Shutdown Mesmer

A Shutdown Mesmer is a Mesmer who focuses on stopping (or shutting down) enemy classes through careful use of energy draining skills, interrupts, self-damage spells and skill-denial.

Primary Methods
Shutdown Mesmers utilize four major tactics:
 * Energy denial
 * Adrenaline denial
 * Interrupts
 * Skill denial

Other Skills
Any skill that will help you disable your enemy can be considered as helpful in this role. these include:
 * Stolen Speed
 * Arcane Languor
 * Mantra of Recovery
 * Arcane Conundrum
 * Tease
 * Signet of Humility
 * Power Block

Tactics
Shutdown Mesmers aim to weaken or damage a foe's main purpose, i.e interrupting important skills or preventing them from attacking.

Different professions can be shut down in different ways:
 * Slowing a Melee-type class down can render them almost useless, while slowing down a Ranged- or Caster-type class does little to hinder them.
 * Using Backfire on an unsuspecting Caster-type class may kill them outright or stop them from casting temporarily, while using this on a Melee-type class will have little-to-no effect on them.

Drawbacks

 * Shutdown Mesmers are extremely efficient against certain types of enemies, but are largely useless against any other type of foe.
 * Usage of interrupts requires light reflexes, good timing and extensive knowledge of other classes skills and abilities.

Related Articles
Effective mesmer guide Secondary professions for a Mesmer