Originally Posted by
jimmyolsen
It's not at all comparable to summoning a warlock pet, frost elemental, unholy ghoul or hunter pet in combat though. Failure to do any of those immediately severely cripples the player's dps. By contrast, the Fire and Storm Elementals typically should be summoned on CD, but are equally useful if delayed for a burst phase.
If you don't like the "DoT" comparison, which is far more analogous than a permanent pet, then the abilities you are looking for are Xuen, Dire Beast (current, not Beta), Stampede, Grimoire of Service, or Shadowfiend. Each of those is a hit and forget spell that is used either on cooldown or for burst dps. Not a permanent pet that is a necessary part of the class's dps.
Ultimately though, you have a vision of what the Elemental is that differs, and we will have to agree to disagree.