So in a game last night the subject came up over the spell Shadow Conjuration, in which you use shadowstuff from the Shadow Plane to mimic a conjuration spell of 3rd level or lower.
Shadow Conjuration has Verbal and Somatic components, but no material components. However, many of the spells that Shadow Conjuration mimics DO have material components. Would you actually need to use the material components of the spell you are mimicking when you cast Shadow Conjuration, or is the quasi-real shadowstuff all that is required as you aren't actually casting the conjuration spell, just an imitation of it?
The question isn't that important when you are using Shadow Conjuration to mimic Create Pit or Summon Monster, but it does get kinda important when you are casting spells where the material components directly affect the spell, like Storm of Blades or Pellet Blast. In these spells the result of the spell is directly tied to what material component you use, the type of sword or the material of the pellet. So what happens?
If material components aren't required, can you say that your shadowy pellets are facsimiles of adamantine to overcome damage resistance, or that your shadowy swords are all falchions? Giant falchions?
You can see where the question comes in.
Storm of Blades does not make mention of special materials in the description. The spell creates multiple magic-stuff swords that have the same critical threat range and multiplier.
Pellet Blast... You definitely have something to be answered there. If I were DM I would say you could use ShadConj to do the normal version as is, but would require the materials if you want to add the Silver/etc. effects.
Good eye though.
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The shadow conjuration series of spells do not add in material components - they mimic the base spell without requiring any of its components or foci. Usually, when a spell has an extra effect based on some special component used, it uses language like "if the components used are all <x>, then special property <y> occurs".
So when you cast shadow conjuration, did you use a special component? No, because you didn't use any material components at all. So you can't access those additional effects.
Heck, storm of blades has the same problem if you use feats to ignore the material component and cast the real spell. I'd a allow a shadow version to use any sword the caster had plausibly heard of. You're using up a 4th level slot to get a 2nd level effect, after all.