Age of Empires IV French versus Malians

The French versus the Malians is widely considered one of the most difficult matchups in Age of Empires 4, heavily favoring the Malians. The Malians' unique units and economic bonuses provide them with significant advantages in both early and late game scenarios.
Early Game:
Malian Feudal Rush: The Malians can quickly reach Feudal Age and overwhelm the French with a large force of cheap skirmishers and horsemen. The French struggle to counter this early aggression due to their slower production and less effective early-game units.
French Weakness to Skirmishers: The French rely heavily on knights in the early game, which are easily countered by the Malians' strong skirmisher units.
Late Game:
Malian Economic Advantage: The Malians' unique bonuses, such as increased gold mining and faster trade cart movement, allow them to amass a significant economic advantage over the French. This enables them to field larger armies and outproduce the French in the late game.
Powerful Unique Units: The Malians' unique units, such as the Songhay Pikemen and the Bambara Cavalry Archers, are highly effective against the French's primary units, such as knights and crossbowmen.
Strategies for the French:
Early Castle: The French can attempt to reach the Castle Age quickly to gain access to stronger units like crossbowmen and bombard cannons, which can help them counter the Malians' early aggression.
Focus on Economy: The French should prioritize economic development to keep up with the Malians' strong economy. This can be achieved by building multiple trading posts and investing in technologies that increase resource gathering rates.
Utilize Terrain: The French can use the map's terrain to their advantage by positioning their units in chokepoints and using ranged units to attack the Malians' cavalry.
Overall, the French versus the Malians matchup is a challenging one for the French. However, by understanding the Malians' strengths and weaknesses, and by employing effective strategies, the French can still achieve victory.