Patch 5.3 interview with Ghostcrawler
Mystery of the Unborn Val'kyr
The latest patch 5.3 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsThe Southern Graveyard is a trap
by Zach Yonzon 
Mar 28th 2009 at 9:00AM
"Capturing the Southern Graveyard will now automatically capture both the East and West Graveyards."
Great. Give all those scrubs an excuse to capture it while on offense. Thanks, Blizzard.
Let me explain why capturing Southern Graveyard is one of the worst things you can do for your team while on offense. You see, when you capture Southern Graveyard and your team is progressing Southwards through the Gate of the Yellow Moon and the Keep, members of your team who die during the effort will rezz near the yellow gate. Where are the tanks and charges that you need? That's right. They're downhill to the Northeast and Northwest. This means that your team will need to run down just to get a tank. In a timed Battleground, time spent running down just to get a tank is time wasted.
It's important to capture the Eastern and Western Graveyards because doing so unlocks the Sparklight and Rigspark Workshops respectively. This means you will spawn right where you pick up Demolishers. But if you capture Southern Graveyard, you will spawn farther away from tanks and the nearest bombs are behind the yellow gate. The latest Battleground change is completely baffling and I'm not certain why Blizzard is implementing it. At best, it will encourage defenders to protect Southern Graveyard -- another scrub thing to do.
The one and only time when capturing Southern Graveyard is a strategically sound move is when the keep has been breached or needs only one blast from a Massive Seaforium Charge. At that point, Eastern and Western Graveyards should already have been captured and are largely irrelevant to the final rush. Blizzard should at least place seaforium charges at the Southern Graveyard rezz point to raise its strategic value. Otherwise, it is a trap for the offense and capturing it is guaranteed to slow down your team. That is the flaw of the Strand of the Ancients map, and the Patch 3.1 change is only going to aggravate it.
Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, PvP, Battlegrounds
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 6)
JDM Mar 28th 2009 9:27AM
@Moppentoff: "Scrub" is not leetspeak... Where are you people getting these silly ideas? A single passing "scrub" does not equate to an elitist article.
Viper007Bond Mar 28th 2009 9:34AM
JDM is right. Stop being scrubs.
Kakistocracy Mar 28th 2009 10:41AM
Andy, what are you, some sort of anti-semantic? You and your lactose intolerant brethren, need to get over your petty agenda and realize human society was built on semantics and milk.
Also, does anyone else love the irony, chiefly (and I'll paraphrase)
" You're all trying to say that what he said doesn't matter because of how he writes"
"what you said doesn't matter because you're scrubs"
Evelinda Mar 28th 2009 12:13PM
ok, anti-semantic has to be the best thing i've seen on the internet in ages... lol. I award you one cupcake.
Iwanttobeasleep Mar 28th 2009 12:31PM
So true!
I mean, I never knew that, but thinking about it, I *am* a total scrub for not realizing how useless that graveyard is. And so is everyone else. Now, lets talk about how dumb it is that you can be on a gun and helping kill people, but not get HKs because they're too far away.
Redgy Mar 28th 2009 9:25AM
His point is valid, but the way he put it across is what people are attacking. Sure, South GY is bad to cap and now more people will do it, silly change.
"Scrubs who cant play will be even more scrubbier QQ"- Is what I see here.
Catiya of Feathermoon Mar 28th 2009 9:31AM
Exactly what I see and what I was saying myself. There are many other adjectives and phrases that could've been used to get the same point across without as much QQ.
Firestride Mar 28th 2009 9:23AM
Haven't played in a couple weeks, but back when I did, there totally were seaforium charges at the Southern Graveyard. Your point still stands, though, mostly.
dyer makn Mar 28th 2009 9:24AM
Seriously guys. Freaking out over scrubs...its a JOKE...like when people thought bungie hated Digital Ph33r's videos because they advertised it with sarcastic messages.
From DigitalPh33r's blog..
"Q: Is Bungie actually mad at you?
A:
No, retards. They were being sarcastic about the "Disrespectful Video Makes Outrageous Claims" article. They even had to explain themselves in their following Weekly Update because you guys are so fucking dense."
Stag Mar 28th 2009 9:24AM
"scrub" blog post imo.
I find it kinda ironic that WI writers often complain about people QQ'ing, yet many of their posts do exactly that.
Adremma Mar 28th 2009 9:33AM
This. There's been a patch note for quite some time that read "Seaforium Barrels can now be looted while mounted, seen from anywhere in the zone, and found at the Central Graveyard."
Still doesn't make it a great idea to cap south, IMO, but considering this in particular is something you're whining about, perhaps you should hold off on the QQing until you've actually gotten on the PTR to test things?
Adremma Mar 28th 2009 9:34AM
Aaaand apparently I can't reply properly. Go, me. My "this" is at Firestride, of course.
Invisible Elf Mar 28th 2009 9:34AM
It shouldn't be a disadvantage to cap things in battlegrounds. If it is, Blizzard needs to redesign it.
Jinx Mar 28th 2009 9:35AM
Most likely they are offended because on more than one occasion they have been called scrubs, Hence their comments are of no importance.
havitech Mar 28th 2009 10:48AM
That's rock solid logic that no one can argue with!
dotorion Mar 28th 2009 9:37AM
Funny how, even with an Ackbar "it's a trap" pic accompanying the post, people still don't get that the post itself is flamebait.
Evelinda Mar 28th 2009 12:32PM
our brains cant repel bait of that magnitude!
Karilyn Mar 28th 2009 9:37AM
Everyone complaining about him saying the word "scrub" I assume you haven't played Strand of the Ancients. Let's sum it up this way.
Here is how Strand of the Ancients works in a nutshell.
1. Pick up bombs.
2. Run to a door.
3. Blow up the door
4. Blow up the door enough times, and the door breaks down and you can pass through.
Simple concept right?
The problem with capping south graveyard is simple. (And a poor design choice for the BG) It LOOKS like it should be advantageous to have. It's closer to the goal right? Problem though. The bombs, are really really far away from the south graveyard.
There is zero benefit to capping south graveyard, and it purely hurts your team. Literally. I cannot emphasize that enough. It does NO benefit and ONLY hurts your team.
Does the word "Scrub" not apply there?
Catiya of Feathermoon Mar 28th 2009 9:40AM
Not if you're writing for a blog a good part of the community reads. Tons of people would love his job so that they could state it in a classier way, it isn't so hard and it'd make his entire post more respectable.
Vingo Mar 30th 2009 8:23AM
If you are bitching about the South GY, maybe you shouldn't be playing strand. Because you can win the battle without any GY taken, maybe all of you should step up your game and quit QQ.