How to win with a “weak” Knight?

I enjoyed reading the additions written yesterday. Everything is almost a page-turner, although, of course, almost nothing is new to me. In practice, it often turns out that (we take a growth of 1-2-1 or 1-3-1; it's pointless to sit longer if there's nothing to attack with; it's better to start over), the entire knight's army is shattered against the Castle and its heroes, and only a few remain, just enough to repel and defend the captured Castle. You can't even dream of Paladins surviving; the computer will eliminate them completely, or leave 1-2 if there's someone to cast a more interesting Lightning spell on. Even a single Warlock can free us from a dozen pikemen with one spell. So, capturing an enemy Castle is simply vital for us. Therefore, if there's a choice of who to capture first, the Warlock is the best candidate. If we managed to build green flyers, adding the remaining dozen pikemen to them doesn't make much sense – they will all fall from spells without having time to harm the enemy. It makes sense to take a few Centaurs, a couple of split Gargoyles, and 4 green units. Titans are also quite self-sufficient, and the option of 4 Phoenixes with upgraded native archers looks solid. But if we captured a poorly built Castle and cannot improve its army by day 6-7, then the game essentially ends for those who enjoy it.