[krpeters]

So, I tried again to play Dominions effectively... once again I failed. I thought the following build would be pretty effective and reasonably inexpensive:

Gargoyle
Gift of Reason
Charcoal Shield
Sword of Swiftness
Robe of Shadows
Amulet of Antimagic
Pendant of Luck

Thanks to being inanimate, it doesn't have encumberance issues, so it can happily wade through AI armies of 500+ troops without getting chewed up. It also has a great defense on top of the protection, ethereal, & luck. So does it work?

Of course not. As soon as mages show up, they die. Tangle vines cast by nature mages held the first one down long enough to get chewed up, and in my next confrontation an S3 mage blew it apart with Opposition.

So... back to the drawing board. Given the gem investment needed to make an effective thug, they're just not efficient. It seems as if it's best just to save your gems until you get to SC power levels.