[Baalz]

Yeah, similarly my artifacts helped a bit with my initial expansion, but having to equip them on low hp guys means it doesn't take a terrible amount of bad luck to sink you (my sad story is posted above). The non-artifacts have actually been more useful because of their numbers. Traded some bone armor for black hearts which really got me into the water well ahead of everybody combined with scouts and bottles of living water. Wavebreakers are also nice for early underwater fighting (cast friendly currents, I think that's a CBM change).

Then again, the artifacts I lost (Nethugul and the Orb of Atlantis) wouldn't really have been much help even in an early war against a real opponent. The sunslayer was been nice as an early D booster, but that's easily replaced once cons-4 is hit.

All in all, I haven't seen too much change in how the game plays, though I'm just starting my first real war so that may change.