I always played with monks, but yesterday we played on a map that was simply incredibly difficult (the problem was that we were playing on the same computer, and the opponent was developing much faster; I could see this, and the question of resources arose). In general, I built Crusaders, and the result surprised us very much. In the battle with neutrals, they were simply feared; everyone avoided fighting them and went past them to the heroes (the Crusaders have slightly less defense than the Angels).
(VERSION 3.51) I think that's the key.
P.S. Hello, Pandora (this version has many good and correct changes).