WoW Insider arena team vs. the Druid trifecta
by Adam Holisky 
Apr 20th 2008 at 8:00PM
Yesterday I posted a video of myself, Zach, and Mandy's boyfriend going up against a mage, priest, and druid combination. Today's video of Friday's matches includes the three of us going up against the "Druid Trifecta." That's one druid of each class: a moonkin, a feral, and a resto.
We don't have a very hard time with this one, and we get them down without much trouble. The only real iffy point comes towards the end where I have to dodge away and get some bandages going on for myself, which isn't really a bad thing.
Regarding the clicking that I'm doing, it's there for two reasons. First, to show you more clearly what skills and combinations I'm using. Secondly, I often times click to offset my keyboard use. Think of it this way: I have five or six skills that I'm using my main fingers for, and I have those skills planned out. I can position the mouse over the seventh skill I'll eventually use to make it easy to use when the time comes.
I often times active one off emergency actions with my mouse: soul stones, last stand, etc... I should have had bandages on my bar – but didn't. If I did I wouldn't have had to open my bag, which just takes valuable time. You can also see that I don't exactly hit the B key on my first try either – I accidently hit N, which just takes up more precious seconds.
These videos and commentaries are not meant to be the ultimate guide to arena play, but a guide on how three writers work to become better at PvP and this aspect of the game; and to show off what's happening over on the arena tournament server. Hopefully we can all learn a thing or two from them and become better when facing arena opponents.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, PvP, Arena
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Krazen Apr 20th 2008 9:08PM
sorry to be a downer but that is probably the worst group iv seen horrible(talking about druid trifecta) those druids were a easy fight so try posting awesome battles. a
ll the druids should have been in cat and prowling oh and feral druids aren't really that good in arenas, might as well have a rogue.
And as for clicking vs pushing buttons i think its just who the person is because when i do buttons i don't have it in my memory what im pushing and there are too many to push for me(druid here). Also i'm a pretty fast clicker (play some fps, CoD4 ftw)lol wow sorry for the rant.
So yeah post some better footage of you guys winning or losing, so that we can learn from your mistakes or successes.
Eternalpayn Apr 20th 2008 9:09PM
Sorry man, but with that rating, you shouldn't be defending your clicking, or showing off what skills you use. You should be changing it.
Brandon Apr 20th 2008 9:27PM
hey, thats a nice bag addon, whats it called :)
i also agree that those druids weren't the best, but a win nonetheless.
adam3039 Apr 20th 2008 9:33PM
Yeah... for one you have a not-so-great combo. 2, the 3 druid combo is probably the worst ever. Might want to hire some people that know their PVP. Lately this site has just been a joke to PVP.. *cough* Adam *cough*
Den Apr 20th 2008 9:34PM
Like above not trying to be a downer, but not all of those druids didn't started in stealth. Seemed like you were fighting a pretty bad team. So I had a quick look at the fist vid you put up. I didn't see the mage used Ice Block before dying. Surly you have a better video then these? So far you've posted 2 that show how unskilled the other team was. Maybe post a loss instead, that way if you want advice(to learn as you say) people can actually provide it.
One really thing for your pally, even though s/he is playing ret s/he still needs to remove snares from you guys a blessing of freedom wouldn't go astray.
And stop defending clicking, as soon as you swap your sight focus to where your mouse is going you are no longer watching the fight, meaning you can miss a key pummel for intercept. Or a healer can slip out of combat and get a few quick sips in and you will have to go looking for them instead of knowing where to run.
I also play a druid and found that I couldn't find enough keys to bind skills to (epically with down ranking roots to level to save mana, fake rank 1 buffs to protect innervate from dispel/purge and so on) anyway I bought a new mouse and with 8 buttons (hehe), but it also works with modifier keys (shit/alt/control)in combination with my mouse and using all the keys around WASD I have key binds to spare.
You can also try moving your movement keys to ESDF if you still need more. Also research some macros, they can really help with saving key space.
Den Apr 20th 2008 9:43PM
oops got some typos in there, one bad one that was meant to be shift, sorry.
Zach Apr 20th 2008 10:02PM
As the Ret pally in the video, I did remove snares on more than a few occasions. Blessing of Freedom I reserved for myself because I don't have Charge, Intercept, or Hamstring to catch up to opponents. At the end of that particular match, I swapped to heals, as one of our Warrs -- Adam, I believe -- ran low.
Not the best of fights, for sure, but more than anything I think we were just having fun. Adam's tongue-in-cheek bravado aside. My thoughts on the TR experience in a post soon.
Den Apr 20th 2008 10:50PM
There was a moment in the other vid where 1 of the warriors used his trinket on a frost nova :P
Zach Apr 20th 2008 11:04PM
No excuses for that one in that match. That was my oversight completely. Good call.
Behr Apr 20th 2008 9:48PM
Let me get this straight, you guys were 3 melee classes and rent after the Moonkin first? .... you have bigger problems then your mouse and key usage.
Zach Apr 20th 2008 10:32PM
Moonkin as first target is arguable. He was chosen as the first target because he wasn't in stealth, whereas the other two were. Should we have swapped to the cat? Maybe. If we did, and he switched to bear, though, we'd have an even tougher time without any armor pen. As long as the cat is in cat, he isn't going to be casting anything and a boomkin with MS and Sunders is going to be hard to heal through and FF.
Remember, he's also the only ranged DPS. Going after any other target would leave him free to do whatever he wanted whereas keeping him close forces the Feral to stay near the group, making Sweeping Strikes or Whirlwind available options.
So yeah, I'd say the moonkin as a first target was fine.
Ruva Apr 21st 2008 3:47AM
I'd say that's a fine target as well. Moonfire/Starfire spam is evil and they ALL do it.
James Apr 20th 2008 9:52PM
Guys don't forget Adam is a e-sport athlete he knows what he is doing 1000% and this clearly has a place in this blog to show how awesome he is.
allonblack Apr 20th 2008 10:01PM
Sorry, but your PVP posts are pitiful. You guys are really really not good only further illustrated by your posting videos that display your best games against the worse of teams and it's painfully obvious.
Please leave the PVP videos to the pros and stop with this nonsense already.
Freehugz Apr 20th 2008 10:05PM
I'd recommend just showing these videos to your friends, not on wowinsider. This is just painful to watch.
Quickshiv Apr 20th 2008 10:13PM
For the videos It would be nice for you to narrate them instead of just plugging in some music. I wish more people would post "instructional" type vids instead of the random music.
censorman Apr 20th 2008 10:40PM
friends don't let friends click. (not that I like joo. :P)
41 programmable keys, 2 side buttons kill the MERC
http://www.ideazon.com/us/products/fanggamepad.asp
9 buttons and Polytetrafluoroethylene feet! I can't pronounce Polytetrafluoroethylene thus it ROOLZ!
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/390/359&cl=us,en
allonblack Apr 21st 2008 11:03AM
I just wanted to add that someone should step in and set this blog off in a direction. You have some good normal columns, but you've got to stray away from the obvious flame bait posts, the "look at me, I'm cool right gais!?!?!" posts, the use of this place as if it's livejournal, and the dick riding that goes on with certain guilds 'round these parts. Overall it's really tacky and above all else it just serves to run people off from this site.
I want to like this place, but it seems like nearly every day there's a beyond questionable post.
Bodlar Apr 21st 2008 12:26PM
I PvP quite a lot on live with my warrior. I saw the team struggling their first night out so I thought I would try to help out. I have a few points to make about all the coments:
1. The Arena Tournament is still in practice phase. Commenting on rating at this point is meaningless.
2. Killing the Boomkin first was essential with our comp. We were running 3 melee DPS and Adama and Zach were assisting me for target. The feral isn't going to do a damn thing to 3 plate wearers. Boomkin's typically have very low health, and very high DPS. Three focused DPS with Mortal Strike up will out damage any druid's heals.
3. Clicking is going to hamper your progress no matter what level you currently play. I have 30+ keys bound for my warrior and use them all. That's not including different keys on my stance bars.
4. WoW Insider's focus on the tournament realm is to show what it's like to play on it, and give their relative feedback.
5. Adam, the article about PvE being the true endgame is total crap. PvP is just as viable, and as you now know just as, or more, difficult.
-Bodlar
Harlequinné Apr 20th 2008 11:11PM
I wish it did run some people off this site...
Anyway, congratulations on the win! It was kind of amusing to see all those Taurens running around. Running with the bulls in Pamplona would be a nice vacation. ;)
And on the earlier comment about the snares: Blessing of Freedom has a nasty cooldown so it's not spammable like Cleanse.