Swamp is an excellent castle. There is the starting hero Bron. There are plenty of interesting heroes, first and foremost a candidate for "daddy" status — Tazar, as well as Dragon. The fact that one of the heroes has a tent can also play its part.
Besides the "Bron factor," another very good factor is that some heroes start with snakes. This speeds up processes quite nicely :)))
Upgraded Gorgons in Dragon Utopia are death under sail.
Hydras in cans rule incredibly; try it — you will see own miracles. Naturally, this also applies to hives, but it's even easier there.
Snakes are almost as good as genies.
A weak army? I find that hard to believe — small losses due to high defense. The ability to upgrade free wyverns makes them a total heavyweight stack.
Magic? Why not like the book from Dragon Utopia? For example, Earth or Air... Pandora's can be dug up again.
As for the lack of shooters — you need to learn how to play without shooters. Haven't learned yet? Take the titans' castle and build it up. When Archmagi and Titans are protected by Hydras and Basilisks — ooh...
By the way, don't forget to learn 3rd level teleport magic. Your Hydras and Gorgons are specifically asking you for this...

Орден Феникса – харизматический :) лидер