Not really @ melee unless by that you mean they can be a body to soak up dmg haha. Dudes get in the way and everything.
MAs on average I think are about med skill, at MA lol. Most people who play have MA because they know they need it, people who actually fight you can fight, usually, so there is a better chance of a MA being decent than a nub I'd say.
Mage is management, it's a different skill set. Not that it means other stuff can't be helpful, too, but the ability you can debuff people at range, heal, spike, pressure, if you can land your spells and you're smart enough to know how to get in and out and where to go if you get jumped, you should be able to be a good mage IF you choose what you do wisely. It's just like an extra wrinkle. A mage + melee is a nightmare combo for two melee IMO. All the mage has to do is nuke the one fighter hard, corrupt them, then stay alive while his teammate kills one of the guys. Then they double team the guy left.
I do think there need to be more ways to do things to make money so maybe stuff like dps and being able to parry/fight multi guys won't matter as much.
