Pretender Design

[Psitticine]

I've had good success with the Vampire Queen and various forms of Lich. Their immortality makes them very good choices for battlefield pretenders. I tend to start them off in the back, working as spellcasters, but they can work very well when the enemy breaks my lines (especially as such enemies have usually become quite battered in the process.) In the early days of a game, I'll sometimes place them otherwise and have them use Hand of Death and other "contact" spells.

Their immortality means that even if they fall, every single troop they bring down first is a net gain. The free recruits the Vampire Queen brings in are just a bonus, IMO, albeit a nice one.