Use iron to improve unit question - metalworking

By Bombes, in Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game

Hi folks,

when I use iron to increase strength of a unit by three, f.e. make a strength2-archer a strength5-archer, do I count that unit after the fight to figure out the winner as 2 or 5? and why? Thanks for responses :o )

It would count as a 2-strength unit at the end of combat. As to the why, I shall quote the FAQ:

Q. Metalworking has a resource ability that costs one iron and says, “When playing a unit from hand, add 3 to the strength of its attack.” What exactly does this mean?
A. This means that you may spend an iron resource token before playing a unit card in battle in order to have that unit deal 3 extra wounds if you play it into the same front as an enemy unit. Thus, a strength 1 unit would deal 4 wounds to the enemy unit in its front. This doesn’t increase the number of wounds your unit can withstand, and the extra damage is only dealt once, as you play the card from your hand.