[Ironhawk]

To address the comments on bless-rush nations: You shouldnt be upset that bless-rush nations are wiping out other players early. That is, after all, what they are designed to do. As to how they could possibly be weakened over time, this has to do with thier scales. Bless nations normally have to make significant sacrifices to thier scales which results in overall lower income. If you have a bless nation and a non-bless nation of comparable size it is like that the non-bless nation will have significantly more income. This in turn translates to more research (very key) and more, stronger, mages.

And to address concerns that some players may have about fighting these blessed nations in the future. Dominions always provides a way to counter any strategy. So, when faced with a superior opponent, what you should try and do is look at thier greatest strength and find a way to circumvent it. As Frank says above, the greatest strength of Vans is Glamour and High Defense. The way to circumvent this is Arrows or Battlefield Magic, which ignore defense skill. Neifel Giants greatest strength is thier hit points. But if you attack in a way that circumvents hitpoints, like the spell Paralyze or Gifts from Heaven (which does more damage than a unit and reasonably take) then you should be ok.

It is always good advice to keep an eye on your neighbors. Look at thier units and make sure you have a plan (be it with units, spells, or summons) to counter whatever attack they are likely to bring against you.