Low Cost Tactics

[K]

Originally Posted by Executor

So far I have absolutely never successfully used seduction with national units, or in game at all on that matter. I don't know weather it's just my bad luck but about 9/10 times I failed even with indie commanders.( Usually try it with Arco)
Succubus is supposed to have a bigger chance to do it, but I think it's a waste of blood slaves, she's very bad 1 on 1, there are cheaper ways to get commanders, charm, hellbind hearth, enslave mind.

Succubus are much better at it. Add a skull amulet for 3 gems with hammer and she's almost unbeatable by anything less than a powerful mage or Thug/SC.

The thing about seduction is that it works best when combined with Hellbind Heart or Charm so that the seducer uses the assassination battle for the mind-control. In a sense, you can look at the seduction power as the same value as the Assassin power, but you get a chance to move two units too.

[SlipperyJim]

I like Hoburg Crossbows. They're cheap and low-resource, so you can pack an enormous number of the little guys into your army. They're small, so you can fit 50% more Hoburgs into the same space on the tactical map when compared to human crossbowmen, and that seems to translate into greater missile density.

The only downside is the map move of 1. If you have a way to overcome that issue -- or if you just don't care -- then Hoburg Crossbows can be a cheap way to add a lot of firepower to your army.

[Poopsi]

Speaking of singlehandedly taking out light PD, earth and air elementals are great ways for modestly powered mages to turn raider. Air elementals will take out light PD from unprepared neighbors when you cloud trapeze in to unexpected locations, while a pair of earth elementals (any E2 mage can get two after summoning earth power) will take out fairly heavy PD from many nations

I think that Pythian doom popes are excellent PD destroyers, if set to spam soul slay. Leaders tend to get targeted first, which can cause massive routs.

[Nikelaos]

ancient kraken pretender with 2 astral and 2 fire, from the start it can take out weakly defended water provinces and once you research all oyu need for it to cast luck, ethereal and ultimately pheonix pyre it becomes a force to be reckoned with, heck just give it an amulet of the fish and teleport it on enemy armies, with all it's attacks and surviveability it just needs some reinvigoration (lots of ways to get that cheaply) and it can rip early armies to shreads alone.

[Starshine_Monarch]

2 astral is a good way to get your Kraken Mind Duelled though. Try just sending him in with a couple of cheapy mages to buff him. Body Ethereal, Luck and, if you can get an air mage underwater, Gift of Flight can be cast on other units at a distance. Saves the Kraken from Mind duel and gives him an extra turn to two to attack. The Kraken's so huge on HP too that you might not even need Phoenix pyre, letting you pour points into your Dominion for 2+ Awe.

[Omnirizon]

I think it's been implied above, but to be didactic...

if you have an assassin it is a very worthwhile to prophetize them. smiting assassins are better than sliced bread.

have this assassin enter the strongest bordering indie province and assassinate until there are no commanders left. then just invade the province with a scout or something and it's yours. this is slow but cheap. at the beginning of the game it is a way to capture the most difficult (i.e. expensive) provinces for free. you can have your actual armies focus on grabbing easier provinces, use this assassin to grab the hard ones.

[vfb]

If you need to defeat an early tough SC rush, and you've got Astral and Blood (Abysia, Mictlan at least), then Thau1 plus Blood1 gives you Horror Mark followed with a few Summon Lesser Horrors. 3 S1B1 mages can communion to do this if you don't have S2s.

[Rytek]

Originally Posted by vfb

If you need to defeat an early tough SC rush, and you've got Astral and Blood (Abysia, Mictlan at least), then Thau1 plus Blood1 gives you Horror Mark followed with a few Summon Lesser Horrors. 3 S1B1 mages can communion to do this if you don't have S2s.

This also works with Summon Lamshanka's. Although you need Death/Astral. And need to hit summoning4/Thua 1.

[chrispedersen]

Mictlan *defending* against an early rush?

Um.. you should be OFFENDING.... And mictlan is top 2 in bless rushes in my book.

[vfb]

Well, it sure beats ruining a pack or two of sacreds on a gorgon or a cyclops with an eye shield. I guess I should have said early SC counter, since the SC may either be rushing you or responding to your rush.