Red Team (Anc) verus Blue Team (SkY).
Both teams had fairly balanced builds. Red opted for some interesting choices, as did Blue.
Red had your average D/W, W/E, and opting for a P/E for support. This cost them, I think, as he didn't seem to add much overall. Me/Mo, Mo/A, and a Mo/W LoD Infuser, along with an E/Mo Water Trident / Hexer, and an E/Rt Flagger utilizing Weapon of Warding and Wielder's Boon, Mind Shock, and Arc Lightning. Their P/E used some support with some offense, Defensive Anthem and "Brace Yourself!" keeping up the defense, and Aggressive Refrain, Anthem of Flame, and "Go for the Eyes!" coupled with Spear attacks to go offensive.
Blue, on the other hand, decided to be a bit more creative. They brought along a whopping 3 Monks (1 LoD / Infuse, 1 Divert Hexes / Purge Signet, and 1 Smiting / Protection Monk using Balthazar's Aura, Zealot's Fire, Smite Hex, Auspicious Incantation for E-management, and Air of Enchantment, along with a few Prot Prayers spells. Standard Me/Mo and Ne/E Hexers coupled with your standard E/Mo Flagger (packing Martyr with Water Hexes). The W/D was your average Crippling Slash with Pious Haste (more popular than W/E lately, it seems), along with unique skills like Rending Touch and Final Thrust. With no self-Enchantments, Rending Touch worked well to rip enchantments off would-be targets, and Pious Haste has full benefits with no additional cost from Enchant removal. The D/E was also unique, packing Conjure Frost + Grenth's Fingers, and using Wounding Strike as en Elite. Two more quick-attacks for spiking, along with Harrier's Haste for anti-kite rounded him out.
It started off with Blue beating Red to the flagstand, and was pretty much a stalement from then on, with Red taking control of the flag shortly after, and maintaining it until about the 8 minute mark, IIRC. Blue suffered a death here or there, and Red may have, too, but for the most part it was a see-saw battle between toddlers. :P In other words, no one was going much of anywhere. By the 8 minute mark, Red had been pushed back and Blue took full oppurtunity of the advantage, grabbing the flag and keeping their flagger at bay over the coral, before she finally gave up. Locked in ice, Red's flagger could not cross the coral at more than a snail's pace, and suffered damage because of it, so she retreated to rejoin her comrades near or in her base. Blue pressed Red right into their base, and by 11 minutes, the Overall Status was showing a steep decline by Red, with Blue staying pretty level. Red would never recover from this point onward.
Blue kept Red pinned in the base, battling back and forth until about 19:30, when they called the retreat for VoD. Red took full advantage and ventured out towards the first bridge, where when VoD was called both parties met at the flag stand, each coming from their base. It was here that Red's NPC disadvantage was took its toll, and by the 21 minute mark Blue had secured yet another in a string of Morale Boosts, which Red could have easily prevented. They didn't, and instead opted to stand around waving the flag like a peace-symbol until Blue got a morale boost at 21, before stealing it back. It did no good. By the 22 minute mark, 3 Reds had collapsed under very coordinated spikes from Blue, only to res mere seconds later. It would do no good, however, as Blue now had an extreme advantage (mass NPCs + 3 more players), and Red was in full retreat shortly after.
By 23 minutes, all but 2 Reds were gone, leaving only their Dervish and one other. They spiked one down in mere seconds, then spiked the Dervish down while hammering the Guild Lord. It was almost a close battle as to who would die first, but the Dervish flopped at about 23:18 and the Guild Lord followed at 23:21.
Red confused me a bit with their skill. They didn't seem to be keeping up with the healing nearly enough, especially evidenced in the Party Health meter and despite having a Morale advantage through almost half the game. It's not that they were dying in droves, just that they didn't keep their players topped off. Blue, on the other hand, rarely fell as low party-wide as Red did, and continued to spam massive Hexes onto Red, while pushing major spikes against certain targets. That Smiter Monk played a key role, I think, almost spiking a Red caster to death in the blink of an eye (from 100% to 15% Health in a few seconds) with Zealot's Fire and Balthazar's Aura. There was plenty of Hex removal, both on the casters and the meleers, so Red's Water Hexer / Flagger was simply outdone. I would assume the Red Me/Mo was your average Migraine Hexer, but I'm not positive, and in any case it did NOT seem to hurt Blue much at all.
Blue seemed to play a better game overall, but I can't help but think their unique build choices coupled with their high spike potential and powerful Hex pressure helped significantly, as well. They would have stood up against a more generic Necro / Mesmer Hex pressure build just as well, I should think, given the amount of removal they had, but a Condition heavy build might have caused them problems. They weren't very heavy on the healing, but what they had worked well enough. Triple Aegis coverage probably helped here, as well, but I can't say by how much.
All in all a good match that went the distance. It was very fun watching it, although I can't say I learned much, spending most of my time cataloguing Blue's builds.
Still, I learned some, and it was worth it just to see some unique builds.
Hope this small write-up proves helpful to someone here, as well. Sorry for the lack of coverage on Red's builds, but I was having too much fun watching Blue, and the game got pushed off by the third or fourth watch-through.
Red:
----------------------
The Ancalentari (Anc):
----------------------
W/E
D/W
P/E
Spear of Lightning
Wild Throw
Agressive Refrain
Anthem of Flame
Defensive Anthem (E)
"Brace Yourself!"
"Go for the Eyes!"
Resurrection Signet (?)
E/Mo
Water Trident (E)
Deep Freeze
Blurred Vision
Frozen Burst
Convert Hexes
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Water Attunement
Resurrection Chant (?)
Me/Mo
Mo/A
Mo/W
Signet of Rejuvenation
Protective Spirit
Light of Deliverance (E)
Holy Veil
Dwayna's Kiss
Infuse Health
Draw Conditions
E/Rt Flagger
Weapon of Warding
Wielder's Boon
Storm Djinn's Haste
Mind Shock (E)
Arc Lightning
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Blue:
----------------------------------
What is the Smell of Clouds (SkY):
----------------------------------
D/E
Harrier's Haste
Conjure Frost
Grenth's Fingers
Pious Restoration
Wounding Strike (E)
Mystic Sweep
Eremite's Attack
Resurrection Signet (?)
W/D
Rending Touch
Pious Haste
Crippling Slash (E)
Gash
Sun and Moon Slash
Final Thrust
Frenzy
Resurrection Signet
Me/Mo
Mantra of Persistence
Conjure Phantasm
Spirit of Failure
Migraine (E)
Power Drain
Signet of Humility
Spirit Shackles
Resurrection Signet (?)
Ne/E
Reaper's Mark (E)
Faintheartedness
Price of Failure
Parasitic Bond
Reckless Haste
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Vocal Minority
Resurrection Signet (?)
Mo/Me Protection / Smiting:
Auspicious Incantation
Air of Enchantment (E)
Guardian
Reversal of Fortune
Zealot's Fire
Smite Hex
Balthazar's Aura
Resurrection Signet (?)
Mo/E
Divert Hexes (E)
Aegis
Gift of Health
Protective Spirit
Reversal of Fortune
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Purge Signet
Dismiss Condition
Mo/E
Signet of Rejuvenation
Light of Deliverance (E)
Dismiss Condition
Holy Veil
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Aegis
Reversal of Fortune
Infuse Health
E/Mo
Martyr (E)
Mending Touch
Aegis
Teinai's Prison
Freezing Gust
Blurred Vision
Storm Djinn's Haste
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Both teams had fairly balanced builds. Red opted for some interesting choices, as did Blue.
Red had your average D/W, W/E, and opting for a P/E for support. This cost them, I think, as he didn't seem to add much overall. Me/Mo, Mo/A, and a Mo/W LoD Infuser, along with an E/Mo Water Trident / Hexer, and an E/Rt Flagger utilizing Weapon of Warding and Wielder's Boon, Mind Shock, and Arc Lightning. Their P/E used some support with some offense, Defensive Anthem and "Brace Yourself!" keeping up the defense, and Aggressive Refrain, Anthem of Flame, and "Go for the Eyes!" coupled with Spear attacks to go offensive.
Blue, on the other hand, decided to be a bit more creative. They brought along a whopping 3 Monks (1 LoD / Infuse, 1 Divert Hexes / Purge Signet, and 1 Smiting / Protection Monk using Balthazar's Aura, Zealot's Fire, Smite Hex, Auspicious Incantation for E-management, and Air of Enchantment, along with a few Prot Prayers spells. Standard Me/Mo and Ne/E Hexers coupled with your standard E/Mo Flagger (packing Martyr with Water Hexes). The W/D was your average Crippling Slash with Pious Haste (more popular than W/E lately, it seems), along with unique skills like Rending Touch and Final Thrust. With no self-Enchantments, Rending Touch worked well to rip enchantments off would-be targets, and Pious Haste has full benefits with no additional cost from Enchant removal. The D/E was also unique, packing Conjure Frost + Grenth's Fingers, and using Wounding Strike as en Elite. Two more quick-attacks for spiking, along with Harrier's Haste for anti-kite rounded him out.
It started off with Blue beating Red to the flagstand, and was pretty much a stalement from then on, with Red taking control of the flag shortly after, and maintaining it until about the 8 minute mark, IIRC. Blue suffered a death here or there, and Red may have, too, but for the most part it was a see-saw battle between toddlers. :P In other words, no one was going much of anywhere. By the 8 minute mark, Red had been pushed back and Blue took full oppurtunity of the advantage, grabbing the flag and keeping their flagger at bay over the coral, before she finally gave up. Locked in ice, Red's flagger could not cross the coral at more than a snail's pace, and suffered damage because of it, so she retreated to rejoin her comrades near or in her base. Blue pressed Red right into their base, and by 11 minutes, the Overall Status was showing a steep decline by Red, with Blue staying pretty level. Red would never recover from this point onward.
Blue kept Red pinned in the base, battling back and forth until about 19:30, when they called the retreat for VoD. Red took full advantage and ventured out towards the first bridge, where when VoD was called both parties met at the flag stand, each coming from their base. It was here that Red's NPC disadvantage was took its toll, and by the 21 minute mark Blue had secured yet another in a string of Morale Boosts, which Red could have easily prevented. They didn't, and instead opted to stand around waving the flag like a peace-symbol until Blue got a morale boost at 21, before stealing it back. It did no good. By the 22 minute mark, 3 Reds had collapsed under very coordinated spikes from Blue, only to res mere seconds later. It would do no good, however, as Blue now had an extreme advantage (mass NPCs + 3 more players), and Red was in full retreat shortly after.
By 23 minutes, all but 2 Reds were gone, leaving only their Dervish and one other. They spiked one down in mere seconds, then spiked the Dervish down while hammering the Guild Lord. It was almost a close battle as to who would die first, but the Dervish flopped at about 23:18 and the Guild Lord followed at 23:21.
Red confused me a bit with their skill. They didn't seem to be keeping up with the healing nearly enough, especially evidenced in the Party Health meter and despite having a Morale advantage through almost half the game. It's not that they were dying in droves, just that they didn't keep their players topped off. Blue, on the other hand, rarely fell as low party-wide as Red did, and continued to spam massive Hexes onto Red, while pushing major spikes against certain targets. That Smiter Monk played a key role, I think, almost spiking a Red caster to death in the blink of an eye (from 100% to 15% Health in a few seconds) with Zealot's Fire and Balthazar's Aura. There was plenty of Hex removal, both on the casters and the meleers, so Red's Water Hexer / Flagger was simply outdone. I would assume the Red Me/Mo was your average Migraine Hexer, but I'm not positive, and in any case it did NOT seem to hurt Blue much at all.
Blue seemed to play a better game overall, but I can't help but think their unique build choices coupled with their high spike potential and powerful Hex pressure helped significantly, as well. They would have stood up against a more generic Necro / Mesmer Hex pressure build just as well, I should think, given the amount of removal they had, but a Condition heavy build might have caused them problems. They weren't very heavy on the healing, but what they had worked well enough. Triple Aegis coverage probably helped here, as well, but I can't say by how much.
All in all a good match that went the distance. It was very fun watching it, although I can't say I learned much, spending most of my time cataloguing Blue's builds.
Still, I learned some, and it was worth it just to see some unique builds.Hope this small write-up proves helpful to someone here, as well. Sorry for the lack of coverage on Red's builds, but I was having too much fun watching Blue, and the game got pushed off by the third or fourth watch-through.
Red:
----------------------
The Ancalentari (Anc):
----------------------
W/E
D/W
P/E
Spear of Lightning
Wild Throw
Agressive Refrain
Anthem of Flame
Defensive Anthem (E)
"Brace Yourself!"
"Go for the Eyes!"
Resurrection Signet (?)
E/Mo
Water Trident (E)
Deep Freeze
Blurred Vision
Frozen Burst
Convert Hexes
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Water Attunement
Resurrection Chant (?)
Me/Mo
Mo/A
Mo/W
Signet of Rejuvenation
Protective Spirit
Light of Deliverance (E)
Holy Veil
Dwayna's Kiss
Infuse Health
Draw Conditions
E/Rt Flagger
Weapon of Warding
Wielder's Boon
Storm Djinn's Haste
Mind Shock (E)
Arc Lightning
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Blue:
----------------------------------
What is the Smell of Clouds (SkY):
----------------------------------
D/E
Harrier's Haste
Conjure Frost
Grenth's Fingers
Pious Restoration
Wounding Strike (E)
Mystic Sweep
Eremite's Attack
Resurrection Signet (?)
W/D
Rending Touch
Pious Haste
Crippling Slash (E)
Gash
Sun and Moon Slash
Final Thrust
Frenzy
Resurrection Signet
Me/Mo
Mantra of Persistence
Conjure Phantasm
Spirit of Failure
Migraine (E)
Power Drain
Signet of Humility
Spirit Shackles
Resurrection Signet (?)
Ne/E
Reaper's Mark (E)
Faintheartedness
Price of Failure
Parasitic Bond
Reckless Haste
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Vocal Minority
Resurrection Signet (?)
Mo/Me Protection / Smiting:
Auspicious Incantation
Air of Enchantment (E)
Guardian
Reversal of Fortune
Zealot's Fire
Smite Hex
Balthazar's Aura
Resurrection Signet (?)
Mo/E
Divert Hexes (E)
Aegis
Gift of Health
Protective Spirit
Reversal of Fortune
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Purge Signet
Dismiss Condition
Mo/E
Signet of Rejuvenation
Light of Deliverance (E)
Dismiss Condition
Holy Veil
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Aegis
Reversal of Fortune
Infuse Health
E/Mo
Martyr (E)
Mending Touch
Aegis
Teinai's Prison
Freezing Gust
Blurred Vision
Storm Djinn's Haste
Glyph of Lesser Energy