After a vicious, brutal campaign, the primary election between light-side Spiritual Guidance writer Dawn Moore and the shadow-specced Fox Van Allen (your host for today's article, of course) has come to a close. Fox had built a strong lead in the polls right up until this weekend, when a confused cadre of Tea Party activists misread Dawn's fondness for Earl Grey as tacit support for a right-wing economic agenda. Stupid democracy -- it just never seems to work.

Master of your own (spriesting) domain

When Blizzard introduced the concept of mastery, I think most of us got overcome by that same "oh, that sounds cool" feeling. Shadow priests learned we were getting Shadow Orbs, and all of a sudden, folks started assuming we got the long end of the stick on this one (for once!). The developers didn't tell us much about them (OK, honestly, they told us next to nothing about them), but the idea that we'd be getting these bitchin' Shadow Orbs spinning around us as our special little "currency of the damned" or whatever was neat. And it still is. The idea is solid and workable. I'm not married to the orb art -- but whatever, minor quibble.

So, step one was a success. Step two -- actually figuring out what these damn orbs would do -- that was a bit tougher for the boys in Southern California.
OK, so, today: Shadow priest mastery.

Let's give them ... these orbs. Like shaman have. But shadowy.

OK, guys, sounds good. Let's call it a day.

Shouldn't we figure out how they work?

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