head to head
vs
Squad 44vsThe Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Squad 44 leans Execution (Grand Arena); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth leans Optimization (Mind & Math).
Squad 44The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 5
Squad 44 leans harder on execution: Realistic gunnery rewards marksmanship but pacing limits twitch
Reads6 vs 6
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 7
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth leans harder on optimization: Build orders and counter units are largely 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.