The topic is simple. If you could create your own arena maps/layouts, how would you design them? In counter-strike, anyone was able to create their own maps, however very few knew how to fine tune them for league play. Things like timing, balance, and choke points have to be considered. Even more so in WoW, I think, due to other variables like LoS.

Which textures would you use? What theme would you go for? How would the general layout contribute to exciting arena matches?

A wide open field, I'd use the old AQ style textures, no LoS obstructions but, maybe a hill in the middle.
I want something simple and easy to navigate that doesn't rely on hiding.

Hiding is fine, you should just have to move closer to the other team in order to do so. An open field would defeat the significant advantadge that can be obtained by intelligent positioning. Having pillars or gates to hide around right near the start of an arena causes problems, LoS tactics in general are less so.

If it is for the looks i would like to have an booty bay style arena(would be unplayable).

An arena that is playable would be something in the direction of loaderon but with a better ground, there is to much stuff/water that distracts.

Keep it simple without fancy stuff (tornados,pits,etc) but put in things that create tactical depth.

The start zone should be a trap door... dropping you into the arena in some manner. I'm tired of people hiding in start zones.

..lol

So, in other words something totally imbalanced that heavily favors casters. Got it..

Booty Bay in arena form. It'd be horrible to play in but man it'd look cool.

A huge bar room, with npc's kicking off with each other, and hurling barstools. Give the players the maximum 'drunk' effect upon entering!

I agree with the Booty Bay club.

Completely open field with green grass, no LoS objects and lots of sun light. I'd call it Emain Macha. Also I like the trap door idea where it drops your team in the arena.

It should have objects to hide behind, but it should be large enough that you could stay away far enough from these objects.

Some sort of bottomless pit for people to fall in would be good.

How about a fight on one of those floating islands in Nagrand?

A 5 square foot box that is totally dark.

Goo Sweeping strike/Blade Flurry spam!

Heh, I was in Booty Bay the other day to get my Tabard of Frost and I remebered this beta PvP movie I saw a long long time ago. It contained some world pvp between nurfed and... and had some scenes in Booty Bay. I even said on guildchat that they should make a 'pirate' arena.

Booty bay it is for me!

ps: WoW needs more pirates!

At the top of a giant mountain with a lightning storm in the sky/background, several scattered rocks to hide behind but no real safe haven to give you a big positioning advantage (like the joke that is the Lordaeron starting rooms).

Not only pirates, we could also have ninjas in the form of a Pandaren dojo arena.

And my obligatory ridiculous idea: Chariots.

Mind control? O,o

Oh please god, this.

I would probably go for a slightly larger Gurubashi Arena. Not very creative, and possibly biased on the "best arena", but it's what I would prefer over the current LOS ones. I like the idea of having more interesting maps, like in fps games, but the old arenas didn't seem to work well with TBC.

A slightly larger version of nagrand, with the trap door idea that drops you into it at the start, and every say, 90 to 120ish seconds or so, one of the pillars retracts into the ground, so if the match drags on long enough due to ring around the pillar shennanigans it will eventually be an open field.

The Blacksmith area from AB.

I'd like to see spikes added to the starting area of Lorderon that come up after 30 seconds which causes 1000dps if players turtle in there.

What about the field between TM and SS plus some Trees to hide.
I like that Blacksmith idea.
The easier solution of the Lordaeron hiding problem would be the doors closing after 30 seconds.