Ereb

You're exaggerating when you say Hafiz has a 300% better starting position than Nurah – that's a stretch. :D

But if you look at it that way, Nurah might seem decent at the start, but her troops are terrible!!! Even mini-arts won't help her!!! Her magic might be strong, but against a good warrior with anti-magic skills, she'll lose...
So, Nurah's racial ability becomes useless.

I'd recommend paying attention to Hafiz and, for example, Nahriz. Both are experts in units, and a mage's victory often depends on the correct use of special units.