I've played a couple of Pontos campaigns, and the first 20 years usually goes down like this:

1) Take Sinope
2) Take Trapezous
3) Take Nikaia
4) Take Ancyra
5) If AS have not declared war on you yet, go for Mazaka, Ipsos & Sardis.
6) Take Side & Tarsos to be king of the Anatolia
7) Antiocheia is the next goal for any nation out to cripple the AS.
8) ????
9) Profit!!