Yes, that works too. But if you eliminate the improved units without archers from his formation, the effect is the same. Although in your setup, it definitely doesn't depend on the random distribution of damage.
There's also the fact that in the 2nd round, the Marksmen are forced to wait while they kill the Royals, and the full stack on the upper left has time to attack, which is a negative, because they will be attacking the Knights, from which the Royals have already taken their revenge.
