User:Vortexsam/Team - Soul Barbs

The Soul Barbs spike team is focused around exactly that skill; Soul Barbs. Using a combination of Necromancers, Mesmers, and Elementalists, it primes a target with Soul Barbs and the rest of the offensive team immediately unloads a massive number of hexes in a short period of time to drastically impair the victim's ability to survive or deal life-threatening damage. Additionally, the commonly found Mo/Me Boon Prots will find it extremely hard to counter the spike when Soul Barbs begins to damage the victim because of protective enchantments they cast and cannot remove Soul Barbs because of the number of cover hexes. Backed by the usual Monk pair and an E/Mo Hybrid Support Flag runner, this team requires only a bit of coordination and teamwork to easily steamroll an unsuspecting team.

Composition
An outline of each character build is given here.

Melee
There are no melee characters involved in this team at all. If anything, it makes the opposing team likely to consider this to be an easy battle.

The Judge
Discuss with the party about when to cast Soul Barb prior to the battle. Timing is key. Use Siphon Speed on the brave warrior to assist with kiting. Use Enduring Toxin to quickly cover the Defile Flesh and give some time for more hexes to land. Afterwards, use Feast of Corruption as a finisher or to heal from the 20% max health sacrifice used in Defile Flesh. Use Expunge Enchantments only as a last resort and only if the Signet of Disenchantment fails or the caster dies.

The Jury
Consider switching out Physical Resistance for Blood Bond on the Judge, to help cope with the sacrifice costs. Work together with the Me/Mo; use Vile Miasma after she calls the Accumulated Pain. Before the foe is about to die, start casting the Well of Power to lower the chances of losing the corpse to another exploiter. Use Life Siphon to deal damage and counteract the sacrifice in Blood Ritual.

Unload hexes after the Soul Barbs has been cast/called. Your major job is to be a cover hexer. Use Wastrel's Worry and Images of Remorse to use up their hex removal skills. Use Accumulated Pain to start a spike. Use Kitah's Burden to snare. Get in good positions for the Healing Circle. If energy is not a great concern, consider switching in Imagined Burden.

The Executioners
Lead your offensive with "Charge!" and keep it up to for a powerful mobile force. Incendiary Bonds and Smoldering Embers are your only hexes so be sure to use them first. Use the more high powered skills to cause panic, feign spikes, or to finish off difficult targets.

If the energy demand is too high for the player, consider using Signet of Weariness instead of Energy Burn. Only use Shatter Delusions when the target is near death. Follow up with Energy Burn or Energy Surge. Since the elementalist can pack a larger punch than you can, concentrate on looking out for Ressurection Signets and complicating things.

Mo/Me SB/Infuser
The last skill is commonly used for Dwayna's Kiss. If your group asks you for it, bring Blessed Aura instead. Blessed Aura is used along with a 20% Enchanting staff to make SB last 25-30 seconds.

E/Mo Hybrid Flag Runner
As the title implies, run the flag. And don't stop running the flag until you have a superiority. If the group just needs a small push to force a kill, which should be very rare, use your Water hexes to help. Be prepared to fight one on one versus another flag runner. If overwhelmed while flag running, away from the main party, survive as long as possible; if the enemy has split, chances are the other part will soon be overwhelmed by your main party.

Variations
Category:GvG team builds Category:Multi-campaign builds