Tricks and Combo's

[Saridu]

I didn't find any demonologists in my first game as a paladin but my mage found 140 in Verona - Sweet! That barbarian encampment on the west coast always seems to give me good stuff.

[Tianx]

Demonologists are great but I also find Trolls and Ogres are awesome if you can find a good amount of them. Ogre's skill to steal AP is very nice as you can pretty much charge into the mobs with 1 turns. With Ogre Boots and Club you can even get better.

[Zechnophobe]

The combo I *wish* worked: Casting Doom on your own Vampire Lords.

Alas.

[Elwin]

NIce ida :p

[Zechnophobe]

Here's one that DOES work. If you summon a phoenix, and it dies, you will have the option to resurrect it at a very high initiative, or you can wait with it for later. If someone is standing on it you automatically wait.

Here's the trick though, you can cast spells and summon your dragon at the point when you would use it. This means it may be strategically beneficial to LEAVE IT DEAD so that you can cast a spell at a more time appropriate point.

For instance, if you are solo stacking an opposing force, and want to heal your tank stack at the end of turn, but also want to attack right away. Wait your dead phoenix, and when its turn comes back around, heal away!

[vicheron]

Sacrifice Guard Droids to increase the numbers of another stack and then resurrect the Guard Droids with your Repair Droids. That's how I build up all my level 5 armies. I just buy one and then use Sacrifice to make more.

Have a stack of Gorguanas cast Mark of Blood on the most powerful enemy stack. Let a stack of level 1 creatures get attacked by that stack. Cast Pain Mirror on the enemy stack for massive damage. Resurrect the level 1 creatures with Turn Back Time. This can also be done with Phantom Image.

[Zechnophobe]

I am beginning to think all the best damage combos are going to involve gorguana's. I wish they were available a little earlier in the game.

[Zechnophobe]

One more that I think everyone should try:

Target + Time Back

On the first turn of the game, fly or throw out some big stack.. Demons, griffons etc for damage, or just like red/green dragons for tankness. Get them up close to the enemy, then cast target on them.

This will absorb most or all damage from the opposing army for two full turns. At the end of the second turn, cast time back to resurrect all lost units in that big stack. Works on any unit in the game (That will survive!) except black dragons.

Note that target forces units to make their STANDARD attack if they can. This means hyena's will not crit boost themselves, shamans will not use magic axes, and bowmen will use only normal arrows. It effects undead, and units immune to mind effecting spells too!

Great, especially with green dragons that can do an AoE attack to recoup the mana lost to Time Back.

[Elwin]

Well .. its not that awesome. Alchemists ignore that completly. At least in legend they did

[Zechnophobe]

Hmm, haven't fought any meaningful alchemist stacks with it, so I do not know for certain. But pretty much everything else rolls over to it.

There ARE some AI changes between TL and AP though.