Arcosephale

[Taqwus]

Don't try to match the AI in numbers.

It doesn't build fortresses, so it tends to hire large proportions of (frequently cheaper) non-national troops. It also probably spends a higher proportion on troops than on mages (that a human player might, for driving research and casting site-searching spells and so forth), I suspect. The large armies of not-necessarily-great quality are also hampered by a seeming disregard for supply constraints -- it has a willingness to starve while besieging fortresses, for instance, while a human player might push more for either supply items or need-not-eat troops.

Quality tends to defeat quantity, with certain dangerous exceptions. Well-designed 'Supercombatants' -- often well-equipped summons or pretenders, but also certain national troops e.g. Niefel Jarls... -- can cut through *most* chaff with ease; a dangerous exception includes hordes of mandragora with their sleep vines. SC designs frequently employ 0-encumberance commanders and/or life-draining items, so they won't even get tired...

High-quality troops like Vanheim's vanir, for instance the vanir are quite survivable with their speed, defense and automatic mirror image can also win against fairly serious odds. For those that invest sufficiently in magic, assorted summons can be very effective; legions of wights, banefire archers, kitted-out Tartarians, air queens, massed devils, hordes of living statues all come to mind.