head to head
vs
Empire EarthvsStarCraft
Empire Earth leans Optimization (Mind & Math); StarCraft leans Optimization (Grand Arena).
Empire EarthStarCraft
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 7
StarCraft leans harder on execution: APM and micro control ceiling is huge
Reads7 vs 6
Empire Earth leans harder on reads: Opponent epoch rush and civilization bonuses must be predicted
Variance3 vs 1
Empire Earth leans harder on variance: Map resource distribution adds uncertainty at start; converges quickly
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.