Which creatures from the alternative upgrade options do you choose?

Well, we can argue about the mages. Gremlins can be useful during a siege by blocking catapults. Gargoyles increase the damage of chaos magic to adjacent cells; they are cannon fodder. Golems are resurrected by magic. Although, in general, Endless Barrage is the best. New mages don't attack their own units. And genies are definitely better, for example, they can reduce the luck of enemy archers. As for Thunderbirds... it depends on the situation. The damage from lightning isn't very high. And in my opinion, the new hydras are definitely better than the old ones. After all, what's the point of having only 30-50 hit points per turn with a total of 125 hit points and such low initiative? The new ones have something like Endless Barrage. And aren't the new dragons great against races that don't specialize in dark magic?