Balancing Wrathful Skies

[Boron]

tinkthank said:
I'd like to think as you do, but I can't.

Once the initial investment has been made (3 or 4 Staffs of Storms, with Vanheim these are automatically forged with hammers, a couple of Air mages, perhaps some path-boosters, and AQ if you want) there is an exceptionally small diminishing return to continue to cast WC. 3 or 4 WC raiding-parties (and note: they dont *have* to Cloud Trapeze in; in fact, they are usually quite more devastating if they use normal movement, since then no normal army can move on top of them during the movement phase -- also note that some of the more conspicuous WC casters are also exceptionally stealthy (Van, Man LoT)) will be able to raze more than you can produce, and they need 6-8 air gems per turn. It is very difficult to make armies to match that. Almost any nation will have 8 airgems per turn by midgame, and an Air nation will often have a lot more than that.
So although I would like to continue to beat my head against a wall in a fun way, I will eventually run out of money while my opponent will fail to run out of air gems.

Also, I was taking what you said (what I quoted) very seriously: He who meets a WC-spammer will, as you say yourself, no longer build those armies. Schade!

No Chazar is right imo . Normally there is plenty of money available . 100 fire gems give you between 1500-4500 money . By early lategame you will have 100 fever fetishes .

So just keep storming with e.g. 10 armies of 30 flaggellants or pikeneers and 20 x-bows and 1 or 2 inquisitors almost every turn . Such an army costs about 600-700 gold but can overcome small obstacles and maybe even thugs .
Firegems and thus money is in much higher quantities available then airgems in a normal game .

As Chazar says Wrathful skies is still quite an investment .