[Jarkko]

Baalz guide is excellent, there is no question about that. He points out well that the key is to have something economic who can survive long enough to dish out proper damage. A thug has to survive long enough to be able to deal enough damage to break the enemy, I think that is the message of his guide.

However, Baalz does mention only briefly of the possibility of using thugs with armies. Perhaps it is too obvious to be mentioned more thoroughly, but some people seem to forget those friendly troopers on the field *also* makes the thug live longer. Why waste gems on crowd-control items, if you intend to use the thug as a defensive damage dealer who operates from behind friendly PD, or some tough body-guards who can take lots of damage?

A spesific thug is not the answer to all possible questions or problems. Thus making blanket statements such as "Don't equip unit with XXX with any other items - it's just a waste of gems" just simply don't float. If that item on that spesific thug for that spesific task becomes considerably better with another item, then you are wasting your gems if you do not equip that other item too. Why waste gems on something that does not work, when you could make it much better with a few more gems?

The thing to consider is the bang for the bucks, so to say. If you think something is not worth it, then don't use that. If that something keeps winning you battle after battle, then I for one believe it to be very much worth it.

You can also counter any given set-up with something else. But when the question is cheap thugs, then you don't really attempt to prove the counter is an airdropping SC spesifically tooled to kill that one thug, do you? Of course he would be, thugs are not super-combatants. But if you forced your enemy to spesifically tool up a SC to take out a thug, then who was the smart one? Isn't that exactly the time when you bring on your SC-hunting thug, and maybe, just maybe, you could use it to your advantage if you know your opponent will retaliate with a SC or somebody able to cast Flamestorm?

For me the most important thing about Baalz thug-guide is that you have to think outside the box, and there are some excellent examples. But if you quote that as if it was the holy book, and all thoughts outside the guide are heretic, then perhaps *you* should read Baalz Art of Thugging again?