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

Note that it is not only mesmers that have the ability to shutdown. Dazing a caster can shut them down completely and will become very frustrating to the target. Shutdown mesmers aim to weaken or damage a foe's main purpose i.e interrupting important skills or stopping them from attacking. Different professions can be shut down in different ways.
 * Slowing a warrior down will render them almost useless but slowing down a monk does little to hinder them.
 * Using Backfire on an unsuspecting monk may kill them outright or stop them from casting temporarily, but using this on a warrior is almost pointless.

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