"only XL-2"

In the 1st generation, I got a "kill everything - beginner's kit" — 52 elves at 112, necros and 2 mini-cons, but the opponent's "intuition kicked in" and he took 113. Then I took 3 rests; it gave me decent troops and money, but I only found the 1st con at 13. After that, I built up my army and looked for control; the nearest Dragon Utopias were behind mountains or a week's journey away. Towards the end, the necro found one not so far off; I crashed into it trying to take it (there was also a fat box there) and was caught without my main army by Craig, who had full control. All because of rushing — I could have easily backed up with a scout and escaped using tactics; my stats and army were 1.5-2 times larger, but what's the use of them if your hands are crooked...