2v2 Surv Hunter & Holy Pally
2v2 Surv Hunter & Holy Pally
by Jeezus Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:26 am
General Information
Credentials: First things first - I've played this comp to 2200+ with my Hunter friend, whom I plan on returning to play with later in Season 5. As a Druid in Burning Crusade we got Gladiator in Season 3, so we've been playing together a good long time.
It should be noted that this team is basically what I call a Pressure Team, or a team that doesn't quite outlast teams, or drain them, or even burst them, but more accurately it utilizes all three of these tactics together to force a team to play out of their element, which is usually how we win our fights. Forcing a double DPS team to play defensively is one way we win our points, or by forcing a healer out of his protective area to heal his partner is another way to force a team out of its comfort zone.
Terminology: LoS - Line of Sight, or when you hide from an enemy to avoid Mana Burns, CC's, Damage, etc.
CC - Crowd Control, or the abilities you use to incapacitate a player or prevent them from performing a specific action, such as healing or casting. Examples would be Wyvern Sting, Polymorph, Blind, Sap, etc.
OOM - Out of Mana, or when you run completely out of mana.
General Tips: Never yell at your partner. Getting angry has never helped anyone do well in an arena. Ever. I know the phrase is overused, but constructive criticism will win games, rather than screaming out insults and pointing out flaws that way. After each match, my Hunter and I talk about how we could have executed the match better (even if we won).
Acquaint yourself with Line of Sight mechanics, they can help immensely for avoiding Mana Burns and Warlock Fears.
Learn what other classes' buffs look like. Memorize what Anti Magic Shell, Icebound Fortitude, Power Infusion, Enrage, etc look like. It's the easiest and best early-warning technique you have for when your opponents are lining up burst/CC/etc. Know your enemy.
Never let a Death Knight or his healer sit in the Anti Magic Zone. It will ruin your damage from spells and Explosive Shot. Instead, kite them out of the zone, and if they're not following, simply leave and drink back to full. The beauty of this comp is that it can easily reset and be just as effective as it was out of the gate.
Your Hunter should be your shield at all times. He needs to get used to always being between a Priest and you-that way he can stop Mana Burns or at least Wing Clip/Conc Shot so you have a chance at kiting. The one thing that stops our team dead in its tracks is a freecasting Priest/Warlock.
Use Divine Plea whenever it's up, even if you're at 90% mana. There may be a time when you need mana badly but can't afford to take the 20% healing debuff.
It's important to know when to target switch. Pressuring a healer out of LoS for a drain is currently easiest to do by just laying into the healer's DPS. This is especially true of Death Knight teams, which have few abilities to mitigate damage once Icebound Fortitude and Anti Magic Shell is down.
Lining up CC is the best way to go for a win, rather than just attempting to burn a target down through heals. Set up a rotation with your Hunter. Our rotation is Wyvern Sting, Scatter Shot, Hammer, Freezing Trap, Blood Elf Silence (obviously, not everyone has this). Find out what works for you. Generally we start with the Hunter's CC's first because I have to run to the healer in order to CC him.
The best form of defense you have is your partner. A Survival Hunter can single-handedly control two players simultaneously if he knows what he's doing, and Deflection means you can usually leave him alone with a DPS while you heal back up.
Don't be afraid to use cooldowns defensively, rather than offensively if you need them. The nice bit about this comp is that every 45 seconds you'll have cooldowns up and ready for another burn.
Use Blessing of Sacrifice to avoid CC's. It will break you out of Sap/Blind/Gouge/Polymorph/etc, and it can help you mitigate overall damage done when you're fighting a high-burst team. Used in conjunction with Beacon of Light, you can effectively use Sacrifice on your Hunter without any fear of dropping your own health too low, due to using Beacon on yourself and spam-healing your Hunter.
Against Double DPS teams, use your Hammer of Justice as soon as possible. Generally it will force a trinket, which means your Hunter can Wyvern for a full 10 seconds of 2v1.
For added damage, when your Hunter is kiting, have him Disengage over the Line of Fire in the Orgrimmar Arena. Most people will miss the jump, and end up Conflagrating themselves.
Use the Waterfall in the Dalaran Arena to your advantage. Sometimes, when you're getting hit by an opponent, you can use the knockback to separate you two, even if only for a few seconds.
Viper Sting Warlocks, always. Not only does it slow their damage, but it also forces them to drop their own health via Life Tap.
The best way to OOM a Resto Shaman is by DPS'ing his partner. Nothing makes a Shaman happier than sticking your pet on him and allowing him to Line of Sight. Water Shield alone will keep him at full mana. Just go balls out on DPS and he'll be forced to run through his mana much quicker than if you were draining it.
Use Frost Traps as opposed to Freezing Traps, unless you really need the added CC. Generally, what we have is enough to get the job done, and the Entrapment tics will drive Melee classes wild and save you a lot of mana in the process.
Glyph of Turn Undead is an absolute MUST. Fearing Warlock/Death Knight pets is excellent to begin with, but nothing ruins that strategy like getting school-silenced in the middle of the cast.
If you're specced 49/0/22, make sure you're Judging your Hunter's DPS target. Not only will it keep your Haste buff up and do some damage, but it will increase your Hunter's crit rate by 3% against him.
Be mindful of the pet. As Survival, you'll be hard-pressed to get a rez off unless your CC's on the other team are perfect. Make sure you're keeping it topped off, since most pets sit at around 13,000 hit points.
Raid Icons can help you and your partner find each other when you're split up. Don't leave your partner or the pet alone for too long, the amount of burst just one opponent can put out is surprisingly high, and you can be caught off guard.
Resilience gear saves the day. I usually play at around 550-600 resil, and my partner wears between 600-750 depending on the comps we're facing.
If anyone else has Questions or Comments, please don't hesitate to talk to me in-game or on this guide. I'll do my best to keep it updated with new strategies and refined tactics as they come along.
Difficulty Scale - 1(easy) 5(manageable) 8(hard) 10(counter comp)
Builds
Hunter
My Hunter is specced 0/16/55, picking up the ever-important Aimed Shot. It should be noted that this spec does NOT include the faster Pet Resurrect talent, so teams new to the comp should consider using a pet that has Heart of the Phoenix (Instant Rez). This is basically the only viable spec at the moment, since Beast Mastery doesn't yield enough CC to facilitate burns or avoid getting gibbed against double DPS teams. Marksman simply doesn't do the damage or CC that Survival can, so that leaves only one.
Paladin
As a Paladin, I found that more than one spec is viable. Considering the rise in Shaman/X 2v2 teams, I highly recommend speccing into Pure of Heart, which will help against Death Knight teams, which isn't needed so much, but will also halve the duration of Hex and Curse of Tongues, which are game breakers. For the most part I ran as cookie-cutter 53/18/0 for the 30 second cooldown on Hammer of Justice, which allowed us to attempt burns much easier. Additionally, the haste helped me keep myself up against DK's and Rogues while I lacked gear after just hitting 80. 49/0/22 is popular as well, but you need to be mindful of when you use Freedom to break a stun, since many rogues will wait for you to use it and then Vanish + hard switch to you while Freedom is on cooldown. Some Paladins even find Holy/Retribution to be the best spec, even going down so far as to pick up Repentance for added CC. See what spec works best for you.
Gear
Hunter
My Hunter wears mostly PvP gear, with PvE offpieces. He usually has between 650-750 resilience, but sticks to using PvE weapons and offpieces for added damage.
Paladin
For the Paladin, generally the 2-piece set bonus from Tier 7 helps with both healing and damage, but when it really shines is when it gives you an instant Flash of Light, which can be used to avoid Counterspells on your Holy Tree. I usually run with 550 resilience and 18.8k health, and about 16.4k mana. My healing sits at around 1935, and my crit is, depending on the spec, between 25%-33%.
Matchups
VS. Death Knight/Holy Paladin
VS. Feral Druid/Holy Paladin
VS. Resto Druid/Warrior
VS. Hunter/Disc Priest
VS. Survival Hunter/Resto Shaman
VS. Mage/Rogue
VS. Ret Paladin/Rogue
VS. Holy Paladin/Rogue
VS. Holy Paladin/Warrior
VS. Disc Priest/Mutilate Rogue
VS. Disc Priest/Warrior
VS. Rogue/Resto Shaman
VS. Resto Shaman/Warlock
VS. Resto Shaman/Warrior
Credentials: First things first - I've played this comp to 2200+ with my Hunter friend, whom I plan on returning to play with later in Season 5. As a Druid in Burning Crusade we got Gladiator in Season 3, so we've been playing together a good long time.
It should be noted that this team is basically what I call a Pressure Team, or a team that doesn't quite outlast teams, or drain them, or even burst them, but more accurately it utilizes all three of these tactics together to force a team to play out of their element, which is usually how we win our fights. Forcing a double DPS team to play defensively is one way we win our points, or by forcing a healer out of his protective area to heal his partner is another way to force a team out of its comfort zone.
Terminology: LoS - Line of Sight, or when you hide from an enemy to avoid Mana Burns, CC's, Damage, etc.
CC - Crowd Control, or the abilities you use to incapacitate a player or prevent them from performing a specific action, such as healing or casting. Examples would be Wyvern Sting, Polymorph, Blind, Sap, etc.
OOM - Out of Mana, or when you run completely out of mana.
General Tips: Never yell at your partner. Getting angry has never helped anyone do well in an arena. Ever. I know the phrase is overused, but constructive criticism will win games, rather than screaming out insults and pointing out flaws that way. After each match, my Hunter and I talk about how we could have executed the match better (even if we won).
Acquaint yourself with Line of Sight mechanics, they can help immensely for avoiding Mana Burns and Warlock Fears.
Learn what other classes' buffs look like. Memorize what Anti Magic Shell, Icebound Fortitude, Power Infusion, Enrage, etc look like. It's the easiest and best early-warning technique you have for when your opponents are lining up burst/CC/etc. Know your enemy.
Never let a Death Knight or his healer sit in the Anti Magic Zone. It will ruin your damage from spells and Explosive Shot. Instead, kite them out of the zone, and if they're not following, simply leave and drink back to full. The beauty of this comp is that it can easily reset and be just as effective as it was out of the gate.
Your Hunter should be your shield at all times. He needs to get used to always being between a Priest and you-that way he can stop Mana Burns or at least Wing Clip/Conc Shot so you have a chance at kiting. The one thing that stops our team dead in its tracks is a freecasting Priest/Warlock.
Use Divine Plea whenever it's up, even if you're at 90% mana. There may be a time when you need mana badly but can't afford to take the 20% healing debuff.
It's important to know when to target switch. Pressuring a healer out of LoS for a drain is currently easiest to do by just laying into the healer's DPS. This is especially true of Death Knight teams, which have few abilities to mitigate damage once Icebound Fortitude and Anti Magic Shell is down.
Lining up CC is the best way to go for a win, rather than just attempting to burn a target down through heals. Set up a rotation with your Hunter. Our rotation is Wyvern Sting, Scatter Shot, Hammer, Freezing Trap, Blood Elf Silence (obviously, not everyone has this). Find out what works for you. Generally we start with the Hunter's CC's first because I have to run to the healer in order to CC him.
The best form of defense you have is your partner. A Survival Hunter can single-handedly control two players simultaneously if he knows what he's doing, and Deflection means you can usually leave him alone with a DPS while you heal back up.
Don't be afraid to use cooldowns defensively, rather than offensively if you need them. The nice bit about this comp is that every 45 seconds you'll have cooldowns up and ready for another burn.
Use Blessing of Sacrifice to avoid CC's. It will break you out of Sap/Blind/Gouge/Polymorph/etc, and it can help you mitigate overall damage done when you're fighting a high-burst team. Used in conjunction with Beacon of Light, you can effectively use Sacrifice on your Hunter without any fear of dropping your own health too low, due to using Beacon on yourself and spam-healing your Hunter.
Against Double DPS teams, use your Hammer of Justice as soon as possible. Generally it will force a trinket, which means your Hunter can Wyvern for a full 10 seconds of 2v1.
For added damage, when your Hunter is kiting, have him Disengage over the Line of Fire in the Orgrimmar Arena. Most people will miss the jump, and end up Conflagrating themselves.
Use the Waterfall in the Dalaran Arena to your advantage. Sometimes, when you're getting hit by an opponent, you can use the knockback to separate you two, even if only for a few seconds.
Viper Sting Warlocks, always. Not only does it slow their damage, but it also forces them to drop their own health via Life Tap.
The best way to OOM a Resto Shaman is by DPS'ing his partner. Nothing makes a Shaman happier than sticking your pet on him and allowing him to Line of Sight. Water Shield alone will keep him at full mana. Just go balls out on DPS and he'll be forced to run through his mana much quicker than if you were draining it.
Use Frost Traps as opposed to Freezing Traps, unless you really need the added CC. Generally, what we have is enough to get the job done, and the Entrapment tics will drive Melee classes wild and save you a lot of mana in the process.
Glyph of Turn Undead is an absolute MUST. Fearing Warlock/Death Knight pets is excellent to begin with, but nothing ruins that strategy like getting school-silenced in the middle of the cast.
If you're specced 49/0/22, make sure you're Judging your Hunter's DPS target. Not only will it keep your Haste buff up and do some damage, but it will increase your Hunter's crit rate by 3% against him.
Be mindful of the pet. As Survival, you'll be hard-pressed to get a rez off unless your CC's on the other team are perfect. Make sure you're keeping it topped off, since most pets sit at around 13,000 hit points.
Raid Icons can help you and your partner find each other when you're split up. Don't leave your partner or the pet alone for too long, the amount of burst just one opponent can put out is surprisingly high, and you can be caught off guard.
Resilience gear saves the day. I usually play at around 550-600 resil, and my partner wears between 600-750 depending on the comps we're facing.
If anyone else has Questions or Comments, please don't hesitate to talk to me in-game or on this guide. I'll do my best to keep it updated with new strategies and refined tactics as they come along.
Difficulty Scale - 1(easy) 5(manageable) 8(hard) 10(counter comp)
Builds
Hunter
My Hunter is specced 0/16/55, picking up the ever-important Aimed Shot. It should be noted that this spec does NOT include the faster Pet Resurrect talent, so teams new to the comp should consider using a pet that has Heart of the Phoenix (Instant Rez). This is basically the only viable spec at the moment, since Beast Mastery doesn't yield enough CC to facilitate burns or avoid getting gibbed against double DPS teams. Marksman simply doesn't do the damage or CC that Survival can, so that leaves only one.
Paladin
As a Paladin, I found that more than one spec is viable. Considering the rise in Shaman/X 2v2 teams, I highly recommend speccing into Pure of Heart, which will help against Death Knight teams, which isn't needed so much, but will also halve the duration of Hex and Curse of Tongues, which are game breakers. For the most part I ran as cookie-cutter 53/18/0 for the 30 second cooldown on Hammer of Justice, which allowed us to attempt burns much easier. Additionally, the haste helped me keep myself up against DK's and Rogues while I lacked gear after just hitting 80. 49/0/22 is popular as well, but you need to be mindful of when you use Freedom to break a stun, since many rogues will wait for you to use it and then Vanish + hard switch to you while Freedom is on cooldown. Some Paladins even find Holy/Retribution to be the best spec, even going down so far as to pick up Repentance for added CC. See what spec works best for you.
Gear
Hunter
My Hunter wears mostly PvP gear, with PvE offpieces. He usually has between 650-750 resilience, but sticks to using PvE weapons and offpieces for added damage.
Paladin
For the Paladin, generally the 2-piece set bonus from Tier 7 helps with both healing and damage, but when it really shines is when it gives you an instant Flash of Light, which can be used to avoid Counterspells on your Holy Tree. I usually run with 550 resilience and 18.8k health, and about 16.4k mana. My healing sits at around 1935, and my crit is, depending on the spec, between 25%-33%.
Matchups
VS. Death Knight/Holy Paladin
VS. Feral Druid/Holy Paladin
VS. Resto Druid/Warrior
VS. Hunter/Disc Priest
VS. Survival Hunter/Resto Shaman
VS. Mage/Rogue
VS. Ret Paladin/Rogue
VS. Holy Paladin/Rogue
VS. Holy Paladin/Warrior
VS. Disc Priest/Mutilate Rogue
VS. Disc Priest/Warrior
VS. Rogue/Resto Shaman
VS. Resto Shaman/Warlock
VS. Resto Shaman/Warrior
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Join date : 2008-12-12
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