"Rookie-2009"

Gomunguls (Blue, Castle, Valeska, Valeska) def Zybr (Red, Tower, Solmyr, Solmyr) 2SM4d(3), 1.3.1

I confirm. Resources were average; couldn't find gems for a long time, Mages were delayed, 1-4,6 in Citadel by the end of the week. But this is all minor. The problem was different - on one side, 1 day away, a passage to an adjacent zone (dunno which one, don't know the template :)) guarded by 25 Ogres + 5 Gr.
The wood mine turned out to be completely out of reach (3-4 days away, behind Gr. Wolves + Air elementals + Archers) - i.e., there was little point in going for it... and the Gr. Wolves were right next to the Castle, blocking the second direction...
Well, in short, I took a mini-crypt, recruited troops, and went to kill the Wolves. Further on, almost no mana against 20-49 Cerberi. Had to sacrifice Mages. Went further, and further it gets funnier - to get secondary skills, I either have to beat upgraded Lizardmen, or go around through Gr. Eyes. Started looking for a well, since without mana I can't break through these. Found one 2 days away. Well, in short, the Lizardmen stood in two stacks and Lightning hit my own units. And Solmyr is only level 5... I take Rampart, build a Mage Guild, replenish mana. I see a prison behind Thunderbirds. I decide to fight, because if they give a good hero there, I could turn the game around. But in the end, the battle was decided by morale: in round 1, the birds get morale twice - I have to cast Lightning, hitting my own Gremlins (30 out of 127 lost). No choice here, shooting Gremlins were taking down one stack of birds at a time, so in round 1 Gremlins shoot... and in round 2, when they absolutely needed to take out another stack of birds, anti-morale on the Gremlins... over 2 rounds (2-3), part of the shield is killed, birds block the Gremlins - loss and surrender on my part :(
Thanks to my opponent for the game, or rather for the time spent ;) Good luck in the remaining matches.

Added after 33 seconds
Wrote a bit too much... an FRPG habit, I suppose :)