Iron Flail
Iron Flail is Chinese Heavy Cavalry available from the Fortress Age. It has a bonus against Infantry and reduced effectiveness against Heavy Infantry, giving it a specialized mounted role rather than a universal cavalry counter.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 240 Food
- Available
- Fortress Age
- Training
- 40 sec · 2 population · 24 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 292 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 6.5 speed · 15 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 19 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 1.5x vs. Infantry; 0.67x vs. Heavy infantry
- Siege attack
- 17 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Trample attack
- 17 damage · 2.0 attack interval · bonuses: Same as hand attack
Role, availability & values
The unit has 292 hit points, moves at 6.5 speed and has 30% ranged resistance. It occupies two population, costs 240 Food and takes 40 seconds to train. Its attacks are 19 hand, 17 siege and 17 trample damage, with a 1.5× bonus against Infantry and 0.67× against Heavy Infantry.
Matchup & timing
Use Iron Flails against exposed Infantry or to pressure a flank, but avoid charging into Heavy Infantry counters. Their high Food cost and population use make a poorly chosen engagement expensive. Pair them with units that handle anti-cavalry and Heavy Infantry more effectively.
Area damage for the Chinese Banner Armies
The Iron Flail is Chinese Fortress Age heavy cavalry trained as part of the Forbidden Army and Imperial Army at the War Academy. It costs 240 Food, takes 40 seconds and occupies two population. It has 292 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 6.5 and line of sight 15. Its 19-damage hand attack fires every 1.5 seconds in an area of 1; it deals 1.5 times damage to Infantry but only 0.67 against Heavy Infantry. A trample attack deals 17 damage every two seconds in an area of 2, and its siege attack deals 17 damage at range 6 every three seconds. These values make it a durable cavalry unit that punishes groups of light infantry, not a dedicated answer to heavy infantry or enemy cavalry. The area effect is what separates the Flail from a single-target mounted attacker. It can strike several nearby infantry at once, making it effective when the opponent has clustered Skirmishers, archers or other light infantry. The lower multiplier against Heavy Infantry is a warning to avoid charging into a musket-heavy line. Use Chinese infantry or ranged units to handle that frontline while the Flails circle around and attack the vulnerable support. Their high hit points and 30% ranged resistance let them stay in a fight longer than many cavalry units, but they still take focused damage and have only moderate speed. Do not mistake durability for immunity. The Forbidden Army pairs Iron Flails with Meteor Hammers; the Imperial Army pairs them with Arquebusiers. Each banner formation gives the Chinese a combined force rather than a pure cavalry queue. The Flails can disrupt light infantry while the companion units handle additional targets. A Chinese player should consider the full Banner Army cost and timing, since 240 Food per Flail is a meaningful investment and the unit occupies population that could be used for ranged support. The 40-second training time means losses are not immediately replaced; protect the group and use it where the area attack can connect. Double Faced Armor increases the Iron Flail’s ranged resistance from 30% to 35%, allowing it to withstand more ranged pressure. It does not change the poor matchup against Heavy Infantry or make it safe under artillery and anti-cavalry focus. The card is most useful when the opponent relies on ranged units and the Flails have a supporting frontline. Upgrade progression is automatic to Disciplined in the Fortress Age for +20% hit points and damage. Honored costs 300 Wood and 300 Coin in the Industrial Age for +30%, and Exalted costs 750 of each in the Imperial Age for +50% after Honored. Factor those costs into the Chinese economy before choosing a late-game cavalry fight. The Iron Flail’s siege attack helps against buildings after defenders have been pushed away, but 17 damage per three seconds is not a substitute for specialized siege. Its 1.5 multiplier against Infantry also should not be applied to Heavy Infantry, which is explicitly a weaker target. Use it to raid or exploit an exposed flank, retreat from heavy infantry and other cavalry, and keep the Banner Army intact so the unit’s area damage remains a threat. This is a War Academy unit from The Asian Dynasties; references to other Chinese cavalry should not be used to infer its attack profile.
Protect the banner cavalry from its natural counters
The Iron Flail’s infantry bonus is intentionally selective: Heavy Infantry takes only 0.67 damage, so a dense musket line is a poor charge target. Use the Flails to attack lighter infantry or artillery after another unit has occupied the frontline. The Forbidden Army and Imperial Army make the unit part of a banner composition, so preserve the companion troops and avoid splitting the cavalry far from the formation. Double Faced Armor can improve survival under ranged fire, but it does not remove the Heavy Infantry penalty. If the enemy changes composition, keep the Flails as a mobile threat and use Chinese ranged units to handle the new frontline rather than forcing an unfavorable melee.
Use its trample after the army commits
The trample attack’s 17 damage in an area of 2 is most useful after enemy infantry have engaged the Chinese frontline. Move the Flails around the edge and trigger area damage without allowing Heavy Infantry to isolate them. If the opponent has dispersed, focus the regular hand attack on a single vulnerable target and keep the cavalry together for protection.
Chinese cavalry against exposed infantry
The Iron Flail is Chinese Heavy cavalry available from the Fortress Age. Its 19-damage hand attack gains a 1.5× bonus against Infantry and is reduced against Heavy infantry, so it is best aimed at exposed foot troops rather than used as a universal cavalry answer. At 6.5 speed and 292 hit points, it can flank or pressure a vulnerable formation, but its two-population cost and 240-Food price make losses meaningful. Use mobility to choose a favorable engagement, then disengage when anti-cavalry troops or heavy infantry turn toward it.
Trample and army support
The Iron Flail has a trample attack with the same listed class modifiers as its hand profile, plus a 17-damage siege attack. Trample can help when units are clustered, but entering the middle of a formation risks losing the cavalry before it can retreat. Keep a ranged or heavy-infantry screen nearby and reserve population for other army roles. The unit takes 40 seconds to train, so reinforce from a protected production line rather than relying on a single exposed queue. It is strongest when the Chinese army can exploit its speed and infantry bonus, not when it is forced to fight a prepared anti-cavalry line.