Devil Review

[alexti]

archaeolept said:
generally, the easiest way to tell if something is a bit too cheap is how prevalently it is used.

What about scouts, sages and indy priests then? They are used all the time. In all cases it's just the right tool for the common task. Same for GR - raid interception/raiding. However, for raiding purposes it is not efficient in general. You lose 5 gems and gain whatever is the target province income. After that you'll lose the province unless you bring some forces, in which case you could just take it using those forces (except, if there was overly well organized PD). So this exchange is good only for rich provinces, but they're usually castled/well protected. So it leaves GR for raid interception and tactical raiding (cut out escapes, demolish temples or high PD, allowing your army to advance without revealing details of tactics etc)

archaeolept said:
on that yardstick, ghostriders is too good a deal. I love them, and use them all the time, but I think bumping up their cost, even to say 7 death gems, would be a good thing. As it is they are just one of the many things that makes castling such a necessary strategy, as the open lands are so dangerous.

I don't see why it makes castling necessary. Sure you'd castle your best and strategically important provinces, but otherwise, what do you keep in the open lands which makes you afraid of GR? If the enemy wants to spend 5 gems to "neutralize" your 10 gold, 1 gem income province, better for you, those 5 gems could've been used for something nastier.