Well, I have recently make a Pontos campaign until the faal of Antioch to my forces, and in my army there was " only " 4 groups of slingers. I make also a good use of the eastern skirmishers, and have a good amount of Thracian / Galatian units to fight one the flanks.

The Pontos cavalry is also very interesting, I never said something else !

But, for the first fights, I have usually to destroy three or four full stacks from AS until I get firmly Mazaka...and without heavy infantry and scythed chariots ( you can't afford them so early ) I doesn't see a way out of the slingers in the back of the Thorakitai Agyraspidai.

So, some tips of you would be very interesting :]