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I quite like several of the changes in this; it'd be nice in particular to have a fly Speed that doesn't cost a spell slot for late-game encounters. I very much like the 16th-level hybrid study feats overall, as well, and while I was initially iffy on the focus spells, I do think they offer meaningfully different value from existing options.
My main criticism is that if the intent is to help melee Magus builds, this may not necessarily achieve that goal: at levels 1-3 in particular, the Magus would still struggle to enter Arcane Cascade, and would then need to pay a feat tax for the privilege of doing so more easily after that. At higher levels, the Magus would still get hit increasingly often by Reactive Strikes, which the proposed feats don't really address in my opinion. My belief is therefore that the Magus might also require adjustments to some of their class features as well as their feats. They needn't be huge or many changes, just enough to let the Magus do their thing without getting overtaxed or punished for it.
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I agree conflux cascade could be made a 1st level feat. Actually at first, I was concerned spending focus point for casting it was too much, but it occurred the feat would grant one, and it isn’t as difficult to renew them now. But I had actually contemplated if it could be made into a cantrip, so it would occupy a cantrip slot if they wanted to prepare it but would make entering cascade much easier to do.
The shield feat seems overly powerful from an initial impression but I haven’t been looking at 16 th level feats as much so it may be more reasonable than I feel.
I’ll admit that I like the staff one, but I feel that it should probably have the caveat the spell needs to be cast out of a person’s spell slot and not cast from an item be it the staff itself, a wand, or scroll for instance. (Even with that I have to admit that boosts the doubles potential charges from the standard staff charging bonus.). Might require further thought and balance consideration. But I like the flavor.
Honestly as to spellcasting defenses, I’m inclined to give magus a circumstance bonus vs attack reactions against their spellcasting, as a baseline. And I have contemplated an ability that would change a critical success on reaction attacks to a regular success unless the roll generating it was a natural 20. My philosophy is that magus should provoke and be risky, but less likely to have ‘the Worst’ results of it. ( I also advocate melee reactions that hit them when they are cascading, as well as genera melee attacks that crit miss them during cascade do the baseline damage that cascade normally boosts attacks as a free action. This is partially inspired by special materials used by armor and natural attacks by creatures with weakness to the material)
I’ll confess the flight spell, I’m tempted to have it require being in cascade, and potentially be like early flight and require landing between move actions. I suppose requiring arcane cascade would mean it couldn’t technically be used out of combat, which might be too strong a nerf. What if speed was 1/2 your normal speed unless in arcane cascade (I.e combat) in which case it is your normal movement. But then as I consider further, it is a rank higher than normal fly spell with a shorter duration, and shorter casting actions ( and by being focus spell more repeatable than slot). The more I think about it it seems remote reasonable… but makes me wonder about a lower level one with more limited flight and requiring being in cascade being an option.