[Redeyes]

I'm rather partial to T'ien Ch'i militia. Tower Shields to soak arrows, Pikeneers to deal the pain when you have joined melee.

Velites are very effective against independents and other situations where javelins work well, though they have a tendency to fail hard against high protection troops.

Huskarls for the norse nations are rather good, with their axes, javelins giving plenty of well-rounded offense, and shields + ring mail a better than usual defense.

Axe Fir Bolgs are highly effective offensively, but are lacking in protection and therefore die to archer fire. Excellent defense is adequate protection against most melee.