head to head
vs
Age of Empires IVvsAwesomenauts
Age of Empires IV leans Optimization (Grand Arena); Awesomenauts leans Execution (Grand Arena).
Age of Empires IVAwesomenauts
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 6
Age of Empires IV leans harder on execution: APM and micro matter, lower than SC2
Reads7 vs 6
Age of Empires IV leans harder on reads: 1v1 ladder vs adapting humans
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 6
Age of Empires IV leans harder on optimization: civ build orders well solved
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.