"Ys is based on Breton myths of the sunken city of Ys/Kêr-Is and morgen water spirits. To expand the nation I added some Irish/Welsh ideas of the merrow as well as the Marverni tribe of Kernou to give the nation an opportunity to establish coastal forts with their own unique units. I initially intended to merge the Ysian backstory with Marignon and add a Melusine morgen hero for that nation, but never got around to finish my ideas. It is not unlikely that Melusine and some other Ys/Marignon connections appear in upcoming Dominions 5 patches." - Illwinter

"Ker-Ys was a Tuatha city of unrivaled splendor. Its walls of crystal and bronze rose above the shores of Kernou, a former Marverni province conquered by the Tuatha of Tir na n’Og. Through trade and sorcery it became a city of marvels inhabited by Tuatha, humans and Merrow, a race of mermen that lived in the seas near Tir na n’Og and Kernou. With the fall of Tir na n’Og, Dahut, a mighty Tuatha sorceress and queen of the city, hid Ker-Ys beneath the waves, creating a refuge for the sorceresses of Tir na n’Og. The city became inhabited by Tuatha and their Merrow allies. Living in the enchanted city underneath the waves transformed the Tuatha and they have turned into Morgen, a superior race of semi-divine beings, who are to the Merrow what the Tuatha were to men. Ys is an underwater queendom ruled by Morgen. Humans of Kernou ancestry comprise most of the coastal population." - illwinter

How the nation plays and what it is good at should go here, aka why would it be cool to play, what's good about it (in general terms) and where they falter.
How does this nation compare to other similar nations with similar units or specialties (sacred heavy, elves, communion nation, blood nation, research, economical, forging, stealth, thug based, etc.)

An underwater nation that is powerful near the coast. Its major weaknesses are that Ys is not the strongest nation for fighting underwater, meaning other water nations can pose a serious threat, and that the further from coasts you campaign, the weaker you become. Your main strength is in your powerful capital-only sacreds.

Race	Military	Magic Access	Priests	Buildings
Underwater Amphibious Morgens (Non-Stealthy Elves) Merrows (Strong & Unskilled) Humans on Coasts	Lt. & Hvy. Infantry Knights Sacred Elf Cav Swans	4 (Rare 5) 3 (Rare 4) 2 (Rare 3) 2* 1 (Uncommon, Rare 2) 1 (Uncommon) *Uncommon 1 Underwater Heroes: 3322 1432	2 Capital Only 1 in Forts	Standard Forts Starts with a Citadel UW Forts Coastal Recruits

The City on the Coast

Ys must start underwater, and is weighted towards starting in a regular Sea province bordering a land province. Since Underwater-province forts cannot pull Resources from "dry" provinces, this means Ys will generally have a smaller "cap circle" than most other nations, thereby limiting the maximum potential for its Sacred troop production. On the other hand, Ys also starts with a Citadel, meaning its capital will extract more from its "cap circle" than most other factions. This is the only underwater Citadel in the game, disregarding land-to-Sea castings of Three Red Seconds.

Like with most underwater nations, Ys's land recruits are only available in provinces bordering an underwater province; inland forts will only have the Independents available.

Your nation's main unit is the Morgans; amphibious elves with glamour. Unfortunately only your Sorceress can stealth, but they are still quite hard to hit, a trait in common with all elves.

Your chaff troops are made up of the Merrow, a race of Merfolk with above average HP and strength, and one more Magic Resistance, but one less Attack skill than normal humans.

From Coastal forts, you have decently armored human warriors, and dubiously useful freespawn Swan chaff.

The following commanders can be recruited underwater.

Sprite	Unit Name	Special Attributes	Comments
	Ysian Scout 25 1 1	Stealthy (50) Amphibious Darkvision (50%)	Normal amphibious scout.
	Ysian Commander 45 23 1	Amphibious Darkvision (50%)	A 60 leadership commander to shuffle troops. His function is easily handled by underwater indie commanders that do not require fort turns.
	Knight Commander of Ys 105 23 1	Amphibious Darkvision (50%) Mounted Land Shape ⇔ Knight Commander of Ys	An 80 leadership commander that can be recruited underwater, providing access to line formations.
	Ysian Druid 165 1 2	1111100% 11 Sacred Amphibious Darkvision (50%)	Not a particularly efficient mage for the paths, but is the cheapest Water Elemental summoner and a competent point-buff dispenser (Mossbody, Body Ethereal, Iron Warriors) for getting the most out of Ys' thugs and sacreds. Astral randoms can also form communions. If you're in a water war, you're going to need a lot of them to win the early mage fights.
	Morgen Champion 250 53 2 Capital Only	111 9 Sacred Amphibious Darkvision (50%) Resist Fire (5) Iron Vulnerability (1) Glamour Spell Singer Mounted Sailing (Max Size 3) Land Shape ⇔ Morgen Champion Female	Great thugs that are not slow to recruit. They ride a fire-breathing horse and have air and water which are decent thug paths (Liquid Body, Mistform, Quicken Self). They are also spell singers, reducing fatigue accumulated from casting spells (albeit at the cost of increasing buff time, which can be significant). In addition to being amphibious, their sailing ability grants massive mobility, allowing units under the Champion's command to travel greater distances and bypass problematic land and water provinces as if the army could fly.
	Morgen Princess 340 51 4 Capital Only	212 11 Sacred Amphibious Darkvision (50%) Resist Fire (5) Iron Vulnerability (1) Glamour Spell Singer Mounted Sailing (Max Size 3) Land Shape ⇔ Morgen Princess Female	Much more expensive (especially in CP) for a 1-path increase. This notably allows Morgen Princesses to cast Mistform without gem expenditure, reduces fatigue generated and allows them to magic-phase via Cloud Trapeze. Also an excellent leader at 120 leadership.
	Morgen Sorceress 420 1 4 Capital Only	32121100% 10% 19 Sacred Amphibious Darkvision (50%) Resist Shock (5) Iron Vulnerability (1) Stealthy (65) Glamour Spell Singer Female	Your super mage, powerful in air, and getting crosspaths with Water, Earth, and some Fire. Can make you Rune Smashers and wear a Crystal Matrix so they can power up more in communions. Also don't forget they get traditional Elvish Stealth Glamour, making them hard for your opponent to predict when these archmages will show up, and can air drop in to raid lands.

The following commanders can be recruited in coastal forts.

Sprite	Unit Name	Special Attributes	Comments
	Swanherd 40 1 1	Sacred Animal Awe (1) Inspirational (-1) Beastmaster (3) Summon Allies: Swan×2	Commander that freespawns Swans. Best use is filling your coastal forts with massive quantities of siege chaff. Outside of cheap sieging, swans are not good at being buffed, so their only other likely use is as flying distractions in battle.
	Kernou Chieftain 50 17 1	Inspirational (1)	A 60 leadership commander, which means no line formations. You have him if you need something better then a indie Commander but don't have time for your Knight Commander to reach the fort.
	Kernou Druid 165 1 2	1111100% 11 Sacred	Your main communion mage. Great at Gifts from Heaven with access to precision boosts.

The following units can be recruited underwater. All underwater recruit troops have amphibious, allowing them to seamlessly move onto land, and have darkvision (50%), so they don't lose as many stats in deep-sea provinces or when Solar Eclipse or Darkness is cast.

Sprite	Unit Name	Special Attributes	Comments
	Ysian Militia 8 2 3	Amphibious Darkvision(50%)	Ys can choose between two kinds of naked militia: one with a shield, and one without. Neither are particularly killy, nor are they durable, making their use limited to perhaps the very early game or as siege chaff.
	Ysian Spearman 12 3 9
	Ysian Infantry 12 19 9	Amphibious Darkvision (50%)	Medium infantry with a spear. Low combat skills but high HP and strength.
	Ysian Man at Arms 15 23 15	Amphibious Darkvision (50%)	Heavy infantry with a spear. Fairly solid at 17 protection, but slow and expensive. Druids can buff them with Strength of Giants to have a decent 20 piercing damage, and Legions of Steel to make them the most durable troop in the nation.
	Knight of Ys 45 23 46	Amphibious Darkvision (50%) Land Shape ⇔ Knight of Ys Mounted	Knights of Ys are actually fairly reasonable heavy cavalry, at least on land where they get their hoof attack. Unfortunately, they don't deal much damage compared to other knights.
	Morvarc'h Knight 115 53 56 Capital Only	Sacred Amphibious Darkvision (50%) Resist Fire (5) Iron Vulnerability (1) Glamour Sailing (Max Size 3) Land shape Morvarc'h Knight Mounted Female	Morvarc'h Knights are Ys' signature sacred, though you wouldn't know it from their underwater shape. They are one of the more expensive sacreds in Dominions, only beaten in cost by a few nation's sacreds, like MA Ashdod and LA Ragha, and they are not nearly so impressive underwater with their single medium-damage attack. However, on land they gain a hoof attack and, more importantly, the ability to breathe fire that deals damage in an area rather than having to make an attack check to hit, and their combat skills and protection make them difficult to kill in return. Morvarc'hs are excellent sacreds, but only reach their full potential above the water. Unlike other elf-type units, Morvarc'hs are not stealthy and cannot sneak. However, they are still invisible to opponents on the strategic map due to their glamour.

The following units can be recruited in coastal forts.

Sprite	Unit Name	Special Attributes	Comments
	Kernou Warrior 9 18 7		Light infantry with javelins. They make okay line holders, more so when stronger buffs become available.
	Kernou Noble Warrior 12 21 14		Medium infantry with sword and shield. Beaten in durability by Ysian Men at Arms, but adequate should you need a front line on land.
	Kernou Cavalry 25 24 36	Mounted	Much cheaper land knights if you can't get Knight of Ys, but also a good deal worse with lower protection and one less attack. Best use is as bodyguards for your mounted commanders to draw ranged attacks away.

Both of Ys' heroes are essentially Morgen Sorceresses in a Morgen Princess's chassis.

Sprite	Unit Name	Special Attributes	Comments
	Dahut - Morgen Queen Minimum hero arrival turn: 5	14322 25 Sacred Amphibious Darkvision(50%) Resist Fire (5) Resist Cold (5) Resist Shock (7) Iron Vulnerability (1) Glamour Spell Singer Mounted Sailing (Max Size 3) Land Shape ⇔ Dahut - Morgen Queen Female	Doesn't grant you anything too unique compared to putting boosters on Sorceresses. Still, Dahut is a great deal more durable than her Sorceress peers while retaining their ability to cast high-path spells.
	Malgven - Queen of the North Minimum hero arrival turn: 10	33222 25 Sacred Amphibious Darkvision (50%) Resist Fire (10) Resist Shock (5) Iron Vulnerability (1) Glamour Spell Singer Mounted Sailing (Max Size 3) land shape ⇔ Malgven - Queen of the North Female	Your best Fire access, able to conjure Flame Spirits without the empowerment for more fire. Alternatively, by empowering she can make Flame Helmets and summon Kings of Elemental Fire for 6. Can also make Rune Smashers, which are otherwise unavailable to Ys without empowering.

Morgans are Air mages with Morgan Sorcesses able to get to the breaking point of 4 to forge the two boosters and summon Air queens.

Not the easiest to produce or reliable water access an underwear nation could have for undersea combat, but you still have High water with the easy-to-make booster water is known for and making Water queens.

Sorceresses also grant you some fire access, but it's only a 1, will get you crosspaths with air, water, and earth, but requires Empowerment for more important spells. having a 3 lets you get Flame Spirits if you need more fire mage in battle.

Your mages with randoms, will often get additional earth, getting 3 with Earth Boots, with getting 4 for rituals with a Troll King. You can go higher in communions if you have enough Communion slaves.

by using a Earth Boots, a Kernou Druid can forge Starshine Skullcap and Crystal Coin to boot him to 4. Can make Stronger Army-wide Astral caster to taking a Banner of the Northern Star.

You get some 1 randoms, but if you but two water boosters on a Ysian Druid to make Naiads for 33, then make Thistle Maces, and even Moonvine Bracelet by empowering a Kernou Druid

Once you get into 3, you can make Troll Shamans, for crosspaths with Death, Earth, and Nature, especially few being 3 after they forge their own Skull Staffs.

If you do them climbing with the Shaman, Lamia Queen grants better access to death, along with Blood.

You also get almost natural access to a rare item, Staff of Elemental Mastery. taking an Earth random Sorceresses, Giving her booster, and empowering earth once to make some. Also, make Crystal Shield to boost all the user paths when in combat.

MA Ys has no unique national spells.

Combat

Your combat magic falls into smaller Communions mages, the thug spells on your Morgan, and big magic from the Sorceress.

Remember that communion also boosts Holy paths for Divine Blessing your whole army.

You don't have arrows, so Storm to shut down Archers and fire spells is good. The boost is not useful for mass Thunder Striker as your air mages are not strong or plentiful. Also Wind Guide is still a useful spell to boost your mages' perception to land their spells. Cast Wrathful Skies late game if you have shock resistance.

Lots of buffing and Fluffing, with Quicken Self, Liquid Body and Flight for casting on self. Also, the Druid Communions are capable of Fluffing with your thugs and also your knights. Wave Warriors, Body Ethereal, Battle Fortune, Gift of Flight, Mass Protection, Legions of Steel, Strength of Giants.

Given you have lots of Brass Gear, Rust Mist can be effective.

Blade wind Kill low prot chaff. Acid Rain is a Sorceress spell now one has resistance to.

Ritual

What is the best ritual you could cast. Are there any globals you want up, any units you should be summoning? Are there any Generic rituals few nations can cast?

You can't make it more gem efficient with Ivy Lord unlike Vine Man, but Algae Man are useful High HP two attack chaff for one 1.

Also Ivy King summoning Vine Ogres will pay for themselves after a year of casting.

Morgen Sorceress can make Green Lions but it's a slow process and may not be the best use of an expensive and powerful elf mage.

You love Coastal provinces, so Trade Wind will supply your need for gold for your expensive knights.

One of the Easiest and best nations to cast Perpetual Storm. As a water nation that prefers conquering the land, Your taxes will also be blown away by the winds. (you still get full income from underwater holdings), This also Will shut down all arrows which you don't use and make other armies, not on horses slow.

You have the available booster to craft Golems, Near Supercombatents you can teleport on an enemy that was expecting a Morgen.

Your very dependent on your capital so casting one of the Domes spell is importent.

Do you have any National items(Construction Level, Price, and required Paths). Any unique generic items few other nations can forge? What item would be useful on your unit lineup (non-standard recommend thug gear)?

As you have Good thugs, thug items are helpful (good thing you can create Dwarven Hammers) having Cross paths with Air, Water, Earth, Astral, and Fire makes good items.

With a little climbing/empowerment can make Rune Smasher. pared with Spell Focus and Eye of the Void for large amount of magic penetration.

If you want morgen to hold more weapons, The Copper Arm is an option.

This is probably the most difficult section to get consensus for. Describe how strong the nation is during expansion, the early, mid and late game, and what makes it strong/weak at each of those points. This should give readers an idea of where the weaknesses of a nation lie (if they have not been shown already) and when to take advantage of a nation's strengths.

You are a nation based heavily on your capital, as in How to maximize the production efficiency of your capital restricted units. As the goal of the game is to win the game before anyone else (often by complete destruction or Throne rush) units recruitment is actually a limited resource, especially an expensive cap-only unit. Ys' greatest strength is its morgen on firebreathing horses, any remote spell that reduces your production is a problem (especially if spammed) so but up a dome.

In addition to Morvarc'h early expansion, Morgan thugs will also claim land.

List some example expansion strategies here. If a strong bless or pretender is required then leave the specifics for the pretender section.

You don't get the best Starting army for expansion. Try to keep Casualties down when expanding. Morvarc'hs are strong for expansion but you still have a venerable time when you don't have your whole cap circle to produce enough of them yet to replace yours starting Merrows.

Your early Research priorities are depending on relations with other UW nations. if at war then focus research on traditional aquatice combat in Conjuration and mass recurse Ysian Druids, else your free to leaning thug spell for morgens in Alteration 2 and Enchantment 2.

for diplomacy, if your borders are secure with other water nations, you can negotiate for getting most of the coast while expanding inland, while they get most of the sea or pond to themselves.

List some example pretender builds. Try to use the following format to keep authorship and pretender design rationale clear.

when Doing scales, a lot of your good national units Require lots of Resources, so always take some production.

You have Strong Sacreds to carry you early and mid-game, so often best to use a Pretender as a later strategy.

Overview and Basic Strategy by Attica

Nations
Early Ages	Arcoscephale • Ermor • Ulm • Marverni • Sauromatia • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Mictlan • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Agartha • Tir na n'Og • Fomoria • Vanheim • Helheim • Niefelheim • Rus • Kailasa • Lanka • Yomi • Hinnom • Ur • Berytos • Xibalba • Mekone • Ubar • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Therodos
Middle Ages	Arcoscephale • Ermor • Sceleria • Pythium • Man • Eriu • Ulm • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Asphodel • Vanheim • Jotunheim • Vanarus • Bandar Log • Shinuyama • Ashdod • Uruk • Nazca • Xibalba • Phlegra • Phaeacia • Ind • Na'ba • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Ys
Late Ages	Arcoscephale • Pythium • Lemuria • Man • Ulm • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Jomon • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Midgård • Utgård • Bogarus • Patala • Gath • Ragha • Xibalba • Phlegra • Vaettiheim • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Erytheia