The Academic Issue

[Jordon]

Now that we have new Sandeep in the app. I've been trying to build some lists to see what I can come up with and I keep running into the same issue. Both versions of Sandeep encourage you to run a mix of Academic and Elemental. Some argue that it skews more in favour of elemental but some of his abilities definitely warrant the inclusion of some academics. 

Here are my primary issues

1) Academics are too expensive. Regardless of how good or bad they are, they all seem to be at a premium cost. I want to run more academics but I just can't seem to squeeze them in. Vidiya guard are 8ss models and you can run 3 of them?! When are you ever going to run 3 of these models? Even the Ox Mages are 6ss, which when factored in with Kudra, Kandara and Vidiya guard, I just can't afford them. 

2) The role of the academics. For the most part the academics are overshadowed by the elementals. Seems like they are all primarily damage focused which is something that is simply done better by the elementals. Kudra has some really decent abilities but what does she bring that I can't already get from a Golem? Vidiya Guard is again not a terrible model but is still just primarily a melee beater. Oxfordian mages are just a mess of abilities and try to do a bit of everything, while ultimately end up doing nothing. 

Kandara is an auto include for me. Not because she's got great abilities (which she does) but because she has both keywords and thus has a ton of utility with Sandeep. Why would I ever hire Kudra when I had Kandara at a stone cheaper, with way more synergy and utility. She actually brings something OTHER than just another beater (but she can still provide offensive support as well). Thankfully we get Banasuva for free because he is an absolute bargain for all the same reasons as Kandara. 

I just wish the academics could carve out more of unique role for themselves while hanging out more on that midline cost. The Elementals are either cheap or expensive and I wish that the academics were right in the middle. I would much rather see a 5ss Ox Mage, a 6ss Vidiya Guard and a 7ss Kudra. Obviously they would need to be tweaked in order for that to happen, but at least then I could fit a few of them into my lists. 

And I really hope Ox Mages get some kind of focus. I honestly have no idea what they are supposed to do.

Has anyone been able to find a happy medium of elemental and academics?