Excessive mage nerfing in dom-III (?)

[Nerfix]

Well, in some games adding counters like the ones you suggested may work, but this is Dominions where often the spellcasting AI selects poor spells. Would the casting AI be smart enough to make the choice to shoot off a counterspell in an aproriate moment?

I doubt it. Thus taking in the Nerf Sword is pretty much the only choice. That or having yet again 20 nin pages long threads about how Caelum and it's quickened lightning shooters eat through everybdoy. That or skelly spam.

Now, that said, I wonder what they've added to make the Water magic worthwhile. Quickness and Clams were both admitedly overpowered, but they were pretty much all Water had.

What now?