Never played a Mage in Rift, but boy did I love the first iteration of the Cleric Defiler. People said you couldn't heal 5mans with it, but my build could. Always surprised the Clerics in group when they found I healed the heroic dungeon as a Defiler! Now Ascension just added some new healing REs that are similar in fashion to the Defiler and I'm just really giddy about it all.