[Ygorl]

Items can be expensive, and you need research to be able to make them. Also, they work just as well in a high-magic dominion.
Knowing how to cast powerful spells is just so amazingly important that it's hard for me to convince myself it's worth taking drain. Every now and then I'll try it (say, with Niefelheim and a bless strategy - that means, a pretender with high magic in one or two paths, so that holy troops get awesome benefits when blessed) but it usually doesn't work that well except in quicker games.