Concerning the AI, it appears that Ashdod can be quite a challenge on impossible, the extra design points mean awesome scales, and there will be a lot of giants too.
What would be a good midgame counter to an insane amount of giants for MA Ulm? Destruction? Clockworks? Using Crushers as a "tank" and Magma erupting the heck out of them? Petryfy?
I have one field army (with a bunch of guardians and Black knights, backed up by 15 Smiths) that can deal with the Giant hordes, but my upkeep couldnt allow another such army, especially since Black Knights need critical mass to do things.
My other armies are a bit out of position
It also seems that my enemies sometimes take my castles without fighting for them...