by Sarcasmorator
I see a lot of discussion about certain monster types (Shadow Dragons, for example), and about individual heroes, but not a lot about the monster lineup overall (unless I've missed a big thread or something). So I went and worked up a three-tier ranking for the monsters of Descent Second Edition (CK and LotW included), based roughly on their stats, abilities and what I consider to be their overall utility.
I haven't tested them all in the field, and this listing doesn't take into account which monsters may be more effective in certain quests — Razorwings when you really need speed as OL, for example — too many variables there. It's mostly meant as my thoughts on which monsters I'd be more likely to take as open groups if available in a quest. And I'm wondering how other people would rank the game's monsters as well.
FIRST TIER — THE BREAD AND BUTTEREttin — Big, tough bruiser, and the master can throw heroes around like dolls, fouling up powers that depend on being within a certain range (like Leoric's ability), tossing a weakened hero into danger or next to a monster with Aura, etc.
Ferrox — Numerous and hard-hitting, one of the few sources of the Disease status, and masters can Leech back some health.
Giant — Very strong, very tough with a black defense die, can hit everything within two spaces at once with Sweep, and can Stun everything it hits with a surge (keep your units well clear when you want to Sweep).
Golem — The ultimate wall. Stick a couple of these in a narrow passage and the heroes won't be getting past them easily.
Hell Hound— Fast, reasonably tough, with Fire Breath and Pierce. Masters hurt anyone who moves in to attack with Aura.
Hybrid Sentinel— Tough, fast, able to fly over anything in their way, murder on low-might heroes and able to gain a damage bonus on Fire Breath by making a valid Prey on the Weak attack to start with.
Ice Wyrm— Lots of health, good defense, fairly fast, saps fatigue when heroes move near, and the master can Swallow any hero it kills and keep it out of commission for as long as the wyrm survives.
Kobold— Sheer numbers make these guys trouble, and they can add lots of damage to their weak attack with Swarm. Very weak individually, and vulnerable to Blast.
Merriod — It can Reach, it can Immobilize, and masters can Flail to do both at once to two heroes in the same attack. Good defense, too.
Ogre — Strong, tough, deal good damage and masters are Undying, but the real benefit seems to me to be Knockback — with a surge you can move a hero 3 spaces anywhere, more reliably than the Ettin's Throw.
Shadow Dragon— Tough, hits hard, hard to hit and can sweep a cluster of heroes with fire. What more could you want?
Sorcerer— The Sorcery range/damage boost and resilience of Undying masters is bad enough, but any of these guys can effectively give a nearby minion monster a free move adjacent to them with Summon. Serious battlefield control.
Wendigo — Decent health, nasty attack with Ravage, hard to hit with Stealth, and the master saps the fatigue of heroes that close in to strike.
SECOND TIER — FOR SITUATIONAL USEBane Spider— Masters can Immobilize up to all adjacent heroes at once. Add Poison and Pierce and you've got a pretty nasty spider.
Barghest— They're fast, there's lots of them and they can sap fatigue.
Beastman — Solid melee unit, Command gives nearby minions a chance to do more damage on a bum roll.
Blood Ape— Reasonably tough and high damage potential with Leap Attack, but tough to take advantage of Ravage as a melee unit.
Chaos Beast— Not the highest health, but able to match the attack power of any hero in its LOS, and at range. Doesn't hurt that you get three of them, and masters have Sorcery.
Crypt Dragon— Cause Fear takes an action and Blast isn't as precise as the Shadow Dragons' Fire Breath, but still tough.
Dark Priest— Combines the healing ability of Flesh Moulders (in masters) with the fatigue-sapping ability of Barghests, with a ranged attack to boot. A bit fragile, however.
Deep Elf— Fast, difficult to attack, good health and a bane to armor with a surge, but you only get two.
Demon Lord— Good Sorcery and Aura abilities (for masters), and able to add fatigue damage to its attacks with Wither, but not the highest health or defense around.
Elemental— Decent stats and lots of neat abilities, but can't be brought into play very often.
Fire Imp— Fast and a bit fragile, but can cause mischief by exploding when killed and inflicting the Burning status.
Lava Beetle— Not especially tough, but their attack is pretty strong, and every attack is potentially a Blast.
Manticore — Attack can Pierce and Poison, but not especially tough, and oddly unable to fly.
Medusa — Not great on attack or defense, but can deal a lot of status ailments.
Naga— You always get a master, and they can Grab and use Sorcery and Poison. Pretty low health for a bit monster, though.
Troll — A lot like a Giant, but not as tough, and while Bash is powerful and doesn't count as an attack, it can miss pretty easily.
THIRD TIER — CHOOSE SOMETHING BETTERCave Spider— Low health melee attackers probably won't last long. Only masters get the useful Web ability, and there's only one master.
Flesh Moulder— Decent health and attack from range, and only masters get to Heal, though Mend can give them all extra staying power if they can survive their first round of being clobbered. Can be a nuisance healing from behind a big monster, but Dark Priests can do that and sap your fatigue as well.
Goblin Archer— Numerous and expendable, but Cowardly limits their usefulness if there are no masters nearby.
Razorwing— Fast, numerous, flying and can Stun, but poor defense and middling health.
Skeleton Archer— There are lots of these guys, they get free Pierce and you have to kill masters twice. But they're pretty flimsy overall.
Zombie — They can cause Disease and masters can Grab, but these guys are sloooooooow.
) hero with optimal cards and probably reading about the most cheesiest tactics for the chosen hero. 
Are there any solid moves or basis for a winning strategy as the OL I should study? Thanks in advance.