14.12.2012 Ayauhteotl (Blue, Inferno, Zydar) def ariputra (Red, Citadel, Shiva, Nagash), Skirmish, 134

We scouted each other, got started.
Week 1 - I break through to a secondary, scout my spawn. Crypts, Dwarf Cottages, nagas are absent, nothing much to clear, but enough gold is scattered around. I clear a couple of mines, burn 2 gold mines with 50+ gr zombies and 20+ dendroids. Artifact +3 attack with 10+ cerberi. A Necro player came, had the idea to necro, but there wasn't really anyone to use it on. By week 1 day 7, ifrits in the fort.

Week 2 - at the start, a choice: buy 4 ifrits or 2 ifrits and a smithy + cart. Because of the many walking guards (gold mines and golems blocking the path to the secondary), I choose the cart. A very long turn, I clear 30+ dendroids, take a mine, transfer troops, break through further, there's another necro castle + an observatory that partially reveals the opponent. And I pop a pandora's box with 20+ gr water elementals.
I run scouts around the stat booster spots, build Mage Guild-2, hoping for Lightning Bolt or at least Ice Bolt, but no luck. I upgrade ifrits, take a 2nd mine with 100 gr zombies, build a Citadel at home. At the end of the week, I attack the guard of another zone, 80 nomads. I misjudge it, take heavy losses from them (-2 ifrits). But there's gold lying around, also a pandora's box with 20+ water elementals and a prison with 50+ air elementals. During the fights, Zydar gets Earth Magic and upgrades it, but no experience is given.

Week 3 - I build Mage Guild-2 in another castle, get Ice Bolt, bring up troops, take the pandora's box with 40 gr water elementals. It has 80 skeletons. I buy out skeletons from all necro castles, get a nice stack (130 units). I take another pandora, it gives all level 1 spells. In the prison, Oris level 10 with decent stats. Earth Magic experience still isn't given.
On day 133, I see the opponent's movement towards me, I position my main and a couple of scouts with magic behind the portal, hoping the opponent will ride past the portal towards my secondary, and I'll have the initiative. But on his turn, he dives into the portal with his main, sees my main, and attacks.
Zydar 5-2-5-4(40), all level 1 spells (didn't get to enter Mage Guild 2), 30 gogs, 130 skeletons, 5 gr ifrits, 5 demons, and 2 goblins.
Nagash 2-1-5-4(80), from spells: Arrow; no Slow or Haste. 130 skeletons, 9 gr birds, 4 cyclops, 20 zombies, 10 ogres, 10 vampires, and 24 orcs.
A very long, tough battle. The opponent baits with birds, I slow them and hit with skeletons under Haste. He closes on my shooters, I fly with ifrits, hit, and pull back; we trade shooters. Then he goes all-in, leaving the ifrits access to his shooters. I conserve my remaining magic, kill his shooters, and destroy his ballista with the remnants of my skeletons and ifrits. Both run out of magic; I have a few skeletons and 3 ifrits left, he has all his skeletons, 10 ogres, a couple of vampires, and zombies. He finishes off my skeletons, I finish off his zombies and vampires. From there I could have flown away, but I have negative morale. I resurge with 3 ifrits. I buy troops at a castle near a well, enter it, drop meat from a scout to remove retaliation strikes, and ride up to Nagash, who is out of mana. The opponent surrenders.

Thanks for the game, it was interesting.