Rlyeh newbie getting massacred by AI...any tips?

[Failure]

OK. Sorry, I have too many questions.

So, I'll cull the rainbow pretender for now. Do I have to have an awake pretender to do all the fighting? (ie: the wyrm)

As for thaumaturgy - who's going to do the casting? I need the researchers for researching, or should I be sending a certain number of them off to battle? Will 2-3 of them casting THA spells really change the battle outcome?

I always use the special summoner guy for the gate, but why not a prophet. Does the extra bit of priestly power have no bearing on summoning from the gate?

What else should I use the prophet for?