Which castle is the most difficult?

So, if Craig Heg comes to you with Roars at the beginning of the second week, will your mage easily defeat him? I thought that on a small map, speed and warrior skills are the most important, not a level 2 mage guild and 30 mana points... But you know better.

Let me tell you, as someone with some experience playing on random M maps. Mages are particularly effective there. Because the fewer troops the heroes have, the more valuable the damage from magic becomes. A mage can easily trade his army for a warrior's army and continue the game, while a warrior without an army will be unable to fight an opponent or clear the map. On L maps, mages are also usable as main heroes, but to a significantly lesser extent. On XL maps, choosing a mage as your main hero will be a mistake in most cases.

Well, at level thirty, the difference isn't that big, plus artifacts still exist.

I've never leveled up my heroes to level 30, but even at level 20, the difference is quite noticeable, believe me. And the main reason here is not in the stats, which can indeed be boosted with artifacts, but in the skills that are vitally necessary (attack, defense, tactics, logistics), and which a warrior has a higher chance of getting.

Well, I rarely see a warrior with wisdom, earth, air, water, and intelligence. Or have I forgotten...?

3 magic skills is too much; it rarely makes sense to develop more than 2. Intelligence is also rarely taken, although it can't be called useless. But skills like scouting or ranged attack are often more valuable.

Thank you for opening my eyes to the warrior. But tell me, can a warrior cast Berserk on five enemy units, clone archers, cast a prayer on everyone, scout where the enemy heroes are, teleport to any city, etc., and so on in one game? I won't talk about the difference in mana...

You are talking about 4 different magic skills at once. Developing 4 magic skills simultaneously is very foolish; it's almost a guaranteed defeat. There is a strongest magic skill - earth, which is essential for the main hero (if he doesn't have it, then it should be with someone else so that at least someone can create town portals). The second strongest is air, which is also highly desirable. Fire and water are already more specific and are chosen depending on the situation, for example, for a magic book or an available scroll. I repeat, having 3-4 developed magic skills is usually a waste of slots. And yes, a warrior can develop them just as well as a mage; after all, magic is given to him every 4 levels, and wisdom every 6.

But earlier you wrote that lizards are definitely better...

Lizards are better in the final battle because, due to their HP, they outshoot archers even despite the archers' first shot. But for clearing the map, marksmen are better. In general, these are approximately equivalent units; the difference is that marksmen are in most cases a mandatory upgrade for a castle, while the swamp has enough options without upgrading lizards.

Well, honestly, I rarely play Heroes (because I have very little free time), and yes, I play against the computer, but I always play on the "ferz" difficulty and choose interesting, complex maps (Campaigns) from users... I won't argue anymore; I've already spent my annual forum limit today.