Stronghold vs. Haven

On the first turn, freeze them with an Ice Golem and then shoot them down with archers (Shining Ones are weak in defense).

Against the AI, the Ice Golem works great. But if a player uses tactic 2 and places Shining Ones in the front and a Guardian behind, then there are more problems. The golem will slow them down for one turn, but the Shining Ones will still reach them and may even paralyze someone. But if the player doesn't use tactic 2, then yes, on the first turn – the golem, and on the second – either a General heroism spell or a General spell in fire magic, and it becomes difficult for the players from the very first turns.

Now I'm doing better against the Alliance. Just don't go to the Tears against them. I'll explain why.
1. Shining Ones remove spells, including Magic Resistance.
2. Shining Ones and Vistalks paralyze, after which the unit will no longer be able to respond to attacks. Shining Ones and cavalry cannot be countered. Therefore, a level 3 counterattack is completely irrelevant.
3. A lot of damage comes from magic, so defense is not as important as attack.
4. The racial ability "Remove Shackles" is useless against the Alliance, as they don't have dark magic.