I really like the beast master - ever tried the raven? Blinds the opponent on a hit without a save, can get almost everywhere flying.
I had the "air force" in play: warlock's imp + ranger's raven - great!
Combined with the spell Aid (especially cast at spell level 3 for +10 hp all day) it was kinda ridiculous having only these small flyers in melee (great for the rogue, too), and the rest just attacking ranged.
BUT there are limits to this... sometimes you need a heavy hitter in front (the Grym).
