Scathe is by no means useless, though. By using a Blizzard-->Scathes-->Blizzard-->Scathes cycle, you can continually hit a mob while effectively kiting him, the Blizzards keeping him Heavied while the Umbral Ice buff keeps your MPs up, and the Scathes inflicting damage while you kite him. This isn't something you'd do in a party, where you're expecting the tank to hold on to the mob, but is useful in some solo situations.