I'm not even going to debate Seriha because her posts almost always ring true to me.

Dark Magic always seems to only be affected by your dark magic skill and the element affinity of the mob. Anticans and Bats aren't optimal for Drain or Aspir.

I won't boast that I use Dark magic as well as a DRK, because I don't. I will say that i find it useful enough to enjoy /DRK over /WAR, when i'm meleeing. I don't use staffs but I macro as much Dark Magic gear as I can. If i didn't my Dark magic would have dropped off a while ago.