I probably just can't imagine sending my mages out to fight without a decent amount of meat between them and the enemy. Might be my (un)creativity

I just imagine a horde of Mictlan Jaguars running towards your mages.... will a few inf, salamanders and mages (without real AoE spells) hold that one?
If you say it worked, then I'll just try to adapt this to other nations with similar weaknesses. Got to learn thinking outside the box - Abysia with Drain3 for sure is "outside standard"
Any idea on the lanterns + Luck?