Graziani Discussion

Nope...
But today Graziani won 2 Naval Invasions for 7 and 5 medals without losing any ships.
My thought was to hire Nagumo/Mountbatten+Leeb instead of him as well, but again I'd like rather all options to be open, before I'll make a final decision.

I can't unlock 40% discount for Nimitz yet, so hiring him is out of the question right now...

I think you lose more units in artillery invasions than naval ones. The real problem with naval invasions can be getting the damage output you need. Invasions with several stacked cruisers including an enemy general can require more damage output than you can get from someone with four star naval skill and no naval abilities. Fleet Leader hits from a general in a stacked sub on a cruiser can be well over 200. Plus the Rumor lockdowns. The reason Dönitz is so good is the Wolfpack ability on top of everything. You put cruisers and other subs around him and get 20 bonus damage from each of them every turn. That adds up over 10 turns. He solves the output problem. But even Nagumo should be able to win all naval invasions with full upgrades and proper countering of the enemy lineup.

Mountbatten is more expensive with less skill. He has the open ability slot for Rumor, so if you just love him, it’s not a huge deal, but he is definitey not quite as good as Nagumo. Maybe you love the potential for Mountbatten to improve his movement?

I would not sacrifice Rumor for Wolfpack. Wolfpack is great for invasions, but you won’t use it much in conquests or scenarios. Rumor is the most critical skill for all naval scenarios. I’d sacrifice Sailor first, but I don’t think it is worth it either. Truth is, you’ll mostly be using naval generals by themselves or with one or two supporting ships. Invasions are the big exception, along with some of the really tough Domination exercises and battles. Hard to recommend giving up a skill you will use far more often in conquests and scenarios for that.

One more reason to consider saving up for Dönitz, then. He has four star artillery potential.

You need a good naval general, not another land general. If you want an artillery general, get Leeb or Govorov.

I get where you are coming from as it pertains to limited medals. I just don’t think hybrids are the most efficient and economical solution. The reality with hybrids is that they give up effectiveness in their primary role to gain very little effectiveness in a secondary role, and they end up being not great at anything. Mountbatten comes with two artillery stars. Getting him to four costs significant medals. You’d be better off saving those medals for an actual artillery general and simply picking the best naval general you can afford to serve that role. You already said you were looking to add Nagumo and Leeb. If you have the medals to do that, you end up with two generals who are very good in two roles you really need. I don’t see the wisdom in spending more on a naval general with less naval ability so you can spend even more upgrading a non-primary skill so he can be used as a mediocre artillery general.

Well, I was able to unlock Red fort, using Graziani as my sole Navy Commander. So hiring him was a good idea, at least I begin to think so. I completed 38 out of 40 Challenges without an Admiral. And maybe Rescue the Ally X is also within the reach...

Everyone acknowledges the fact that Graziani is a basic tank general. With that said his performance is based on the individual using him. He can potentially have 6 stars on tank and 2 empty slots to give him potentially offensive tank capabilities while retaining defensive ones as a balance. If you want to buy him, go right ahead. He may prove to be that city holder, or that expendable tank guy to weaken the enemies defences. It's what you want from him at the end of the day without being under the illusion that he will be your main tank general.