There are a few ways to handle this. The semi spell users were more popular than pure spell users because they had mid-level combat to fall back on. A lot of players preferred semis over pure combat because that had some nice lists to pull from in a pinch.
- Combat as the primary means with spells as boosts or backups.
- Spells prior to combat, then enter combat
- Parry parry parry.
- Partial cover bonuses
- Don't enter combat alone, use positioning to buy you time to prep your spell
- Snap casting/hipshot spells. Higher penalty, but a nice surprise when you pull it off
- Selecting the correct spell list at PC creation, then adding the lists "you really want" later on
If you can get Stun Relief spells, Healing spells, etc., even at low level, can save your hide. There are auto-spells too that would be great to have too. Like any RM PC, at low levels, there's a lot of balancing to consider until you can start leveling up and really fleshing out the PC.