While YouTube is being slow, you can DL it (it's only 5mb) HERE.
This isn't exactly anything new btw, I'm not claiming it is!
In case it is somewhat hard to see what's happening here:
- Quickly hit AP/Trinket as soon as focus proc occurs.
- Quickly cast Arcane Missiles.
- Watch your focus buff, as it ticks to 0 seconds, quickly cast Arcane Missiles again.
- Basically, you're getting 3-4 missiles of the first cast at double speed and then a whole cast of 5 missile at double speed.
You can also use a fireball or frostbolt instead of the second missiles -- I haven't really thought too much about when it would be advantageous to do this instead of a second missile.
Now of course, this requires a 5% proc, a bunch of CDs and to not be quickly interrupted, but it pretty much the most on-demand damage you can currently get. However, heroism + MPQ isn't THAT far from this level damage. Also, this damage scales DRAMATICALLY with gear; swap up some gems and pick up a few hundred damage at the cost of resil and stam and it's not too hard to imagine, 1100ish missiles with 2k crits before misery, deathwish, or zerker stance.
Is this practical for arena? For most teams, no. Mages are generally not left unguarded, spell reflect has been fixed to correctly reflect missiles, missiles have atrocious range and cancel as soon as your target runs beyond 30 yards, and the huge mana cost are all reasons why this type of thing is just theorycraft...or is it?
AP/frost was once hugely popular, but it was mainly for the huge pom bolt crits; a few players made some use of Arcane Blast with AP up, but it was never really as good as it sounded on paper -- even as I say this, I realize that the two piece tier 5 bonus wasn't around then. But why not run 40/0/21 and focus on missiles instead of frostbolts? It isn't generally isn't feasible to use counterspells/spell locks on non-healers for most teams, pets and ranged damage isn't mitigating the missile damage, so you either need earthshock/silence or melee interrupts on the mage. I'm not saying these counters aren't enough; I think they probably are, but a spec like this makes you a HUGE threat unguarded (much more so than even AP/fire) and you still have IB and pom bolt for when you need them. With more teams moving towards matrices where they fill the lineup with "must guard" targets, perhaps 40/0/21 will see renewed attention.
16 comments:
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haha i just discovered this aswell, been doing it in AV, its actually an amazing counter to someone trying to even cast a 1.5 cast like fear
even more amazing with shatter
and yet even more amazing with MQG
Yeah I've annoyed a Felguard Lock with them. I was messing around with a 33/0/28 build modified with IAM when some of my team went on vacation. I would frostbolt spam locks and when they stuck their pet on me it was Arcane Missle time. Watching the fear being pushed back over and over was quite the pleaser. Annoys the hell out of priests too.
Won't work well on holy priests with -70% chance to be interupted while healing or on warlocks with the proper PVP gloves (-50% chance to get pushed back by damage while casting fear) Next to useless in any arena with a paladin for pushback (as most classes that cast will have some sort of talented interupt protection + conc. aura)
ap/frost was never popular for huge bolt crits, its popular because it fits better than any other spec with hunter fotm setups. you said yourself, its far more suited to ping-pong poly play.
I've never played a 40/0/21 AM build in the arenas. Only the BG's. It was retarded fun though. I have thought about it since I'm hardly the first target in 5v5 it seems. I get lightly harassed. Teams usually stick to our Priest our Ele Shaman. However when I play it out a match in my head where I get to pump out some damage here and there. I always think of missles. Because of how the cast works. Hit the button and you can your move eyes around the battle knowing you're going to be pumping out some damage. Then again all the factors of exposing your arcane tree comes into play and I shoot the idea down.
At the same time I'd almost rather draw spellock or counterspell onto myself rather than my priest or paladin, SOMETIMES. Atleast I can still Frostnova and they can still heal.
Sorry about the above deletion, accident.
@5:
Right, poly juggling while waiting for an opportunity to CS healer, and then AP Pom nuke the main assist.
@Dan:
I wonder if everyone perhaps overplays the significant of getting spell locked on Arcane. I mean with Conc Aura, it isn't much longer a lock out than the silence of Imp CS.
In a team environment like that? I would have to say folks do over hype getting locked out. Atleast for Mages. However it could all depend on the situation too. Getting completely locked out and having a team spike you is bad times. However the Iceblock is still there and your healer is still free with glowing hands.
I actually try to get other Mages to CS me. Some actually do. In 2v2's if I spec AP/Pyro or 0/40/21 running with a healer. I'll make Mages decide on which is more dangerous by casting a regular Pyroblast. If he doesn't CS it someones going to get hurt. If he does my healer is still doing his thing. Sometimes they just trip out and run around trying to LOS. That's fine to because i'll do the same thing when they come back around :p
@raddy
Frankly, its never even been an issue of waiting purely for healer cs. The cs nerf (at least when imp aura gets fixed) will force reactive use of cs instead of proactive, as 5.6s wont be long enough to burst someone from 90-0. And hell, we've won matches without me even cs'ing - its surprising to me how few people realize how far you can take defensive play.
Which is fine, because I've never used it proactively anyway, given that that takes so little skill that its laughable.
Frankly, even without the arc missiles point, I have considered 40/0/21 simply because ap/pom/fireball is the only place it seems like my damage really matters, and that maximises fireball damage at the cost of fairly unimportant things like shatter/frostbite, but for whatever reason so far I have had cold feet.
@dan
am i reading that right, you are casting a 6sec spell in arena?
@Dan:: There is no more or less "skill" in using Imp CS as a silence or as a spell lock. Considering even atrocious reaction time is 1/3 a second, anyone paying attention is going to land CS the vast majority of the time.
Skill isn't what moves you choose to use -- it's the common ground between understanding and victory.
@bubbles
Yes I have from time to time played mind games in 2v2's with other mages by casting pyroblast while my healer was casting something. Sometimes I'll let it ride, sometimes I'll juke it if I know the CS is coming for sure. Depends on the situation.
I was just talking about pulling a silence or spell lock onto myself. In some situations people will do it. I'm partial to just rank 1 polymorph bouncing for interupts.
What is the focus proc from?
Mystical Skyfire Diamond!
What's the song you used in the video kind sir. Thank you.
You write very well.
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