Forgive me if i am wrong for i am not a mage.Ice blast is broken! It has super-slow cast times and cooldown times, gigantic energy costs... and oh, forgot to mention that it is barely stronger than shards. In fact, it hit weaker in my experience. Get this: A 25/20 ice blast vs a 18/20 shards. Shards had more damage most of the time.
Area of Effect attacks should be weaker than single target attacks. This is the case in all classes as it should be.
Imagine throwing a rock at someone, Now imagine breaking up the same sized rock and throwing bits at lots of people. You should do far less damage when throwing at lots of people. It makes sense in my head lol