For Eagles, the player must ensure that Gold is plentiful. The player must switch away from food, and get Wood, Stone, and Gold. There should be enough for two Castles (and a Town Center or two) at the start of the Castle Age. To use Plumed Archers, stone needs to become a central economic focus. Using both can be risky, but in situations where it works, it is very effective. However, if the opponent is running heavily on Archers, Eagles are a wiser choice. Using Plumed Archers and slowly adding Eagles later is generally the safest choice. They can go for Plumed Archers, Eagle Warriors, or both. In the Castle Age, an important decision must be made.
Archers can also be used defensively, firing from behind a wall. Depending how successful it is, more can be made to keep up the pressure.
Since Archers take no food, generally it is wise to create a few (~5) to pressure the opponent. However, 10% cheaper Archers allow for a formidable Archer rush. In the Feudal Age, the Mayans have fewer options than other civilizations due to their lack of Cavalry. Their Dark Age is also made stronger by the fact that they get more food out of Sheep, Berries, and Boars. This extra Villager can be used to bolster their economy, or to wall off against attacks using cheaper Walls. This gives them an advantage over other civilizations, as when they stop to research Loom, they will lose Villager production time, and get one less Villager early-on. This causes them to start out population capped, so they should start by researching Loom. Their start is slightly different from other civilizations since they start with an extra Villager. Mayans are useful in a wide variety of situations, and have good non-situational bonuses. Their infantry are also apparently weak compared to most other civilizations as they cannot research the Champion upgrade. Unlike the Aztecs, Mayans cannot even convert a Bombard Cannon, as they have no access to the Redemption technology. Also, like the Aztecs, they do not have access to gunpowder units and as such are missing the Cannon Galleon, Bombard Cannon, and Hand Cannoneer. However, El Dorado provides a large boost for Mayan Eagle Warriors which allows them to fare better against them. Eagle Warriors offer a serviceable replacement but cannot match the damage output of heavy cavalry. Since they are a Mesoamerican civilization they do not have access to cavalry or gunpowder, which many see as a large disadvantage. They also have a quite effective navy having access to all naval technologies except for the Cannon Galleon. In terms of defense, they are average in most respects but have the advantage of having cheaper walls, which are only about half the cost. This allows the Mayans to field a fast and durable force that can easily handle most threats. Their Eagle Warriors gain an extra forty hit points with the Mayan unique technology El Dorado. Plumed Archers work well when used in conjunction with Eagle Warriors, who can knock out cavalry units and siege weapons that can easily kill the Plumed Archers.
In groups their lower attack is mostly negated and if outmatched can easily escape due to their high speed. These units are very cost effective due to their considerable durability. Their unique unit is the Plumed Archer, an archer with better hit points, armor, speed but lower attack. Their archers decrease in cost every single age, making them the cheapest of any civilization.