Conceptual Balance Mod v1.92

[Executor]

"Do you have any actual justification for this? A 500 gold cap only with only S2 is about the ideal target for magic duel, and the MA is the strongest age for astral."

Justification? It's a personal matter so I doubt I need to justify myself. I find teleporting/returning more reliable than having a commander stuck.

Nitpick, twist and turn...

"If Adonim can't be risked against humans before the human can field counters, why exactly are they OP?"

You serious? What counters? What are you talking about?
I'm saying why would anyone send an unfitted Adon against a human player? Or any other Giant for that matter.

"Everybody has to be careful against heavy cav and elephants. Adonim have to be careful against something like half the indy provinces you are likely to see in an initial expansion. And if you are recruiting Adonim for expansion, they aren't going to be notably nasty until well into year 2 thanks to your awful research. If you aren't, you are leaning on expensive regulars, expensive mercenaries, and expensive researchers while your scales are not exactly great (combining misfortune and death, how fun) thanks to a high bless that you aren't even using. Unless of course, you just decide not to take a high bless for a unit that you won't even field until year 2. How exactly are they OP again?"

So kill half the indies with Adons and the other half with something else.
Yes, if you recruit as many Adons as you can they aren't gonna be as nasty. But, again, why would you recruit them every turn? Make one or two for expansion (again, if you take that road) and build up your economy and nation.
Play them like you'd play C'tis. Make a war machine and start recruiting them after you establish an economy. I've never once recruited a mage with C'tis before turn 15. It's all a matter of opportunistic cost.
Once you have established yourself start recruiting them every turn.
Expensive regulars, which clear indies nicely.
Expensive mercs which clear indies nicely. (Othervice I doubt anyone would bid for them)
You scales are good enough. Better than average I'd say. BTW, ammmm, don't use death if you don't like it???
And yes, taking a bless you effectively start using around turn 15 when you start facing real opposition. Sort of like when you play Yomi, or don't you take a bless since you can't reliably expand with them from turn 1?

"Moreover, you seem to be forgetting your initial claim, that Ashdod can field fully geared and buffed SCs year 1, and nobody else can, and that's why Adon are OP. You've now admitted that's not actually true, that Ashdod can gear up SCs no earlier than anybody else. At which point, how exactly is an Adon superior to the geared, mistformed/mirror imaged Fom King, or fireshield/earth buffed Dai Oni that would also be fielded at the same time?"

How have I admitted this is not true? Oh, excuse me, it's not turn 13 but turn 14, mybe 15 in some cases? How silly of me...
Like I said, Dominions is a game of chance and opportunity. But yes, you can get them aroundish year 2. Maybe a bit sooner maybe a bit later.

Ashdod certainly can't gear up sooner than anyone else. I've never said as much. I've said once they gear up they're better than anything else. Please follow.