Right. Mass Slow is a mistake. What would be important then would be to surround the Grand Elves and then cast a spell only after Fortress casts one (probably Mass Slow). Fortress can't beat Rampart in a ranged duel. If worst comes to worst, the Gold Dragons can fly over to inflict damage and then return at the start of the next round.Not really. Even if Rampart starts with mass slow, dragon flies will still move before the elves, which would give Fortress the chance to cast forgetfulness/blind/etc. and that couldn't be cured until next round. All it means is that both players would be at a standoff as far as ranged combat goes. Actually, in this case, Fortress still has it's weak but useful lizardmen who can still shoot. Sooner or later, the hydras and gorgons would close in and then it's all over. Trying to get the dendroids to bind is a good idea, but because they move last, it might be too late.
Right, that's why casting Mass Slow before your opponent casts a spell in that round is a mistake (I still remember how I, with Necropolis, almost lost a similar battle because of it...). And the question isn't whether Rampart's defenses will fall apart - they will, because in a final battle both sides will take serious casualties. The question is whether Rampart can take down significant fractions of the Fortress force before having to open the way to the Elves. I believe that is possible. At full damage Grand Elves deal very heavy pain, and being ganged by all the creatures in the Rampart army takes its toll as well.Another alternative is to counter with mass haste. Ramparts high speed creatures would have used up their turns moving in to protect the elves. But then they'd be in a world of hurt from the hydras who could cross the field in one turn and the dragons would go down against the gorgons. Sure, the elves could then kill a lot of creatures after (unless you wait with all your creatures the first round and take half damage), but Rampart couldn't keep up against the sustained melee onslaught by Fortress. Eventually, Ramparts defense would fall apart. Also, grouping all your units in the corner leaves them vulnerable to spells like meteor shower and chain lighting if you happen to be fighting a magic hero. Luckily, the unicorns give some magic resistance, but it's still no gurantee.
Damaging spells are generally irrelevant, because come the final battle the spells to cast are the mass blesses.
Let the Grand Elves shoot first, then gang on the Hydras with all the creatures. The Hydras will suffer more than they hurt. No creature, no matter how sturday, can survive that.He he he....come to think of it, just how much elves, or anything else those are would you think you can muster together to brought down hydra so easily ?
Actually, Fortress is not that much dependent to any single spell such as Teleport. It is a good addition to say nonetheless, but it's not critically important. That's why Fortress play with less spell than anyone else. Otherwise, itsn't Fortress is it ?
Teleport is the single spell I most worry about against Fortress; it allows Fortress to target the level 7s on the battlefield at will. Without it, Fortress is much weaker.
THAT artifact is imbalanced. Where would Dungeon be if the opposing hero has it?I actually like to play with that artifact that negate all spells (forget the name) around, it can be quite handy for Fortress.