[HoneyBadger]

I like dormant Pretenders. You get 150 building points and only lose your first year-a year that you can spend building up your home province, building armies, researching spells, and building magic items. You aren't immediately in a big push to expand, and you can't do a whole lot that first year, even with a Pretender available, because you'd quickly overextend yourself when your nation is weakest. Another advantage is a year of contemplation about your nation, any special events, and your surrounding neighbors. Sometimes that's worth a whole lot too.