Oprichnik
The Oprichnik is fast Russian Heavy Cavalry designed for raids and siege attacks. Its speed and bonuses against Villagers, artillery and siege units let it threaten targets that move slowly or remain exposed.
Recorded values
- Available
- Fortress Age · Stable; Fort; Galleon
- Training
- 45 sec · 2 population · 15 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 250 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 6.75 speed · 15 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 20 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Villager; 2.0x vs. Siege unit; 2.0x vs. Artillery
- Siege attack
- 64 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Trample attack
- 13 damage · 2.0 attack interval · bonuses: Same as hand attack
Role & counters
Oprichniki deal strong melee and siege damage but are vulnerable to anti-cavalry units. Their two-population cost and investment in Coin make an unsupported raid risky if the opponent can trap them. Russian military production and shipments can affect when they appear.
When to field it
Use their mobility to strike workers, artillery or an undefended production area, then retreat before the main army closes. Keep them away from prepared Pikemen and Musketeers and avoid using them as a frontal heavy cavalry line.
Russian raiding cavalry
The Oprichnik is a Fortress Age Russian heavy-cavalry unit designed for rapid raids and siege pressure. It costs 90 Food and 60 Coin, takes 45 seconds to train and uses two population. Its 250 hit points, 20% ranged resistance, speed 6.75 and line of sight 15 support fast movement around the edge of an enemy base. The hand attack deals 20 damage and gains 3× damage against Villagers and 2× against Siege units and Artillery. A 64-damage siege attack lets the Oprichnik punish exposed buildings, while its trample attack hits a small area and retains the listed target bonuses. This profile explains the unit’s strategic role: use speed to bypass the main army, attack workers or remove artillery, then withdraw before anti-cavalry can pin the group down. It is not a durable frontal heavy-cavalry line. Its attacks are strongest when the opponent is occupied elsewhere or has left a route undefended.
Production timing and counterplay
Oprichniki can be produced from a Stable, Fort or Galleon under the applicable Russian and scenario rules. Their Fortress Age timing means an army should scout before making a large commitment; early production delays the main force, while a late unsupported raid may arrive after the opponent has protected the economy. Keep enough population for supporting infantry and do not spend all Coin on cavalry if the opponent is already building anti-cavalry units. Pikemen, Musketeers and other anti-cavalry formations can punish the Oprichnik when it enters melee. Use the 6.75 speed to avoid those units rather than testing the unit’s durability against them. Focus several Oprichniki on one Villager group or artillery piece, then move out before reinforcements arrive. The siege attack is powerful against an exposed structure, but buildings near defenders are dangerous targets; draw the opponent away or attack from another angle. Its two-population cost makes a small raid efficient, but losses accumulate quickly. Preserve the group for repeated strikes and combine it with Russian units that can hold the front while the cavalry operates elsewhere.
Raids against economy and siege
The Oprichnik’s hand attack does three times its base damage against Villagers and double damage against Artillery and Siege units. A raid can therefore remove workers or exposed guns quickly, but the value depends on reaching those targets and escaping afterward. Enter from a flank while the opponent’s main army is occupied, focus one target group and leave as soon as anti-cavalry units respond. Its 64 siege damage is useful for punishing a lightly defended building, but a prolonged attack on a Town Center gives the opponent time to trap the cavalry. Do not use the Oprichnik’s trample attack as a substitute for positioning: the area hit is limited, and the cavalry still suffers from its counter classes. Keep a retreat route clear and avoid chasing into walls, towers or narrow passages. A few surviving Oprichniki can raid again; a large group lost to a predictable charge cannot.
When not to train Oprichniki
Oprichniki are a Fortress Age tool and should be judged against the enemy composition. If the opponent has already massed Pikemen or Musketeers and keeps the workers protected, spending Food and Coin on a frontal cavalry attack is inefficient. Consider artillery or ranged infantry for the main engagement and reserve Oprichniki for a later moment when the opponent moves its army away from the base. Their Stable, Fort or Galleon access gives different reinforcement routes, but a ship or forward building can be lost if the opponent controls that area. Keep the production source behind the line and use the cavalry’s speed to arrive where it is needed. The unit’s two-population cost fits small raiding groups; increasing the group without a clear target can crowd out the support army. Scout, strike, retreat and repeat rather than treating the Oprichnik as the unit that must win every battle.
Fast siege cavalry for raids
Oprichniks are Heavy Cavalry better suited to raiding than general combat. They have lower hit points and damage than units such as the Hussar, but their siege attack is among the highest for non-elephant Cavalry. Use them to strike Villagers, production buildings or an exposed Town Center, then withdraw before the opponent’s main army responds.
Do not fight the enemy army head-on
Oprichniks lose value when forced into a direct battle with stronger Cavalry or anti-Cavalry Infantry. Their speed and building damage reward split attacks that make the opponent defend several places. Keep a route out, avoid defensive fire and use a main force to occupy the enemy army while the Oprichniks raid. They are a Russian option and should not be assumed available to other civilizations without a card or scenario rule.