good one!!

i noticed that upgrading and purchasing the right items has to happen at almost a break neck pace if you want to keep up and counter what the 'human AI' is about to do to you.

Lol yeah that will happen bro. Human thinking vs. AI thinking is usually better . (keyword: usually!)

I think that I spent my "Demigod MP noobness" in DotA, which was a pretty damn harsh introduction into this style of game. 

My friend and I usually do a lot of comp stomps inbetween MP pub games and he tends to keep upping the difficulty stacking (ugh, us 2 vs 5 nightmare AI Regulus) and usually I use those comp stomp sessions to try out different Demigods, skill builds and item builds so that I know what I want and what to aim for once I do play a MP pub game.

If there was one drastic surprise from playing my first MP Demigod match, I think it's how you rarely ever get to level 20 and multiple Artifact items are very rare.

"What, No Ashkandor, Bulwarks, Unmaker and All-Father Ring in my inventory at the end of the match  ?"