Top strongest countries in 1.30.3.0

[Thorum]

In 2000 hours of playtime rounding up my first real game in 1.30, and it's also the first time I see the pope really strong, with all of Italy from Mantua down, most of Catalonia, and chuncks of the Barbary coast.
Without any involvement from me (except where I dismantled catholicism to get the 50 reformed countries achievement)

 

[santajtd]

In 2000 hours of playtime rounding up my first real game in 1.30, and it's also the first time I see the pope really strong, with all of Italy from Mantua down, most of Catalonia, and chuncks of the Barbary coast.
Without any involvement from me (except where I dismantled catholicism to get the 50 reformed countries achievement)

I've seen the same in my Prussia game, The Pope owns most of Italy. And France has actually conquered provinces in Englang (as across the English Channel) and in Castille.
But Prussia is still overpowered, I just smashed four rivals in back-to-back wars, litterally starting a new war as soon as the other was finished.
So I got through Ottomans, Crimea (yes, they are pretty big in my game), Austria and last France, all in humiliate wars. Oh, and I was still called in to my allys wars (Denmark) while I was fighting theses wars.

 

[Elisha]

As was said here, hordes are definitely the strongest for WC purposes. Not only do they have essentially infinite mana and can take more OE because of razing, they also get a cb for all provinces of neighbouring countries. People take an entire idea group (religious) just for this kind of CB.

Behind Hordes and Mughals, any large european country is good for a WC. The one who I'd say was buffed the most in 1.30 is Russia because they typically expand into many low dev states.