head to head
vs
ArchonvsThe Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
Archon leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
ArchonThe Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 5
Archon leans harder on execution: Contested squares resolve in real-time arena combat you must pilot
Reads5 vs 5
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 7
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II leans harder on optimization: Economy, base layout, and faction counters drive wins
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.