[Torgon]

If we're going with national spells. In CBM MA Mans wrath of Avalon is crazy efficient for chaff generation. Cast it with an N random crone with a thistle mace and you're getting almost 2 ogres per N gem. And the spell is available very early.

Another good one in CBM is the Kithriotic lion, at 4 N gems. High HP, good protection, good moral and magic resistance. Three 20+ damage attacks at 16 attack. The bite attack now has a charge bonus. But the big thing CBM gives them is fear on top of it all. If you're summoning them you're one of the nature powers, so spam panic at the same time you deploy them, and use the stealth or thugs most nature powers also have to cut off the retreats. Bonus points for false horror spam at the same time.

With the buffs to animals some of the other animal spells start to become attractive as well. Lions are great flankers, and pride of lions is pretty cheap at 17 lions for 10 N gems. Animal hoard is also pretty good, not as a combat spell but as a quick way to get chaff to hold up walls during a siege. One casting gets you a huge amount of high strength creatures perfect for holding up walls.

On the siege front, rocs are also one of the most cost effective means of getting a high siege bonus. Compare to Siege golems or gate cleavers at 15 E gems a piece. But add in the rocs great mobility, halfway decent thugging capability, and great anti thugging uses, and you have a pretty good gate smasher. Use them as patrollers when not needed on the war front.