"only XL-5"

yeah, now this "noob strategy" in HotA has changed so much, "give any mage intelligence, find the Chalice of Souls," you don't even need a large army.

antimagic hasn't been cancelled..., and warriors have a decent amount of mana, you can compete with a mage in the High Level, and in the end, there's the Ring of Antiresurrection.

Added 1 minute ago

yeah, now this "noob strategy" in HotA has changed so much, "give any mage intelligence, find the Chalice of Souls," you don't even need a large army.

or are you talking about HL+U where a mage in the middle of the game bursts in after 2 weeks with 300 mana, an explosion, and resurrection?