Strelet

The Strelet (correct Russian plural: Streltsy) is a light infantry unit unique to the Russians in Age of Empires III.

Overview
Streltsy are the Russian meat-shield and anti-infantry unit. They are weak, but cheap, making them useful for rushing in the Colonial Age, however, the Streltsy are weaker than other infantry units (they were the weakest and cheapest infantry), but if they are massed they can easily hit 200 population. The player can get the original cost if Streltsy are trained from Forts or Galleons. Streltsy are cost-effective, and even more after using cards that upgrade them. By the time the player reach the Fortress or the Industrial Age, the core of the Russian army should be made up of Musketeers and Cossacks since Streltsy are just too weak to be used beyond the Colonial Age but still can be used as a counter to Heavy Infantry and as a form of cannon fodder.

Streltsy are useful to outnumber enemies and taking down heavy infantry. Streltsy are also easy to mass since each queue will train a group of 10 Streltsy. It is advised to add the cards that upgrade the Streltsy in the player's deck, though, they still remain weak when compared to other Light Infantry. But once they are properly upgraded with all the cards, arsenal upgrades and barracks upgrades, the player will end up with a very cost-effective Anti-infantry unit (Skirmisher). Streltsy are very good at team games as nations that can boost Streltsy (team cards) will make them even more powerful. Streltsy costs 53% less resources than Musketeers, which means a Musketeer essentially equals to two Streltsy. Streltsy, when buffed, deal 23 damage and have 3x multipliers to heavy infantry. Streltsy are a good choice against nations that rely on Gunpowder Heavy Infantry,but they are extremely susceptible to cavalry- or artillery-based strategies/civilizations.

Home City cards
As the Strelet is exclusive to the Russians, only other civilizations' TEAM cards that affects them are listed here. {| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;" ! sab="1148" | Click for a list of related Home City cards
 * - sab="1147"
 * - sab="1149"
 * sab="1150" |

Russians

 * }

History
"Strelets (technically "streltsy" in Russian, because "strelets" is singular) were a Russian light infantry formed in the mid-sixteenth century by Tsar Ivan IV, and were Russia's first permanent standing infantry. They received a salary, a plot of land, and allotments of food and drink. This pay was rather meager, and strelets often found it necessary to supplement their income. An elite group of mounted strelets were the tsar's bodyguard and passed service to the tsar to their sons. The only way a man could become a member of this elite body was by birth. The word strelet is derived from the Russian word for arrow, strela, and while it once referred to archers, over time it came to refer to the Russian ranged infantry in general. Strelets carried heavy, unwieldy firearms, sabers, and two-handed axes. These axes had a sharp point that could be shoved into the ground to provide a rest for cumbersome strelet muskets."