Board Thread:Skyrim/@comment-108.182.126.11-20130222200348/@comment-99.224.6.59-20130224020418

No, there's no cycle. One type on element will not be more effective against another (fire is not super effective against ice), but shock magic does damage to both health and magicka, making it effective against all mages. Frost magic does damage to health and stamina (good against warriors), and fire is good if you just need to do a lot of damage.