[CUnknown]

1) Black Knights are your best troops, but they're a little pricy. After that, I'd go with the black plate morningstar guys. 10 gold for a 23 protection unit is nice. Guardians are pretty good, too.

Your major strength is early game dominance. Crush your nearest opponent or two, and use peace as a temporary cease-fire in which you build up units for the next charge. Time is -not- on your side. That is your major weakness, you suck in the lategame.

Another strength is item forging. Mass produce armor for your SC's. Mass produce Lightless Lanterns as soon as possible. Mass produce Flambeaus and Rod of the Phoenixes so you don't completely suck *** in the lategame.

2) I always take a rainbow pretender, someone with astral such as a Great Enchantress. I usually don't take an SC god because Ulm just doesn't need extra muscle. They need someone to expand their pathetic magic abilities.

3) Things I go for: #1 BLADE WIND. Get conjuration-3 ASAP for Summon Earthpower. Then get evocation-4 ASAP. Nothing else matters in the early game except getting your hands on blade wind. Get the ablility to build artifacts after that.
Do not stop on construction until level 8. Maybe you can get level 1-2 in some other things before you actually get to level 8 I guess. Your call. Oh, and build all the freaking artifacts you can, starting with The Hammer of the Forge Lord.

4) Early game: black plates backed by at least 1 blade wind caster. I'm partial to arbelests and plain archers as well. Mid game: Scores of black knights backed by several blade wind casters. Late game: SC's, lots of them with Flambeaus backed by many blade wind casters and many basic Ulm commanders with Rods of the Phoenix.

5) Fear NO ONE in the early game. I think Arcosephale is your hardest opponent, because of the mind attacks and trampling elephants. I suppose Ryleh and Caelum would be difficult as well.