Hello Codename,
Found a few bugs in the lower level support in version 1.8.7
Honorbuddy Mode: Questing mode
Plugins: Refreshment Detection and a few private plugins (no influence on mage behaviour).
Profile used: Natfoth's Worgen Questing (SVN checkout)
Errors: Trying to cast spells it doesn't know (due to level), not casting spells it should, not using all of it's abilities.
Description of errors:
First of all it tries to cast Polymorph while it doesn't know the spell yet (He's level 11)
Timeframes: 19:26:56:230, 19:29:28:854, 19:29:35:493, 19:31:43:984, 19:31:52:220 etc etc (Search for Polymorph in the logs)
Second is that it's backpeddling without doing anything else to get away from a add.
I think it should be casting a freeze (water elemental) or frost nova before it backpeddles (which it knows but doesn't do).
Search the logs for "I dont know blink yet! BackPeddling!", there are several occurences.
Because it does this it dies, since it doesn't do much else than backpeddle while it gets smacked to death.
This usually follows on the Polymorph part (which fails due to level).
Third part is already mentioned by a few people. Even though the use of water elemental is enabled in config (You named it a frost elemental in your config btw, typo?), it doesn't use this ability.
I had to manually cast the elemental a few times and eventually it started to sometimes resummon another one.
I've attached the whole logfile of that period where I was watching it perform these things.
Hopefully it will help you determin the problems.
Kind regards, LiquidAtoR.