Random Thoughts.....What Are You Thinking?

SCH gets T4 nukes, sure. And DNC gets Dancing Edge. Doesn't mean DNC is the new THF, and SCH is not the new BLM. In a way, SCH > BLM just like BRD > COR. The BLM can do their job much better, but it's just not efficient. Just like with COR, you have much better buffs than BRD, but you have to wait for Phantom Roll recast. Well BLM has much better nukes than SCH, but you have longer recasts.

That being said, BLM can also get a ton better gear than SCH (SCH can't use Morrigan's or Sorcerer's Ring) and the SCH will never do more damage per-nuke.

Party-wise, SCH also suffers from Light/Dark Arts recast, aka one Dispel per minute. Even COR can do better than that. SCH has no defensive spells so when you do take hate, you're going to take damage and create even more for yourself to have to worry about.

The lack of refresh also hurts. People always say it's okay because SCH has Sublimation, but RDM isn't valued because they can refresh themselves. They're valued because they can refresh others.

Reduced skill means more resists, no Haste is just an obvious setback, Stratagems are mostly just there to make up for their lack of actual skill or useful JAs/JTs (SCH doesn't get MAB IV, or any MAB for that matter, nor does it get Fast Cast, Divine Seal, Elemental Seal, Convert, etc.)

The one thing SCH does have is Enspell-ga, though it's only useful with fast-hitting jobs.

To answer the OP, no, SCH is not the best mage. SCH is not the second best mage. SCH is not the third best mage.