Palace Guards are too powerful

[Geffalrus]

Looking at the screenie I'd say :
- Dont send HI with clumsy trait you got -2 malus ... A regular Inf would fit better
- Your guys are "experienced" +2, as are the enemies, if ou get them to Vet /elite you'd get another +1/+2
And you don't have a big number advantage, you should field 2 armies and repeatedly attack until they die (due to previous hits).
Or just starve them...

Depends on the HI and Regular Inf in question. Phalanx start at 7 Attack and only get decreased to 4 Attack in those terrain types. Regular Inf have an attack of 3, so pikes are paradoxically still better from that perspective, especially when you factor in their +1 HP and +1 Stamina. However, I would argue that Regular Inf and/or Mercenary Inf are more - COST - effective due to their cheapness. If you already have pikes, don't worry so much about sending them in. However, if you know you're going into Forests well ahead of time, don't waste money buying pikes when weaker infantry will be almost as good.