The Mali civ is probably the warmonger's dream. Their ability helps keep the war machine going, during war or peace, and makes wide play viable. The unit upgrades fantastically, and the building can support a nation.

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Mali was a long time power in west Africa, dealing in gold, ivory, and slaves; all things that were considered highly valuable. The Sahelian kingdoms had no real ethnical identity or structure, until the Ghana Empire, which persisted 1078, when Mali was conquered by Almoravids.

In the 14th century, the Mali Empire formed, boosting Djenne and Timbuktu to become centers of economics and culture. However, internal intrigue brought the empire down, ultimately being supllanted by the Songhai. In 1591, the Moroccans invaded, conquering large swaths of land for themselves.

The 18th century hit the area harshly, with one of the worst famines in their entire history, or rather, in Africa's history. In the 19th century, it fell into French control, and grew in power. When Senegal split off from it, it became the Sudanese Empire. Further, when it gained independence from France, it formed a one party system under Modibo Keita.

In 1968, a bloodless military coup was lead by Moussa Traore, who supplanted the current ruler and instituted a harsh regime. Their attempts at economic reform consistently failed, and from the span of 1960-1990, they faced three failed coup attempts. Eventually, peaceful protestors engaged in "les evenements" (the events), which resulted in the death of 300 of these protestors. Despite the deaths, the protestors continued. On 26 March, 1991, Traore ordered the soldiers to fire upon the people, killing many. The actions were condemmed, and Traore, as well as other political officials, were sentenced to death. The ban on opposing parties was removed, and a truly democratic system was set into place.

Unfortunately, as of present day, slavery still exists within Mali, with an estimated 200,000+ still in servitude. This same problem lead to the Tuareg rebellion in 2012, which took over large portions of central Mali. The Tuaregs were betrayed by the Al-Qaeda groups they had teamed up with, and they implemented the shariah laws. In retalliation, the interim government requested French assistance, which was granted. After a long, organized campaign, the combined French and Malian forces managed to capture all the Al-Qaedan strongholds, restoring the democratic government.

Mali has a focus on military conquest. This is reflected in their unit and building. Unlike some other military civs, instead of straight up conquest bonuses, they are given buffs to assist in conquest. This makes them more stable, if just a little less powerful than a full military civ.

The gold in the bottom left wasn't present before settling.

The ability of the Malians is a straightforward one:

• When settling a new city, a copy of a salt, ivory, or gold luxury will appear.

The important thing to note is that this works for EVERY city settled, space permitting. It is also important to note that the resource does not immediately appear, though it can be shortly after. The resource will appear at some point, though the time is variable.

This ability makes early expansion a bit more feasible, and can help with extended settling. The selection of resources makes technology an important choice, as mining is necessary for two of the resources. When picking a pantheon, consider the chance of getting X or Y resource. It might be a good gamble to get Religious Idols, it might not.

The skirmisher replaces the composite bowman, but has one important promotion added: heal 50 hp when it kills an enemy. This makes it significantly more valuable, being one of only a few units that can do so (Jaguar, Janissary, etc). The key difference between this unit and its counterparts, is that it's ranged. This means that its overall health, when knocked down, will likely be more than the melee unit counterpart. And the ability keeps on upgrade, making it possible to get all the way up to Bazooka's that can heal half their health if they kill something, making them great for a time when everything's running on low health due to carpet bombing. Additionally, their promotion is stronger than the Jaguar's, but equal to the Janissary, with the later only being available at Rifling.

The bonus yielded by the slave market.

The Slave Market is a Market replacement, and it gives two bonuses over the base form:

• Gain +1 gold for every 4 citizens in the city
  
• Gain gold when killing an enemy

This makes it a great building to build in every city founded, as it gives more gold than the standard market, and helps the war effort. The former part of the ability makes it great if a city grows, making a tall strategy possible, while the later aids the war effort. Like the Honor finisher, it's not devastating on its own, but it does help, allowing for new units to be purchased back home faster.

Rather early on, Mali can expand rather viciously, seeing as they can spawn the luxuries they need to stay happy or trade. The superior Skirmisher makes them better suited for early game warfare than most, as it makes the unit more survivable in a time where every unit counts. Picking up Mining is important early on, since it is both necessary for two spawned resources, and a pre-req for Construction. Further, Construction requires The Wheel, which leads into Currency. Despite the strong bottom tree synergy, the top part of the tree (Writing, Calendar, Philosophy, etc) shouldn't be forgotten. In the case of religion, consider getting Holy Warriors, as you will be able to buy Skirmishers with faith long after they're no longer available for construction. This can stack well with Honor, allowing them to promote cheaply, while also stacking gold from kills.

Mid-game, the benefits of the slave market become more apparent, since the cities will have grown quite a bit by then. Each city will give more than enough gold to keep warmongering, and so conquering your immediate continent is a priority. Trading with city states will help keep happiness up, as well as gold flowing into the coffers. It is around this point that one can decide to go peaceful as well, going for a diplomatic victory with their vast wealth.

Late-game, depending on the victory type, you will have to be very aggressive. Keeping your promoted units alive is very important, since they have one of the most deadly ability in the game. If you're going diplomatic, consider investing in a navy to commit piracy on the seas, seeing as each kill gain money, and while you're at war, prevents foes from making moves on your city states. In the end, you will either own all the world's money, or there'll be no one left to contest it.

Once again, a fine thanks to all the lovely folks who made this possible:
Zigzagzigal for inspiring the style, format, and existence of these guides.
LS for making such excellent civs.
And yourself, for reading and supporting!

Suggestions, ratings, and other input is welcome! Just remember, if it's not by LS or TPangolin, I'm an not currently allowed to write a guide about it!

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