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		| Pnakotus said: You're kidding?  Even the standard generals can be effective in combat with guards; and even pretenders will get sliced by themselves.  Guards are essential until you've got piles of magic items.
 
 
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 You would have a very hard time carving up the average MP pretender with normal troops...
Casting something like quickness, iron skin, mirror image, breath of winter, mistform on a reason able combat chassis is the usual early fighter. Magic items is is the main method of turning non-pretenders in super combatants, once you get to construction 4 there are enough items to make a good normal army killer.