Pythium and Hydras

[tinkthank]

Since smart folk have pointed out the goodness of hunting blood slaves with scouts, I finally found a use for all those waiting T-Communicants -- yummy blood hunters now, yippee. Having loads of fun with a Fountain of Blood (an odd sentence to utter though it may be), a totally new game for me. Thanks.

But what about Hydras? Who uses them, and how? I havent found a way of using them properly yet. They are slow to transport from the capital, so am I supposed to use them early, or teleport them later? And am I supposed to use them together in battles with my other troops, and if so, how do I keep the rest of my troops from being poisoned? (Doing the obvious, like putting them on different sides of the field, doesnt seem to help much unless I find a way to hire a whole bunch of archers, since eventually all the troops meet somewhere...)

well thanks in advance