head to head
vs
Stronghold: CrusadervsWarcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Stronghold: Crusader leans Optimization (Mind & Math); Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos leans Optimization (Grand Arena).
Stronghold: CrusaderWarcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 7
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos leans harder on execution: Micro of heroes and units decides fights
Reads6 vs 7
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos leans harder on reads: Scouting and out-guessing a human opponent's tech
Variance4 vs 3
Stronghold: Crusader leans harder on variance: Goods market prices and siege equipment availability fluctuate
Optimization8 vs 8
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.