Anyways, this new armor system, where magic and physical armor has to be taken out before status effects can be used, has me thinking of a more optimal party structure. On top of the armor, even at level 10, I'm still only seeing level 2 spells (I don't think I've run into level 3 spells yet). This has me thinking that maybe every party member should pick up magic and physical disciplines. That way if you run into enemy with no physical armor, you can quickly control them, and if they have little magic protection, you can quickly bring their magic down and take control. I'm also thinking that physical damage may be preferred for doing damage, as it's generally a lot more consistent.
The start of every fight might consist of everyone dropping magic on targets to allow the Medusa spell petrify everything, or use chill and rain/water to freeze or stun groups. Or if they have weak physical armor, drop that and knock them down, or turn them into chickens. If every member can help out in that, control will be a lot faster.
I just kind of hate this type of party structure, as I'm a fan of the typical tank, healer, controller, damage dealer setup. 4 different types of characters that are stronger together. The first game was a little bit the same way, in which magic was needed on every character for the status effects, but this version may have taken things to a new level.