a lot of people have complained about balance. they say it's unfair due to one spell - ONE SPELL! they say balance can't be blocked. they dare to say that balance's tactic of using the other schools makes sorcerers mere parasites. and they have the nerve to say that balance wizards don't want to work for power, that they just want it handed to them. i myself am balance, and can assure you:
the "one spell" - judgement - is incredibly hard to boost. it requires having defeated krokotopia, marleybone, and being at least level 28 (that's when you get the actual spell).
every school can take measures to bring any sorcerer down.
fire: stack multiple dot spells on the opponent. not only will it break shields for your non-dot attacks, but it can force a sorcerer to spend his pips healing. you can also use a fireshield and then use immolate, removing any generic traps on you. using stealcharm can let you boost yourself AND lower his/her boost at the same time. fireshield and glacialshield are an excellent defense against hydra and spectralblast.
ice: stack towershield and icearmor spells to make the balance wizard really have to work to deal you any damage at all. you can also use frostbite to remove ice shields. iceshield and volcanicshield can defend from hydra and spectralblast. steal ward can - maybe - remove a trap applicable to your attacks (iceshields AND fireshields are applicable, due to the nifty little thing called iceprism - only, of course, if you decide to use said spell).
storm: use multiple powerful attacks to force the sorcerer to be on the defensive; he will usually spend his pips to heal. use a low-rank attack if they have multiple applicable shields, and then follow up with a large attack. you can also use charm-destroying spells to remove his/her blades and any weaknesses on you. stormshield and thermicshield will block spectralblast and hydra.
life: stack spiritarmor spells to prevent taking a lot of damage, and have a good supply of heal spells in case he/she does break through. since many sorcerers have a spirit school as a secondary, lifeshield and legendshield will work wonders. you could even cast entangle, so as to prevent the sorcerer from using secondary life-school spells to heal and/or attack.
myth: summon low rank minions to go through their shields. minotaur and orthrus, while costly, can break multiple shields. you can use ward-destroying spells to remove traps on you and shields on them. additionally, you can wipe out all their shields and blades with earthquake. mythshield and ethershield will protect from a spirit secondary. vaporize will prevent use of myth as a secondary school attack.
death: if you have generic traps on you, you can use a death shield and follow up with sacrifice to remove the traps and heal too. if the sorcerer has allies (or if not; i think it would be hilarious to watch your foe totally bash himself/herself to bits on their own nuke spell), use beguile if the balance wizard has 5 or more of his/her pip slots filled. you can break their death shields with poison. deathshield and dreamshield as defense against the secondary will serve you well. strangle would be well used, as many balance wizards invest in feint, and tend to use attack spells they pick up along the way such as vampire and skeletalpirate.
balance: you can use weakness, rely on any resistance from clothes, and have helpinghands ready. to break necessary shields, you can use hydra, spectralblast, and/or spectral minion to rid the opponent of elemental and tower shields. elementalshield and spiritshield should be placed to defend yourself from spectralblast, hydra, and the spirit secondary.
sorcerers are not parasitic. the school of balance employs other schools judiciously (ha); a parasite relies solely on its victim.
finally, the power of balance is in its ability to alter combat. the first alteration spell is gained at level 22. the second is gained at level 33 (and death has a similar version of our level 33 spell, might i add). not counting boosting spells and minions, balance gets a grand total of two spells that fit its ability, and both are open to all with the training points. is that your idea of immediate power? neither even really helps that much.
ps: i would also like to point out that balance attacks are the only attacks that can be boosted to a finite amount. you see, with other schools, it is possible to use all appicable boosts to the attack, then use the prism of it's opposite school, use all applicable boosts, then use the prism of the original school and do the whole thing over again, and it only ends when you run out! mind, that does take teamwork and strategy.
pps: i hope you appreciate the fact i just basically betrayed my fellow sorcerers and myself by offering a detailed guide to whipping the heckhound out of them.
ppps: please don't complain about balance here, because i will then get a kick out of shredding your posts. :-P and also, please, no complaining about STRENGTH if you're STORM (the power school), nor should an ICE or FIRE wizard complain about SHIELDS (they are the shield and shield-breaking schools respectively). DEATH? no bringing up BOOSTS please, ye masterful owners of the feint spell. LIFE and MYTH? i haven't figured out what it would be ridiculous for you to complain about yet. stay tuned!! :-P
