S trategy Cornerstone of all Emergo strategy is getting a few strong pieces rather than a lot of weak ones. That's the one tiny catch. Feed as many men as you possibly can to an opponent's weak piece, preferably one that already holds prisoners. But always make sure that you can decapitate it, liberating a very strong piece. Now you start to bury the opponent's men under this piece, using your tactical ingenuity to get it done.
Pieces always start out at their strongest.
Involvement in the action means an increasing number of prisoners under a decreasing cap. There's a certain moment in which a piece becomes a liability. This would depend, if not on tactics, on the nature of the position. Then its a nice catch that may even play an offensive role in a small caps endgame. But if the piece gets drawn into a combination prior to that, it usually means that more prisoners are liberated than the number you tried to tuck away in the first place, because the piece is fed in the process of its decapitation.