[Wendigo]

Originally posted by Norfleet:
oftentimes a good tank-killer is most likely to get his best hits in if he can strike before his opponent has raised a whackload of spell defenses of his own.[/QB]

Different aproaches, a superior build (because of its specialization) is as viable as a first strike build, they just work differently.

You're simply trading off your limited 5 spell slots instead of your item slots, and lifedrain still requires fewer.
[/QB]

Not necessarily, as you can get those spells from other mages. It is my experience that a SC (or even a group of SCs!), do not stand a chance vs a small army consisting of a duellist SC plus a few supporting mages.

We seem to agree on all the rest, so I am edditing it out.