Re: A pirates life for me...
Perhaps 5% maintenance would be better, you could trade merchants for warriors, or something to boost your ships' attack/defence even more, while still having low enough maintenance to keep up with the pack, and have a chance to win.
With all the sneakyness of a human, you should at least be able to manage 3rd or 5th place, more than halfway up the rankings.
__________________
Things you want:
|