MA Ulm using Blood Magic

thejeff · #1 March 26th, 2008, 03:54 PM

And when would you know you were facing an Ulmish build like that?

Especially if it wasn't the Blood Fountain version?

Sombre · #2 March 26th, 2008, 03:57 PM

The fact that they're blood hunting is something you might not pick up on I guess, though the scouts hanging around in the open in their provinces would be a give away. That said it's sort of irrelevant because I'd rush almost any MA Ulmish build. That one would just be easier.

This doesn't denote that I think MA Ulm is weak (though I do), just that I think rushing it is generally a sensible strategy.

Baalz · #3 March 26th, 2008, 04:05 PM

Well, without getting into a tangential argument about Ulm surviving an initial rush, as I pointed out this is a total side strategy with a cost of a couple mages, a couple low income provinces, and the upkeep on 20 scouts. Ulm is seldom pinched for gold and also generally has an abundance of the cheap smiths. This is totally something you can do in addition to whatever your main strategy is and doesn't make you noticeably more vulnerable to a rush.

Renojustin · #4 March 28th, 2008, 02:24 AM

People think MA Ulm is vulnerable to a rush but they have a lot of things going for them for use against one. Great troops, great PD and uh... well, great troops. Troops that become of less and less value as the game goes on. So while unsuited to rushing on their own, they are fairly well equipped to handle an incoming one.

The only thing you'd really have to put special effort against, even specialize against, is tramplers. If they do that, you have to go with massed crossbowmen, research Earth Bind and immobility spells, probably take an awake SC pretender from the start as many will say is necessary with MA Ulm.

Love your bloodstone factory, AOE. Great strategy post.

Endoperez · #5 March 28th, 2008, 09:56 AM

The Thaumaturgy spell Bonds of Fire is also good against tramplers, especially Elephants. It's tests against morale, not strength, so even if it's not AoE it will last much longer.

Baalz · #6 March 28th, 2008, 10:00 AM

FYI here's a looooong discussion about Ulm beating back rushes (which is why I didn't want to get into it again).

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...&Number=586724

AreaOfEffect · #7 March 28th, 2008, 01:28 PM

Indeed, thank you Baalz. The 'rushing against Ulm' topic is more appropriately discussed their. Here I would rather focus on Ulm's best uses of blood magic. Also, thank you Renojustin. Your the first person so far to compliment me on these forums. I value that.

Belac · #8 December 12th, 2009, 07:22 PM

To follow up on this with another angle...

I've designed an Ulmish rainbow pretender which has 26 points left over. My choices are to take a negative scale and use the 66 points for something or to take Blood2. Would this be worth it just for random searches and a possible side strategy? OTOH, since 25 of those points come from the cheaper cost of the Great Sage in the CBM, and now blood stones are apparently unique items, does that sufficiently weaken the strategy?

EDIT: Another pretty unrelated question, but it's about Ulm so I will ask it here: Ulmish troops are cheap. Is it a viable strategy to go Turmoil/Luck, or just Turmoil and use the points for other things?