Yeah, Palis were the only units I managed to kill Great Wyrms and Drakes with. So they're very useful. Not even Elven Lords could match them. Also very helpful against Death Knights if you don't have the Holy Word and/or Dispel Evil spell handy.

Probably my favorite adamantium combo was Doom Drakes and Halflling Slingers with Wind Walking cast on them. Never really managed it until very late in a game, but the sheer silliness of it all was too hard to resist once it became possible. "Yes, we got furry bare feet. But we're standing on clouds firing adamantium bullets at you while our fire-breathing buddies swarm down to heat you and eat you."

  Don't forget you can adjust production/food/income by clicking on the lil men icon stacked next to it.  Sometimes you have the resources built up and you just want to pump out lots of troops then you can change the guys to facing right and produce troops quicker.  At one time, long ago, I played every avatar in the game.  After that, I loved making up my own custom ones.  Sometimes I would take 4 Books of Nature Magic, 3 of Life Magic, 3 Books of Enchantment and Warlord with high men or some games it would be as Artificer, Alchemy, Mana Mastery,etc. with dark elves and starting in Myrror.  I definitely think that certain heroes and units are much more effective depending upon what skills your wizard picks. 

  I agree making each city specialized.  Some cities you can get to 25 pop and are good all around production centers, but the cities that are to be using the rare deposits like adamantium and creosix? crystals are typically much lower.  The Nature Book of spells has Enchant Roads and a terra forming spell that can really help out with food production turning swamp land into beautiful rich farming lands..

Now your cooking with fire mana! Why build improvments when you can just steal another players already improved city? I like the way you think.