With the added Autocast buff to Marines in previous versions, the Human army is now one that boasts impressive ranged power as well as tanky frontline units.

This build path is optimized to have impressive carrying potential and is suited to have enough wealth to purchase War Golems by the 30 minute mark of the game. Because navigating the tempo of the game and acquiring gold easily and reliably is the most fundamental aspect to Footmen vs Grunts, none of my build orders entail purchasing a hero first, but rather later. Every purchase you make is a tempo loss, so keep in mind that every purchase you make has to net you that tempo back or more.

Build Path:
1. Purchase Rifles, Research Long Rifles, Upgrade Ranged attack to 6
    - This is a very effective early set up that will net you a lot of gold in the initial battles. Tempo loss: nonexistent. Gain: High
2. Purchase Marines, Research the Marine Upgrade.
    - The staple of this build: the Marines are what actually make this build viable as they are potent early-mid game ranged units. Tempo loss: minimal. Gain: High
3. Research Golden Armor upgrade for Footmen
    - With your early ranged force set, you now need to make your frontline suitable to keep your army in the fight. Tempo loss: minimal. Gain: minimal.
4. Purchase Hero/Heroes
    - The investment is cheap, 900 gold for one hero, and theres nothing that says you can't have two or three. Pick heroes that support your army with auras. Tempo loss: Moderate. Gain: Value increases as time prolongs.
5. Research Armor Upgrades for both melee and ranged units
    - Armor upgrades are cheap, and your Marines will most definitely see some pain inflicted upon them. Armor is vital at this point. Tempo loss: minimal. Gain: minimal.
5. Purchase Bandit Lords, Research Devotion Aura, Research Melee Combat Training
    - Yes, you do have to save up to 4000 gold, but the great thing is is that the potency of your Marines and Rifles alone is able to net you that gold without much difficulty. The Bandit Lords are a huge snowballing unit when you get them at this stage, they are extremely tanky and field Devotion Aura to nearby units. Melee Combat Training will flesh out the tankiness of your frontline even more.  Tempo loss: High. Gain: Very High.
5. (Alternative) Purchase Flying Machines
    - A niche scenario in which you will purchase Flying Machines before Bandit Lords: if the Horde players are all Orcs and they have large numbers of Warlocks/Kodos/Shamans/Troll Doctors, the Flying Machines are a great investment. Not advisable against Undead armies due to Crypt Fiends. Tempo loss: High. Gain: Very High, depending on enemy armies.

6. Purchase Priests and Priest Upgrades and Meditation
    - A powerful support unit for your army. If the enemy team employs constant dispels however, forego Priests. Tempo loss: Moderate. Gain: Moderate.

7. Purchase War Golems and finish Attack Upgrades
    - With the combined potency of your ranged forces and the powerful tanks that are very hard to kill, acquiring War Golems at the 30 minute mark is not difficult to achieve. Once your War Golems began to stack up (they spawn 1 per minute) you will take over the game and achieve victory. Tempo Loss: Extremely High. Gain: Wins the game within 12 minutes.

Questions:

Q: Why not Bandits?
A: Bandits are a 1400 melee unit that are hardly tankier than Footmen, hardly do more damage than Footmen, and feed more than double the bounty. You might think purchasing Bandits early will make for an imposing frontline, and you might be right, but you still won't get any gold. And while they have Ensnare, there are alternatives to tying down Flying Units/specific Heroes that are much easier and cheaper to employ.

Q: Why not Knights?
A: While Knights boast rather impressive stats, their armor is of only a moderate number, and their Heavy Armor still makes them very easily taken down by Warlock Mages or Destroyers. The cost difference between Knights and Bandit Lords isn't that much. If you can acquire 2400 gold easily, you can just as easily acquire 4000 gold. Knights also do not provide good offensive power to your army.

Q: What about Gryphon Riders?
A: Gryphon Riders are a very powerful unit that are best used against enemy tank units with Heavy Armor (Taurens, Fel Orc Raiders, Zombies, Aboms). However, consider the build path. You have to be reliant on Footmen for quite a while until you purchase Bandit Lords. If you purchase Gryphon Riders your army will not be able to stay in battle for long, especially if the Horde boasts oppressive melee units. Gryphon Riders are really a late game purchase unless you intend to dick around and purchase them as your very first unit.

Q: What about Mortar Teams?
A: Siege is trash.

Q: What about Sorceresses?
A: I like big-cleavage sultry women as much as the next guy, but they provide no killing power.

Q: Should I get an Admiral?
A: An Admiral costs 4500 gold and 1000 lumber. It is a huge investment you must make, which is a huge tempo loss, for a level 1 Hero. Furthermore if the Admiral dies your army loses all it's support. It is always better to purchase 2 or 3 Support Heroes earlier in the game with the same auras but have increased utility from other skills/spells. And no I don't care if it means more micro, get over it. You only get an Admiral when you play some shit mode like income mode (-SI).