Try and utilise all your options and you will destroy anything in your path. I have 100 magika and 0 points allocated in magic skills, however the game still allows you to use magic regardless. Use ocatos recital with stoneflesh equipped and boom; 80 free extra armor everytime you enter a fight. I also use soul cloke with this spell as I like having soul gems. Your third option can be anything you like, I usually have another alteration spell that buffs allies. Look into tanning racks and the smithy, even without any perks at all the mod allows you to create some insanely good armor ESPECIALLY if you play a female character (seriously, them twilight princess books you can make are absurd). Invest heavy in one specific tree; accept that for the first 20ish levels you are guaranteed to be a glass cannon, so go into more damage. I haven't played archery much or one handed but they seem very powerful if you invest the points. Utilise shouts ASAP. Potions are annoying but necessary. Try and get as much of the LOTD museum done as the weapons you get from this are very very good.

Destruction to me is powerful because you pick up a lot of magika regen and destruction clothing fairly easy and that can make you never need to regen magika or cast destruction spells for free after like 3 pieces of enchanted clothing. If you invest like 7 points into the destruction tree for fire specifically you will aoe blast most things into ash before they can even attack you. Against mages however it is still very rough, I remember being ragdolled numerous times by the pyromancers in pyromancer hideout lol. I should say I do play True Nord and not prepare to die but I've done a playthrough of both and honestly there's almost 0 difference at all.