Haven discussion.

Archers (crossbowmen) are decent ranged units.

That's putting it mildly. When I played against Elves (Sylvan), 640 of my crossbowmen took down 40 Ents (ul.) from close range! Without luck, but with a blessing. From a distance, they could kill 5-8 of them! And the enemy hero wasn't any better protected than mine!