Creative help with changing basic elemental/cure spells?

Hey there. Good day? I hope so.

Spells like Fire/Fire2 and Cure/Cure2 have very simplistic use in-game that isn't very involving. For example, having the stronger Cure 2 renders the original one somewhat obsolete is most situations. Same goes even more-so for the elemental spells. There's pretty much no reason to use Fire1 over Fire 3 ever again later on.

It'd be nice to change these spells into each having unique strengths that depend on level, while at the same time never allowing any one level of spell to go obsolete. For example, I'm thinking of potential for there to be a unique situation in which it is appropriate to use Bolt3, but there also being another situation in which Bolt1 might be even better somehow. However, I'm having trouble thinking of anything that can be implemented effectively in-game. Other than the cheaper MP cost. So I'd like to ask you guys for any ideas..?

Well, assuming you don't want to throw the tier list entirely out the window and make up a completely different system...

-Possibly add in status effects that trigger sometimes to the first level spells.
-Possibly allow first level spells to be usable on Imp status (As in, Imps can only cast weak Magic, instead of just the Imp spell like vanilla. Not sure how feasible it is, this could be extremely simple or really difficult, as I don't know how it works).
-Possibly make it so that second level spells are the only ones that can be used Multi-target (maybe even automatically auto-target, to give the first level spells another niche if you only want to target one enemy in a group, before you get third level spells).
-Possibly make it so that second level spells always hit, regardless of Magic Evasion.

Of course, none of these ideas work worth beans if you don't put a lot of effort into the enemies as well to make sure scenarios come up where this system will be meaningful. Except possibly the Multi-target one, these won't be effective in the vanilla encounters. And some of these probably shouldn't be implemented at the same time.

Maybe he really wants to throw away the tier list...?
allow spell casting while imp means dealing with the hex code of the spell itself.

I believe that it would be worth checking Parasite Eve 2 spell list to get some idea: it's the first thing it came in my mind, when you asked that.

I don't really know how feasible it would be given the FFVI engine, but you could have the high level spells have higher base power, and have lower level spells scale faster with level or magic power, or something like that. I can foresee a problem of one spell always being more useful than the other, but it could be a different one depending on how you play the game.

I hate to say it since its kinda counter hacking but...

I'd think the "Keep it Simple Stupid" method of doing this would be to drastically raise the mp cost of said spells. You wouldn't cast Fire 3 for 200mp if Fire 2 (even with less damage) will still kill the monster. As I said, simple and stupid method, similar result, less effort. Not that I would encourage something so lacking in creativity but...