[Aleph]

Soul Contract also exposes your commander in question to horror attack, so be sure to hook him up with some bodyguards (Devils come to mind), and possibly some cheap survival items granting luck, protection, or an attack with paralysis (Vine Bow makes sense as a cheap item but I rarely hit with it at any range).

Playing against the AI on a large map, there's definitely a long lag between "I've effectively won" and "I've actually won." I tend to use this lag time as a sort of workshop for experimenting with SC combos (through Wish/Gift of Reason) and attack based globals. So far I find the most utility in the gem producers (especially Maelstrom, Well of Misery, and Arcane Nexus), Forge of Ancients, and Strands of Arcane Power, but get far more enjoyment out of Ghost Ship Armada and Lure of the Deep, at least until I own all coastal areas.