I have a player who wants to play a martial artist channeler (al la the Akashic Bro from M:tA). I am trying out ideas for Chinese themed elements like Ancient Mai.
I am basically knowledgeable about that paradigm but as it is much more conceptual it kinda hard putting it into more practical terms. I would be open to input on how the RAW elemental associations would redistribute into the Chinese.
Mechanically, any element can do any type of evocation spell - attack, block, maneuver, and counterspell. They cover all your mechanical options. Differences appear in how easy a maneuver may or may not be, in the declarations available to both sides, and in compels.
I really liked the idea that each element empowered/drained/and cut another. I wanted to play around with that.
Unless you want to write your own mechanics, this is best covered via declarations and compels. Declaring "Wood is a Weak Defense against Fire" gives that fire attack a +2 boost while declaring "Metal is Impervious to Fire" would give the defense a +2 boost. Compeling a fire shield to be useless against water might also be used...and if the compel is bought off, the shield has been constructed in such a way it vents steam away from the target.
Figure out the effects your group wants and work on potential declaration ideas ahead of time. Also, decide what general success level a given type of declaration might need. Both will save you time during play.