This, however, I think is a good showcase for where mid-range nuking is way in favor of SCH over some longer period of time. A direct comparison between lower, steadier and higher, yet less frequent damage, where the former eventually generates more damage over time and thus more damage in the long run.

Now SCH/BLM is about as “gimp” (no offense) as BLM/SCH. Both have like no defensive measures, at all. To be completely fair, you’d have to put up SCH/RDM against BLM/RDM and SCH/BLM against BLM/SCH. I think you will find that under normal circumstances (where SCH/RDM and BLM/RDM run around), SCH/RDM crushes BLM/RDM in MP efficiency, but in a world where both SCH/BLM and BLM/SCH are viable and never draw hate, BLM/SCH wins hands down [1]. Dead DDs are bad DDs, though.

[1] Someone math’d it out in a comment on Kaeko’s most recent LJ entry, “proving” why BLM/SCH is inferior to BLM/RDM, too.

In the 3 Dynamis runs I’ve parsed (2 from this Linkshell, 1 from my former LS), I’ve always been on the top 3 of “Average”.

My last 2 runs I’ve 1) Cast the most nukes – and – 2) Maintained the highest damage output for mages – dealing 30% more damage than the mage who dealt the 2nd highest damage.

FOR THE RECORD: I, by no means, am trying to sound condescending to Black Mages. This is a way for me to see where I stand in the “nuking-game” sorta say. It’s a way I can scale myself against other mages and find some way of improvement. I also find it to be a sort of self-accomplishment to be able to do stuff like this. And if you argue, “If Prox up there cast 100 nukes, he would of done more damage than you.” I have no doubt he would of, his average is higher. But the spell cost and the regeneration of MP comes into play in scenarios like this.

And I find it more of a challenge knowing that I feel Prox and Smurfy might find this a competition (and I’d be all for friendly competition). I honestly thought during this Dynamis Prox would of beat me in overall damage – I didn’t realize I had cast so many nukes though.

Hah, and just to end things… I was a SCH/BLM. I didn’t have Stoneskin / Phalanx / Blink / what-not. I’d love to see a BLM/SCH. Their MP efficiency would be so much more. Using Parsimony on Freeze II, and the -10% MP Cost/Casting time from Dark Arts. Would be interesting.

P.S. Sure, I died a few times. I died the most in this Dynamis, mostly over stuff like “Hey, I’m gonna cast Blizzard IV and Thunder IV back-to-back while I’m weakened.” Overall, 7 deaths.

=== Algors ===
Aero II: 1
Aero III: 2
Blizzard II: 1
Blizzard III: 6

=== Artax ===
Blizzard: 1
Blizzard III: 18
Blizzard IV: 28

=== Imihe ===
Thunder III: 10

=== Proxenos ===
Blizzaga III: 2
Blizzard IV: 22
Burst II: 2
Freeze: 1
Freeze II: 15
Thunder IV: 4
Tornado II: 1

=== Setherio ===
Aero: 2
Blizzard: 2
Blizzard II: 1
Blizzard III: 15
Blizzard IV: 68
Thunder III: 1
Thunder IV: 11

=== Shadowkiller ===
Blizzard III: 2
Thunder III: 4

=== Smurfy ===
Aero IV: 1
Blizzard IV: 45
Fire IV: 21
Water IV: 1

You tossed out more Blizzard IV _than any other single nuker cast nukes in total_. Which actually showcases the strength of SCH as a magic DD more than total dmg onry (which is an immanent result of the nuke frequency). As long as our resist rates don’t suck so much that our average dmg drops below like 50%-ish of BLMs’ average dmg, we will prevail.

I snuck into Einherjar as a magic DD once and came out 2nd total (lolmelees included) on parse, just because I was tossing out insane numbers of nukes that each dealt less than most BLMs nukes. I don’t have that parse (another LS member parsed), but I was BIV-ing without much of a break.