Pretty crazy run with the black faction. Turn 1 I got archons and sent them around the map. Turn 2 my hero got an item to let him fly, so he took of for his own quest without ally-aid. My archons died pretty soon, but I got some heroes and allies because I found some gold. Luckily these heroes arrived in cities where I needed the fighting power to kill some enemy heroes (they were close to taking my cities). My biggest mistake was not to take the 2 neutral cities in the core region.