• Encross

Okay, so maybe it isn't exactly new, but its threat has increased tenfold with the last patch.

We peaked at 2500~ running a cookie cutter Warrior/Warlock/Druid line-up. I don't like to call it cookie cutter due to the limitations that a Warrior has when selecting his teammates, but that is due for another topic. Last week, we decided to try and knock out the last 40 points to Merciless Gladiator. We ended up being paired against Ming's PMR setup that we could go 1:1 with before the patch if we were playing at our normal. It wasn't that their line-up was spectacularly original or difficult, but Ming's more unique playstyle of going all out at the beginning threw us out of our outlast 'norm.

We went 0-7 against them in a series that ended our night's games. I can say with confidence that it wasn't them going up in general skill by 300%, or us playing drastically under our 'norm. It is simply three times more difficult to get anywhere in the matchup with our line-up.

The games went along these lines. It didn't really fluctuate that much, because, well, you have to almost try to make a mistake with the new PMR. I would naturally have the Mage glued to me, doing a typical polymorphx3/frost nova/water elemental lock down combo. The rogue would stick to my Warlock with an AR maces/preperation build. The priest would attack my druid with constant dispelling and PW:S to prevent me from gaining rage during my 8 seconds of damage time.

It boiled down to me being the only real damage going out, but we couldn't realisticly keep the Mage from locking me down without risking a counterspell on my druid or kick on my Warlock. I am placed in a situation where my damage is erratic and my rage generation is obsolete because of PW:S, evasion, and Ice Barrier. My only targets become the Priest and Rogue, both of which are difficult enough to drag down inbetween the Mage's harassment.

Our Warlock can't do anything with the Rogue glued to him, and I can't get him off. Our Druid can't risk casting a cyclone for fear of being CS'd or Chastised (what a lovely, balanced racial to replace fear ward with) and even if he manages to land one the Rogue can always use his PvP trinket or CoS. The entire time their priest is timing his PI's for 6k shatter combos, pain suppression if I manage to get someone low, and dispels our Druid's HoTs to the point where he is reliant solely upon lifebloom. There isn't enough damage from either me or my Warlock to force the priest into a heal-spamming situation.

So, my question. How does a Warrior/Warlock/Druid stand any chance against the much more difficult PMR line-up? Have any similar line-ups found any glaring flaws in PMR's offensive playstyle? We've tried everything; from having me focus on the priest to having our Warlock hang back for half a minute while we 2v3'd.