Nice guide, Star_Seer!
Started playing an Earth/Thermal a few weeks ago. Currently Corestine is Lvl 34 and from what i've seen so far, i have to agree - Earth/Thermal is really a fun combo to play with, even though I seem to have a slightly different approach to it. For example I skipped Stone Cages because I don't like my fellow heroes to be forced to search mobs in the midst of all the rubble. So far it seems Quicksand and Earthquake do the job of keeping disoriented foes together quite well.
Just missing one little thing in your guide though - we should warn everybody that this combination (maybe as all combinations involving /Thermal) is a really busy one. Keeping two shields and forge up all the time, putting down your controls AND healing your teammates demands a good portion of enthusiasm.