User:XT-8147/Skill Review:Escape

Escape has a great duration:recharge time ratio, which at 16 expertise is better than 1:2 (lasts longer than half its recharge time). This means that it will last a decent amount of time and have a fairly short delay before it can be used again. Repeated use with all manner of Ranger builds shows that it's great for accomplishing its namesake. Things looking hairy? Activate it and motor out of the area. It also has general usefulness for just one of its effects. If you lag behind the rest of your party for one reason or another (opening a chest, picking up items, stuck on terrain features, etc.), the speed boost will catch you up so you can be there for the next battle. Once in battle, if an enemy decides it's going to attack you specifically, the evade chance will reduce the amount of damage you take, allowing partied monks to focus on other people. It's essentially like being able to activate the evade on Lightning Reflexes and the speed on Storm Chaser at the same time, but without either stance's extra bonuses.

Strengths
 * Low period of downtime with high expertise, compared to Dodge.
 * Evades 75% of all attacks, not just incoming arrows like Dodge.
 * Allows you to take fewer hits while moving quickly, great for running.
 * Good elite for a build that's already strong enough on offense or is being further enhanced by other party members.

Weaknesses ''Note that these weaknesses are the weaknessess associated with any elite stance... I couldn't find any more specific weaknesses.''
 * One hit of Wild Blow kills both your ability to evade and your extra speed.
 * It's a stance, which means it doesn't stack with other stances. If you're looking for additional effects, you'll have to get an enchantment put on you.
 * Uses your Elite slot, so you can't use so-called Ranger staples like Poison Arrow.

Synergies
 * Works well with any other form of evasion, blocking, or speed via shout or enchantment. See Ward Against Melee, Aegis, "Charge!", and other similar skills
 * Combine with Warrior shouts like "For Great Justice!" and Monk enchantments like Shielding Hands to reduce the damage that manages to get through the stance.

Works well against
 * Oath Shot (which has to hit to recharge the user's skills, if it misses, all the user's skills get disabled for a while)
 * Marksman's Wager (gives the user energy back when their arrows hit, but takes energy when they miss)
 * Ranger-based forms of interruption. (All Ranger interrupts have to hit to interrupt what you're doing. Evasion and blocking wont do anything at all against Mesmer interrupts.)