Pontos is easier now thanks to the highly powerful persian cav they get as bodyguards. Personally I never use my powerful cav bodyguards in melee unless the battle is teetering on a knife edge. I would be happy to keep them at a much lower number than they are now, as I feel they unfairly imbalance the game in the large numbers. I do use them to counter the enemies bodyguard units if the oppurtunity presents itself though.

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