The most difficult alternative

In duels, with weekly increases in Power, the Hive wins against everyone except the Chaos Horde. But when Tactics are used, the Hive loses its value. I usually take Phoenixes myself. I just like them more. :)

With triple attack, Nagas are very strong. It's also quite easy to clear neutral creatures with them, just heal them in time and, if possible, buff them with things like "Flight," "Bless," "Armor," etc.

Yes, you can do that, but then the configuration should only be: Mages - Nagas - Titans.
Djinn, thanks to Illusions, can create a powerful stack out of nothing, and with Phantoms, a mage hero becomes virtually invincible! By the way, it's beneficial to take Cockatrices. They will be useful even in small numbers. :)
Also, Song of Peace is useful for a faction that only needs one Djinn.

Ifrits have high speed and attack. I've used them a couple of times as cannon fodder to absorb attacks, and I remember it worked well to defeat about 6 Bone Dragons with 1+1+1 Ifrits, 1 Chaos Horde creature, a tactic hero, and two Chaos Knights (they weren't very effective with magic).

I like the ability to take out half of the enemy army in battle. For the Terror faction, you only need one Warhorse. It's scary when a single Nightmare disables a large slot of Angels or Phoenixes! :smile04:

For cavalry, it's better to take Crusaders, firstly, they will absorb attacks in difficult battles, and secondly, Champions need a stable + Order of Paladins - the latter is also needed for Crusaders, i.e., reducing the time to build up to level 4. (for monks, you also need to build an Abbey)

A stable is needed in any case. The Order of Paladins is very useful at the start. An Abbey - morale has never hurt anyone. And if you take Crusaders, then on the second level, you will have to take Ballistas. Otherwise, the incredibly strong Archers will remain the only ranged units.