I like EK as a "War" type caster and Evocation fits well. It's pretty awesome to wipe out minions with a Fireball, and then take down their boss with a Greatsword. The game should not steer you away from Evocation spells after making them a core part of the class.
I think requiring and rewarding a higher Intelligence for an Arcane spellcaster hybrid class should be a thing.
I think Intelligence should affect the potency of all spells, not just offensive spells.
I think it's clear that EK is meant to be a hybrid warrior-spellcaster who uses both offensive and defensive combat spells, but lacks the utility/CC repertoire or versatility of a dedicated spellcaster. They can still pick any spell at certain levels and an 8th level EK can do stuff like Hold Person > GWM crits combo. So Intelligence can and should be a big deal with this subclass. Which leads us back to the Headband/Int dump being pretty stupid in a video game.
I think it’s pretty clear that EK is not meant to be equally hybrid as a caster and warrior. They don’t get 3rd level spell slots until level 13, at which point a wizard has a level 7 spell slot. Any fireballs cast by an EK are going to do paltry damage against the enemies you are facing by that point.
The EK is first and foremost a fighter but had a bit of magic up their sleeve, but they aren’t designed to be proper casting class or even an equal warrior-casting hybrid.
