The Seleucid Empire

[ReluctantSamurai]

but frankly think SSP are a waste of money. They are only marginally better than Phalanx Pikemen

When you look at the unit stats, that seems to be the case. 10/14 (attk/def) for the SSP vs 8/13 for the Phalanx Pike hardly seems worth the cost both for purchase and upkeep. Having said that, a close counterpart to the SSP's, the Macedonian Royal Pike, are one of my favorite phalanx units. Tough with a capital T. The extra 3 points on the defensive side seems to help, and even though 17 is still lower than the Armored Hoplites 22, the extra mass the unit has makes up for it, IMHO.

Whittle their armies to pieces with the Archers of Crete

Amen. In a Seleucid campaign, I once fought a battle just outside Sardis on an extremely high hill with only 5 units of "Creeshan Arshers" against a dozen Armored Hoplites. On level ground, I wouldn't even have attempted it, but because the AH had to make that tortuous climb, they got exhausted and thoroughly trashed before they even got close. As a bonus, the Cretan captain got the "Man-of-the-Hour" special and promoted to general. Sweet!