In a way, the Evocation "Blaster Mage" was the party role the designers of Third Edition/3.5 had in mind. There's that anecdote of a proto-Batman Wizard during 3E Playtesting wiping the floor with whatever the DM threw at them, but the designers shrugged and said "eh, nobody will play it that way".

So by extension, if the designers of the world had that type of wizard in mind as the "standard" way, maybe it makes sense the rather simplistic raw force type of magic use would be popular. But much like all of Start of Darkness, just because the world was designed with that intent doesn't mean the "standard" way doesn't have flaws. Vaarsuvius had the idea that raw force is the best way to use magic, and then Xykon humiliated them, only for them to come much closer to dealing him a critical blow with thinking a little like Batman. They can't undo their choices which undermined their raw flexibility, but they've definitely learned how subtle displays can go a lot further than scry and die.