Spell quality made Jack-diddly difference before the revamp.. Find an Adept 1, 3, or Master 1 of your Reactive and compare.. there is a MAJOR difference in spell quality now, and that, in a lot of cases, can mean success or failure. Before the revamp.. there were a LOT of situations where the App 1 version of a spell actually healed for more than the adept, or even the master, and actually cost less power.. Now it is as it should be.. you are rewarded for upgrading, and it is a very substantial reward.. Go check the broker, if you don't have any money and examine the spell (I'm sure the Adept will be on there) and you will see that it is a HUGE difference, and may fix your issue.