fill a real matchup gap.
An adaptable sequence
One common sequence uses Covered Wagons or the Explorer to add Town Centers up to the practical build limit, followed by Minas Gerais and Feitorias to support resources. Rio de Janeiro can provide further economic and hero value, and Bandeirantes can add another Explorer. Brazilian Importers and Jagunços then help expand infrastructure and apply pressure. The sequence is a framework, not a fixed build order: an exposed opponent can justify an earlier attack, while a defended base can reward extra Town Centers first. Scout before sending wagons, keep them under military cover and avoid postponing all pressure until the opponent has completed upgrades.
Using Town Centers to control the map
Additional Town Centers are both economic recovery points and sources of free Voluntários. Their placement should protect a valuable resource or route and allow the army to respond. Brazilian Importers can accelerate later shipments and send Infrastructure Wagons for Estates, while the Portuguese can use age-up Covered Wagons and Dutch Banks or Italian Lombards can stabilize Coin. The best network is not necessarily the largest one: build what can be protected and what materially improves troop replacement. A safe rear Town Center may generate more value than an exposed forward building that draws the whole army away.
Counterplay and bad engagements
The Voluntários’ low hit points make concentrated ranged damage and artillery dangerous. Avoid bunching into area attacks, use the army to surround rather than march through narrow firing lanes, and eliminate enemy artillery with mobile units or supporting cavalry. A defender may try to trade upgraded units against the cheap mass; use Town Center reinforcements and other shipments to keep the pressure broad instead of repeatedly losing the same infantry in a frontal fight. Jagunços and additional specialized units can address targets the main mass handles poorly.
What to do if the finish fails
Brazil can continue after a failed first attack if the player preserves Town Centers and moves from an all-in posture toward a reboom. Feitorias, Banks, Lombards, Estates and resource shipments provide different recovery routes depending on the parent civilization. Automatic Voluntários keep the opponent occupied while the economy restarts, but they become a smaller advantage as enemy upgrades accumulate. Use that distraction to rebuild production, send stronger unit shipments and research the upgrades that restore combat quality. Do not assume the free spawn alone will eventually win a late-game battle.
Infinite shipments and their battlefield value
Brazil’s infinite shipments let the player repeatedly solve the problem that is currently limiting the army. Two Covered Wagons can extend the Town Center network and are especially valuable when another safe location can be held. A Fort Wagon supplies a defensive anchor, while Gatling Guns add backline damage against infantry. Ironclads make the route useful on water maps where ships can protect a crossing or pressure a coast. Cattle Drivers raise the Cow train limit and pair with an Estate built by the Homestead Wagon. These cards have value beyond their listed unit cost because they unlock production, defenses, population capacity or repeated reinforcements. Send them when the corresponding map position can be used immediately.
Native units, resource shipments and map timing
The infinite Carib Blowgunner and Tupi Blackwood Archer shipments provide ranged troops, and their value rises when Legendary Native Warriors is researched. Cassadores and Soldados add other ranged profiles and can benefit from the Portuguese or Dutch Consulate effects where applicable. Wildlife provides a large huntable resource package; it is most useful when natural hunts are nearly exhausted but mills and Estates have not yet taken over. A resource shipment can delay an expensive economic transition while also generating the experience and tempo needed for more Home City cards. Brazil’s strong shipment economy is most effective when the player chooses the timing before local resources run out, not after the army has already stalled.
Civilization-specific card preparation
Portuguese players can use early Dragoons and Dragoon Combat to prepare a mounted support force before the revolt, then pair it with the Guard of Honor shipment. That card improves the Dragoon and Ruyter paths, and for the Portuguese it supports a stronger Guard Dragoon line. Dutch players can combine Infantry Hitpoints with Banks and Bank shipments: the infantry bonus addresses the Voluntários’ fragility, while Banks provide Coin without taking population. Italians can use Lombard shipments and resource-exchange cards to balance food, wood and Coin, Schiavoni Swords to improve hand attacks, and Milanese Arsenal to reduce Arsenal technology costs. Before revolting, prepare the cards that are harder to access afterward and choose an army plan suited to the parent civilization.
Politicians and age-up choices
Age-up politicians can prepare different versions of the Brazil transition. Fast-aging options such as the Philosopher Prince or Exiled Prince can shorten the route to a quick revolt, while the Naturalist gives an early economic boost and herdable synergy. The Medici can provide a Settler and Lombard Wagon for the Italian economy. In the Fortress Age, the Bishop’s Covered Wagon adds another Town Center and supports both the troop stream and a later reboom; the Dutch Exiled Prince emphasizes speed, while the Portuguese Ethiopian Queen can conserve population and add supporting troops. In the Industrial Age, the Cavalry Marshal prepares mounted pressure, the Portuguese Viceroy provides resources, the Tycoon brings Coin for the transition, and the Italian Pope supplies experience for the shipment-heavy plan. Choose the politician for the intended timing, not just its immediate crate.
When to select Brazil among revolution paths
Brazil is a strong choice when the parent civilization has invested in Town Centers, infantry support, livestock, native shipments or a plan that can keep Town Center production safe. It can be used as an immediate finishing force or as a late-game transition that frees earlier deck slots for the first ages, then adds Town Center and resource shipments later. On maps where natural resources remain plentiful after the revolt, Wildlife, Jagunços and livestock support can delay Mills and Estates. On a map where the opponent can destroy forward buildings quickly, a huge Town Center plan may be less reliable than using the initial infantry mass at once. Brazil shares some useful shipment setup with Indonesia, so a flexible deck can preserve both options and decide based on the map.
Shipment timing and map choice
Use the infinite Covered Wagons on land maps where a defensible Town Center can control resources. Use Ironclads where water links objectives, and choose Wildlife before local hunts are exhausted. These shipments are strongest when their map-specific value is realized immediately.
Minas Gerais and Feitorias
These two shipments provide different forms of recovery and should not be confused. Minas Gerais gives a permanent trickle of 3.3 Coin per second, enables Citizens to be trained at Town Centers for 70 Coin each and enables Fishing Boat training at Docks. It does not itself return the converted Settlers. Feitorias instead makes each Town Center trickle 0.5 Food, 0.24 Wood and 0.24 Coin per second. The cards work well together when Town Centers are protected: one supports Coin and alternate worker production, while the other turns the Town Center network into a broad resource base.
Town Center cards and infrastructure
The infinite two Covered Wagon shipment gives Brazil another way to place Town Centers and capitalize on its higher build limit. Brazilian Importers sends four Infrastructure Wagons and causes future shipments to arrive in ten seconds, according to the current card effect. This can accelerate the next part of a prepared deck and lets the player invest in Estate infrastructure. Town Militia adds 50% Town Center attack and enables Conscription, so the same buildings can contribute to defense and militia production. Send these cards when the buildings can be protected and their added production will influence the current fight.
Jagunço shipments and herdables
The Jagunços shipment delivers ten Jagunços and ten Cows, increases the Cow limit by ten and unlocks Jagunço training at Stables, Forts, Galleons, Fluyts and Taverns. Cattle Drivers sends eight partly fattened Cows, a Jagunço and a Homestead Wagon and adds eight Cow capacity. Both cards turn livestock into more than a food crate: Jagunços can build Livestock Pens, train Cows and gather from herdable animals. Use them where the army can secure the animals, and send Stockyards or Ranching support only when the livestock plan is a central part of the economy.
Choosing combat shipments by matchup
The infinite four Gatling Guns shipment provides backline firepower and is especially useful when enemy infantry is the main threat. Two Ironclads support a water fight and can protect a crossing or coastal approach, but have little value on a map without a naval objective. Carib Blowgunners and Tupi Blackwood Archers add native ranged units; their performance improves with Legendary Native Warriors. Cassadores, Soldados and other unit shipments provide alternatives when the opponent’s composition calls for a different profile. Brazil can send many units, but the best choice is the one that answers a current threat while preserving resources for the next stage.
Preparing shipments before the revolt
Brazil has a broad deck, and the revolution changes what can be sent and trained. Prioritize Home City cards whose value depends on the parent civilization or on the pre-revolution economy, then reserve post-transition slots for Town Center, resource and army support. Portuguese decks can prepare Covered Wagons and Dragoons; Dutch decks can improve Banks and infantry hit points; Italian decks can stage Lombards, Arsenal support and shipment experience. Native Treaties, livestock cards, factory shipments and permanent resource trickles can also contribute. This preparation matters because the transition interrupts ordinary gathering and disables Settler, Merchant and Fishing Boat training until cards such as Minas Gerais reopen selected alternatives.