Re: LA Marignon vs. LA Abyssia
 

I think he means specifically what those randoms can be.

Re: LA Marignon vs. LA Abyssia
 

The two randoms of spectres can be any combination of Water, Earth, Astral, Death.

Re: LA Marignon vs. LA Abyssia
 

By the way, EA Abyssia makes for a fine blood nation too.

Re: LA Marignon vs. LA Abyssia
 

Really? With their capital only blood hunters? Those blood hunters come at a serious opportunity cost.

No the truth is that EA abysia sucks as a blood nation on any map bigger than a postage stamp, and even then they suck.

Re: LA Marignon vs. LA Abyssia
 

EA Abyssia? From first glance, their blood hunters look too expensive, too old, and are capital only - what's their ace in the hole I'm missing? They would seem at the very low end of nations for whom blood is at all possible (certainly behind the various blood capable 'heims). I'm not saying they're a bad nation - I just don't get how they are a decent blood nation.

I have enjoyed EA Pangea with a Nature/Death pretender (for access to the LA Pangea Carrion leaders and Lamia Queens to accelerate carrion summoning) and massed Panii for hordes of freespawns. EA Pangea can also dabble in blood with the Panii who happen to be BB, but I wouldn't call them a blood nation (Panii are too expensive to be used just for BB, even with freespawns) - but they are (possibly uniquely?) able to combine three of my favorite national attributes (blood, reanimation, and massed freespawns) and can even switch gears and go pseudo LA Ermor with Carrion Woods/Utterdark in the late game if your blood game isn't working for you, and they can also use their cheap temples with Jade Knives to drive hostile dominion into enemy territory until their blood dries up.

Re: LA Marignon vs. LA Abyssia
 

I will say this for our discussion of LA Ulm - it gave me a brainstorm and now I know much better how to play LA R'yleh. Substitute Void Specter for Vampire Count, Naiad clam spam for blood hunting, and the late game lethality of the Dreamlands for Utterdark.