Good Troop Summons

[Lazy_Perfectionist]

R'lyeh? I know this thread is about the late game, but in the early game, Claymen can be useful against R'lyeh, and if you've got plenty of spare gems, can be massed in place of nationals fairly easily. They've got decent strength, and damaging weapon, and are mindless. R'lyeh doesn't have much protection, and usually relies on a mindblast strategy.

So, "troop summons that you could mass in place of nationals" - Claymen - though I've only tried them against R'lyeh. With sixty or so Claymen, you don't have to worry about their chaff breaking through your line unopposed. They likely won't win you the battle on their own, but combined with the right spells, they'll buy you the time you need to win. You do need a few size three or greater units to tie up the tramplers, though.

Also, I've heard something about regenerating Sea Trolls and sharks that may be useful with claymen to a lesser degree. They could also be used with other slow damaging battlefield enchantments or Earthquake, since they'll heal.