Wishlist: How to defeat a SC or Thug?

[bgifu]

I always play with my friend.He was used to play LA Agartha and I like to play LA TienChi.
He know only one strategy-- Use a SC pretender and research construct.
In early game,he expand with his immortal pretender and initial high dominion.I could expand faster than him and beaten him in most fight.However, his immortal pretender could defend my attack in his dominion.When his construct arrived 6 or higher,my nightmare was coming. With high magic resitance and high regenerates(even more 31hp per turn), I can't do nothing with his SC even the mind burn,paralyze,soul slay spells.
Although he can't defeat me on the moment.When his construct arrvied level8,the game is over.
I realy realy felt helpless.I realy realy need someone help me.How to defeat the SC strategy?

[Baalz]

Every SC has holes in its defense. Usually, by their nature SCs are invincible vs regular troops, but the right spells can take down any guy.

If he's undead, look to spells like solar rays, dust to dust, etc.

Leverage whatever elemental resistance he's lacking. Thunder strike/orb lightning or frozen heart or incinerate.

Another option is to fatigue him out. That impressive regen doesn't help him recover from ghost grip, stellar cascades, or the heat aura from fire elementals.

Finally, just equipping a few reasonably strong guys with good weapons will usually work. If you don't have any good candidates on your recruitable roster, think sleepers or bane lords. Theres some real good anti undead/demon weapons if that's applicable, moon blades are pretty fierce against magic beings, smashers work well against constructs, etc. If none of that is applicable you can go with something like dusk daggers/gate cleavers - his regen isn't gonna matter much if you've got 4 or 5 quickened guys hacking at him with those. You can also go with axes of hate which will fatigue him out, or flesh eater axes to give him a chest wound (which is pretty terrible if he's not 0 encumbrance)

Also, don't forget to curse the bad boy as soon as he starts looking for trouble.

Finally, there are some high end spells which work regardless of his defenses. Life for a life, claws of cocytus/inferno, and leech in blood. Petrify, drain life....probably a couple others I'm not thinking of right now. Gifts from heaven (with some precision boosts for the caster) is also pretty smushifying, as is banefire.

[Tollund]

As LA TC, you have many of the tools you'll need. His risen oracle is immortal, and that makes dealing with it really, really annoying. But, as long as you can expand faster than him you should be able to keep his dominion out of your lands and make him rely on defense. Does his risen oracle have immunity to all of the elements? If he's left out lightning immunity, then hit him with that. Stellar cascades and ghost grip will cause him fatigue as well. You also have mages with both nature and death magic, so have them cast eagle eyes, then dust to dust. Put herald lances on several khans or bane lords and have them attack large enemy monsters. Flying bane lords can attack him before he gets any buffs.

For his lifeless constructs, the spell you probably want is shatter at alteration 5. You could also try thugs equipped with smasher, but I'm not sure of the exact effects it has on them.

[Bananadine]

Over a long period of time, many castings of Horror Mark will cause much trouble to even an immortal.

[bgifu]

In LA Agartha,Risen Oracle resitance cold and poison and could spell soul vortex for a little promote.

In my experience, LA Tienchi need a good scale for the economy and no strong sacred but poor to face the strong sacred rush.And it need a strong sacred to expand and no diversity path buf poor to the end game.

I read the strategy of LA tienchi written by DonCorazon.It is very nice.Maybe in the high level MP game, everyone likes diverse develop.But in my MP games, everyone likes extreme strategy.

[Tollund]

Ancestor vessels are actually pretty good against sacred troops. An earth 9 bless helps them fight forever, and helps all of your sacred mages cast more spells, and can be acquired with a dormant cyclops without too much of a sacrifice to your scales.

[bgifu]

That's what I did.An earth 9 bless helps me expand so fast.But with the high earth path,I can only summon king of the earth element in late game.And it is difficult to construct high level item.The diverse path lost the advantage.

I tryed to empower a A2 mage to A3 for the seeking arrow.But only one mage which spell the seeking arrow to opponent home slowed the research is inefficiency.

4E,4S,4D bless may be a commonplace strategy.

[Sensori]

Offtopic, I'm sorry, but Bgifu, could you post your response to the "restart or not" thing in the Doomsdays 3 thread, please? I'll delete this post once you've done so!

[Wrana]

Originally Posted by bgifu

That's what I did.An earth 9 bless helps me expand so fast.But with the high earth path,I can only summon king of the earth element in late game.And it is difficult to construct high level item.The diverse path lost the advantage.

Which high level items you lack? High Earth allows for Monolith and Aseftik's armors, Stone Sword, Hammer of the Forge Lord (w/ Fire), off the top of my head. In current CBM version, Hammer of the Mountains, moved to artifacts, does 100 damage.
And your Cyclops is an SC in his own right. As are Earth Kings - try to put as many regeneration items as you can on them - effects stack.
As was already noted, you don't really need artifacts for that - Gatecleavers ignore armor and require Earth 3, which you have.
Also, what you need would be more clear if you said which stage of the game you are at now (or which you mean if the question is more generic) and what you have researched (do research usually).

[KissBlade]

... I'm sorry but did you just say LA TC has no strong sacreds?

Anyway use your ancestral smiths against his constructs (shatter), and ancestral guides (death magic) for anti oracle. I'm not sure if you're aware you can build multiple forts + temples + labs but once you get some of those going, you should roll him if you have a strong early game as you claim. Make sure you don't neglect your research. A level 8 research is hard to beat with just normal troops no matter how amazing Ancestral vessels are.