Of course, there
are some Water mages who you specifically
want to cast Breath of Winter. SC pretenders with Water and Ice Devils quickly come to mind...since often they'll be soloing indie provinces.
Having said that, Water mages are a tad dangerous and generally best used out of combat, or for bringing landlubbers with them for taking sea provinces - or hopefully they only have Water 1 so they can cast Quickness and stay out of trouble.
