[13lackGu4rd]

Torgon, as Festin started to mention, the difference is huge. thugs and SCs just don't use the same mechanics to win, so comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges and asking whether it's still worth it to buy apples if oranges are 25% cheaper than they used to be.

now, seeing that you want more concrete examples than apples vs oranges than I'll give you some actual dominions reasoning. thugs are generally used as raiders, which means that they need to be able to defeat PD(and not even a lot of it), the key is maneuverability so they can be where you need them and than move out to other places. therefore thugs don't need a lot of equipment, a brand+shield is usually more than enough, however these 2 items are crucial in most scenarios. SCs on the other hand are not simply "teleporting raiders", that's what thugs are(in TNN's case, cloud trapezing). SCs are meant to take on large armies with some magic support as well. how you build SCs is very situation dependent, to what you have, what your opponent has, what counters he has available, what he is fielding, etc. so their cost varies greatly.

now, the other side of this equation is the numbers game. for a mass thug strategy to be effective(TNN, Eriu, Van if you take that road, etc) you need critical mass otherwise their impact will be minimal and your strategy will fail. what critical mass is depends on your opponent, a good rule of thumb is to be able to take out all of your opponent's undefended(as in PD only, a few stragglers are allowed, but nothing heavier) provinces while your main army(or armies) attack his defended areas and forts. thugs alone won't win you any wars, you still need your armies for heavy lifting.

SCs on the other hand can be used both as "raiders" though that's usually a waste unless you're swimming in SCs(late game tart whoring for example) as well as heavy lifters. SCs should be able to deal with the enemy's large armies and storm some of his forts(if not all of them, again depends on the circumstances). even a single SC can do wonders if equipped properly, though obviously the more the better(as it usually is).

so back to your TNN vs Fomoria example. your main missing component is critical mass. there are other factors too, some that I've mentioned(needing other components or can go solo) and others that I haven't. once you include those the scales almost immediately tip to Fomoria's favor. hence why thug nations have been hurt the most with the hammer nerf, and also why QM has worked hard on buffing them.