My arena teams!

So, I am back now! :) All settled in (pay no attention to all those full boxes in the second bedroom) and ready for some blogging + warcraft good times!

I figured with season 4 now in full swing I would share my past arena teams and how they fared! I will rate (1-10 scale)Burst, Survivability, Control, Synergy and Ability to succeed. I will rate my experience and then what I feel it would be like with great gear.

Score Key for what rating one might expect:
0-19 < 1400
20-29 < 1500
30-35 < 1650
36-44 < 1800
45-49 < 1900
50 = own everyone

1. Marksman Hunter + Moonkin
- Bursting: 7 - 10
- Survive : 5 - 7
- Control : 6 - 6
- Synergy: 4 - 4
- Success : 3 - 3
Tally: 25 - 30

2. Survival Hunter + Moonkin
- Bursting: 8 - 10
- Survive : 7 - 8
- Control : 8 - 10
- Synergy: 6 - 7
- Success : 6 - 8
Tally: 35-43

3. Survival hunter + Resto Druid
- Bursting: 4 - 4
- Survive : 7 - 8
- Control : 5 - 6
- Synergy: 2 - 4
- Success : 2 - 4
Tally: 20 - 26

4. Survival hunter + BM Hunter
- Bursting: 8 - 10
- Survive : 4 - 5
- Control : 4 - 5
- Synergy: 2 - 2
- Success : 2 - 4
Tally: 20 - 26

5. Survival Hunter + Subtle Rogue
- Bursting: 5 - 6
- Survive : 9 - 10
- Control : 4 - 5
- Synergy: 3 - 3
- Success : 2 - 3
Tally: 23 - 27

6. Marksman Hunter + Combat Rogue (Current)
- Bursting: 8 - 10
- Survive : 5 - 7
- Control : 4 - 5
- Synergy: 7 - 8
- Success : 3 - 6
Tally: 27 - 35

7. Shockadin Healer + Subtle Rogue (I am the holy pally)
- Bursting: 3 -6
- Survive : 7 - 9
- Control : 3 - 4
- Synergy: 4 -5
- Success : 4 - 8
Tally: 21 - 32

8. Shockadin healer + Arcane Mage
- Bursting: 6 - 7
- Survive : 4 - 6
- Control : 4 - 6
- Synergy: 3 - 5
- Success : 4 - 5
Tally: 21 - 29

9. Shockadin healer + Frost Mage
- Bursting: 7 - 9
- Survive : 6 - 9
- Control : 5 - 7
- Synergy: 8 - 9
- Success : 6 - 8
Tally: 32 -42

10. Shockadin Healer + Moonkin (current)
- Bursting: 5 - 10
- Survive : 6 - 9
- Control : 4 - 6
- Synergy: 8 - 10
- Success : 6 - 9
Tally: 29 - 44

Hunter Summary: In short, being an arena 2v2 hunter is hard. i have yet to meet a 2v2 hunter with over 1800 rating. i have seen them with nice 3v3 and 5v5 team ratings though. It is very hard to roll with healer + hunter unless you are both geared extremely well and practice regularly. Without dedicated practice and such, the hunter really needs a hybrid or second strong dps partner. Honestly, if you want to succeed with as little work as possible as the hunter, then simply go to the 3v3 format!

If I had to recommend teams to avoid: Any team, where you are reliant on the healer. Mana burn, drain and sting are so deadly to a hunter team and it makes your ceiling low (again, unless you pour your heart and soul into memorizing what to do). I am casual, so these teams are simply frustrating. if you did take a healer, then go with a paladin. They aren't easily taken out and blessing of freedom can really make life easier.

Teams I would highly suggest trying are good hybrid teammates. Elemental shamans and moonkins especially. Nothing like someone to help burst and throw some game changing heals + poison cleanses your way! Also, the Hunter + Warlock team would be quite intriguing to try.

Shockadin healer Summary: First let me say that I love being a killing holy paladin. I could never be a traditional Holy Pally (in 3v3 I may try my best to do so). A Shockadin Healer is a Paladin who goes 41/20/0 - or - 40/0/21 and Heals while being a good source of dps help.

I would avoid trying to convince a healer you are worthy of their heals! :) No matter what you do you are still a minor DPS source most of the time. What a shockadin can do well is interval bursting. Basically every judgement + Holy shock moment you can spray anywhere from 1500-4000 dmg on an enemy in 1 Second (since judgements do not count towards the global cooldown). So, find another dps, you are still technically the healer.

Teammates I recommend would definately be your high + limitless DPS folks. Such as Warlocks using the Imp as a mana battery, Rogues, and DPS Warriors (centers?). Above all, I would actually search out skilled DPS partners. I mean, any skilled DPS will work as long as they know how to both fight for a quick win and fight in a long drawn out battle of attrition. The best advantage you have is that you are helping DPS while still having the healing gear!

I will do a 3v3 summary as well! Watch for it. :)

New house!

Just a quick update! This past weekend we closed (my girlfriend and I) on our first house! It is a beautiful English inspired old style brick condo (2BR 2 bath) in a wonderful area. Some thing to note:

- Sleeping on a mattress in your living room instead of moving the bed frame = priceless (and very underrated)

- Carrying furniture up to a third floor = hire movers next time

- Shopping at best buy after you just got paid = not smart

- Moving in with a crazy woman = exciting? :)

- Trying to convince a woman of the worth of your futon = impossible? (sorry guys, even with a $200 frame and $200 mattress...still worthless!)

More updates will come soon as we are nearly settled! :)

Random PVP storytelling

So, I have to make an admission...I love Eye of the Storm.

"But Nomakk, you lose 70% of your matches!!"

This is true in our battle group actually. That is why I love it though. No expectation of victory. I kind of assume a loss and do my best to make things very hard on the horde. You know, like attacking their base that has 3 guys and killing all 3 only to be shortly decimated by 10 guys. It's ok, I always enjoy being able to have so many 1v1 and 1v2 encounters in one BG. Most other BG's are too small, thus help for the horde is usually a few small steps away.

By the way, who misses the epic battles that used to be AV. I lost the other day in 7 minutes. I remember a time when it took 7 minutes to do your first three quests. It used to mean something to get elite guards and air units and Ivus! It was fun and truly felt Epic. Back then, you could do 5 Av's in a row and they all would be completely different battles. Now, you could do 5 that are exactly the same. Hopefully we get some depth in our BG rotation in WotLK.

Is it just me....or does every class hate fighting warlocks? Maybe rogues and warriors don't hate it as much. Then again, how does it feel to own someone as a warrior and then sit with dot's and die shortly thereafter? Isn't it like the best moment when you realize you are fighting a "shadowmage" who is trying to shadow bolt you?! "This must be my lucky day!" It just seems that like no matter which character I am playing, be it hunter pally or druid...I hate fighting locks the most.

To my hunter friends, have you ever got the flag in Aspect of the Beast and found a nice safe location to hide? You would be shocked at how long it takes to find you. A couple WSG wars back I held the flag on the horde roof for about 15 minutes (while getting to shoot them downstairs when my guys invaded) and then 1 guy came up. After dispatching him the radar said "Wrath of the Horde incoming" so I broke out the second level. I will tell you, when your getting smashed by the opposing side, this is a great way to really slow things down and let everyone settle in. break that rhythm up that they have going. I suppose with the new flag system it won't work as well now :(

Speaking of fun, I have started doing more BG's on my 70 Holy Paladin (easily a shockadin most of the time). I love playing him because when my teammates ignore my heals (all the time) I just switch to being offensive and kill folks. I find that being such a offensive character for so long in the hunter, that I am compelled to kill Hordies as the healadin. Especially since it almost always catches them off guard. Holy shock for 2k+, seal for 2k+? Hammer of justice that heal? You have just been introduced to a healer who can kill joo! =D

Pvp may be a grind sometimes, but if you buy a flask get 20 Super healing potions and sell your left thumb for a healer friend...you will love each minute of that grind...or at least the 2 flask hours of it! :)

Arena Segment: Tips to fight the Healer + DPS Team

So, one of the more exciting and difficult challenges in your WoW life is when you enter an arena to discover a healer + dps team. These come in a variety of combinations, so we will just keep it general and not address each combination directly. Let us explore two different strategies:

#1) Your team is also Healer + DPS.

This is a difficult fight for a hunter for one main reason: Mana. Most HD (Healer/dps) teams have someone with limitless attacking capability. So, your time is limited in each encounter. Here are some general tips to try and follow:

A) Keep the mana sting up at all times. To avoid instant cleansing you can spec into imp sting (highly recommended for an HD team entering arena). Most matches it should be on the healers. The exceptions to me are when the other team has a mage or hunter. Those two mana pools can be drained and make the healers ability no longer important since they cannot kill you.

B) Use LOS against them! Healers will surely LOS you and this is so great if you use it correctly. Make sure when they LOS you that your healer is dragging their dps to a land far far away. Then when that healer starts to pursue, BAM! Hit em with your CC, rapid fire aimed shot, etc. Also, line of site their dps right back. Of course, vs a warlock this won't work. Against moonkins, mages, other hunters, elemental shamans and pretty much any melee this can work nicely. Drag them around a pole as your pet beats on them and your stings tick. The longer this lasts, the better for you.

Also, make sure those mana burning priests cannot get any burns on you. Stay near a pole and dance back and forth trying to land a shot or two and then avoid the burn. Priests can drain a hunter faster than should be allowed, so never try to stand and take the burns.

C) Be diligent on CC. Remember to fear beast when you can, sleep when you can and trap when you can. Try not to get away from this. Even after all the nerf's, crowd control is still boss. Most dps won't survive the full 10s without their healer. Especially if it is the fifth time you have done it to them! :)

D) Fight in Viper...ALWAYS. This cannot be stressed enough. Viper in arena. Smash it into your head.

E) E-bay - Buy yourself a warlock and then find a resto druid. This will make you forget you are playing a hunter/healer team and without gear or much skill you will make your way to 1700 in no time! Sorry, I am terribly bitter towards locks in arena and pvp :(

Ok, what if you have a DPS + DPS team? Forget support, brute force FTW! Here are some good tips for a double CC team...did I say double CC, I meant double DPS! :)

A) CC like mad - Especially if your partner has no ability to heal at all (rogue, warrior, etc.). Usually one or two timely crowd controls means someone dies. This is extremely difficult vs teams that can remove your traps. If possible, trap the person who can remove your cc to solve that issue.

B) Aimed shot - Usually I like to say only use Aimed shot under a rapid fire, BUT the exception to the rule lies here. An aimed shot can mean that you do indeed win via brute force. Force that healer to try and out-heal your dps with that reduction. I would NOT recommend any aimed shot if you are under attack unless you can do it without interruption. Let's just hope they focus your teammate!

C) Don't let them use LOS to beat you. Make them use LOS to lose to you. Let that healer hide, drag his dps away and burst him and when the healer pops back, CC them right away and burn that DPS down. This will be especially hard with resto-druids, so try other approaches on them. A lot of times you cand rag the dps over and when the druid comes to save him, immediately start your aimed shot on the druid. You accomplish two things, your debuff on him while he is healing his partner and catching him in leather armor. Now he has to decide who to heal and that choice could really sway things in your favor.

D) Pay attention and learn. Some teams will seem unbeatable to you at first. Especially warlock-resto druid. Try to pay attention to what works and try new stuff. Kill the locks pet a few times. Try to rapid fire down the lock. Whatever the case may be. Make sure you watch and learn. So, next time you can try again with something new until you find what works for your combination. Just because hunter A beats mages with LOS, doesn't make it fact. use what works for you through some trial and many many errors.

Being a hunter in arena is hard work. Do not expect easy success until you are geared well. Also, be patient. It is gonna be hard for most hunters in arena. Try to work with your spec and mold yourself for what you need help with. Sometimes, it is as easy as getting wyvern sting :) Go in to arena to have fun at first. After you get geared up and "seasoned" ...then go for the glory!

As always, ask any questions you may have! I will try to go into more specific combinations eventually, I swear!