This is not about lore, only about visuals. Verthunder, Veraero, Verstone, Verfire and Jolt all send magic flying from the focus towards the target with a fitting sort of discharge or hurling/slinging motion. There definitely is momentum involved in that. The new spells also have this character movement (and they have the exact same one as the regular Verthunder/Veraero) but lack the connection of the spell between caster and target which makes these spells feel jarring and emptier than the base versions in comparison, even though the spell effects on the target look very nice and fitting for an upgrade. I am not debating that RDM should not have gotten upgraded spells, it's just that the movement and the particle effect don't work together as well as with the old spells.

It may have looked like that in a trailer but, playing the job, Verfire's gesture is anything but subtle. It is almost a move you would see in a sport like tennis.