User blog comment:Care Level/Underlying Systems Rework: Differentiation between Attacks and Spells/@comment-24022269-20140105185738

Probably much less work to make the players remember which spells aren't really spells than to rework dozens of skills and making players figure out which ones count as "weapons". Much easier to make the newer players figure things out than for the older players to re-learn stuff.

Also, I may be reading things wrong, but MF's Q does apply on hit effects, which means she does have life steal on it.