Saurian Augurs are not wimpy :)

[CuddleFish]

Augurs might have low hp and weak attack... but if they are used right they can be devastating

Strengths:
-Augurs are the FASTEST MAGES in the game
-Augurs are amphibious and have decent movement on most terrain
-their speed allows them to strike from long distances.... something the enemy always underestimates
-Augurs do 6-3 Magical cold at night, 7-3 if you back them up with flares
-Augurs are one of the few level 1 units that can HEAL
-Augurs do COLD damage... which is something that most races are not resistant to... except for uncommon units like woses, mermen, and calvalry etc...
-nagas and drakes even have negative cold resistance

Tactics:
Form tight-formation squads of 3 augurs and 2 drake fighters..
The squad will pick on lone units in villages at night... the 3 augurs should be able to kill most units (6-3 attack = 18 damage,
18 damage x 3 augurs = 54 total)... and the 2 fighters will serve as flying meat shields

note:
-this is a hit and run strategy... do NOT fight more than 2 enemy units at a time... make sure the enemy's main army is out of range

-never defend a position when the enemy comes with their army.... run and pick off lone units elsewhere.... use your SPEED to you advantage

-the "HEAL" ability replenishes your hp after every attack... and allows you to be on the move continuously... you dont have to stop at villages to heal

-this strategy is very risky to use against dwarves and drakes... because of gryffons, outlaws and drake flyers.... those units have the ability to pop out of nowhere... and they like to eat your augurs for dinner

-using this strategy... i have surprised and killed rebel, loyalist, and orc opponents... elves have low hp and are very vulnerable to the magical attacks of the augur... loyalists like to spam spearmen and archers against drakes, you can easily pick off their lone village-guards, and their army always arrive too late (get some skirmishers or clashers if they use horsemen and calvalry)... orcs are just cake, their poison is ineffective against you because your augur's heal ability prevents poison from doing damage

-another thing to watch out for is MAP CONTROL... never use your whole army in the attack squad... your usquad will be too busy to mind villages..... always leave a few units for village hopping (gliders and skirmishers do a pretty good job) or else the enemy will steal all your villages and overwhelm you with superior numbers.... do not fight with your village hoppers and try to keep them alive.... let your assault squad do the killing

[Elvish_Pillager]

Strengths:
-Augurs are the FASTEST MAGES in the game

Yes, but they are also the weakest mages in the game. With favorable alignment, and a level of leadership, they only do as much damage as the traditional Mage with no bonuses!

-Augurs are one of the few level 1 units that can HEAL

Given their low HP, if you want to keep your healers alive, you usually had better not attack with them - thus, not using their other advantages... healing is weak.

Tactics:
Form tight-formation squads of 3 augurs and 2 drake fighters..
The squad will pick on lone units in villages at night...

You're using groups of 5 units to pick off lone units? And you're only able to do that at one time of day? You picked relatively costly units, too, so while your 5 are picking off lone units in villages at night, their corresponding 5 other units will be running around the map, stealing your other villages, maybe killing your leader.

-this strategy is very risky to use against dwarves and drakes...

...and loyalists and undead... and even rebels and northerners...

-using this strategy... i have surprised and killed rebel, loyalist, and orc opponents...

I have surprised and killed rebel, loyalist, and orc opponents with the strategy "attack the enemy". To add credibility to your statement, show that you can do this to half decent opponents.

loyalists like to spam spearmen and archers against drakes, you can easily pick off their lone village-guards

Bold mine.

never use your whole army in the attack squad...

How much gold are you starting with?

*****

Summary: Yeah, Saurian Augurs are not wimpy, but they also are not that powerful, and your tactics leave something to be desired.

[CuddleFish]

I'm not the only one who use this strategy... just go on the 1.12 server and you'll run into one of our kind

this strategy works not because its flawless.... but because most people dont expect it.... they laugh when they see 3 augurs....

your tactic of "sending units around to take villages" SCATTERS your army all across the map..... that makes it easy for the drake to pick off your units.... the gliders will usually steal back all the villages when you send your units elsewhere

PS. i start with 125 gold usually... and drakes are expensive even if you dont use this strategy.... augurs are cheap compared to burners.... and augurs rarely miss

[player]

flawless?

[Dragon Master]

125 gold? try with 100 and then we'll be nice

[Elvish_Pillager]

I'm not the only one who use this strategy... just go on the 1.12 server and you'll run into one of our kind

this strategy works not because its flawless.... but because most people dont expect it.... they laugh when they see 3 augurs....

Yeah, most people aren't very good at the game. I can empathize with your predicament.

your tactic of "sending units around to take villages" SCATTERS your army all across the map..... that makes it easy for the drake to pick off your units.... the gliders will usually steal back all the villages when you send your units elsewhere

Remember, you're only killing one unit every three turns at maximum. That means that I only need 5 income to counter that, plus my units will cut down your gliders.

Also, you must have missed the part about "killing your leader"...

.... and augurs rarely miss

You call 30% "rarely"? That's a 66% chance of missing for every time you attack with one. And if you're using three of them, you have a 96% chance of missing every turn!

[JW]

.... and augurs rarely miss

You call 30% "rarely"? That's a 66% chance of missing for every time you attack with one. And if you're using three of them, you have a 96% chance of missing every turn!

Just to clarify:

5-3 magic:

0 misses: 34.3% ~ 1/3
1 miss: 44.1% ~ 11/25
2 misses: 18.9% ~ 1/5
3 misses: 2.7% ~ 1/37

missing 1 or more: 65.7% ~ 2/3

I'd do the 9 times as well, but it's not worth it. You get the idea.

[toms]

PS. i start with 125 gold usually... and drakes are expensive even if you dont use this strategy.... augurs are cheap compared to burners.... and augurs rarely miss

125 gold is not my flavor. At 100 gold the game is probably most balanced.

Augurs are only 5 gold cheaper than a burner. With the 5 gold you pay:
an addaitional swing
a fire attack, where even less units have resistance (ghost and drakes)
a decent melee attack: 8-2 (blade, but still better)
about 2.5 times the saurian´s hitpoints (43)
Better resistances: blade, impact, fire

a lot, even if you consider the negative aspects...

[Thrawn]

IOW, they serve a purpose, as do every other unit in the game--how nice of you to notice

pointing out their uses: good
indorsing their usage: weakens your way of using them
...

[CuddleFish]

i use this mostly on forested maps... to pwn those annoying elf archers

i do believe that saurians need 5 more hp... if they get bad luck they die

[Elvish_Pillager]

First you say they are powerful, then you say they need powerups?

[Thrawn]

and all things die prematurely due to bad luck--balancing units based on how they rect to bad luck is kind of over-powering, ya think?

[toms]

IMO it would be nice to give them one more movement point. They´d become much valueable as a very fast shooter, even kind of a scouting unit. I even may find a use for them then.

PS. If anyone thinks this idea is good, I could make a playtest augur with +1 move point and look how playable it is...

[CuddleFish]

they have uber speed already...

not because of their movement points... but because of the low terrain movement cost and the low water/swamp movement cost
... on some maps they're practically "flying" units

[MCP]

I just don't agree with 90% of what you've said.
It is obvious you are not experienced enough yet in competitive games.
Start by thinking of counter strategies to your suggested strategies. It becomes obvious very quickly how risky your strategy is.

bad luck happens, even with the best of leadership. ... >_<!