My scale would look like this, separating the Mages into two classes, then ranking them in terms of that scale from most aggressive to most controlling in their class
Brute
1-Warlock
2-Beastmaster
3-Warlord
Control
1-Forcemaster
2-Wizard
3-Priestess
Mages in the Brute class are defined by lower channeling and higher life. This makes them naturally more aggressive, because they can leverage their higher life best earlier in the game when there is little mana between them and their opponents. They lose that advantage as the game continues on and each mage has access to more and more mana and spells. They all have a melee skill too and will win in an early slugfest against the non-brute mages.
Mages in the Control class are defined by higher channeling and lower life. They can't win in a battle of strength against the Brute mages without more spells to help them, and thus must rely on their higher channeling to supply that advantage over time, where their better access to mana will eventually overwhelm their opponents.
Spawnpoints are a good "at a glance" way of figuring out which mages are the most controlling/aggressive in their respective class, because it lets you see how easy it is for them to generate a late-game advantage without any other kind of investment. Another good indication is a mage's ease of access to early haymaker-style creatures, since those creatures give the best value for your mana when you have a lot of it (i.e., at the beginning or end of the game).
For example, if we look at the Brute class, the Warlock's Pentagram still only generates extra mana if he or his friendly creatures are attacking, so to make use of this mana/action generating conjuration, he still needs to remain aggressive early on. He also has the easiest access to Adramelech, Lord of Fire, who is pretty much the most expensive, aggressive creature in the game. He has another great aggressive opening in Goran and a Dark Pact Slayer.
The Beastmaster's Lair is the most expensive conjuration in the game, as much as 3 mana crystals, yet only channels 2, so it's very much the middle-of-the-road spawnpoint out of the 3 Brute mages. Beastmasters have access to Pet Steelclaw Grizzlies, which come pretty close to matching Adramelech in power, but lack the Flying that helps Adramelech go straight for the opposing mage without having to worry about ground attacks that might Hinder him.
The Warlord's Barracks can channel 3 mana with an overall investment of 20 mana, without him having to be aggressive at all. This is allows him to have the best late-game mana of the 3 Brute mages. Warlords are a bit different in how they handle aggression. Against Control class mages, they boast Sir Corazin, Blademaster, who has the Sweeping and Doublestrike needed to get past defenses and guards, but who can still defend the Warlord well enough with his 2 very good defenses. The exception is against the Forcemaster, which demands an Iron Golem.
Against other Brute class mages who summon Adramelech or Grizzles or other "bombs," the Warlord needs Thorg, Chief Bodyguard, who is the most powerful defensive creature in the game. Thorg swings for a good amount of dice on the attack, but he really shines on guard where he can swing for a massive ten dice and block even some piercing dice with his 4 armor. He can even ground massive fliers like Adramelech or Selesius with his taunt ability. Thorg can buy the Warlord time to muster enough mana to mount an effective counter-assault later on against the more mana-starved Brute mages like the Warlock and Beastmaster.
For the Control class, the Forcemaster is certainly the most aggressive. While she has familiars that generate mana, she doesn't actually have a spawnpoint, and can't really compete in a late-game war of mana against most other mages due to how squishy her flying brain-pets are. This is pretty much the reason why Force Hammer deals extra damage to corporeal conjurations; it allows her to combat mid/late-game spawnpoint builds efficiently and prevent other mages from building up too much of a mana advantage. She also easily has the most aggressive weapon of all the Control class mages, Galvitar, capable of swinging 8 dice, or quick attacking with piercing damage, and a defense that combats the fact that she only has 32 health. Given that this defense costs 1 mana per use, she pretty much effectively has as much channeling as the Brute mages when in combat.
Forcemasters also have the Invisible Stalker, which is probably the best fatty creature any Control class mages have access to. It's very tenacious and difficult to interact with and swings for a lot of quick-attack dice.
The Wizard is the more middling of the Control mages. He doesn't have the powerful aggressive equipment that the Forcemaster does, or the natural defense, but he does have a damage shield that helps him out when he needs to fire off some attack spells. He also has access to the Darkfenne Hydra which can really lay on some dice, but is more naturally defensive due to its slow and regenerate traits and will likely be guarding your mana conjurations more than chasing the enemy mage (though it can be pretty aggressive if you give it some Cheetah Speed).
That said, his Arcane Ring also lets him build up mana more efficient than the Forcemaster. His spawnpoint can also reliably get 1-2 extra mana per turn, so it's similar in effectiveness to the Beastmaster's. Additionally, most if not all Arcane spells are late-game or defense focused, with an emphasis on draining mana in one way or another.
Finally we come to the Priestess, the most controlling mage in the game. She has access to the most efficient Daze/Stun spells, which really help her out when on the defensive. It helps her negate her opponent's actions while she builds up mana and defenses. Her spawn costs 20 and channels 3 mana at full capacity and her Asyran Clerics operate as both mana-batteries and help aid defenders when need be. She also has a lot of very powerful legendary angels that she can field in the late game that no mage can really stand up against if they give her time to fuel her mana.
