[Soyweiser]

MA TC's research is very easy to abusively create. Just use minimal gold to expand the first few turns, and put up forts ASAP. Forget the expensive mages until you have at least two or three forts being build.

Then use the superior Eastern weaponry with mage supported armies (who get better while they fight, as the research dudes still research back home).

O3P3H0G3L0M3 imprisoned dom7 lord of plenty should work. Not much real end game game changers, but you want to be able to stop your enemies before they can reach the true endgame. (en then start to commune).