Posts from The most difficult alternative

Forgot...
Nature.
White Tiger (Elves die too quickly, and the damage from a regular arrow isn't as high as one would like; their usefulness is probably only in defending the city).
Griffins (I don't think anyone would choose Unicorns; why rely on random chance for the Blindness effect when there's a guaranteed counterattack?).
Phoenix (Some might disagree, but I think Phoenixes are more useful. First, the Mirror spell doesn't protect Dragons from magic; it only reflects it. Besides, there are also Chaos Demons or creatures with magic resistance. And the Mage isn't immortal, unlike the Phoenix. Even if the Phoenixes aren't killed, they can be manually resurrected with the Resurrection spell, reducing their losses. Also, their breath attack hits multiple targets and deals 50% damage from Fire magic, giving them an additional advantage).
Summoning Altar - Leprechaun (When choosing between a Satyr and a Leprechaun, I choose the Leprechaun. Here, the creature's spell is what matters, not the creature itself. The usefulness of both lies in this, and luck is the deciding factor. Even if Nature magic is the hero's native element and they have luck, Zeal is only useful when there are several factions in the army. Nature already has twice as many creatures as other factions, plus reinforcements in battle that don't require additional units from other factions).
Elementals (This is the most difficult choice. For the Magician, they are all equally good, each for its own situation: Air Elementals (use: quickly block enemy archers), Fire Elementals (ideal for defending the city with their arrow supply), Water Elementals (no need to explain), Earth Elementals (no one underestimates them, although they are actually very good for protecting the hero from enemy ranged units - good survivability + magic resistance; if you use them to defend, they will hold out for a long time), Hives (they are actually a priority over their Nature counterparts at the same level - Griffins and Unicorns, and what about Elves and Tigers? I'd rather put Hives instead of Elves and Tigers - good survivability, ranged attack, and debuff; they don't need speed), Manticores (in my opinion, if they had a growth of 2 instead of 1, they could compete with Phoenixes and Dragons, but with a growth of 1, I'd rather put Griffins, Hives, or Elementals instead of these insects. One first strike, and that's it? Isn't that a bit weak? Unless their speed is high; it's better to summon them in battle with magic than to spend resources on them).
P.S. Adding about Chaos: Nightmares vs. Efreeti. If the Sorcerer has the Magic Amplifier artifact + the Magic Bolt spell, and the Nightmares can cast Terror twice per battle, that puts them a step above the Efreeti, but... it requires an artifact, so it depends on the map

Griffins have one problem – they are not well-balanced. There are situations where 1 dragon is stronger than a squad of phoenixes due to its ability to inflict confusion. Satyr and leprechaun – both are useful, their effectiveness depends on the situation. Luck changes the damage received, while zeal not only boosts morale but also changes the damage dealt. The green grasshopper can actually counter the griffins, as it doesn't just have a strong first attack. It can only be dealt with by water elementals or earth elementals if it's unsupported (but I haven't tested this). Regarding the flash and amplifier – it's a good idea, it's a shame I haven't encountered such a combination.

It's better to reduce morale to 0, rather than to a negative value, as a negative value can also be detrimental.

There is one problem with this – morale changes during the battle depending on the damage received/dealt.

Griffins have one problem – they are weak in the early game.
There are situations where 1 dragon is stronger than a squad of phoenixes due to its ability to inflict confusion.
Both satyrs and leprechauns are useful; their effectiveness depends on the situation. Luck changes the damage received, while zeal not only boosts morale but also changes the damage dealt.
The green grasshopper can actually counter the griffins, as it doesn't just have a first strike ability. Only water elementals or sprites can handle it if it's unsupported (but I haven't tested this).
Regarding the flash and amplifier combination – it's a good idea, but I haven't encountered such a combination.

There's one problem with this – morale changes during the battle depending on the damage received/dealt.

I already said that someone might disagree :) I'm not saying that I only build these units; it's about prioritizing – when you have multiple cities, you can build dragons in one and take one into your army to inflict confusion.
I don't understand, since when does morale increase damage? It's my opinion that satyrs are unnecessary; you can have your own opinion.
Are you talking about the grasshoppers' entanglement ability? I said that I don't reject them, and like dragons, you can summon them with a hero in certain situations. As for entanglement, I wouldn't say it's dominant – speed + first strike + entanglement makes them attackers who immediately rush to the enemy and are the first to engage.
By the way, this combination should be noted – because 6 mana - 33% - 2 = 2, and 6 - 2 - 33% = 3 – it's unclear how it's calculated, so this combination might give nightmares 3 uses of Terror.

Life: pikemen, monks, archers
Death: ghosts, fiends (we'll gather them using necromancy), devils (ice demons tank well and remove debuffs + teleportation)
Nature: I haven't played much, so I can't say.
Chaos: medusas, ifrits, dragons
Barbarians: Cyclops.
Haven: golems, djinns, titans/dragons depending on resources, I would prefer dragons.

Life (ballistas, monks, angels)
Death (ghouls, vampires, bone dragons)
Order (mages, djinns, titans)
Chaos (medusas, horses, black dragons)
Nature (elves, griffins, phoenixes)
Might (harpies, cyclops, monsters)

Ballistas, monks, mages, titans, elves, cyclops, medusas – I chose these because they defend the castle from the towers and cast spells.

Harpies, phoenixes, and mantises, black dragons, djinns,
vampires and bone dragons, angels – I chose these for speed, but the hero always had combat skills and magic resistance 5, ranged and melee combat 5 + life magic 3 + some other magic 5, so he didn't need an army.

Well, with a wizard and a warrior at level 20, you don't really need an army. That's how it happens online – 6 heroes and a stack of level 4 units. But the question is, what to take...
I'll take cavalry. It's cheap and effective. After speed, regeneration, and Animate Dead – everyone else is on their own!

After installing Equilibrium, the choice became truly difficult – even cyclops no longer have an undeniable advantage over ogre-mages.

Well, with a mage and a warrior at level 20, you don't even need an army. That's what happens online – 6 heroes and a stack of level 4 units. But the question is, what to take...
I take cavalry. It's cheap and effective. After haste, regeneration, and animancy, everyone else is doomed!

Are you aware that haste and regeneration will be dispelled after casting antimagic?

Nature has a rather complex choice: between magical dragons, elementals – phoenixes, and praying mantises, although the former are quite slow).

For Chaos players on level 3, there's a difficult choice to make – Nightmares are slow on the map and in battle, but otherwise, they are superior. Since the strategy often involves a quick advance across the map, Ifrits have to be built. Even in the early campaigns, when the hero is weak and can't function without an army, Medusas are still taken into battle; here, a Nightmare could be a better choice. And if there are many Chaos castles, building a single type of level 3 unit will strain resources, so Nightmares are often built to save sulfur for Dragons. If it were possible to have Goblin Knights in the castle, the choice would be clear; I would only build them, but it's not allowed.

As for the choice between Tigers and Elves, they are usually not meant to be carried around; however, Elves are better for defending the castle, as they are the only ranged unit available for purchase there. Carrying them around is not a good idea; they are slow and much weaker than Tigers, making them far less useful. And the level 4 unit for the Death faction also presents a similar dilemma – often, there isn't much choice due to resource constraints; Skeletons are usually better, unless you have a Tactician with high morale.