My response to monks has been a mix of Ruin II, Miasma II and Sprint. I also pretty much play with the right mouse button held down, specifically for quick positioning of the camera to get off a Ruin II or Bio. And if you do get Sprint and Miasma II in, you can strafe away and toss the Ruin II/Bio/ED/whatever as you put on a little distance. Don't underestimate the benefit of Blind.
On the swiftcast/summon issue, I've never had Ifrit killed.
