Guess you should have expected it, i warned you ;)
Mercs from last strategus changed almost at all, all the founders left, most of the the members weren't part of the faction during 1st strategus, context isn't the same
you still had some cards but you didn't play it well imo, you failed at politics but you still get a chance to beat in battle, well you just have 2 options: win or get back to start with worse cards, but well you can win a round with a bad hand
i'd say that the funniest part is that this thread just sounds as in last strategus, except that this time they surprised you and attacked, whereas last time i was barking louder than them