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

[vor_lord]

Does a class need to be the best at something to be desired in groups? Some classes are good because they can fill multiple roles, even if they are not the best at an individual role. Pallies have great (if not the best) buffs, are great (if not the best) at tanking and off-tanking, have good (if not the best) healing, and can res too.

For a party I may first want to secure a tank, a healer, and some DPS, but after that I would definitely prefer a utility class to another tank/healer/DPS. I think some classes are excellent support classes, able to fill-in wherever needed to keep a party running smoothly.
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I certainly don't think a class needs to be the best at something to be desired in groups. And it appears this subthread has turned into "what's better, paladin or mage?" which is in no way my intent. I think there are inherent play problems with the paladin, but that doesn't mean I'm unhappy with the class in general or feel I am not useful.

I just don't feel convinced that mages are not very useful in the end game. I guess I'll see. The comparison was incidental to the discussion of Skan's premise that the mage class is lacking for end game content.