Apocolypse is an offensive spell, So other offensive spells such as fireball, dragon's breath, lightning will serve a similarly aggressive attacking purpose.
However the Fire Elemental is most like meteor shower - you only really need one or the other. Both are very damaging with their area effects, but the fire elemental has a delayed start, due the travel of it's seed projectile.

The spell ingredient saphire can produce the spells:

fire elemental,

totem of remote casting and

judgement.

These spells are top end of the market, and are all very powerful.
The Totem of Remote Casting facilitates a more landscape/'posession of POPS ' approach to the game, wearing the opponent down by starving him of mana. Apocalpyse is a massively damaging spell, but since it has a perfect equal in meteor shower, judgement is the spell of choice for saphire. It is still a huge effect but discriminatory - a wizard can stand in the middle of the effect while all around him chaos creatures bite the dust.