San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí is a Fortress Age Federal State for the Mexicans in Definitive Edition. Advancing costs 1,200 Food and 1,000 Coin, takes 105 seconds and delivers a 500-Coin crate. The choice adds Bustamante and San Luis Patriots to the Mexican Home City deck. Its value is a combination of immediate Coin, access to Field Hospitals and a shipment-scaling Chinaco option.
Age-up cost & reward
Bustamante makes Field Hospitals free, allows the General to build them and lets them train Soldados; it also increases Musket Infantry hit points by 10%. San Luis Patriots delivers one Chinaco for each shipment sent so far, including the card itself, up to eight, and reduces Chinaco training time by 10%. The 500 Coin can support Soldado or Chinaco production and their upgrades. A Field Hospital is therefore both a healing and production point for this route, not just a defensive structure.
Federal cards & effects
Choose San Luis Potosí when you want a flexible Fortress Age army that can combine Soldados with Chinacos. Bustamante supports a musket-infantry plan and creates forward healing and training options; San Luis Patriots rewards sending several shipments before the Chinaco card. The two rewards complement each other, but the player should still protect Field Hospitals and account for the age-up’s Food and Coin cost. San Luis Potosí also works with the Rio Grande Revolution, whose army can benefit from the Federal cards, so decide whether the match is likely to continue through a Revolution before spending the shipments.
Bustamante: Field Hospitals, Soldados and durability
Bustamante changes the General’s construction options by making Field Hospitals free to build and allowing him to place them. The hospital does not provide normal build or kill bounty. It can train Surgeons and, once the card is active, Soldados. That makes it a source of healing and a military production point, which can supplement or partly replace the Barracks role in a forward army. The card also adds 10% hit points to Musket Infantry. This includes Soldados and other eligible musket-infantry units the Mexicans can acquire through shipments or revolutions, such as Desperados, Revolutionaries, Cruzob Infantry and Regulars. If the player revolts to Texas or Maya, Field Hospitals train Regulars or Cruzob Infantry respectively instead of Soldados. This broad interaction means Bustamante can remain relevant after the civilization changes its political path, but the exact recruitable unit follows the active revolution.
San Luis Patriots and the shipment-count Chinaco force
San Luis Patriots delivers one Chinaco for each shipment sent before the card, counts itself, and caps the delivery at eight. The card also reduces Chinaco training time by 10%. Because the unit count depends on shipment history, plan the Federal State around how many Home City shipments have already been used. Sending the card very early yields only a small group; after six or seven previous shipments, it can deliver the large cavalry force described by the source guide. The age-up itself provides 500 Coin, which can pay for Soldados or Chinacos and their veteran upgrades. Chinacos support a mobile cavalry plan while Soldados provide a musket-infantry core; the combination gives the player more flexibility than committing to only one unit class.
Choosing card synergies and the next age
The two San Luis cards support distinct but compatible armies. Bustamante favors units classed as Musket Infantry by increasing their hit points and gives the General a way to establish forward hospitals; San Luis Patriots rewards shipment activity with Chinacos and faster subsequent training. Comandante can strengthen the General and Padre, while shipments that deliver Soldados or eligible revolution units gain value from Bustamante’s durability effect. Refurbished Firearms improves the Soldado’s range and gives it a charged grenade-launcher attack, supporting a more direct infantry plan. Leather Soldiers can shift the Food, Wood and Coin balance of Soldado and Chinaco costs, while Presidial Lancers improves Chinaco attack and gives them a Lance Charge ability. Consider how much Coin will remain after the 1,000-Coin age-up cost: the 500-Coin delivery helps pay for a first production batch, but does not cover both a large army and all upgrades.
Revolution and later Federal State options
San Luis Potosí can be a setup for the Rio Grande Revolution because both Federal cards can support its post-revolution army. If the player stays Mexican, Industrial Age choices can continue the same plan: Chihuahua and Zacatecas deliver Chinacos, while Guerrero and Guanajuato deliver Soldados. Guerrero is a strong follow-up when another General is useful, because its Independence Hero shipment can provide one that also builds Field Hospitals with Bustamante active. In the Imperial Age, Estado de México can continue the synergy between its cards and San Luis, while Puebla offers the Cinco de Mayo route. The right choice depends on whether the player wants to keep investing in hospitals, infantry, cavalry or a Revolution. Do not spend all shipments on the same timing automatically: San Luis Patriots gains more units after earlier shipments, while each later Federal State delays another shipment that could strengthen the active army. If choosing San Luis Patriots, count shipments before committing to the card: six or seven earlier shipments create a substantially larger group than an early play. If the game may end before that threshold, Bustamante provides a more immediate and reusable payoff through free hospitals, healing support and access to Soldados. Once the card is active, protect the General and the Field Hospitals; losing the only forward production site interrupts reinforcement even though the army retains its hit-point bonus. The 10% Musket Infantry improvement also applies to eligible mercenary and revolutionary infantry, so a mixed roster does not make Bustamante irrelevant. These interactions are why San Luis Potosí can support an army transition rather than a single-unit rush.
Shipment timing and army transition
San Luis Potosí is a Fortress Age choice that costs 1,200 Food and 1,000 Coin, takes 105 seconds, and returns 500 Coin. That partial refund helps start the next force, but it does not remove the need to reserve resources for units and upgrades. Bustamante is strongest when sent before committing to a musket-heavy army: eligible new units then benefit from its hit-point improvement, and the General can establish a Field Hospital near the front. San Luis Patriots has a different timing profile. Its Chinaco delivery scales with previous shipments, counts the card itself, and stops at eight; sending it after useful economic and military shipments converts that setup into cavalry. Six or seven earlier shipments make it substantially more productive than an early play. The cards can be combined, but each uses a shipment opportunity, so weigh healing, Soldado access, and durable infantry against the immediate value of more cavalry. Protect the General long enough to build a hospital, and position it where reinforcements can use it without exposing the production point to a quick raid.