Let's stick to realistic scenarios:
Attacker Units: 0 0 26400 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Losses: 0 0 233 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Defender Units: 3000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Losses: 3000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
That's the full population of a 10% bonus pop village, and it's impossible to have that many axes, but you can get close, if you're stupid and demo literally 'everything'. It still loses more than 2 times 100 axes. Yes, you could perhaps lose less if you didn't kill the 3,000 spears all at once, but your stating this is a 'war time', and last I checked during wars people don't defend with 400-500 spears, if they don't at least think that might have enough D to kill the attacks they tend to dodge the attacks until more support arrives rather than throw away their defense for no good reason.
Real scenario.
Would you rather have someone attack you, and launch nobles at them that hit them right before their offense returns or right before it returns?
Obvious answer, make the nobles hit them before their offense returns, less damage done to your offense compared to having to kill their offensive troops.
Okay, you got me there. I didnt think anyone woul do the math and work it out. I pulled some numbers out of the air to make a quick example. I probably should have been clearer..
Thats one occasion where that would work. Hitting their offense wouldnt do any
catastrophic damage, presuming they arent using HC, but ODA dosent hurt anyone. At this stage
(which is what we're talking about), ODA can also make people think twice about attacking you.
If I was a 1000 point player,
(pre-noble, of course) and had an ODA of 3000, then their was another, with an ODA of 100, you would go for the 100 ODAer.
This tends to show that they havent been clearing, which suggests they dont get as much farming income and would have less defensive troops than someone who has a good farming income
(and ODA).
I know its all hypothetical, and you
do get exeptions, but exeptions are a minority.