head to head
vs
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: ColonizationvsTyranny
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Tyranny leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: ColonizationTyranny
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
Tyranny leans harder on execution: Combat is secondary; faction routing and dialogue are the main skill axes
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization9 vs 8
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization leans harder on optimization: Colony economy, specialists and independence timing are deeply 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.