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In this thread, I will share some of my favourite strategies for assisting alliance members in battle, complete with cheesy titles. 
For more general questions about how alliance battles work, see my FAQ thread here.
Assistance from alliance members can really give players an edge over their opponents, especially when the reinforcements are well placed. Assisting other players can be an exciting strategy challenge of its own, with battles ideally being approached differently based on the attacker's play style.
As a beta tester, I had the opportunity to take part in thousands of battles, try different strategies, and learn great ideas from other players. Here are some tips I've picked up along the way:
Hoplites or Archers?
Both unit types have their strengths and weaknesses: hoplites have higher strength and health, while archers have the advantage of being long-ranged. Both can be used well in different situations.
Beginner Battles:
When assisting lower level players against cities with weak defensive buildings, it's often best to go straight for the temples and not worry about sticking near the gods unless they're really struggling to fend off units or towers. More creative strategies come into play in later levels!
The Wall of Archers:
What to do: Continually drop archers close to the gods so they form a line of defence. The line will slowly move forward, so keep dropping new archers in line with the others. In the right circumstances, huge numbers can build up and form lines that destroy all buildings and enemies in their path, keeping the gods safe from harm.
When it works: Suits slow push attack styles, where the gods start on the edge of the map and slowly move forward towards the city.
When it doesn't work: If the city has a large number of academies/archeries, the swarms of units may overrun your archers and prevent them from forming a line. Doesn't suit aggressive play styles where the gods dive straight into the city, or styles where the gods move long distances around the map.
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The Diversion:
What to do: Drop hoplites on the opposite side of the map to the gods, luring the enemy units towards your hoplites to clear a path for the gods. With subsequent drops, make sure you are close enough to the enemy units that they will notice your hoplites - after a certain distance, they will ignore your hoplites and move back towards the gods. The city's army will likely take out your units quite quickly, which is why hoplites are preferable for their higher health, keeping the enemy distracted for longer. You can pair this strategy with The Ghost Town, listed below.
When it works: Effective strategy to combat overwhelming numbers of enemy units. Complements a variety of play styles. Works best with multiple allies assisting to keep the enemy distracted.
When it doesn't work: If the enemy units are significantly stronger than yours, you may not be able to hold them off for long enough to create the desired effect. Try not to drop your hoplites too close to strong towers which will instantly destroy your units. If you suddenly stop this strategy after you've gathered a large group of enemy units, it can backfire on the attacker as they will be swarmed with all the units you were previously holding off.
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The Ghost Town:
What to do: Using hoplites, destroy academies and archeries one by one to reduce the number of enemy units attacking the gods. Taking out most/all of these buildings will allow the gods to remain stationary and attack from their chosen position without having to fend off puny humans. If the city has Athena or Ares monuments, check how accessible/guarded they are. Taking these down may take a few deployments, but it's good to do so early on if you can. Make sure the Athena monument has already been activated before dropping units nearby (see The Leeroy Jenkins for cautions).
When it works: Suitable for most cities, especially those with unit buildings on the outer edges.
When it doesn't work: If there are a large number of towers or units, it may take many deployments to take down a single building. This can still work in some cases, but your units may be put to better use elsewhere. If there are Apollo houses healing the buildings faster than you can destroy them, either take out the houses first or find a different building to attack. Hoplites are ideal due to their extra strength, but if towers are preventing you from placing troops near the unit buildings, you can try using archers instead.
The Meat Shield:
What to do: A simple but popular strategy is to use your units as bodyguards to protect the gods. In the case of a huge swarm of enemy units, dropping hoplites among the swarm can make the most impact. For smaller numbers of enemy units, a combination of hoplites and archers can cover a broader range of targets. If the gods are being followed around the map by a group of enemy units, try dropping your reinforcements in the space between the gods and the enemies (I generally drop units a little further along than I need, to allow for the brief delay). If you notice that the gods are approaching a ballista tower, drop reinforcements within the tower's range so your units will take the damage and put the tower in cooldown mode for the next few seconds while the gods pass.
When it works: General strategy suitable for most towns. Especially useful when the gods are being overwhelmed by units, or to protect a crucial god who has reached low health. I sometimes switch to this strategy towards the end of a game if I feel that protecting the gods' health will allow them to do more damage to buildings than my units could do directly.
When it doesn't work: If the swarms are too massive, your units may get killed before they can do any damage. It might be better to draw some of the enemies away by using The Diversion tactic listed above. Avoid placing units too close to strong towers, especially Greek fire towers or multiple Archimedes towers.
The Hail Mary:
What to do: If the battle outcome is not looking good for the gods, try to do as much damage as possible to the buildings in the time left. Choose the most easily accessible and least protected buildings and drop hoplites to earn the player some final loot.
When it works: When the gods are close to death and there is no chance of them winning the battle, or there is not much time left on the clock with multiple temples still standing.
When it doesn't work: If the gods have low health but there is still a reasonable amount of time left, you may prefer to use the bodyguard method listed above, especially if the remaining god/s are ranged.
The Leeroy Jenkins:
What to do: It's currently possible to deploy reinforcements before any gods have been dropped by the player. I try not to do this very often except in lower level towns where it's inconsequential, but I thought I'd include a how-to-do-it-right guide for those who are antsy to drop units right away.
You can get a small head start on any of the strategies mentioned above, eg. begin a diversion by drawing all the troops to one area, or drop units next to an easily accessible Ares monument, academy, or archery range. If you work together with the attacker, you can gather all the enemy troops in one area and the player can use their gods to flatten all the units at once. If there are temples on the outskirts of the town, you can try going straight for the easiest target, and in some cases it's even possible to take down a temple with reinforcements alone while the gods focus on other areas.
When it works: Use with caution! In most cases, I feel it's better to wait and see where the player decides to drop their gods and adapt your strategy to their play style. If you feel an early deployment could be advantageous, choose your position wisely with the tips below in mind. For beginner towns, throw caution to the wind and let your inner Leeroy Jenkins charge at the temples!
When it doesn't work: There are several disadvantages to early deployment. The moment any units are dropped on the battlefield, the enemy troops switch from their neutral patrol state into full attack mode. As well as making the city a more hostile and hectic environment, the number of enemy troops more than doubles as extra units emerge from their buildings. If the city has an Ares monument, it will likely be triggered due to its large area of activation. Avoid the Athena monument to prevent it from spawning troops.
A Word on Monuments:
In any strategy, be mindful of monuments. Placing units near Apollo, Artemis, or Zeus monuments can result in instant obliteration. Aphrodite's monument will charm your units to the enemy's side if you get too close. Athena's monument will spawn extra enemy units, so only approach if the gods are already within its range. If your aim is to take out a monument, wait until it has just been triggered so you can deploy your units during its cooldown time. On the other hand, you can choose to intentionally trigger Apollo, Artemis, or Zeus monuments and sacrifice your units so the gods can approach during the cooldown period.
.
For more general questions about how alliance battles work, see my FAQ thread here.
Assistance from alliance members can really give players an edge over their opponents, especially when the reinforcements are well placed. Assisting other players can be an exciting strategy challenge of its own, with battles ideally being approached differently based on the attacker's play style.
As a beta tester, I had the opportunity to take part in thousands of battles, try different strategies, and learn great ideas from other players. Here are some tips I've picked up along the way:
Hoplites or Archers?
Both unit types have their strengths and weaknesses: hoplites have higher strength and health, while archers have the advantage of being long-ranged. Both can be used well in different situations.
Beginner Battles:
When assisting lower level players against cities with weak defensive buildings, it's often best to go straight for the temples and not worry about sticking near the gods unless they're really struggling to fend off units or towers. More creative strategies come into play in later levels!
.
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Attack Strategies
..
Attack Strategies
The Wall of Archers:
What to do: Continually drop archers close to the gods so they form a line of defence. The line will slowly move forward, so keep dropping new archers in line with the others. In the right circumstances, huge numbers can build up and form lines that destroy all buildings and enemies in their path, keeping the gods safe from harm.
When it works: Suits slow push attack styles, where the gods start on the edge of the map and slowly move forward towards the city.
When it doesn't work: If the city has a large number of academies/archeries, the swarms of units may overrun your archers and prevent them from forming a line. Doesn't suit aggressive play styles where the gods dive straight into the city, or styles where the gods move long distances around the map.
.
The Diversion:
What to do: Drop hoplites on the opposite side of the map to the gods, luring the enemy units towards your hoplites to clear a path for the gods. With subsequent drops, make sure you are close enough to the enemy units that they will notice your hoplites - after a certain distance, they will ignore your hoplites and move back towards the gods. The city's army will likely take out your units quite quickly, which is why hoplites are preferable for their higher health, keeping the enemy distracted for longer. You can pair this strategy with The Ghost Town, listed below.
When it works: Effective strategy to combat overwhelming numbers of enemy units. Complements a variety of play styles. Works best with multiple allies assisting to keep the enemy distracted.
When it doesn't work: If the enemy units are significantly stronger than yours, you may not be able to hold them off for long enough to create the desired effect. Try not to drop your hoplites too close to strong towers which will instantly destroy your units. If you suddenly stop this strategy after you've gathered a large group of enemy units, it can backfire on the attacker as they will be swarmed with all the units you were previously holding off.
.
The Ghost Town:
What to do: Using hoplites, destroy academies and archeries one by one to reduce the number of enemy units attacking the gods. Taking out most/all of these buildings will allow the gods to remain stationary and attack from their chosen position without having to fend off puny humans. If the city has Athena or Ares monuments, check how accessible/guarded they are. Taking these down may take a few deployments, but it's good to do so early on if you can. Make sure the Athena monument has already been activated before dropping units nearby (see The Leeroy Jenkins for cautions).
When it works: Suitable for most cities, especially those with unit buildings on the outer edges.
When it doesn't work: If there are a large number of towers or units, it may take many deployments to take down a single building. This can still work in some cases, but your units may be put to better use elsewhere. If there are Apollo houses healing the buildings faster than you can destroy them, either take out the houses first or find a different building to attack. Hoplites are ideal due to their extra strength, but if towers are preventing you from placing troops near the unit buildings, you can try using archers instead.
The Meat Shield:
What to do: A simple but popular strategy is to use your units as bodyguards to protect the gods. In the case of a huge swarm of enemy units, dropping hoplites among the swarm can make the most impact. For smaller numbers of enemy units, a combination of hoplites and archers can cover a broader range of targets. If the gods are being followed around the map by a group of enemy units, try dropping your reinforcements in the space between the gods and the enemies (I generally drop units a little further along than I need, to allow for the brief delay). If you notice that the gods are approaching a ballista tower, drop reinforcements within the tower's range so your units will take the damage and put the tower in cooldown mode for the next few seconds while the gods pass.
When it works: General strategy suitable for most towns. Especially useful when the gods are being overwhelmed by units, or to protect a crucial god who has reached low health. I sometimes switch to this strategy towards the end of a game if I feel that protecting the gods' health will allow them to do more damage to buildings than my units could do directly.
When it doesn't work: If the swarms are too massive, your units may get killed before they can do any damage. It might be better to draw some of the enemies away by using The Diversion tactic listed above. Avoid placing units too close to strong towers, especially Greek fire towers or multiple Archimedes towers.
The Hail Mary:
What to do: If the battle outcome is not looking good for the gods, try to do as much damage as possible to the buildings in the time left. Choose the most easily accessible and least protected buildings and drop hoplites to earn the player some final loot.
When it works: When the gods are close to death and there is no chance of them winning the battle, or there is not much time left on the clock with multiple temples still standing.
When it doesn't work: If the gods have low health but there is still a reasonable amount of time left, you may prefer to use the bodyguard method listed above, especially if the remaining god/s are ranged.
The Leeroy Jenkins:
What to do: It's currently possible to deploy reinforcements before any gods have been dropped by the player. I try not to do this very often except in lower level towns where it's inconsequential, but I thought I'd include a how-to-do-it-right guide for those who are antsy to drop units right away.
You can get a small head start on any of the strategies mentioned above, eg. begin a diversion by drawing all the troops to one area, or drop units next to an easily accessible Ares monument, academy, or archery range. If you work together with the attacker, you can gather all the enemy troops in one area and the player can use their gods to flatten all the units at once. If there are temples on the outskirts of the town, you can try going straight for the easiest target, and in some cases it's even possible to take down a temple with reinforcements alone while the gods focus on other areas.
When it works: Use with caution! In most cases, I feel it's better to wait and see where the player decides to drop their gods and adapt your strategy to their play style. If you feel an early deployment could be advantageous, choose your position wisely with the tips below in mind. For beginner towns, throw caution to the wind and let your inner Leeroy Jenkins charge at the temples!
When it doesn't work: There are several disadvantages to early deployment. The moment any units are dropped on the battlefield, the enemy troops switch from their neutral patrol state into full attack mode. As well as making the city a more hostile and hectic environment, the number of enemy troops more than doubles as extra units emerge from their buildings. If the city has an Ares monument, it will likely be triggered due to its large area of activation. Avoid the Athena monument to prevent it from spawning troops.
A Word on Monuments:
In any strategy, be mindful of monuments. Placing units near Apollo, Artemis, or Zeus monuments can result in instant obliteration. Aphrodite's monument will charm your units to the enemy's side if you get too close. Athena's monument will spawn extra enemy units, so only approach if the gods are already within its range. If your aim is to take out a monument, wait until it has just been triggered so you can deploy your units during its cooldown time. On the other hand, you can choose to intentionally trigger Apollo, Artemis, or Zeus monuments and sacrifice your units so the gods can approach during the cooldown period.
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The blue area is where the monument will be triggered. Artemis' temple and houses increase the range.
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