The Gaming Den

I'm playing in a n00b MP game (vanilla, not CBM), where I've picked MA Ermor as my nation. I am a bit unsure as to what sort of pretender to go for though, so thought I'd ask if anyone had any advice.

I notice one of the strategy guides advocates an Imprisoned Oracle with S9, Dom10, and OT+3/PS-3/HC0/GD+3/LM+3/MD+1. This is tempting, as it gives me a pretender with clear strengths that I can play to (e.g the S9 bless with the Shadow Vestals), without requiring overly complex execution (this will be only my second game, so I'm still learning).

Thoughts? Is this a reasonable design, or am I missing something? Are there other better designs I should be considering?

MA Ermor has several ways it can go. You produce decent infantry, expensive mages, and a lot of your stuff is old. You can easily justify Order, Growth, and Productivity. Luck and Magic are just good to have, whoever you happen to be.

Your basic military is fully capable of expanding, researching, fighting, and producing late game strategies (having lot of both Astral and Death). You have undead sacreds who are very nice and fit a distinct niche the rest of your army doesn't quite do. You also have sacred magicians.

So you can justify all kinds of stuff. You could come in with a Dormant Rainbow to search for magic sites. You could come in with an awake Blue Dragon for a boost to early expansion and a combat boost on the vestals. Or an awake Great Sage to do your damn research for you until you get Skull Mentors. You could go for an imprisoned god, who was either S9/W9 for the double bless action or a glass of water in the back with great scales to pump your economy.

MA Ermor is a very versatile faction who has a strong late game and a built in system to get there. There are many different gods possible for the faction.

-Username17

OK, that makes me feel more confident - if the country is versatile, then I will take a punt based on what seems reasonable and give it a shot. I was a bit worried that there might be only one or two viable strategies.

I've had some success with an S9 pretender, but I'd make the observation that unless you take the S9 bless in some form or an awake SC, you need productivity scales.