[ywl]

Another question about Tien Chi: does anybody else feel that Spring & Autumn theme is actually stronger than the default?

You lose the imperial archers and crossbowmen in S&A. They're powerful but not nonreplacable. The heavy mounted archers are wonderful on paper but they aren't very practical. In return, you get among the best mages in the game, Masters of the Five Elements and the flying Celestial Masters. Your infantries are all crappy but they're usable if supported up by your mages. More importantly, you still have the composite bow archers as your vehicle for early expansion. You even have access to "Dispossessed Spirits" for free. They can help your mediocre infantry a lot in battle.

Default theme of Tien Chi actually feels weak with the vulnerability of their Celestial Masters to Magic Duel. Master of the Way is a good buy but with only one Water and one random, they're hard to use in battle - 2 water and a random or 1 water, 1 nature and 1 random will be better.