Most of the Scholar's attack spells also debuff the enemy. This is more important than the damage done. The blinds and slows decrease the incoming damage, which is the job of the Scholar. Shadow Flare is useful with or without Clerics. Ruin 2's blind is nice when a mage pulls hate. Weaving into Cleric's Stance should be automatic for a scholar, but even when the pressure doesn't allow it, a Shadow Flare is still a good choice. A scholar that doesn't take advantage of her offensive protection spells is making her job a little more difficult. It isn't about the DPS. Using the DPS spells a scholar has is about protecting the party.