Lower level summons?

[Sedna]

Mound Kings have been mentioned already as a useful ferry, but I am wondering if anyone has ever really exploited their unique characteristic: 4 strategic movement. Outisde of Vastnesses and horrors, I think these are the only summons which can move 4 provinces, and the cost is minimal: 3 death gems and 1 death required to summon.

This has to be insanely useful in some situation. Of course, they are hindered by not having feet, and thus are difficult to equip for flying (Stymphalian Wings and Magic carpets are possible), and there aren't any fast (4 movement troops) for them to lead across great distances. But you could easily summon a small squad, and send them places where you foe knows nobody can reach in one turn. The only question is what the best gear for them is...

[Chazar]

Bog Beasts are available for C'tis Miasma as starting spell, but I could not find a good use for them. They die pretty easily, but you cannot stack them with C'tis troops either, for Miasma is lacking 100% poison proof units and 50% resistance does not help at all against the bog beaste poisoneous aura.

Of course, one could stack them with VineOgres, but VineOgres are bad for Miasma, since they become diseased and suffer full from the effect (neither having a cold blooded, swamp survival or undead flag).

Maybe they are useful if they are buffed with some protection - or does anyone know some cheap meatshields that are both miasma & poison proof?
(Raise Dead, of course, but Miasma's Marshmasters need SkullStaffs for spamming it...)

[Oversway]

does anyone know some cheap meatshields that are both miasma & poison proof?

Constructs? Claymen or clockwork horrors perhaps? Not that either are all that cheap.

[Endoperez]

Claymen cast by W9E4 Daughter of the Land are surprisingly cheap... And you also get Reanimation, Raise Dead/Skeletons and (although these aren't low-level anymore) Undead Horsemen, Banefire Archers, Enlivened statues and Demiliches.

I would love to get W9EX and Golem Cult, but there aren't many nations that I play so that they benefit from Magic 1+ and Prod 1+... And I don't think there is any that benefits of Enchantment in those, or any which would benefit from W9EX or WXE9, or even W9E9 enough for it to pay off. Golem Cult-boosted Claymen and Enlivened Statued would be interesting, but the need for both production and magic is a killer that puts off all Earth nations... Ulm takes drain and has no blessable units, Vanheim and Pangaea benefit of both blessings but need sloth to pay for extreme pretender.

[atul]

Endoperez, what about Machaka? It's an earth nation (okay, earth/fire/nature(/death) nation), which has blessable troops, has resource-intensive troops, mages that benefit from magic scale and hot temperature scale for extra points. And benefits from Enchantment, IIRC Flaming Arrows is from that research tree.

...I'm not sure, though, how even they would affort such an expensive blessings...

[Oversway]

Machaka seems to be the one that everyone who has talked about clay/golem cult has thought of. It is probably the best, but its blessable hunter spiders are pretty expensive. Like you said, its tough to get both scales and high bless.

[PvK]

Sedna said:
Mound Kings have been mentioned already as a useful ferry, but I am wondering if anyone has ever really exploited their unique characteristic: 4 strategic movement. Outisde of Vastnesses and horrors, I think these are the only summons which can move 4 provinces, and the cost is minimal: 3 death gems and 1 death required to summon.

This has to be insanely useful in some situation.

As Mictlan, I used them to express-ferry blood slaves. Adds speed and reduces micromanagement.

PvK

[The Panther]

As for saving gems for higher level summoning spells, I try to do this as much as I can.

Earth - Mechanical men are vastly superior to clockwork horrors as well as pretty much any other earth summons. You can't always wait for this, as your neighbors often times interrupt grand plans!

Death - The death summons are so very powerful at the higher levels, that I also like to hoard those for a rainy day. Unless you consider Bane Lords to be a lower level summons, as I tend to use that one a lot. Black Servents are very good for fever fetishes, clams, and exploring.

Water - Not very useful for summons. I suppose getting the sea troll kings is done just for the one water gem income per turn and the attached water skill to build clams. That hardly counts, though, for the goal is usally clams and not troops here. The sea trolls themselves are useful fodder, of course, but the fact that you have to pay them upkeep renders them practically useless.

Nature - pretty much everybody I know uses the ivy crown for monthly ritual vine ogres, one of the best bargain summoned troop in the game. Later, the fairy queens are good for the healing ability.

Air - I usually save up the 45 gems for draconians. The leaders can summon more, which is very nice. And they fly, which is a HUGE bonus. The hawks have the gigantic disadvantage that you have to pay them upkeep.

Fire - I don't summon fire much, for the gems are typically better used to convert to money for buying more mages.

Blood - Devils, devils, and more devils. Is there a better low-level summoned troop for the gem cost than a devil? I don't really know of one. Oh, and the ice devils and arch devils too. They are still devils, though. Don't foget soul contracts also, if your neighbors leave you alone.

Astral - Are there any astral summons worth casting other than those high-level abominations that require 25 gems? I don't really know of any.

[Huzurdaddi]

The Panther said:
Earth - Mechanical men are vastly superior to clockwork horrors as well as pretty much any other earth summons. You can't always wait for this, as your neighbors often times interrupt grand plans!

Actually the living statues can be almost as good and perhaps better *if* you don't expect constant wrathful skies.

The Panther said:
Nature - pretty much everybody I know uses the ivy crown for monthly ritual vine ogres, one of the best bargain summoned troop in the game.

In my mind they are the best price/performers in the game even including devils.

The Panther said:
Air - I usually save up the 45 gems for draconians. The leaders can summon more, which is very nice.

Hmm never really thought much about these. But if the head draconian can summon allies then the spell becomes much more attractive!

The Panther said:
Blood - Devils, devils, and more devils. Is there a better low-level summoned troop for the gem cost than a devil? I don't really know of one.

I would have to say Vine Ogres are a better buy taking cost into effect, unless ...

The Panther said:
Don't foget soul contracts also, if your neighbors leave you alone.

Well soul contacts totally change the economics of summoning devils. It takes what, 8.5 turns to break even on a soul contract ( assuming hammer )? More if you have a construction site ( which is much more common than a blood site ). You also needen't burn caster turns summoning the things anymore. They are the best buy in the game (yes, devils bought via contract are better than Vine Ogres, IMO ).

[BigDaddy]

I summon the Angelic host for the fire mage, who with a little work is some really heavy artillery, and is reasonably tough. The other high level astral summon, Ether Gate gets you another excellent mage, who often has good SC potential. Also, when you consider the high armor and etearealness of the ether warriors, they aren't all that expensive gem for gem.