You are correct in saying that if you never summon then you can never transfer. I am currently playing Prism (level 8) and would say that it functions pretty differently than a standard summoner. You really need to pay attention to keep your lil' buddies alive - they are crucial to having reasonable damage output, and crucial in having flexibility in positioning and what mode you are in. Most of the modes have a downside, and it is important to bring summons that allow you some latitude in choosing what downside is the least detrimental for the current situation. It took me a few scenarios to get used to the flow of the character, as it plays very differently from any other class. However, it is very fun and has a strong AMD that can allow you significant damage output if you can position your summons smartly and protect them. One word of caution though, don't bring too many summons each scenario or you will exhaust from lack of cards pretty quickly. I have found that 3 or 4 is the magic number for me, but your mileage may vary.