Using the spellbook in the book.  

I don't feel like I know any one Mage well enough to swap out spells.

So I've got a handful of games under my belt.  Not many I realize but I'm pretty good and breaking down a game.

I've noticed two things and I would like some advice on how to deal with it.

The Beastmaster, by a novice point of view, is over powered.  His ability to summon the weak beasts really helps him create a rush that I can't figure out how to beat.  The weak beasts are weak, but a golden rule of gaming is that "he/she who has the most actions has the serious advantage."  

A beastmaster who is played aggressively, while a bit risky, can really overwhelm an opponent.  

The wizard, as presented with the base spell list, seems weak.  Or rather, he does not seem weak, but attack spells seem overall weak.  On average, they will somewhat damage your opponent's creatures.  But you're putting a lot of mana to get very little reward.  

Now I'm sure this is my my perception of things.  So the advice I seek is:
1) How do you deal with the beastmaster (presuming he's in the hands of a skilled player)
2) For a character focused on damage spells, is there a trick to making that work better.

Oh, and one final thing.  I'm honestly trying to seek help, rather than say that "the beastmaster is like totally OP!".  I would ask that this thread be positive.