User:Shaothemerciful

=Shao The Merciful=


 * Name: Shao
 * Birthdate: December 8, 1983
 * Gender: Male
 * Started Playing: January 2007
 * Guild Forums: RoD Forums

Greetings, I am Shao The Merciful- just Shao, for short. I am an officer and the HA Team Co-Leader for the guild Ravenz of Darkstone [RoD], a PvX guild. My primary interest is in PvP, mostly Heroes Ascent(r7 Hero), and more recently, Hero Battle(42|49|0). I am a converted PvPer, as some call it- that is, I began as a PvE player; however, that has grown far too dull for my tastes. I am still actively "title hunting" on my Dervish, but the rest are merely farmers for equipment and funds to make my PvP characters look that much better.

Heroes Ascent
In Heroes' Ascent, I will gladly play any mid- or frontline position- though, as the team leader and caller, I spend the most time on a warrior, dervish, or a ranger. Recent nerfs have forced me to abandon my dervish/sin frontline- and I am extremely anti-spiritway, so balanced spikes, ranger spike, or the occasional pressure build are my favorites.

The Current Metagame
As far as my thoughts on the current status of the HA metagame- Spiritway has become less of a concern as of late- It has taken a backseat to builds like:

''Elite Spell. Target foe and all nearby foes are struck with Searing Flames. Foes already on fire when this Skill is cast are struck for 10...82...100 fire damage. Foes not already on fire begin Burning for 1...6...7 seconds.''

This "SF way" spike requires no skill on anyone's part to run- simply have someone call a target, spam SF on it for 3 seconds, and switch targets.

''Spell. Open a Spirit Rift at target foe's location. After 3 seconds, all adjacent foes are struck for 25...113...135 lightning damage.''

Ritspike has made a huge comeback, and many teams run it with rediculous precision. This build, if played propperly, can dominate any map, but requires a moderate amount of skill to properly run.

Both commonplace, but neither is build is flawless. SF way relies on spamming the Elite it is named for- simply put, a good RC and a decent mesmer can shut these teams down in seconds. RC's who prot fast enough will find the damage minimized, and mesmers with a few good diversions or Cry's will destroy SF teams quickly. Ritspike relies on KD, and timing. Aura of Stability or "Brace Yourself!" destroy Ritspike's KD power, and shield sets with +10 vs. Lightning damage coupled with a few minor prots will lessen the overpowered damage.

Hero Battle
Hero Battle is another story. I started out in HB, like many, as an assassin, but have since progressed to monking. I prefer shrine cap victories over face-to-face matches, but can prevail in both accounts. Like all serious HBers, I believe Crossing needs a bit of work, to say the least, and pray for the day Anet finally fixes it- or removes it entirely and replaces it.

Guild Versus Guild
GvG carries little if any interest to me, aside from the fact that it basically determines what builds I can run in HA because of "GvG nerfs"; that is, nerfs that occur because GvGers whine about a build long and hard, and Anet changes everything. HA has become the red-headed stepchild of Guild Wars, but I love it, nonetheless.

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[[Image:Warrior-icon.png]] Shao The Mighty
Usual streams: Swordsmanship - Cripslash interupter. Axe Mastery/Air Magic - Shock Axe frontliner. Uses: Currently, I run this Warrior in HA, mostly as a cripslash, running trains on oposing mid- and backliners.'''
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[[Image:Ranger-icon.png]] Shao Rains Arrows
Usual streams: Expertise/Marksmanship - Rangerspike caller. Uses: This character has taken a bit of a backseat to other builds, but I love Rangerspike, so I keep him around.
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[[Image:Monk-icon.png]] Shao The Merciful
Usual streams: Protection Prayers/Shadow Arts - Hero Battle Prot spammer. Uses: I use this character for weekly 1v1 Hero Battle Tournaments, and enjoy it greatly.
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[[Image:Dervish-icon.png]] Aidan Taylor
Usual streams: Scythe Mastery/Mysticism - PvE Avatar frontliner. Uses: This is my main PvE character, which I have achieved all my major titles with.
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