Advice for MA Man

ano · #1 February 3rd, 2008, 07:59 PM

I like the idea of taking a cyclops, however you will be able to take neither growth or prod, nor magic. Your mages will get diseased too often, you won't be able to expand really fast due to lack of units and you will never win the research race. Yes, each of these can be thought of as "minor disadvantage", but put together they form a major one, I think. What do you get in return? A very good combat pretender, maybe an SC and access to air boosters. Not a good trade, as for me.
However, teleportable combat mage casting Rain of Stones can be really fine if not aiming for E9 bless for sacreds (which could be very good sacreds if they had faster feet. Actually it seems strange to me that they are so slow).
Titan E4A4 seems a better choice to me.

Titan (Body 602, 90 hits)
Magic: Air 4 Earth 4
Dominion 6
Scales: Order 3 Productivity 2 Growth 2 Misfortune 2 Magic 1
Dormant

Zeldor · #2 February 3rd, 2008, 08:06 PM

With Growth 2-3 even N4 mages get old and diseased really really fast. It looks like they would get the old age at 30-50. I have no idea why crones can't get it at 100-150. That would make that weak nation just a bit better.

Agema · #3 February 4th, 2008, 12:23 PM

If you've got N4 mages, you can surely cast Gift of Health, which removes afflictions and so should save a lot of your crones, shouldn't it? Or does it not stop age afflictions?

llamabeast · #4 February 4th, 2008, 12:35 PM

I don't think Man is a weak nation, Zeldor.

Nikolai · #5 February 4th, 2008, 01:36 PM

I'm with Zeldor. MA is good in short game, or in duel, but long term it is too limitted. Bards are great for shutting down first victim, but once armies stop working, and they at some time do... and once enemy gets patrollers, real magic, etc... it's all over.

In small games, against no nature nations, and especially with predefined teams, where bards can be fifth collumn and crones rely on air booster trade, MA Man is great. That I'll give (Got my *** kicked a few times)

And, Agema: Yes, Gift of Health is nice if you can hold it. In serious game, there is little chance. Many nature nations, and some serious astral nations in MA.

Zeldor · #6 February 4th, 2008, 02:09 PM

llamabeast:

MA Man would be much better if Crones got old age at 100 or 150 years and if they had small chance of 1S, even 10% would be great. It would give at least some defence against astral nations and let them use few more items and spells. Or make wardens and warden lords recruitable in every castle, even if they would be no longer sacred.

Twan · #7 February 4th, 2008, 03:39 PM

IMO giving S1 to crones would mostly make astral nations use magic duel.

Personnally I think Man is fine on most maps (Man need to find indie mages sites to diversify, and in nearly all games find some before it's needed). I remember hard war against Man in several games (but Man always managed to have access to earth or fire magic).

Also air magic is very hard to counter with non air nations (when fire has counter spells in water and water/earth, astral is countered by earth MR spell/items, etc...). So if you are a one trick poney you have a good trick at least (compare with fire against any nation able to cast rain or just boost troops armor). Most nations, even with an air random, will never have air 2 with the crazy level of the boosters, so won't be able to protect their troops against shock and arrows ; and most shock spells are AN in addition, making earth buffs useless.