[Jarkko]

I'll name a few example, using CBM. Using an unequpped SC pretender you have to remember to *never* attack anything with unbreakable units (undead and other mindless (like Dark Vines), berserkers (aka Barbarians)) or Lizards (at best that Lizardman shaman curses your pretender, at worst he first curses and then tangles your pretender while the lizards chop your pretender to pieces)

Wyrm with Dom9 or Dom10, no magic paths. Gives you fear combined with awe, and a regenerating high HP beast.

Great White or Black Bull with E4N4. A berserking trampling recuperating beast, who becomes an even harder beast after you research Personal Regeneration and any of the -skins (Barkskin, Stoneskin, Ironskin, Invulnerability).

Gorgon is insanely overpriced (in vanilla she is very affordable for Sauromatia for an easy E9N4 bless, which means she has to be ridiculously overpriced in CBM; the sad thing is that for the nations she would thematically fit for never ever get her for competetive play) in CBM, but in singleplay a E4N4A2 Dom9 will work wonders. Script Cast Airshield, Attack Rear and watch her go medieval. If you can on first turn craft a shield (aka access to nature or earth gems to craft a shield on turn 1), then do that to make her practically impossible to hurt by indies).

Red and Blue Dragons with high dom score (9 or 10) are excellent (again that excellent awe+fear combo), especially after they can buff themselves with Fireshield or Breath of Winter.

A Phoenix makes a nice early SC pretender. Just send her alone to provinces (in your dominion, of course) scripted with Attack rear. If she doesn't succeed to take it on first try with Phoenix Pyres (in CBM it autocasts Phoenix Pyre at the beginning of every battle), then next round there will be much fewer defenders; also very good way to soften up those indy provinces with Knights and Longbowmen. If your nation doesn't have much Air or Fire, then give her A4F4 and the bird can later on be an excellent army buffer(with stuff like Arrowfend, Flaming arrows, Fog Warriors or Warriors of Muspelheim) and to craft air and fire boosters (and Staffs of Storm, of course).