[Twan]

Personnally I consider wish balanced as national mages can't cast it without many empowerements. Wish is 1 spell/turn that only a specially designed pretender will cast in most cases. For the same number of gems and research level, 6 mages a nation like Machaka can have without any empowerement can cast Volcanic Eruption on the richest provinces of their ennemies, killing about 60k pop a turn, (or the same number of just a little equiped death mage can cast Black death for an even bigger effect), 4 mages with some equipment any astral nation can have can attack any province on the map with their troops via astral travel, 3 immortal demi-lich or 60+ wights can be summoned by a death nation, 5 siege golem by an earth nation (500 siege bonus !), etc... And all these spells are usable even if the pretender is dead or had lost magic levels. There is an excellent counter for wishes, killing/feebleminding the only guy able to cast.