[RamsHead]

If you are on a smaller or even medium sized map, you can go with a death scale. C'tissian mages don't suffer from old age and with nature magic, you should not have any major problems with supply. Though if you do go with a death scale, you should avoid over taxing and patrolling.

Yes, you should put magic on your pretender that your nation doesn't have access to. If you were playing Arcoscephale or T'ien Ch'i, then it wouldn't be as big of a deal, but EA C'tis is quite magically focused.

As far as your magic strategy goes, I don't see any glaring flaws with it. You might want to consider going for Raise Skeletons first. Black Servants are nice, but you should be able to expand fast enough to come across an indie province that allows you to recruit scouts. Most of the time you shouldn't bother with Shades. They are fairly weak, so it is better to save up for more powerful beings.