Took castles by choice. Starting with 29 archers, a stable near the castle. GO - giants, but right next to them there is a passage through fantics and gr. archers to an adjacent secondary and to the enemy's respawn. So I decided to level Valeska to do some rushing. I fought little with Valeska, mostly just ran around picking up stat boosts. Got Air Magic right away, Haste in the guild, - sehr gut. I saw a conservatory, but it was far away, and it was for 2-4 angels. The peons wouldn't have managed, and Valeska was busy. On the first week, cavalry in the citadel, elves in the secondary. Nothing interesting happened. Valeska took a Naga bank for 131 with 30 Nagas and went on the attack. Turis escaped from right under my nose into the castle. I saw that she had 10-19 cavalry and angels and thought, what a noob I am - came to rush with nothing, and now I'll get my ears beaten for my insolence. Turned around and went back :). Turis attacked on her turn. Her stats are half mine, Expert Offense and Tactics: 11 gr. cavalry, 3 angels, 5 swordsmen, 9 monks, 14 gr. griffins, and 36 archers. I have Advanced Defense, 9 cavalry, 54 archers, 21 elves, 24 dwarves, 7 basic griffins, 50+ pikemen, 18 swordsmen. Everything except the griffins is upgraded. Turis, with Tactics, assaults the archers with angels; cavalry charges my cavalry (killed 4), then my Mass Haste, grand minotaurs on angels, griffins and dwarves cover the grand minotaurs. Pikemen soak the retaliation from the cavalry and everyone piles on them. In the second round, Stone Skin on the younger hydras, grand minotaurs got morale and one angel remained, Turis has almost no cavalry left. In the third round, I finish off the angel, the cavalry; my 4 cavalry got morale a couple of times and fell, along with the archers and monks. The grand minotaurs finish off 2 griffins and Turis dies bravely.
Thanks for the game! I wouldn't have taken the castle.