Shutdown Mesmer

A Shutdown Mesmer is a Mesmer who focuses on stopping (shutting down) enemy spell-casters. They use a combination of energy draining skills (like Chaos Storm), interruption skills (like Cry of Frustration), self-damage spells (like Backfire and Guilt) and skill-denial skills (like Signet of Humility) to completely prevent an enemy spell-caster from casting any spells. They can even use Blackout to literally shut down an enemy's skill bar!

A Shutdown Mesmer is a spell-caster's worst nightmare. Their favorite prey are usually Elementalists because they are the opponent's highest damage dealers and most fragile members. Still, they can also severely disrupt a Monk or a Necromancer.

For example, an Elementalist running around the battlefied casting spells and zapping enemies with his wand can be taken out instantly by a shutdown mesmer with a shrewd eye. If he observes the Elementalist has a combo of skills he like to employ, the mesmer would wait until that combo is started, then invoke Backfire and Empathy. the Elementalist will self-destroy in less than a few seconds by simply casting his own combo.

Note: It's important for a Shutdown Mesmer to learn the ways of other spell-casting professions. For example, if a Mesmer sees a Glyph of Energy being cast by an Elementalist, he should prepare his interruption skills for the next spell, because that glyph is most often used in preparation for a big important spell.