I always thought that's natural that nations with recruitables with high HPs have an early game advantage. Giving the others an early Soul Slay or similar to counter this seems strange, unthematic.
The most important thing is IMHO that the early powerhouses should have less options for a very strong mid-late game if they don't make best use of their early advantage. This doesn't apply only to Niefel but even Lanka, Helheim etc. Specialization against versatility.
Unfortunately, Hinnom and in minor part Lanka don't fully respect this trade off IMHO. Looks like the next patch should put some nerf to Hinnom, and Lanka seems somewhat balanced anyway.
I am very interested in similar or different opinions, expecially by guruz
