I like this. I mean, the fact that the rules assist the narrative, but they're not the narrative themselves.

For the desintegrate situation, I'd love for the GM to go something like:

"As you speak the final words of your incantation, Wizard, a thin green ray begins to form on your fingertip. The villain merely smirks, clicking his fingers. A wave of crimson energy smothers your hand, and your spell snuffs out like a candle. He brushes a piece of dust from his shoulder. 'Impatience. Such a childish trait. As I was saying...'"

The GM wouldn't even explain what happened, just continue his narrative, and at some point the party would find that one of the nearby minions in hiding had a counterspell ready, for example.