User:The Goron/Builds/SV Invincimonk Against Magni

General
Designed to defeat everyone in Magni the Bison's tournement, including Magni himself, as a Monk. This guide assumes you have some experience 55'ing, but if not, this is a good place to learn. This build can defeat everyone in the tournament that I've come across (pre-release, still testing now that the game has come out). Tips for defeating each foe are below.

Attributes and Skills
My monk currently has a Sunspear Rank of 8, which affects the amount of damage Necrosis does. The further along the Sunspear Title Track you are, the more damage this build will do.

Equipment

 * Any armor you like--AL is irrelevant, but anything with extra energy is a plus. However, you will need to put a superior rune on all 5 pieces to reduce your health to 105. Radiant Insignias will deepen your energy pool, as well.
 * First Weapon Set: A one-handed weapon of your choosing. Again, this build is energy-based, so something along the lines of a Totem Axe, which gives +5 energy, is recommended. The offhand must be the -50hp Grim Cesta, obtained from the Cities of Ascalon quest, to decrease your health to 55.
 * Second Weapon Set: A high-energy 2-handed weapon/staff, with no health modifiers. Switching to this weapon will increase your health to 105 to counter degeneration and life-stealing. I use Kephet's Refuge, as an example.

Usage
Before every battle, precast Mending. Wait for energy to recharge a bit, stand just outside the door, and precast Protective Spirit (PS) before entering battle. Keep PS up at ALL times--otherwise it's 1 hit and goodnight.

The opponents listed as Pushovers (or I didn't bother including any other tips), means use the following strategy: 55 health, start the fight with Spoil Victor (SV), and spam Necrosis, Castigation Signet, Necrosis, Reversal of Damage, Necrosis, etc. until you win. You can usually throw in a Parasitic Bond if you like, but the damage from the other skills easily outweighs the measly -1 health reduction from Parasitic Bond.

Again, SV=Spoil Victor, PS=Protective Spirit, and RoD=Reversal of Damage.

The Roster

 * Alesia -- Pushover
 * Argo -- Stay out of "Argo's Cry" (Meteor Shower) after he casts it, and keep attacking.
 * Cynn -- Glyph of Restoration drags this fight out sometimes, but keep up the damage and she'll fall.
 * Danika (with Brutus and Sheena) -- Danika's "pets" use life stealing and direct damage, making this one a little tougher. Definitely switch to 105, precast PS and Healing Breeze just before the fight, and open with SV. Spam damage skills, but save RoD to boost health back up after you're hit with Vampiric Gaze. If the battle drags on, Vile Touch and Vampiric Gaze stacked will burn through your defenses. Try to stay at max health, and spam damage as fast as possible. The deadliest fight versus this build that I've found so far, and I'll update the strategy after I've fought her a little more.
 * Devona -- Pushover
 * Eve -- SS, with no enchantment removal, and no real degen -- Pushover
 * Ghostly Hero -- Ranger -- Pushover
 * Gwen -- Leech Signet and Power Spike make her fairly annoying. Don't let PS get even close to running out, just in case she interrupts it. -- Pushover
 * Headmaster Vhang -- Pushover
 * Kahmu -- Uses Rending Touch to remove an enchantment. Precast PS, start the fight by hitting him with SV, and cast Healing Breeze immediately to cover PS: he usually uses Rending Touch first.
 * Kilroy -- Pushover
 * Kisai -- Pushover
 * Koss -- Pushover
 * Little Thorn -- Pushover
 * Lo Sha -- Lots of degen. Use 105, start with SV, follow up immediately with Healing Breeze; spam for damage. End this fight as quickly as possible. If it drags on, you'll run out of energy keeping yourself alive.
 * Lukas -- Causes Bleeding -- Pushover
 * Melonni -- One of the longer fights. She uses Avatar of Dwayna (gives health and removes a hex every time a skill is used). Keep your energy up, and wait out the Avatar form -- when she reverts, hit her with the normal stuff, and she'll go down.
 * Mhenlo -- Mhenlo is also a 55 monk. For this fight, don't precast Mending. Make sure your health is 55, precast PS, and begin with SV. Don't attack him or use any skills except to keep PS up, and to keep SV on him. Spoil Victor only works if the opponent has more health than you. The first time he hits you, it will lower your health to 50, and the second time he hits you, SV will kill him, because he'll still have 55 health. Easiest battle in the tournament once you understand how to beat him.
 * Morgahn -- Poison and Burning cause some serious degen if you're not prepared. Switch to 105, keep your health up with Healing Breeze and RoD. I've never come across him after I added Healing Breeze to the build, so I'm not sure if he has any tricks up his sleeve or not.
 * Nika -- Her Elite is Shattering Assault, which removes 2 enchantments and deals a decent amount of damage to boot. However, if you spam the damage quickly enough, she usually goes down before using/completing this skill. A more careful method might be to use 105, keep Healing Breeze on top of PS constantly, and cast RoD when you see her use her elite (there's a brief delay between the first strike and the second strike). I haven't tested this; the damage could come before the enchantment removal, in which case RoD would vanish beforehand, and she would still remove PS.
 * Norgu -- Mesmer with Shatter Enchantment. Use 105. Precast PS and Healing Breeze (in that order), immediately cast SV on him. His first attack should be Shatter Enchantment, which will remove Breeze; spam Necrosis--he should be defeated before Shatter recharges. If he doesn't use Shatter Enchantment right away, or if the fight continues longer than the 15 second recharge, keep up Healing Breeze as a cover enchantment for PS just in case. If the worst happens, and he does remove PS with Shatter, you should still be alive. At this point, reapply PS as quickly as possible; one more hit will kill you.
 * Old Mac (and Joe) -- Lots of interrupts; stick with 55, open with SV, and spam what you can.
 * Orion -- Uses Mark of Rodgort and Flare to apply near-constant burning. Use 105, open with SV, and keep hitting with Necrosis. Use Healing Breeze/RoD to keep health up.
 * Panaku -- Causes Bleeding -- Pushover
 * Razah -- Mass Spirits. Try to kill him as quickly as possible, before the spirits start overwhelming you. Wanderlust is a pain, because you'll get knocked down if you're standing still, and Bloodsong passes through PS, draining your health abnormally fast. You can usually stand near the entrance out of range and recharge energy if things get crazy. Dash in and SV, then keep moving, Healing Breeze and RoD to keep health up, use Necrosis when possible, etc.
 * Sogolon -- Pushover
 * Talon Silverwing -- Pushover
 * The Great Zehtuka -- Open with Parasitic Bond. He has a pretty steady pattern--he'll run up close, and begin using traps. As soon as he starts setting one, run out of range and hit with Necrosis a couple of times. When he gets close and starts setting another, run away and use Necrosis some more. Recast Parasitic Bond if it expires, and try not to double back over areas he has already trapped. Not very hard.
 * Vekk -- Pushover
 * Warmaster Tydus -- Burning Arrow & Apply Poison -- Use 105, start with SV, keep applying damage, and use Healing Breeze to counter the degen.
 * Xandra -- She uses Vengeful Weapon on herself, which steals your health when you attack her. Use 105, keep SV on her, and don't attack twice in a row when she casts this. Use RoD and Healing Breeze to restore health when needed. If you're trigger-happy and want to remove temptation, just keep SV on her, and let her kill herself.
 * Zho (and Onyx) -- Ignore the moa, and focus on Zho. Open with SV, and keep PS up. Whittle away for a victory. -- Pushover


 * Magni the Bison -- Precast PS; when he approaches, use Parasitic Bond. He'll remove it with Purge Signet (if you time it right, you can hit him with a Necrosis before he removes the hex). Immediately cast SV. Don't attack him--it does no real damage, fuels his adrenaline, and he uses Counter Blow as a second knockdown. Use Castigation for energy in between Devastating Hammers, and spam Necrosis and RoD. If you're quick, you can beat him before SV runs out. Always keep enough energy for PS in case he doesn't go down. Keep track of the intervals between Devastating Hammers--if you wait until the last second to cast PS, and he knocks you down before you can use it, it will probably result in your death. If he doesn't die before the first SV runs out, recast Parasitic Bond, wait for him to purge it, and use SV. Spam damage skills until he succumbs.


 * Palawa Joko and Minions -- I have not come across him as of yet.