How does direct damage mage hold up on impossible?

[john_crapper]

My only crossworlds experience is but a single game with impossible warrior. I got 1731 points, 14 days and 86 quests - missed 6-7 quests somehow, even though i dont know what i missed. I did try for a highscore, but did not read or employ any of the mindnumbing stuff i read people here did, what with kb scanner planning, unit collections and what have you. And in that game in no turn, could i have afforded the luxury of using direct damage, even, consideri

Through that game, i got the impression that the overwhelming numbers you face on impossible cannot be shaved down effectively enough through the use of focused damage spells. I could see how the mage's bulletpoint of whittling down with 2 strong spells the most immediate threats in the enemy army on Normal, but the leadership of units you face on impossible, compared to your mage are ridiculous.

So the armies i faced with my test impossible mage on rusty anchor were of the like of 1338 skeleton archers worth of leadership per stack, and with my 50% dmg from 3/3 destruction, +25% fire dmg from items, 14 intellect, i deal 540 per level 2 fire arrow and 888-1000 per rain of fire level 2, which even cast twice is not too negligible...I find myself using mainly poison + black/red dragon ability to just debuff with dots the enemy army.

Its frustrating to fight enemy stacks which number in the hundreds with my own 1 red 1 black and archmages.

If this magic damage scale keeps up like that, i probably need to reconsider starting anew, as damage is probably not the way to go and i already spent runes on 3/3 destruction.

But then what's to differentiate it from a warrior game? Smaller armies, but i can cast spells on them twice?