I actually will say that for my strategy for this game, Magus doesn't fit well. I always thought he was the coolest character as far as design, but my party is always Lucca, Marle, and Crono. Gold Studs all around, Antipode 3 and Luminaire. Takes about 5 minutes to beat the last two forms of Lavos.
Now when you lose Crono, you need a strong physical attacker and someone who can throw his magical weight around. That's why I always try to get Magus as soon as possible, and he leads my party to Death Peak.