Riffraf? Streetrat? I Don't Buy That

I've been told that WoW arena can be simplified to the point where half of the outcome is dependent solely on choosing the right target to focus in a given situation -- this might be a significant understatement. With season 2 games typically running shorter and being more unforgiving of ignoring DPS classes, the need to choose targets wisely is paramount. So, from a 2345 perspective, he's how I think about the following three common matrices:

Mirror Match:

Early Game - Mage

While putting your warrior on a deep frost mage with good survivability and Ice Block might not at first seem appealing, your goal initially is not to kill but to disrupt. With enough pressure, you can totally prohibit casting of not only Frostbolts, but deny the ability to Polymorph spam your team's DPS classes. While the mage is reapplying Ice Barrier, Blinking and using instants he's spending an enormous amount of mana, which coupled with a few mana burns will cripple his overall damage for the game. Moreover, putting your warrior on the mage frequently makes killing Water Elementals when they're summoned much quicker which is a huge priority in this matchup.

Ideally, you can force their mage to Ice Block without using your big cooldowns and either land a mass dispel for an early victory or rushdown during hypothermia with a Counterspell and some EM NS+CL cheese. Often you're left with the choice of using cooldowns to force the Ice Block or simply switching to a different target. If BoP or Divine Shield has been used already at this point, switching to a new target is generally best as they've used they're defensive cooldowns and are still playing catch-up healing the mage.

Middle Game - Warrior

So both teams have made it to the point where the opposing mages were not going to die, perhaps they've used their first IB but a rushdown during hypo is out of the question. Mana is getting thinner on everyone except the paladins and if you're playing a team who likes to pressure your priest instead of mage, his ability to tank the warrior's damage is starting to fade. While trying to spam CC the warrior at this point is tempting especially since you're on fresh DR most likely or will be soon, you're often dealing with a horny warrior with Deathwish up... a perfect burst target. One of the real strengths of 2345 is the ability to insta-gib a target, and this is pretty much the perfect time to try.

If the warrior is clearly not going to die, and you should know in 5 seconds if its happening or not, you're going to need to get back on the mage, CC their shaman, keep their priest in combat, and CC their warrior when the shaman is free. Your three goals are keeping their team in combat, their mage taking damage, and allowing your priest to escape to get some drinks. If they've been on your priest the majority of the game, the mana war is likely way in the opposition's favor, and you're looking to lock in a win sooner rather than later. (i.e. take risks!)

Late Game - Mage

Deny evocate, get one last good burn on the mage and while he still may Block, you should be able to deny his ability to poly with solid pressure from your DPS. An out of mana mage will die very fast to a shatter combo and Skillherald. Their shaman should be only a moderate DPS threat at this point, keeping their team in combat and your healers safe from their warrior will win the game.

How All of the Above is Countered:

The thing with mages is that they can be quite elusive. After getting focused the whole game a few games in a row, they're probably not going to ride up into you and try to drop novas and CoC your team as they rush. Moreover, their healers will be well prepared and basically pre-healing any damage you dump into the mage at the start making it very difficult to get an early IB. Their mage can harass from the outskirts of the fight to the point where it isn't effective to overextend your DPS to try to get to him.

What Not To Do:

Don't focus priests as 2345. You want to put your warrior on a priest to deny mana burns and play a long game where you burn and outheal their damage? Fine. Your mage and shaman should not be dumping mana and damage into a target immune to their burst though. (BR is cool) Moreover, since priests usually only pop out briefly to manaburn or dispel, they're extremely capable of using LoS to avoid the majority of your caster damage -- Stick to targets you can hit: warrior, mage, and shaman.

Classic+Lock

It's hard to summarize how to play against this matrix as there are two drastically different ways this team plays. They either use their abundant CC and caster DPS to land a quick kill and strategize accordingly, or they play super turtle and just mana drain and mana burn your team to take advantage of their bottomless mana pool DPS.

Aggressive +Lock - Early Game - Mage. (Lock if UA)
Turtle + Lock - Early Game - Mage (lock will not be UA)

The early game is nearly identical either way -- you're going to get on their mage as generally polymorph is a much greater concern early on then fear. (Tremor and Fear Wards!) However, the warlock that you're lightly CCing and generally not pressuring is a much greater concern than an elemental shaman and at some point as wards are burnt and you're failing to make progress on their mage, you have to switch things up. Switching your warrior to the lock, even if SL, pretty early on isn't a bad option. You reduce the lock's damage and CC capabilities hugely while your warrior isn't poly'd or rooted and you put indirect damage on the Felguard which your two casters can quickly kill once its down to 60-70%. It's important that you're shaman is either shocking poly while you're on the lock or you're sheeping the opposing mage hardcore.

Midgame - Mage

If their lock was UA, he died to your warrior because that's how life is. If not, your mage or priest is emoing out about faggot warlocks and how stupid felguards are. "I'll just r1 CoC this thing off me...OH WAIT...or frost nova it...OH WAIT. Coolio." Even if your CC on the opposing mage has been good, he's hitting DR at this point and you can't have him chaincasting into your teammates. Use this time to get CC on their warrior, and put cooldowns on the mage to at least guarantee an Ice Block. When mage blocks, look to kill felguard, which, if it is the second FG, is huge as it not only removes about half of the lock's damage, it allows your priest to mana burn more effectively and also get out of combat for drinks. (and no more SL)

Aggressive +Lock - Endgame - Warrior (or lock if no pet alive)

If you still have burst options available, their warrior is the best available target. You've hopefully neutered the mage's damage through burns and pressure and the lock's by killing pets. You're team is extremely oom and you're going to win by bursting their warrior while keep yours up. If you can trade one of your players with the exception of your paladin to kill their warrior, the 4v4 should still be very favorable. If you were actually able to kill both FG which is pretty reasonable in this matchup, the lock is extremely fragile with no SL and is a solid option if getting a kill on their warrior isn't happening. (not enough caster burst or mana remaining) The goal is to kill one of their two "unlimited" DPS classes.

Defensive +Lock - Endgame - Mage

Wear down the mage and just try to CC for the win. If this game goes this long and you're still on their mage, you're probably looking at a loss as you've been eating mana burns and drains too heavily. Even if you spent some time harassing the priest and did well shocking burns, their extra drains with their lock coupled with the FG prohibiting drinks is leaving your team looking REAL bad blue bar vs blue bar.

How They Counter the Above:

Mage hides and uses LoS heavily. Warrior is careful with Deathwish up and uses Spell Reflect well. (read luckily) They put felguard on your mage, their warrior on your priest and park the two on those two targets the entire game. Their priest mana burns extensively and harasses with mind control.

What Not To Do:

Same as before, don't focus their priest. Don't try to outlast and win the blue bar game against the defensive version of this matrix. Do not lightly harass their mage, try to really kill the mage. Don't forget that you have huge burst potential and they are often really working with only one healer. (Their priest is very focused on burning)

4DPS LOL

Early Game - Split DPS

This sounds a bit crazy, but if they have a rogue, your warrior is extremely limited in what he can hit. (mainly the rogue) Even if they don't, your warrior priority is doing as much damage as possible while not opening himself up to get gibbed. Shadowpriests are the highest priority target followed by UA locks and then rogues.

Later Early Game - Shadowpriest

Your shaman and mage should have put some real hurt into the spriest by now. Ideally, your warrior can intercept over and you can 2345 yourself to victory. If this isn't possible, you no longer can spend any of your globals doing damage and you must switch to hardcore defensive. Poly juggle, have your shaman heal to get through the shatter/AR/whatever. It is better for your shaman to be healing and your priest to be manaburning -- shadowpriest and then mage. Often you can simply survive this stage and you're left facing an oom mage and an oom spriest for an easy win.

Midgame - Paladin

4DPS teams bubble early -- they have to or they lose a DPS too early and its game over. (Game Over get it?) Often you'll be in a situation where its still 5v5 or maybe it is 4v4 and you've traded warrior for spriest. If its 4v4, if you don't kill the paladin, you will lose as the warlock will simply dominate. If it is still 5v5, switch from shaman assist healing your warrior to priest assist healing your war and have your shaman DPS their paladin with your warrior. Mage should CC with a particular focus on controlling the rogue who will reduce your warrior's damage output.

End Game - Warlock

The mage and spriest should be out of CD and nearly oom. The lock is the remaining threat and the rogue should be out of cooldowns and quite snarable/controllable. Your casters are also out of mana so you really want to kill the lock and take advantage of how your warrior is not mana or cooldown restricted in his damage output.

How They Counter the Above:

They kill your warrior in 10 seconds no matter what he or you do. They fail to kill anything and, despite being burned heavily, still win the mana war because warlocks are imba.

What Not To Do:

Don't have your warrior running around in defensive with a shield out all game. Don't ever get on 4DPS mage or Elemental Shamans. Don't ignore the rogue. Don't miss Counterspells on cyclones. Don't think you've won just because you killed their shadowpriest -- they can still 4v5 you.