The Head of Cyrus (Civ6)

is the fourth challenge of the month in Civilization VI, running from February 13 to March 12, 2024.
== Intro ==
This Valentine's Day, Cyrus the Great has proposed to you, the Scythian Queen Tomyris. Respond in the only way you know how - with a beheading. Peace is not an option. War is the only way to preserve your unwedded bliss.
Cyrus's empire already encroaches on your territory, and resource-laden lands are highly contested, Win the Barbarian Clans and City States of the arid lake to your side and gain an army advantage. Just be quick about it - this is going to get messy fast.
== Game parameters ==
* Mode: 
* Difficulty: Prince / Emperor
* Victory: Domination only
* Speed: Online
* Player Leader: 
* Map Type: Inland Sea
* Map Size: Duel
* RuleSet: Gathering Storm
* Start Era: Ancient
* Resources: Standard
* World Age: New
* Start Position: Balanced
* Temperature: Hot
* Rainfall: Arid
* Sea Level: Standard
== Strategy ==
Cyrus is your only opponent in this challenge, and you can only win a Domination Victory against him. For best results, you want to start your offensive against him and capture his as soon as possible after hitting your power spike. You start in the northeast corner of the map, and you'll have to make your way to the northwest corner to find Cyrus. Train a Scout and send it to explore the area around your starting location; you'll find Preslav and Kabul nearby. Send them some s and try to become the Suzerain of at least one of them (prioritizing Kabul, which has a much more useful Suzerain bonus). Use your Governor Titles to appoint Victor and get Embrasure for him, and settle in resource-rich locations as you advance to the west. Akkad is located near Persian territory; become its Suzerain if possible and found a city near it, then assign Victor to that city and start training Saka Horse Archers and light cavalry units nonstop. If you hit Cyrus hard and fast enough, you'll be able to take Pasargadae before he can muster his defenses. If the war drags on, focus on beelining technologies that unlock stronger ranged and light cavalry units and levy units from your city-state allies to tip the balance in your favor.
Since the game speed is set to Online for this challenge, you may have difficulty getting a in the Classical Era. Falling into a , however, can work to your benefit if you earn a high enough Era Score to enter a in the Medieval Era, at which point you can start your conquest with three Dedications active.
Despite the Barbarian Clans game mode being enabled in this challenge, the Barbarians can't establish new city-states. Nevertheless, you can take advantage of this by hiring units from the Barbarian tribes and inciting those that spawn near Persia to attack them.
== Gallery ==
File:Head of Cyrus (Prince) Carousel Image.png|The Head of Cyrus (Prince) Carousel Image
File:Head of Cyrus (Emperor) Carousel Image.png|The Head of Cyrus (Emperor) Carousel Image
File:Tomyris (The Head of Cyrus) loadscreen (Civ6).png|The Head of Cyrus loading screen
File:The Head of Cyrus starting (Civ6).png|Starting of The Head of Cyrus
File:The Head of Cyrus statistics (Civ6).jpg|The Head of Cyrus global statistics
== Videos ==
File:Declare war on love in the new -Civ6 Challenge of the Month! 💔|The Head of Cyrus teaser
File:Firaxis Plays- The Head of Cyrus - Civilization VI Developer Livestream|The Head of Cyrus developer livestream
== External links ==
* https://civilization.2k.com/news/monthly-challenges/
Category:Challenges (Civ6)