[K]

Gifts from Heaven + Communion is a low cost tactic because it only take Evocation 5 and Thaum 1 and it can be brought online before the opposition has any real research.

That being said, it is only really effective against high-cost big units like Neifle giants and elephants.

So here are a number of "counters":

1. Send chaff. The precision is so low that he'll be hitting his own stuff on the front line as much as yours, and if in the early part of the battle he is losing a 15 gold infantry for every 5 gold markata you lose, the battle can be a "win" regardless of who retreats.

2. You are Sauromatia! Hydras can take a GoH hit and all they lose is a head. Toss in some longdead chaff and you can just survive GoH long enough for your archers and mages to do their thing.

3. Straight out-mage them. Load up your mages with Death gems and Shadow Blast until his army is dead. Remember that if someone is sending mages, the best and often only counter is to send as many mages to counter. Feel free to use your own communions.

4. The Fear army. You get Nature and Death and Blood, so that means you have several ways to get Fear units and get Fear spells. Getting a communion to retreat will scatter them to several provinces and effectively turn them back into crap mages. With a little planning, you can destroy them completely by making sure they have no place to retreat to.