Is the (Shadow)Priest the better Mage in WOW?

[Lissa]

Simple question, but probably not so simple answer:

Is the (Shadow)Priest the better Mage in WOW for Solo-Play? Is there any argument - besides the DPS output -  that could convince me to play a Mage instead of a Priest with his self-healing ability and buffs?
[right][snapback]75313[/snapback][/right]

To answer your original quest about the Shadowpriest, yes, the Shadowpriest is one of the best soloers out there, almost as good as a Warlock on what they can take on. During beta, I played a Shadowpriest all the way up to 60 and never respected after going Shadow. I was able to act as primary healer in the high end instances without ever switching to Holy or Discipline, I wasn't as efficient, but I could effectively heal and keep people alive, so don't ever let someone say that you can't be an effective healer while Shadow speced, you can, it just takes more work on your part to know when to use which healing spells.

But back to the issue at hand, the Shadowpriest can do things that only a Warlock can do, take on high level Elites solo with a high probability of success in winning (Ori was constantly out playing with the dragonkin and giants along with other elites out in the wilds). The reason why the Shadowpriest can pull this off is three fold, the mana efficency of Mind Flay combined with the power of Psychic Scream and the damage reduction and damage boost of Shadowform. These three powers will allow a Shadowpriest to devestate mobs that other classes can't hope to solo with a high probability of success. During Beta, Ori would take on lv 54 and 55 elites with ease, with the recent changes that have made Elites a little easier, a Shadowpriest might even be able to successfully solo lv 56 and 57 elites with a high probability of success, especially if you are willing to look at Eagle gear or other cloth armors with good amounts of Int and Stamina (because you are casting the entire time, Spirit is useless in the actual fight and only useful after the fight concludes with spirit tap to get your mana back up quickly).

In truth as well, I don't think there is a way to convince someone that wants to go Shadow on a Priest to take a Mage over said Priest. A Shadowpriest has just as good, if not better DPS than a Mage if properly setup. PWF lets you stay in the fight longer than AI. PWS is better than Mana Shield for keeping damage off you. The only downside is you have to buy drinks instead of being able to make your own.