[Saxon]

Sorry, I have misled you. I fired up a game last night and Man does not have spies, just stealth units. Ignore what I said about spies for this nation. However, I stand by what I said about thinking strategically, not just tactically.

You could consider a stealth army to sneak in and raid his rich lowland provinces. Take the province, push the taxes up very high and leave. If he pushes his provincial defense up high, it costs a lot. One point of defense from 20 to 21 costs 20 gold. It is just not good value at the higher levels, but if he wants to spend the money, encourage him. Keep stealing his provinces, then running away. You will cut his gold income and probably his gem income. He also has to divert troops to try and catch you, easing the pressure on your home front.

Consider cheap troops out front, to slow the giants down while you shoot and spell blast them. Then your good infantry, for the real fight. The arrows keep falling while the infantry hold up the giants.. Try to maximize the power of your good longbow units by letting them fire as long as possible before giants reach them.