... the Archer is the best compromise between a fighter, a mage and a thief. They don't do anything particularly well except shoot a bow, but that's an important weapon in all the MM games, and the other functions are useful. I still think the disarm function is vital. Trying to do the Haunted Mansion with inadequate disarm skills cured me of any further attempt at disarm-free parties. I got totally fed up with having to rest and heal after every room when clearing the chests in that place. For the majority of the chests & cupboards, there is simply no place you can get line of sight from far enough away to be able to use TK without getting caught in the resultant explosion. And that's true for most of the dungeons.
I don't know how you developed any Archers in your parties, but I've never had any problem with their running out of Mana. I don't use their magic skills extensively, admittedly, but they've always had enough for what I needed from them.
However, wouldn't life be boring if we all had the same opinions? 
