I played it safely. I reached 122, clearing 2 Guard Towers. The guards only caused problems; they killed my Bone Dragon and 1 Angel while harassing me. I exited with an army of 400 skeletons, 30+ Imps, and 6 Angels. In the center, I took 2 more Hives, bringing the number of Imps to 52. On turn 124, I caught up to Kreg, who ran ahead of me at the fork.
My stats: 12 10 10 (74 mana), I have all level 1 spells and Animate. Mass Earth, advanced Air, basic Tactics, Expert Defense, advanced Offense. Kreg's stats: 18 3 6 (80+ mana). Missing key spells: Slow, Shield. He does have Expert Earth. He also has Expert Tactics, Offense, +1 to speed, 32 + single-unit Ducks, and 5 Grays.
FB results:


GG WP!