[Baalz]

I'm just trying Sauromatia now, I'm using a 9e 4n 4w bless. Once blessed Oiorpata have 17 protection and 20 defense (more once they get some stars, which happens fast), and regenerate 1 hp per turn which is perfect for letting them mix with the Androphag archers who compensate for the Oiorpata's relatively low damage output (for elite units) and the reinvig gives them some serious staying power. That blessing also allows Warrior Sorceresses to become pretty effective thugs for real cheap. Give them a frost brand, script blessing, protection, (plus quicken self if they get a water bless), attack closest...pretty ridiculously effective for 160 gold and 5w, and recruitable anywhere so have swarms of them! Let them lead small-medium groups of Androphag archers for extra nastiness (cast resist poison if you do this).

Speaking of which, Enaries make better leaders for the hydras than Soothsayers, if you cast resist poison round one it'll go off before they get effected by the poison cloud so no need to use gems on a snake ring. Also, if you send extra Enaries they can skellispam which gives the ethereal hydras some serious staying power.

No use for production?!?! The units are not particularly resource intensive, but you do have several *very* good units which are capital only. I've found production-3 pays off in spades long term as it lets you recruit a steady flow of Oiorpata as well as a hoard of Androphag archers. The Androphag archers are not only just generally devastating, they're also an answer to most things which can threaten your Oiorpatas in EA (Jaguar warriors, Vans), but they need critical mass to work right. Obviously you can play it a different way, but I've found Androphags are far and away the best recruitable archers in the game and they alone justify production scales as I can never get enough. Even in your non cap fortresses the Lancers and Cataphracts are quite a good uses for resources.