[Poopsi]

It's more a challenge pretender. The (relative) advantage is that your pretender is still motil, and the low cost allows for good dominion and scales... which could be done with other low cost pretenders, arguably.

AKA: sort of like the crone, but instead of necromancy tempered with old age, the messiah has a big "banner" effect, and no default magic stats (and expensive new path costs)