Quote:
Originally Posted by Benjamin
Baalz I'm surprised you think conj3 is necessary, aren't you always pointing out that an e2 can use earth gems in a pinch? Plenty of nations with plenty of earth gems to do that.
Anyhow, You're not going to be able to blood hunt, and research, and use mages for combat, and get a head start on the blood uniques.
Lightning evocs are still a disaster.
Salamanders I didn't find cost effective unless I added body ethereal, and that's out at alt 3 where you don't want to go if you are rushing blood.
You can play a reasonable mid game and even late game if you're allowed to diversify by leveraging blood and your pretender, I just don't think you'll get there, and even if you do you're just a weak blood nation.
I haven't even mentioned the difficulty you have in dealing with (some types of) raiding.
Sorry Baalz but this nation is a dog. Stick with their sexier older sister, ma aby.
|
There's a big, big, big difference between passing out gems to cast a couple critical spells at...say elephants rushing you, and trying to spam a short range spell like destruction at guys mostly content to pelt you with superior artillery from across the battlefield if it comes to it. Trying to close in under a barrage of fireballs and indie archers with your mages to get the range right for destruction while you're burning gems and the Aby player varies how far back his troops, baits the destruction with indie light infantry and generally doesn't just stick a bunch of heavy infantry in the front line as tempting targets doesn't sound anything like domination to me - nor exceptionally hard for Aby to pull off. Toss in just a couple indie cavalry to flank in on the mages trying to get close enough and sounds to me like a very bad day for guys bringing nothing but destruction fueled by gems.
As to getting ahead on the research for the blood uniques...you do realize anyone you're competing with for them needs to put resources towards bloodhunting to? As well as a using some stuff from their castles to lead and bless their sacreds? Its also not like you need to use your mages to clear indies - your infantry is fully capable of doing that just fine at a very economical rate allowing you to castle up relatively quickly. You've got a pretty good head start with a focus on that research few will match and a pretender specifically designed to help with it. Not a guarantee obviously, but it seems like a pretty good shot to me and even if somebody else is focussed that way you're virtually guaranteed to get some of them.
Raiding problems? I think you're looking at the wrong nation man...and lightning is no more of a problem than it is for anybody else who's best units are heavy infantry. Just like with plenty of nations you've just got to play to your strengths and plan from the beginning to mitigate your gaping weaknesses.