[Chris_Byler]

I vote Nature. Whether my nation has it or not I almost always end up using it. Regen and reinvigoration items are great for practically anyone; extra supplies can be awesome in those nasty death dominions (or worse, death *and* an unfavorable temperature); vine ogres are one of the most cost-effective blockers (being immune to banishment); and I haven't even gotten into the possibilities of a poison resistant cheap flier with Snake Bladder Stick, and many other nasty tricks.

Serpent's Blessing + Foul Vapors is a great one; it's *much* cheaper and lower-path-requirement than the Air or Fire equivalents, in a path with easy boosters, *and* both spells of the combo are Enchantment as opposed to an Ench+Evo dual research requirement. This means you can deploy it earlier, cheaper and more often.


Other paths I sometimes think "what am I going to do with these gems?". Nature I'm usually thinking "where can I get more nature gems?". (The answer to both questions often ends up being "Alchemize", which says a lot.) If I don't have it as a national path I'm trying to get it through indies, and if I *do* have it as a national path I use it a lot (even when it's a fairly minor part of my nation, like Yomi). Several of my favorite nations are nature heavy - Man, C'tis, Tir n'an Og, Pangaea, Kailasa/Patala, Sauromatia.