[Xietor]

Actually, my god starts with 3 air not 2. actually my troops of choice late in the game are bane lords, decked out with fire brand, boots quickness, ring regen, lucky pendant, etc.

But after i take a few castles, i get access to other magics.
I really do not need much astral. I keep gift health, haunted forest, mother oak, and mechanical militia up at all times later in the game and that only leaves 1 slot for everyone else. if something like burden of time is cast, i typically find some way to get rid of it. either kill the caster, or dispel it by casting another spell.

I hire every mercenary that can search for magical gems, so i typically have access to all paths. Dagan usually is up early so i use him to search for astral. then later in the game i use other wizards.

because mages for Pangaea have no age issues, i use a mage in my capital to cast all of my global enchantments, and another mage in my capital to build up astral powers when i get access them(to avoid getting my god killed in a duel).

i use the gorgon to fight frequently, so i do not want the gorgon casting my global enchantments.