[FrankTrollman]

Oracle Pretender: You can have your Oracle research quite well. Also it can make its own clams if none of your Marshmasters can do so. Finally, you don't need to go past Construction 4 or find any special magic sites to get your Wish factory or Arcane Nexus going. In short, you'll be able to bypass the entire "powering up" stage of high-end astral casting. Personally, I'd probably use an Astral 8 Pretender and take the saved 48 points to buy an extra point of Growth, as that is still plenty to Arcane Nexus and you'll be wanting to spam Enchantment anyway.

The Prince of Death is able to Soul Vortex/Invulnerability/Drain Life as soon as you hit Alteration 5. He's also big enough to make any Death effect you'll ever want - such as the Well of Misery or the Tartarian Gate. Also it can make Dwarven Hammers if you ever get Earth gems from anywhere. Finally, everyone in your empire can lead those stupid naked skeletons he makes around, and the spawn is better at higher Dominion levels, which you will have.

Ctis should be assassinating themselves to stolen provinces as soon as possible, so a Researcher Pretender is actually going to conquer more territory in the long run by allowing you to have more Assassins with Skull Staves spamming Raise Skeletons than a SC Pretender is. Especially compared to a SC pretender without Recuperation or Immortality.

Honestly, I find any attempt at a SC that lacks one of thse abilities to be asking for a lucky crossbow bolt to feeblemind your god and ruin your entire life. I do not and will not use them.

Gods are there to be casters as part of armies, site finders, specialty mages capable of casting spells you want to get up that your national mages can't master without empowerment, early researchers, or in the exclusive case of gods who can deal with battle afflictions - take provinces by themselves.

Miasma can't afford a god who can ignore battle afflictions, and therefore every second you spend considering a SC Pretender is a moment of your life you can never get back.

-Frank