Orb's Custom Battle Challenges

[Orb]

A set of custom battles, designed to challenge those of us who can't remember what it feels like to lose

Custom battle 1

Version 0.80, Huge, Marmarike Cliffs

Factions
Saba - player, defender, 19,720 mnai, 2,300 men, 14 units
Ptolemaioi - AI, attacker, 24,994 mnai, 2503 men, 13 units

Saba - 3 x King's Elites, 2 x Arabian Tribal Levies, 2 x Arab Slingers, 2 x Aichmetai Noubaioi, 2 x Ethiopian Spearmen, 1 x Arab Light Cavalry Levies, 2 x Saba Citizen Cavalry

Ptolemaioi - 1 x Agema Kleruchikon Hippeon, 2 x Pezhetaroi, 4 x Klerouchikoi Phalangitai, 1 x Klerouchikon Agema, 2 x Toxotai Syriakoi, 1 x Machimoi Hippeis, 1 x Aithiopion Agema, 1 x Prodromoi

I succeeded on this one on my first attempt. Heroic victory, about 1200 men lost.

A few hints

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Citizen cavalry and King's Elites seem to me to be crucial to dealing any real damage or breaking phalanxes, if these units get exhausted quickly or suffer heavy casualties, the job will be a lot harder.
Take out those Syrian archers quickly or they'll just mow your infantry down.
Don't fight the phalangites, draw them apart and slowly surround them.

[Bonny]

A set of custom battles, designed to challenge those of us who can't remember what it feels like to lose

In order to get hard battles followings works also:

Set the AI on defence mode

this prevents to acertaindegree:

a) the dumb ai charges
b) the broken phalanx lines

Choose the units wisely
(balance your unit setup elite/normals, heavy/light inf/cav for both you and the ai, a balanced setup also increases the chance of the ai being deployed in a costum eb formation)

You can make it more challanging by adding more elites to the ai faction, or give yourself less units...

I found this setup challanging

Player Makedonia

General
Thessalian Cav
Thracian Podromoi
3 deterophoroi Phalangites
2 Hysteroi Pezhetairoi
Agyrsapides
2 Thurophoroi (sp)
2 Kretan Toxotai
Agriani
Hypaspistai
Thracian Peltastai
Kuoroath (sp)
2 Hoplitai
Pheraspidae


AI Arche Seleukia

General
Podromoi
Hellenikoi Kataphraktoi
3 Kleruchi Phalangites
2 Pezhetairoi
Agyrsapides
2 Thurophoroi
2 Thorakitai
2 Peltastai
Hypaspistai
Pherespidae
Thorakitai Agyrsapides
2 Syrian Archers

[Orb]

Custom battle 2, hypothetical (I haven't tried this yet)

A challenge of a different type.

Version 0.80, Huge, Samos, 15 minute time limit

Factions
Roma - player, attacker, X mnai, about 4,000 men, 20 units
Arche Seleukeia - AI, defender, X mnai, about 1,500 men, 8 units

Rome - 1 x Consular cavalry, 1 x Camillan Triarii, 3 x Camillan Principes, 5 x Camillan Hastati, 4 x Rorarii, 2 x Leves, 2 x Accensi, 2 x Samnite Spearmen

Seleukeia - 4 x Argyraspidai, including general (9/3/3), 2 x Thorakitai Argyraspidai (9/3/3), 2 x Hellenikoi Kataphraktoi (9/3/3)

[HumphreysCraig00]

An important thing you both forgot to mention is what difficulty...

Medium?

As im fairly sure the above is impossible on anything higher

[Orb]

An important thing you both forgot to mention is what difficulty...

Medium?

As im fairly sure the above is impossible on anything higher

My mistake, yes, medium.

[Orb]

For battle 2, strike the time limit and replace the Samnites with hoplitai haploi.

I still can't win it :D