Avian/(Merch/Tact) vs Dwarf Cleric for NW control?

[meecat]

I can't decide which I like better to play at the bottom of the chain ladder to finish off chain targets. On one hand the Avian has great attack times that synergises well with non-land attacks such as massacre which is great for finishing off chains. Their attack time also provides them with some form of ambush protection. Coupled with Merch gives them good sustain esp if they bank some credits alongside.

Dwarf Cleric on the other hand offers great NW control too I think. Their MA can frustrate some enemy spells esp if you are active during wave times. Access to horses and 6/3 elites provide good offense compared to avians. Their QF allows them to be fast and coupled with rax can potentially allow your army to return slightly faster than say an undead tact. You won't be able to make as many non-land attacks esp if you end up constantly trading acres with chained undead provinces. Free build also gives you some form of sustain in the event that you end of trading acres back and forth.

They both have great benefits and I can't decide which is better for NW range control to finish off chained targets so they stop posing a risk to your higher up provinces.

Any thoughts?

[Fire]

dwarf/tact with small rax (~10%) and you've essentially got an avain with access to horses increased BE, a better spell book then a avain/merc and no -10% gains + better turtling potential. If they will be playing small and finishing chains gains will be reduced so you don't need to worry about massive amounts of incoming land effecting your buildings % plus you can always build without the worry of income. Also better endurance and sustainability IMO
If they are just massacring then obviously incoming land is not a worry

Avain does have a cheap elite which could be handy and if you are massacring the extra credits from merch are pointless. ToG handy but if your constantly trading acres back and forth your % will probably be rather low and success rate reduced. Then you also have to worry about the extra runes required to cast the ToG and Depending on size? (what is small to you?) the results of ToG will probably be minimal and the savings from no building cost is probably just as much in the long run.

[meecat]

Should I go towards magic or thievery for the dwarf? So something like a/m or a/t

[Fire]

Considering the spell book you need to maintain as teh dwarf (mystic aura, QF, Clear sight + the others) i think playing as an a/m wouldn't be wise.

Then in saying that it goes alot deeper then just what should you play it all as to go together with kingdom setup what you have in your kingdom ect.

[shadoweminence]

probably a/t since the BE bonus will give a nice boost if you decide to run thieve dens

[noobium]

avian is always going to be better at the bottom, as far as being able to wreck other bottomed attackers. dwarf at bottom is more about switching builds in ways that other provinces cannot, but it gets picked apart by other attackers... unlike human, they can't use their elites for defense so well, but 6/3 makes it easier to keep bare minimum defense against humans.

dwarf is best when they are set up as straight attackers, but pick up good channeling and crime science; that way, if they are landchained they are effective spellcasters that require little maintenance, and if left alone they should have a thief advantage against other bloated attackers. saving money on build costs and have better dens than everyone else should mean that it is easier for a dwarf kingdom to train extra thieves, and build up advantage against other attackers that way. training too much tpa early puts dwarf at a disadvantage against other attackers, same with too much wpa - though a dwarf will probably have better raw wpa than other attackers anyway.

avian and dwarf are both pretty bad. would go orc or human instead, respectively, at least in most kingdoms.

[StratOcastle]

Dwarf or avian are both activity based. The hyperactive can enjoy either but the avian is specifically dependent on kingdom strat: that is, a kingdom comfortable with axeing enemy chained with learns/massacre.
The dwarf benefits are at their best when one knows they can spam mystic aura. I think tac fits very well in that the dwarf covers itself from a triad of attacks types(mystic aura is auto-stop vs ops, CS is formidable vs sabotage and attack speed is virtual ambush proof vs most attackers except avians and dwarves). Thus a growing dwarf compromising wtpa still has ways of dealing with land fat. You simply need to understand your rune consumption.

I haven't figured out the best mode for avian to exploit their birthdate bonus, but I'm inclined to think war hero might be worth a look. Honestly, the shortages most perceive concerning avian aren't as apparent in war.

Concerning dwarves btw ~ If you observed the Rusty vs Unnamed war you would've seen the dwarf effect in classic fashion. I've no idea what personalities Unnamed were using, but you would've seen unchecked dwarves growing out of range. With correct activity the ability to spam mystic aura results in curbing enemy ops.

I don't see either race as core mass. I see these two races as complimentary to a heavy core.

[Spahrep]

Dwarf merchant has crazy staying power.
Free land + lots of credits. I've been running approx this recently at the bottom of the KD in the grinding pool.

Farms 10%
Rax 10%
Hosp 20%
GS 20%
Guild 13%
Tower 13%
Dungeon 2%

As per stratocastles comments we have had run-away dwarfs on a couple of occasions and turn into UB ToG + Massacre machines. Our dwarves compliment our UD core.

[Fire]

I'd agree with shaprep with the merchant on dwarf, i think they are great combo. But if you wanted the speed then you'd go for the tact either way activity is key. Dwarf>avain.

[meecat]

Appreciate the insight from some of the veterans that have posted here. Yea I noticed the dwarves in unnamed, was curious as to what personality they chose. Interesting to see some different races being played successfully by these kds.

[StratOcastle]

As an individual choice I love avian tac, though it has changed since I played. I think dwarf is clearly the intelligent choice. Choose what you love and you'll play up to it's potential. The negotiating price on avian is based in the amount of freedom you exercise.
Spahrep was more active than me and I'm a hyperactive which I think is fundamental in choosing these race/persona combinations. If you're not the type that finds creative ways to stay active then another choice would be in order. I gravitate to anything that can do something all day; this age I'm elf tac. I can support the ops blanket, gather no loss intel and attack.
Most efficient designs, like undead tac, are effective in structured environments. In my traveling I can submit that tac is largely wasted for the intel and speed advantages. Very few actually use these tools which is why I press players with the freedom to choose to do so with sobering realism.

[meecat]

You guys mention avian tact, but how about avian merchant? I recall noobium mentioning in another thread how he likes this setup given the extra spec creds and tog sustain it provides. In terms of activity I guess i'm a bit superactive too. I'm at home most of the day so faster paced play works for me.

[tetley]

i think an avian is certainly the best for the activity stratOcastle calls "networth control" ... since the speed with which you can make another impact is probably the most important thing, rather than the size of the impact made.

[tetley]

Also: I don't understand massacre for finishing off chains, unless you're trying to PK them. Typically when I finish chains, I want people's population to be as high as possible, to maximize the possibility of offense deserting. I would only massacre them if they were causing a lot of damage with their wpa, and would do so AFTER the chain was finished and they were on zero defence.

[jwuzi]

I would only massacre them if they were causing a lot of damage with their wpa, and would do so AFTER the chain was finished and they were on zero defence.

I think that's what they mean by finishing the chain off.

I don't think anyone would massacre DURING a chain :P