The Black Rider is a swift unit with a reasonable long range attack which can also take a lot of hits due to their substantial armor. Like its basic version, the Dragoon, the Black Rider is a type of ranged counter-cavalryunit. It is also good for killing enemy Artillery. With 12 Missionaries (Japanese ally), Unction, all attack improvement upgrades and cards (German and Indian allies), the Spanish German Black Rider is the ranged cavalry with the highest ranged attack, 100.32.
Black Riders were also known as "devil riders" because of the blackened armor they wore. They first appeared in Germany in the sixteenth century. The Riders developed a special tactic known as "caracole," which allowed them to effectively bombard infantry units with constant weapons fire. In caracole, cavalry units created a tight formation. The units in front fired their weapons, and then quickly charged to the back to reload. The units that were just behind them fired immediately after the first row charged backwards to reload.