My 2 Cents:
I find that I use the AoMI to give people 1+ armor saves like a WP on foot or a BSB on foot so that they may have great weapons. It is also helpful if you are trying to get 1+ on several characters, it is just an easy option while a few others get the goodies like enchanted shield, dragon help etc..
I like a GotE on foot with fullplate, dawnstone, enchanted shield and dragon helm in large point games.
Overall, I seem to forget to put an Ironcurse Icon on one of my characters far too often.
The way I see it, you can successfully go two different directions with Empire characters. Cost Effective (especially on warrior priests) or Survivalist with big armor saves.
To contradict myself for the sake of my lovely daydreams, I like to think about a Beasts level 4 on a Griffon, possibly with a +1 to hit sword and talisman of 4+ wardsave. There is some cool synergy there with savage beast and pelt to be enjoyed. Even a grand master with a runefang would be pretty fun to try.
