Haven vs. Fortress (how to play against dwarves?!)

It's not a given that Haven will have more monsters; it's more likely they'll have fewer.

To put it more accurately, the total HP of Haven's monsters will be significantly higher, or at least the quality of the monsters will be better!
Because, at best, Haven will have more Paladins than Erls and Priests combined... and maybe even as many as the Fortress has Bears.
And, at worst, there will be 2-3 times more Red Archers than the Fortress has Spearman.
P.S. The Fortress is indeed strong with large armies, as single magical skills from runes are more effective than other racial special abilities, but why isn't the Fortress as popular? It rarely survives in the early stages, and even if it's left alone, it simply falls behind in development.