MA Marignon Advice Needed (and newbie questions)

[Trumanator]

MR on SCs/thugs- Depends on the opposition. In SP, not really important. In MP... tends to be very important, doubly so if you're facing a nation with a lot of astral (Arco, Mari, Pythium, Bandar, etc.) MR of 25 plus is not uncommon against such nations, sometimes even over 30.

Dual shields- Not a bad idea. Important considerations in that case would be having enough reinvig, and whether your enemy can give his troops the right resistances.

Awe vs Fear- Depends. Fear doesn't actually protect against attacks, while Awe does. However, with Fear you don't have to kill as many people, and it can greatly enhance your awe's efficiency.