[quido]

One consideration that is probably easy to overlook is the amount of regeneration a shaman can get at the higher levels. I would probably tank a lot less mobs if I had to blow a bunch of mana healing myself because I regen 5 life per tick. Luckily, popping a squat for a minute with chloro + rage will usually do the trick.

So I guess what I'm saying is I would be more willing to put up with the perils of tanking mobs if it's not a colossal waste of time. Obvious, right? Considering your gear, I wouldn't give it any serious attempt at this point. But it's definitely something to start thinking about if you want to break free from the classic shaman role.

Also, shammies usually spend a lot of time medding/cannying. I spend a lot of canny time meleeing, but I also have a manastone I can click off when the canny isn't the best choice. I usually use my stone if I can. So I guess it's true, even at higher levels, that the value of shaman melee is very gear-dependent. I honestly wouldn't even bother with my melee-getup or swinging at all if it wasn't for the CT hammer, not even for the Naggy hammer.