[tinkthank]

I don't think they are overrated. I like them quite a bit, and use them when I can, but they are nothing to shout about in the games I play, since I play with minimal blessing effects, preferring much the scales (on Abysia, my favorite yikes scary setup is a Air-4 Virtue with Dominion 9, 3-Order 3-Productivity, 3-heat, 1-death, 1-Fortune (for crossbreeding), 3-magic).

With great blessing power, they would rock. As it is, I like them with their 20% airshield just for the fact that their upkeep is halved because they are holy. (I also play with modded Salamanders: 80 gold, sacred.)

Lavas are nice to mix up with standard troops. For me they work ok with a few Pike-carrying Humanbreds, some infantry and a smattering of sacred salamanders.