I almost always lose when I play as Tech, but I do pretty well when I'm Magic. The simple reason is Battle Mages. Most of it probably has to do with not having to sacrifice troop production for resource gathering, because your resource gatherers become your best troops! I can just build sixteen Initiates and when I get enough gold for it, I have an army of Battle Mages ready to go. While they're on their way to start pounding the first enemy base into dust, I'm already rebuilding my stock of Initiates. Once my mages have laid waste to the enemy Castle or Mage Tower, they can just run home (and they're pretty fast, so they can get away easily) while the enemy starves to death. By the time they get back, I've got easily enough Initiates to replace any casualties I've suffered and another attack is just a moment away. Additionally, Magic has access to the most useful unit in the game right off the bat, rather than having to build a Barracks first. If for some reason your enemy survives your initial onslaught, then Magic has access to Dragons. Sure, the Dragon isn't necessarily very sturdy because of its organic armor type, but they can be sent out in homogeneous waves, rather than having to be accompanied by anti-air units like the Airship does (making it much more useful).
In summary, Magic is much stronger for me. Your mileage may vary.
