Turn Unit Analysis by HydroJackson

I put together some of the best units base on how fast you can build them... and since slot cost is also base on turn, specially in Allies and Merc after the patch, so the measure of usefulness of a unit of same production time become critical.
Some units might be wonderful if there weren't too many better or must have units of the same building time, specially 3 turns units, make them useless.
In addition, some units of similar function but only differ in one turn make them useless because there are just not enough slots available, this is specially true for 4 turn creatures which are virtually useless when measured against its 5 turn counter part.

Another thing I did is to break them down to different types. Some are support unit (SU), with high bonus; some are attack troop (AU), with high strength, hp or special form of attacks; some are good at both (ASU). And some are good against hero (HERO). And some are so good it can do them all (ALL). I also put (?) to some of the units to signify that these units can have special purpose and are not necessary the regular battle troopers.


One turn unit... winners are:

1. Dwarf Runner (ASU): 4HP, missile immunity, GOOD land terrain bonus, can get nasty with other bonus unit to jack up its attack ST. Note: it is a wonderful support unit since put it in front can cancel missile attack and pillow assassination specially from gnoll and assassin.
2. Peasant (AU): Cheap, best troop to fill initially since u will need money to attract heroes, nasty banding bonus, and also its one of the cheapest slot filler.
3. Giant Bat (?): Good scouting unit for hidden map, fast attacking troop can do some serious damage to unguarded cities and enemy sites. Can be used as an early warning system when position at some strategic position or be a feeler to test opponent's hero stack or city unit status prior to its own hero attack. It can be a nasty unit when played correctly, kill it asap and u might earn a medal doing it!
4. Gnoll (HERO): Assassination 10%, deadliest 1 turn hero killer, less useful after the patch.
5. Imp (AU): Summonable by summoner, 3 hp, best visual range, flyer, lightning +1. Specially powerful when combine with new DLR patch's "chain lightning" spell for wizard.
6. Scout (?): Good land terrain bonus, moves fast, slot filler, early warning system.
7. Elf Archer (AU): Missile +4, Dwarf Runners make this unit obsolete, but with new DLR patch +3 ST verses flyers, may make a come back... if it is not so expensive...
8. Dwarf Infantry (AU): 3 ST and 3 HP ... pretty good but kinda expensive... when produced in a hit+1 city or somehow make it hp4, then u have an enhanced version of Dwarf Runner.

Two turn unit ... winners are :

1. Wargs (ASU): Warding +4, the MOST important hero supporter after the patch fix the warding bug specially against Blue's possible +8 lightning. But group warding might make this unit less important...we just have to see.
2. Harpy (ASU): Flyers with curse +4
3. Ghost (ASU): Flyers with curse +4 (more powerful than harpy but cost more)
4. Wolfriders (ASU) : Warding +3
5. Gnoll Crossbows (HERO): Assassination 20%, almost useless after the patch
6. Pegasi (ASU): Good fast cheap city attack support unit but expensive to maintain.
7. Dark Pegasi (SU): Flyer with Fear +2, if you don't have Green Dragon or Wraith in your regular set, this is a must have. good fast cheap but expensive to maintain.
8. Ballistae (AU) : High strength 5 with city + 3 and missile +1 is one of the best missile/cost/turn around, only have 1 hp...you know what it needs...
9. Catapult (SU) : Siege +2, not bad, fast attack, but since siege engine take only one more turn to produce and is a MUCH better unit, catapult normally got canned.
10. Plagues Carriers (ASU): This can be a nasty unit when patch fix the curse, 1 gp to maintain, 7 strength, and disease +5, need I said more ?
11. Nightmares (AU) : Banding +4 can make it a strength 7 unit and with move of 25 it can become a fast attack troop but the BIGGEST weakness is it need supporting units with bonus, which it tend to slow down the stack, else its a very good unit. Kinda expensive to build but cheap to maintain.
12. Dryad (AU): watch its wood +5 bonus, dont fight them inside forest, still pretty useless even with VERY HIGH forest setting.
13. Clay Golem (AU) : Cheap to maintain, trample +1 (do 2 pts damage per successful attack to land units in regular battle). Will be useless when patch come out... create golem no longer requires this unit to be fielded at all.
14. Mummies (AU): 4 hp land unit with poison +3, a better unit in new patch since curse and poison can happen in the SAME battle, but not now ... to expensive and slow.
15. Green slime (AU) : Acid +2 but its a weak unit who moves too slow. Worth even less after the patch.

Three turn unit ... winners are :

1. Siege Engine (SU): Siege +4 makes it a must have unit, no ifs or buts. City +3 is even better. A must have hero stack unit if thief is not around. Very slow land unit.
2. Gnoll Cavalry (ALL): BEST assassination unit around...
3. Assassin (SU): 50% assassination, best field in M. or A., the cost to maintain them, 25, is a bit high.
4. Wraith (ASU): Fear +3, flyer, makes it one of the most used starting units when Green Dragon or Dark Pegasi are not available.
5. Griffon(ASU): Very solid fast initial attacking unit, can be all by itself but MUCH better stack with other cheap initial unit such as wraith or dark pegasi and buff it up with harpy or ghost then you have a mini-nasty-initial attacking non-hero stack.
6. Knight Lord (ASU): A better 3 turn unit, strength 6 and Hit 3, than unicorn since its terrain bonus is field +2. morale +1 is rather useless. Weakness: slow land unit.
7. Unicorn (ASU): ST 6 hit 2, wood +3, morale +3 makes it one of the ST 15 possible creatures ... best fight in forest, but with morale of +3, it can get nasty when fight non-hero stack. Weakness: slow land unit.
8. Moonguard (AU): St 6 missile +4, gets a big boost because patch fixed warding and decrease the usefulness of gnoll cavalry, the +3 ST against flyer can be deadly against anything but the black and blue dragons. But Ballista (2 t.) make it much less attractive in M. and A. slots after the patch.
9. Iceguard (ASU): The ONLY unit with Fortification +1, can make hell for non-hero fight with that extra bonus. But take gnoll cavalry, Knight Lord or Moonguard over this unit ...
10. Medusae (ASU): Paralysis. +6, too bad there were just so many must have 3 turn units even with the new patch this is still a low filler, too slow land unit.
11. Cockatrice (?): Movement 50 land bonus speed!!! But as a 3 turn unit it too expensive to field, but watch it when some one has it in the set... this unit serves only one purpose... surprise attack or dogging your hero. Make it turn 2 unit and watch me use it!
12 .Eagle (?): Flyer with 36 movement points, similar situation as cockatrice.

Four turn unit ... winners are:

Well... with all these dragons need only one more turn... most of the units here are useless since the inbalance to 5 turn critters is just too huge. With maybe the following three exceptions, all flyers...

1. Fire Elemental (SU): With Chaos +2, initial fast troop. till Red dragon arrive.
2. Spectre (ALL): +6 curse ... best spot to put this is in ally #2 but after the patch it may become useless because it just cost too much to have it around.
3. Archon (ALL): Fast attack troop with morale +3.

Five turn unit ... winners are:

Well, they are all good with maybe one exception (the black)

1. Blue Dragon (AU): BEST unit with the new patch wizard chain lightning spell, +8 lightning max.
2. Undead Dragon (ALL): Got highest chance to get medal and only 4 gp to maintain. It's 4 hp make it a very attractive reg. unit but the patch makes it not immune to missile but gain more power in its curse ability ... so still ok in my book.
3. Black Dragon (AU): Acid attack go first but Blue and Undead make it #3 attack dragon in my book which mean...I WONT field it since I need room for other support dragon.
Another school of though is...drop the Undead Dragon but get Black back in because the acid attack is just sooo good...which I do sometimes ...
4. Red Dragon (SU): Chaos +5 ... make LD useless.
5. Green Dragon (SU): Fear +5 ... make morale useless.
6. Gold Dragon (SU): Very nasty with morale +4 if Green Dragon is not around. BEST (SU) around.
7. Silver Dragon (SU): A minor Gold dragon but move very fast.

HydroJackson