Summons

[Frozen Lama]

Just looking for opinions here, what are the best non-unique summons besides Tartarians?

I'm thinking mostly of SC summons, but anything thats really useful I'd like to hear about, especially things that open up new magic paths or good units that are low-gem cost.

[Micah]

Abominations are the best unit in a melee for the cost, but they're hard to get around, and need mage support for a protection boost if you'll be fighting chaff with a lot of attacks, but they do great against thugs/SCs.

Seraphs are excellent defensive SCs, but suffer from a crippling vulnerability to magic duel while attacking.

Bane Lords are always a cost-efficient staple. There's not all that much variety late game though, mostly tarts/aboms with a smattering of angels.

[Tolkien]

Useful summons I'm just pulling off the top of my head:

Wraith Lords, Spectres, Elemental Royalty, Demon Lords, Heliophagi, other Blood Summons, maybe Golems...stuff.

[vfb]

If you are wishing, Chayots are great.

They have 4 forms, all with full slots, and if one gets magic duelled in S form (or otherwise killed), it just switches to the next shape. They are also sacred, nice if you have an N/E bless. They've got good MR, resist almost everything, have built-in Awe and Fire Shield, and fly map-move 6.

[Micah]

I'd generally take a Seraph over a Chayot if I was wishing though.

Tolkien's mention of golems is a good one though, they're the best raider available. Demon knights with E buffs are also an excellent unit. Storm demons can be pretty brutal if you don't otherwise have much A access and your opponent isn't handing out SR.

[Tolkien]

Personally, I love blood summons. They're absolutely terrific for diversification.

[Kuritza]

I've seen spectres used with quite a good result. They can become decent stealthy raiders, some of them are also stealthy astral mages to feeblemind these clever mind-hunters, and they can help you diversify into earth-water-astral.
Astral monkey summons are just great. Too bad they come with monkey troops and PD.
Demiliches are quite useful.
Sea Kings are decent mid-game SCs. Their retinue has HUGE upkeep though... May be useful too, for breaking castle walls. Also, they are poison-immune, regenerating and fat, so if you summon two or three sea troll kings, you can use sea troll army with earthquake (rain of stones) and/or foul vapors caster.
Siege golems - for sieging.

[Humakty]

I wonder what is the problem with vine kings ? As I don't play MP, I don't know why no one likes them, they've been usefull to me in SP. Well, more than a pack of wolves.

[Kuritza]

Its not like vine kings are bad... its just that nature gems are so good, and there's never enough of them.

[Humakty]

Oh, I was wondering wether they had some kind of inner fault... Now it's all clear thanks.