Learning from my mistakes:

[Ironhawk]

BigJMoney said:
I was playing themed Pythium (forget the name) ... my most powerful mages are only W1 N2

You are playing Serpent Cult Pythium: probably one of the weakest themes in the game. Even thier best mages are just plain terrible. If you are using CB mod, a blessed hydra strategy is ok, but you dont have the right paths for it on your pretender.

My suggestion to you is to start over and play regular Pythium. You can do all the mundane stuff like Gatewaying and Mind Hunting with your regular national mages and not risk your pretender. Reserve your pretender for combat or some particular spell or function that your nation doesnt normally have or you need quick/easy access to.