[Baalz]

No, you have to realize Humakt that the only thing people complain about are the extremes. The game is so complex that clever guys who spend a lot of time on it are invariably gonna find very potent combos, you can play in some newbie games until such stuff isn't so intimidating. Also, keep in mind that all the really scary stuff only comes about very late game as the game is usually about to be over and it keeps the game from dragging on forever. Plenty of games end before gem producing items can gain critical mass.

It is indeed not too hard to get access to every path by the time the map is divided into 4-5 large empires who have site searched fairly well and have hundreds of gems coming in per turn, can empower, summon most everything, forge most boosters, etc. Obviously you're not usually going to be strong in every path, but you can do a lot with a single guy able to cast spells in a path.