Mangudai

"Mongol unique unit created in Castle Age. Cavalry archer with attack bonus vs. siege weapons."

The Mangudai and its stronger variant, the Elite Mangudai, is the Mongol unique unit. They share most of the main characteristics of any ordinary Heavy Cavalry Archer, but they do have an attack bonus against any Siege Weapons.

Age of Empires II Info
"The Mongols were united by Genghis Khan, who took them off on a campaign of conquest that reached from the Pacific to the Mediterranean to Central Europe. The Mongols were superb horsemen and each warrior kept a stable of ponies so that fresh mounts were always available.  The strength of the Mongol armies was the horse archer firing a composite bow from the saddle.  The best of these archers, called the mangudai, used great tactics to catch enemies at a disadvantage.  They used feints and traps to wear out enemy cavalry and shoot it to pieces.  Slower troops could be shot to pieces at range with little risk.  Enemy armies were exhausted and shattered without ever coming to grips with the elusive mangudai.  Th main weakness of the Mongol army was that only great leaders could keep it together.  When the great Khan or later leaders died, the army dissolved into factions bickering for primacy."

Statistics
Cost: 55W, 65G HP: 60 ATK: 6 Armor/Pierce Armor: 0/0 Range: 4 Speed: Fast Upgrades: Fletching, Bodkin Arrow, Bracer, Padded Archer Armor, Leather Archer Armor, Ring Archer Armor, Thumb Ring, Parthian Tactics, Conscription, Faith, Heresy, Herbal Medicine Weaknesses: Skirmisher, Elite Skirmisher, Huskarl, Spearman, Pikeman, Halberdier, Camel, Heavy Camel

Tactics
The Mangudai is slightly superior to the less expensive Heavy Cavalry Archer, though has a few prime strengths, such as a stronger attack and attack bonus against siege units. These units also share the strengths of normal Cavalry Archers, which means that they are effective against slow moving units, such as Monks, Villagers, or Infantry. They can also take down unsuspecting archers should you get the jump on them. However, despite their attack bonus on the units, attacking Scorpions and Mangonels is not recommended unless you have enough Mangudai to destroy the machine in one volley. Camels and Heavy Camels are also a threat, and you should never allow a spear/pike/halberd to get close enough to attack the Mangudai directly. Due to the cost of these units, sometimes it is better to purchase the Heavy Cavalry Archer if needed to repel invaders.