I took Utopia from Tiris, level 8 (Expert in Leadership and Earth, advanced Tactics, basic Wisdom and Logistics), 8/5/2/2, without artifacts. I cast Blessing twice (on Champions and Crusaders) and Shield once, plus Morale triggered twice. Regarding monks, I wouldn't be so categorical – yes, they aren't the best level 5 soldiers, but they are decent archers. And with a developed Orrin, they can cause a lot of trouble for any opponent. I think the best setup for Haven is to start with Valeska and have Orrin as the second hero – then it makes sense to give him all the archers and delay building horses until week 2. However, this has only happened to me twice (against Humans – never).