Technology level and economic power also needs to be a consideration in power rating. Many a times I have been attacked only because I was not building an army until later in the game. The premature attacks and tributes are fine as long as the AI has some way to gauge how powerful I could be if I was trying. Giving each tech a power rating and each unit of production and gildar produced a power rating is a necessity of good AI. 

I would like something like this added to the flavor texts:

Hello [Player 1]. We see that you have the means, but not the will to protect yourselves. Your cities are weak, your outposts are undefended. Though you could easily win a war of attrition, you would be better off paying us for "protection." Pay us 100 Gildar and we will leave you alone... for now.

I don't think that rating has ever worked not even in WOM.

I'd even go so far as to wish for a diplomatic AI that sees defensive weaknesses in cities but also a strong stack, and makes an offer to accept either a payment, or a quest to rid that AI of ABC monster lair, within XYZ seasons.

Those take a lot of mana.  Unless you have a huge reserve, which at faction power 137 I doubt he has, the mana won't last very long.

Well I guess if he managed to use paragon to get level 67, maybe he does :/

Let me guess.  Your sov's profession was Beastlord.

oh yeah, beastlord is so much fun   How else can you get 30/20 bash and overpower units with 80+ hps??? not including the one or two champions that have the bash ability....

super fast spellcaster with mass curse + 3+ umberdroths = iwin

Shiro is correct in his assessment.  smack bang on the money.   Tremor is another good cheap territory control spell

if you select beastlord as a your sov trait, also select the trait that gives you + spell mastery per level, and hardy (+hp per level).  Don't cap anything less than a cave bear.  You need to kill some stuff for lvl up. Also, if youcan get the blind spell, it helps heaps!  Choose path of defender and every dodge and hp increase trait you can get

by level 7, if you have good armour you have an OK chance of capping an umberdroth.  By level 15, you have almost 100% chance for umberdroths.  Splash damage has been fixed, so getting hoarder spiders is all about maxing out your cutting resist, or using things like shrink on the hoarder spider first to minimise it's damage.

Silt Slags are another good beast to get hold of.  3x23 bite damage for their special.  They are squishy though, so look after them  

List of beasts I bother to get:

• Cave Bears (until mid game, armour reduces these to worthless, better for xp)
• silt slags
• Umberdroths
• Hoarder Spiders
• Corpse spiders (big damage + big poison damage)

not since .915.   Previously I would cap EVERYTHING because it was the quickest way to win every fight, and you still got the XP.  Now, in .915, you get no XP even though it says you do.  I found this out by accident..... couldn't figue out why my sov was soooooo low level.....

Oh, I just realised I haven't posted a bug report on that.....  will have to do some before and after shots tonight to prove it.