The presence of a skill shadow doesn't affect the effectiveness of the skill.
No, but it does affect its predictability.
You know what would have been a much more mean April Fools joke?
If namida had announced he had reconsidered things and that the Spearer and Grenader would be added into NeoLemmix, after all (on top of the Slider and Laser Blaster).
Nothing worse than giving people false hopes...