Necromancers – “Assault” [Campaign 3, Mission 2]

So, does that mean I shouldn't immediately curse the cities of the Mages, or will all cities have the same spells? Also, I noticed that when I fight (with a hero) against a huge army of Hafiz, he moves 2-3 times more often than Markel. How can I deal with this? I only manage to cast Blind, Berserk, and Dominate, but raising the dead is not profitable because almost all my stacks suffer losses, and Markel moves very rarely...