Well, if you think about it, Banshees aren't that much weaker than Harbingers, so they don't differ significantly in direct strength. They have another advantage – they cost less Dark Energy. The situation where Banshees are surrounded isn't that unlikely. For example, if a strong opponent plays in a dense formation for defense, then Banshees positioned near this formation can very effectively use their scream and, importantly, won't take damage in return. The Harbingers' Icy Touch can also be applied in a limited number of situations – against Phoenixes (!!!!!) and in the early stages (when there are few units) – so there isn't much of a difference between them; Harbingers are slightly tougher, and Banshees are slightly larger in number. I completely disagree that the Necromancer alternate is uninteresting! New Liches, Specters, Dragons, and Zombies are, in my opinion, much more advantageous.

Necromancers have become weaker, which is a pity. They weren't an outstanding race before, and now they've been weakened even further; they can't even compete with Vampires anymore. :(

The weakness of Necromancers is only noticeable in long games. In the early stages, raising 20 Greater Vampires in a week is more profitable than raising a hundred skeletons. Because of this, the balance among Necromancer heroes has changed – Vlad has become much weaker, while Lucrezia, on the contrary, is now perhaps the best in the undead army