[archaeolept]

Pythium is a very well-balanced nation, due to it's strong and reasonably versatile mages, it's solid principes, and having the option of going w/ a bless effects unit or w/ giant poisonous monsters.

However, if it has a weakness I would say it is its slower early expansion. Principes by themselves are not that optimal at taking out independents, esp. w/ high indep settings. As well, it takes a while for it to ramp up magery to any sort of potent threat. Arcos elephants help it quite a bit in the early game expansion, thus hopefully giving it a moderate economic edge for the mid-game.

However, Pythium can deal w/ this (if it doesn't go for super vestals) by getting a strong fighting pretender. But those tend to rack up afflictions, as opposed to an Arcos SC, and become less valuable as the game progresses.