Pikeman is a unit able to move back and attack forward along with diagonal. If a unit tries to kill it from the front in a L-fashion, it will die along with Pikeman.
Strategy[]
Due to Pikeman's attack pattern, it is best to use it to control the center, and not recommended to put it at the very sides (first column
Due to Pikeman's attack pattern, it is best to use it to control the middle, and not recommended to put it in the first or last columns. It can also be used close to the king to protect against Dragon or Queen++ as a potential checkmate.
Strengths[]
Pikeman has good control in its row and near it since it is able to move backwards. At higher tiers it is able to attack further forward and diagonally, making Pikeman good at defense. Furthermore, it soft counters powerful units such as dragon, soul keeper, and knight.
Weaknesses[]
Pikeman has a very hard time moving to another column-- the only ways are to take a unit with its diagonal attack, use magic or a swapping unit. In addition, its cost is quite a bit, so if there is a deadlock in its column, it is stuck there with difficulty in trading. With no units to attack, it is also limited to one square forward at a time, so moving backwards multiple squares would be a tempo loss.