The race to represent the Spiritual Guidance column is turning into a nail-biter. Dawn Moore, writer of the Sunday version, took an early lead due to her natural dual constituencies, holy and disc. Recently, though, Fox Van Allen, the shadow-specced author of the Wednesday column, has taken a statistically insignificant 46-44 percent lead over his rival in the polls. Some credit Fox’s well-written, intelligent columns. Others point to the recent discovery of yet five more Shadowfiend-bite-riddled corpses; Dawn supporters all. “Yes we can” is so 2008 — “… or else” is the new catchphrase for a new decade!

Ladies and gentlemen of the shadow priesting jury, I am outraged. Or possibly thrilled. You see, just this past week, Blizzard has done something totally unconscionable. Or possibly ground-breakingly awesome.

Of all the tools at the disposal of the shadow priest, there’s one I hold in higher regard than most the others: my Shadowfiend. You see, spells like Mind Flay and Vampiric Touch — they’re all just spells. My shadowfiend is more than that. He’s a pet. A friend. When I was sick and alone this past week, it was my shadowfiend who brought me a box of tissues and a remote. It was my shadowfiend that brought me a bowl of gnome noodle soup. It was my shadowfiend who rode across yellow- and blue-colored waves of sound to fight the evil dust empire that exists under my coffee table when I look down there and cross my eyes a little so things get blurry.

Granted, most of that may have just been a fevered dream or cough-syrup-induced hallucination. The key point stands, however: You don’t mess with my shadowfiend.

This week’s problem: Blizzard’s been messing with our shadowfiend. Maybe. I mean, it’s possible that Blizzard’s been buffing it. I am incensed. Or possibly elated. We’ll try out some funky, back-of-an-envelope math after the break to try and sort through exactly what’s happening with our beloved shadowfiend and figure out whether or not this is cause for alarm … or the best thing to have happened to shadow priests in the history of ever.

Continue reading Spiritual Guidance: The greatest Shadowfiend nerf (or maybe buff) of all time