i think it should go back to lvl 1-5 instead of 1-9
lvl 9 (and some lvl 7) champions are from good (some might be more close to god) to veeeeery strong
the tech to recruit them is very fast to get and the money sometimes is high but money is not a problem in the game and you can save a bit considering what you are gonna get
also the balance between champions and sovereign imo should make the sovereign nearly always stronger with few exceptions but right now you can recruit lvl 9 ppl when sovereign is lvl 3 or so, they also come with great gear like mounts and decent weapons which is fine for mid game but broken early