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Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Malinese Empire, makes his Civ debut inCivilization 6’s Leader Pass DLC, as part of the Leaders of the Sahara pack. Like his great-nephew Mansa Musa, Sundiata is able to amass more Gold than some players might know what to do with, but he goes about it in a very different way.
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Sundiata’s powerful Markets make the Malinese Suguba a requirement in every city, and give the legendary leader the ability to win a campaign however he pleases. Read on to find out how to fill your treasury through literature!
Sundiata Keita’s Abilities
Sundiata, and the Malinese Civilization in general, havea lot of abilitiesthat can seem overwhelming to newer players. Taken individually, however, they createan exceptional combinationthat allows for versatile gameplay.
Suguba
For starters, Sundiata has access to theunique Malinese replacement for the Commercial Hub, the Suguba. It’s important tobuild a Suguba in every city, not only for the extra Gold income but to make full use of Sundiata’s personal ability, Sogolon (see below).
Sugubas provide atwenty-percent discountto Gold and Faith purchases in their city - two resources the Malinese are great at building up! Additionally, Sugubas generatetwo additional Gold per turnfor each Holy Site adjacent to them.
Try building the Sugubas and Holy Sites of neighboring cities at the edges of their respective territories, so that they can all provide Adjacency Bonuses to one another!
Mandekalu Cavalry
The Mandekalu replaces the Knight in the Malinese tech tree. Even if you aren’t planning extensive military campaigns, it can be worth having a Mandekalu or two on hand.
For one thing, they generate Gold with every combat victory, making them perfect for hunting Barbarians. The Mandekalu alsoprevent land Traders from being plunderedif they’re within four tiles, which can save some headaches if your routes go through dangerous territory.
Songs Of The Jeli
The Malinese Civilization ability makes it worthwhile tosettle on the edges of Deserts.A Malinese City Center gets an additional point each of Food and Faith per turn for each Desert tile to which it’s adjacent. The extra Faith is especially useful in the early game, as it allows you torush a Pantheonand get your first choice before other players can snap up the best ones.
Malinese mines provide one less Production, butfour additional Goldper turn. As compensation, buildings and units require thirty percent more Production.
The most important aspect of Songs of the Jeli as far as Sundiata is concerned is the ability topurchase buildings in the Suguba with Faith.That’s all the more reason to build lots of Holy Sites and Sugubas next to one another!
Sogolon
Sundiata’s unique ability is the cornerstone of his strategy. His Markets can each house two Great Works of Writing; additionally, Great Works of Writing producefour Gold and two Production per turnin their home city.
Great Writers can be tough to come by on higher difficulties, since AI players have an easier time recruiting them. Luckily, Sundiata gets atwenty-percent discountwhen spending Gold to recruit Great People of any kind!
If you’re playing with Secret Societies enabled, Sogolon makes the Hermetic Order an excellent choice. Starting in the Industrial Era, Ley Lines can get bonus yields for each Great Person previously recruited!
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Early Game Strategy For Sundiata Keita
Sundiata has a similar opening to most other leaders, in that you’ll want toestablish cities and Holy Siteswith the aim of starting a Religion. Thanks to Songs of the Jeli, you can afford to settle in areas that you might otherwise avoid. Mali usually has some Desert tiles near their starting location, so you can potentially get a strong early Faith engine going withDesert Folklore.
Once your initial position is secure, start setting up Trade Routes andresearch Currency as soon as you may.The aim is to build a Suguba in every city starting in the Classical Era. If you get a Normal or Dark Age for the Classical and Medieval Eras, choosingPen, Brush, and Voiceas your Dedication will net you a lot of Era Score. This Dedication grants Era Score foreach building you construct with a Great Work slot- which, in Sundiata’s case, includes Markets.
By the time the midgame rolls around, you should have a bustling economy built on Trade Routes and Markets. Build Theater Squares and Amphitheaters as well so that you havemore slots for Great Works of Writingand extra Era Score from Pen, Brush, and Voice. You can use all your extra Gold to speed this process, or tobuild up a defensive armyto protect (and maybe expand) your borders.
Late Game Strategy For Sundiata Keita
By the time the Industrial Era arrives, you’ll have hundreds of Gold coming in per turn. Use it topurchase Great Works of Writingfrom other players. This is cheaper than hiring Great Writers, and the extra money you make from the books will more than recover your initial expenditure. When all your slots in Markets and Amphitheaters are filled, you may put your massive income toward pursuing whichever victory condition you like!
Expect to see enemy Spies trying to steal Gold from your cities. Putting your own intelligence forces toward Counterspying will make it much easier to thwart their plans and capture the perpetrators.
Rush Banking and Economics tounlock Banks and Stock Exchanges, respectively, to turbocharge your economy. Use your Gold and Sundiata’s discount tohire any Great People that hasten your chosen victory condition. When in doubt, Merchants and Engineers are usually a solid bet.
From here, it’s simply a matter of outplaying (or, more accurately, outspending) your opponents until you see the victory screen! Along the way, try to build (or conquer)the Great Library, Oxford University, the Bolshoi Theater, and Broadway, as these Wonders all have slots for Great Works of Writing.
