[Twan]

Endo... Have you tried a non-blessed rush with these scales ? I've made a fast test solo. Small random map, 250% all, indie 7, easy research.

Maverni take an awake wyrm dominion 10, no magic, prod 1 ord 1.
Vanheim take an imprisoned pretender, dom 10, sloth 3, cold 3, drain 1, w9f9 bless

I think it's not far to be balanced...

turn 1 : vanheim make a prophet and can make 8 vanherses + recruit a van (or may take 1 province with starting troops if they are lucky in a blind attack) ; maverni make a prophet, take a province (except in case of very very bad luck), make 14 carnute nobles and a mage (or can take 2 provinces if they are very lucky with a blind attack, and recruit 13 nobles and a leader).

turn 2 : vanheim can take a province, and make 8 vanherses + recruit a van (or can make 9 vanherses) ; maverni take 2 provinces, make 17 eponi knights and a new 80 leader + a commander and 22 archers on the first province taken

turn 3 : vanheim can take 2 provinces and make 10 vanherses + 2 hirdmen, maverni take 3, make 22 eponi knights, a new leader, 2 new commanders, 22 archers, 14 indep heavy infantry

turn 4 : vanheim attack 3 provinces, maverni chose to take just 2 as a vanheim army is just 1 province away from the the wyrm (they know it as they have moved their scout since the beginning) ; 3 maverni armies (2x22 archers + starting maverning troops) with the wyrm encounter and defeat the first vanheim army in a neutral province, but suffer heavy casualties ; finally vanheim has just taken 2 provinces, and lost 8 sacred units + some of its starting troops (the prophet has escaped) ; the two nations continue to build troops (+ a mage for maverni)

turn 5 : the wyrm is now with a remaining pack of archers in a province neighbouring vanheim, they can probablty destroy vanheim province defense, except if the 2 remaining little vanheim armies move and patrol it ; the two nations continue to build troops (+ a 80 leader for maverni)

turn 6 : vanheim take 0 province as they must defend ; maverni take one, build troops everywhere (+ a mage), move one army with 17 cavalry to the province with the wyrm (neighboring vanheim capital) and add 21 pd to it

turn 7 : vanheim with all the troops on the capital has a good chance to take back the wyrm province (in my game they easily massacred province defense and killed the wyrm and some archers at this point suffering only 7 losses, but wiped as their leaders were killed by cavalry ; with bodyguards or more luck they should have succeeded ... But the wyrm may also have avoided them and attacked another province neighbouring Vanheim, or another one without risk to be killed by Vanheim forces, many possibilities at this point) ; anyway maverni is now building another castle, vanheim has 4 provinces to take before sieging the first one and maverni 3 times more troops + 3 mages researching (they know a school at 2 at this point)

PS : with death or misfortune 3 instead of sloth 3, vanheim may have more chances (4 more sacred units built in the first turns, 2 more in the army fighting maverni the 1st time) ; as well an heavy bless is far better on a slightly larger map (I think dom3minions server maps are a little bigger than the small random map I've used) , one more province between the capitals = 10 more sacred units recruited before being threatened (and a probable victory in the 1st encounter)

After all, imagining the same pretenders on a little bigger map, I finally agree with you, heavy blesses may be overpowered with most duel settings/maps.