Paladin action generator selection

[Halewijn]

I think the hardest decision in my paladin books is what I'll use to generate actions: Cassiel, Battle forge or/and Crusade banner. This is the first mage I ever have this dilemma, for all other mages it always feels very natural to select an action generator in certain books. I'll list the spawnpoints and list their pro's and cons. I'll split the crusade banner into two versions. Version A will cast 2 creatures immediately after casting the banner, while version B is used to cast creatures after 5+ turns.

Battle forge
Pro's:
- Can cast all the awesome paladin equipment.
- Good to generate Valor
- Good to be more aggressive
- Relatively hard to kill
- Awesome to protect your paladin
Con's
- Unmovable
- Only generates quick actions
- Tends to become less usefull in long games
- Little flexility (Only equipment on mage)

Cassiel
Pro's
- Can move
- Can cast a huge variety of spells
- Can cast on creatures and not only mage
- Remains usefull throughout entire game, for most situations (Very flexible)
- Can cast some full action spells
Cons:
- Not very durable
- Cannot cast equipment
- Many healing spells have short range (Remove curse, cure, mend, Healing wave, ...)
- Expensive to use (Letting creatures die is much cheaper)

Crusade Banner: Version A
Pro's
- Gives 2 full actions
- Casts creatures
- Gives huge tempo
- Can suprise the opponent quite a bit
Con's
- Expensive to use
- 1 time usage

Crusade Banner: Version B
Pro's
- Gives 2 full actions
- Casts creatures
- Generates mana fast
Con's
- Tempo loss in beginning of the game
- Vulnerable
- 1 time use
- Either usable or not when it is destroyed
- You may be far away when the creatures are cast


My question is, when designing a paladin, how many of them do you add and which combination of these will you pick? How does this selection depend on your strategy?

NOTE: I'm leaving out the temple of Asyra since these builds are completely different and it makes other decisions easier.

[Kelanen]

For me, my books are are broadly either very aggressive (I'm getting a goldfish kill on turns 3-6, which will be a more realistic kill on 6-10 against a book played well defensively) or I'm playing a long slow game. In the former case I sometimes use Battleforge, but at least as often use no action generator, in the latter case I usually use 2 additional action generators (sometimes 1, sometimes 3, but normally 2).

In the case of my Paladin book, having played around with a lot of ideas, the one I like best is playing just a type A Banner (generally their Near Centre on Turn 1), and if that rush is halted, then I have a Battleforge for if I'm forced to a long game.

Personally, I don't like Paladin aiming for the long game from the off, not because he's terrible at it, but because Priestess does it better.

[Super Sorcerer]

ב"ה
If I try a book with many conjurations, I might bring a Goblin Builder. In such a book I guess that turn 1 would be crusade banner and the builder, and the builder will bring a temple every other turn.
If we are limited only to three options mentioned in the post, I would take a crusader banner in about every book, even though it will probably be used in different ways.
In a rush book, I will bring a battleforge early, and keep the crusader banner for later use in version A, just in case I will be stuck with loads of mana but not enough actions to use it. It happens occasionally in melee build that you have a lot of mana but nothing to do with it (since you use one of your mages actions to melee attack, and melee attack don't cost mana), and recently it happens a bit more often since people started using jinx.
I've also considered some Battleforge + Crasader Banner (version B) on the first turn, for some kind of a "rush with reinforcements".
In a "rush with reinforcements" strategy, Cassiel might be part of the reinforcement.

[Werekingdom]

Goblin Builder
Pro's:
- Can cast the Temples, Battle Forge, ect.
- Can repair damaged conjurations. (only worth it on high armor conjuration)
- Good at late game protection for your paladin/annoyest. (I keep the goblin near my mage, so that he can build pike walls, caltrops and other conjurations)
- Price, at 5 mana.
Con's
- Don't generate mana
- Cost to build is a full action
- Easily to kill
- Little flexibility (Casting a Conjuration cost a full action)

Temple (from 1st set)
Pro's
- Cost 10 mana
- Can generate both mana and actions.
Cons:
- Not very durable
- Without a cleric, your only getting a creature every other turn
- It tend to favor smaller/cheaper creatures

[Super Sorcerer]

ב"ה

Temple (from 1st set)
Pro's
- Cost 10 mana
- Can generate both mana and actions.
Cons:
- Not very durable
- Without a cleric, your only getting a creature every other turn
- It tend to favor smaller/cheaper creatures

I didn't try it with a Paladin yet, but with Priest melee builds I usually don't have the mana to use it more than once in two rounds. And when I have an advantage on the board, I usually prefer to wait another turn or two and then bring a medium or big creature.
The two later disadvantages you mentioned only apply if you try to use the paladin like a turtling priestess, in which case you would probably bring a cleric early in the game.

[Kelanen]

The two later disadvantages you mentioned only apply if you try to use the paladin like a turtling priestess, in which case you would probably bring a cleric early in the game.

In which case you'd be better playing a turtling Priestess...

[Halewijn]

Temple builds are classics and I have no dillema choosing my action generators in that case. That's why I excluded the set. I didn't think of the builder to be honest. I forgot him.

For sake of the argument, let's focus on the 3 I have listed and the builder. Why/When do you pick a forge over Cassiel for example and vice versa?

[Puddnhead]

Temple builds are classics and I have no dillema choosing my action generators in that case. That's why I excluded the set. I didn't think of the builder to be honest. I forgot him.

For sake of the argument, let's focus on the 3 I have listed and the builder. Why/When do you pick a forge over Cassiel for example and vice versa?

I would pick Cassiel when I didn't want to be using my own actions on healing things (including myself).  Cassiel would work well in a 'few big' scenario in which you are trying to maximize Eye for an Eye and keep the heat Off of your Paladin.

I would pick Forge when I am primarily concerned with gearing up and not taking a lot of damage or tanking for my team.  I would build this way to become an armored juggernaut that occasionally heals itself and tanks the damage for the minor creatures in my zone.

Goblin Builder is an interesting choice and I would probably only use him if I planned to use Ballista AND Metatron.

[iNano78]

An interesting thing about Cassiel is she can pray to the Temple of Asyra... so if you play both those early, she can build up mana if her healing spells aren't needed, then get a big discount when she does cast a spell. More of a Priestess strategy, perhaps, but still an interesting and versatile option (e.g. works as a mana generator when action generation isn't needed).

[Kelanen]

I think Cassiel is good, but better for a Priestess... Cassiel pushes you towards a slower more resilient game, which is something the Priestess does better.

[Werekingdom]

I think Cassiel is good, but better for a Priestess... Cassiel pushes you towards a slower more resilient game, which is something the Priestess does better.

I would like to disagree, I see Cassiel as a creature that stays in the back and cast minor heal when necessary.
If you look a her in the healer role instead of a armor/ench casting spawnpoint, then having her in a Paladin or a melee heavy Priest deck would make sense.

[Beldin]

I think Cassiel is good, but better for a Priestess... Cassiel pushes you towards a slower more resilient game, which is something the Priestess does better.

I would like to disagree, I see Cassiel as a creature that stays in the back and cast minor heal when necessary.
If you look a her in the healer role instead of a armor/ench casting spawnpoint, then having her in a Paladin or a melee heavy Priest deck would make sense.

Sadly I see that as a back up strategy at best when the game tempo swings away from you. In which I would pay 4 more for a heal or gaining 10 life from restore. At which point a Priestess is better as each heal Inc/enc will gain a life.

I see paladin more as a beat down equipment book that has huge tempo swings to react to the opponent.  Dropping crusade banner as a final quick cast and then deploying 2 minor knights seriously weights the beat down in the paladins favour.

Of course it also requires back up plans for when the tempo slides away from you. However the Priestess plays a better game in this department as she will out life gain the paladin amd also has a built in mana crystal.