[Cainehill]

Or, mmm, dormant pretenders giving only the minimum bless for each path until awake? It seems harsh to totally negate blessings, but if it takes 1 or 3 years for the full uber-bless to take effect, F9/W9/etc don't help with rushes, while still leaving moderate setups alone.

Going further : dormant (1 year) could give minimal bless for each bless path, while imprisoned gives none until awake, which would help balance wise, and also be thematic. A sleeping god's influence seeps through but not at full strength, while imprisoned pretenders have their influence caged until they escape.