head to head
vs
Age of Empires IVvsStarCraft
Age of Empires IV leans Optimization (Grand Arena); StarCraft leans Optimization (Grand Arena).
Age of Empires IVStarCraft
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads7 vs 6
Age of Empires IV leans harder on reads: 1v1 ladder vs adapting humans
Variance2 vs 1
Age of Empires IV leans harder on variance: map gen minor
Optimization8 vs 9
StarCraft leans harder on optimization: build orders and economy are near-solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.