I hate it when my druid gets critically hit by a crossbow at the very beginning of a match, who only had 37% chance of hitting me in the first place. And is injured for 4 rounds after this obvious loss...
You can't "store" your gladiators either, to let them heal, or choose the best pick against the opponent.
So you actually have to think ahead, checking the schedule, and hoping you won't have any injuries.
I guess i better find a great stoneman or minotaur, and let him do all the work with the right equipment... Let him learn might to buff himself in the beginning, since AI just pushes forward with melee. Since i can't equip my "mages" with more than one spell, and choose the best one according to the situation, the bolt mages seems pretty good for starter, but can't even regain mana while "waiting", so if you got a bad start, you'll have a useless gladiator there.
Also, before the match start, there's absolutely no way to change your starting positions, right ? A bit of a shame, really, since all fights are quite the same (and you better have prayed Lady Luck).
Still, nice little interesting game