[Stormbinder]

Originally posted by Yossar:
64 mystics has an upkeep of 768 gold. And then you have to add on some astrologers, some priestesses, and an army. I guess you can purposely kill them off to keep down upkeep but you're still going to need a large empire before you can count on getting a 3A mage. A Mystic with 3 in anything is too rare to be counted on as part of any strategy. You'll get some kind of 3-magic Mystic before too long, but it's not something you can plan for.

In MP games you can always try to trade for magic pathes boosting items that you really need from other players. It may be costly, and some players may refuse if they consider you a threat, but more often than not you can find what you are looking for, as long as it doesn't take magic path higher than 2-3 to forge.