[SelfishGene]

One of the secrets of Mictlan lies locked away in the otherwise nondescipt unit called the "Tribal King".

Otherwise unremarkable he has the Capture Slaves ability, as does the Priest King - but the latter costs 250/4, while he costs only 40/15 - and both are sacred, halving upkeep. This is one of Mictlan's most helpful abilities. Every turn you gather about 2-3 slave warriors, which while dubiously known as perhaps the single worst unit in the game, is completely free to raise. I'm just about certain Slave warriors have no upkeep cost either, though ill have to check.

You can make 'Tribal King' factories fairly early on and have them reliably churn out these crap troops by the dozen, greatly enhancing your armies' ability to soak up damage. Should you really like them, later on add a +1 Nature item to the Priest King and have him cast Mass Protection, which is just about the same as the Mass Maenad start for Pangaea, although slaves are way weaker.

Remember to add slave warriors to every major battle, arrange them at the front of your army, and let them take all the initial damage, saving your sacred troops. Add Feathered Warriors to slave armies if morale is a problem.