Arcane Thievery

Description
For 5...29 seconds, one random spell is disabled for target foe, and Arcane Thievery is replaced by that spell.

Acquisition
Skill Quests: Skill Trainers: Signet of Capture:
 * The Price of Steel (Silverwood)
 * Tengsao (The Amnoon Oasis)
 * Dakk (Ember Light Camp)
 * ... more to be added ...

Usage
Be wary that the spell stolen will be linked to your attribute and not the opponent's, so it is very unlikely that you will be able to utilize the spell very effectively. However, the true beauty of this skill is not in using your opponent's skills but rather in totally disabling them. Although you cannot choose which spell you steal (so an element of chance is involved), the ability to totally shut down one of your opponent's spells for a mere 10 energy is close to the very heart of what it means to be a Domination Mesmer. It is often advisable to combine this skill with Arcane Echo (and/or Echo), both so that you can shut down more than one skill and so that you have a greater chance of shutting down the one skill which will cause your opponent to swear at the screen and call you very bad names. However, Arcane Thievery makes no distinction between usable and unusable spells; even if a certain spell is already shut down (either by another skill, such as Signet of Humility, or by another casting of Arcane Thievery), it is possible to steal that skill again. In this manner, it is possible (albeit unlikely) to cast Arcane Thievery three times on the same target (by means of Echo and Arcane Echo) and still shut down only one skill!

This skill is best used when combined with other skills which disable your opponent's skills, such as Signet of Humility, Power Block, and Diversion.

In the current metagame, Arcane Thievery is used to disable Gale (or, occasionally, Shock) in warrior/elementalists who use the "gale lock" strategy to take down overextended foes or stop flag runners. This counter is effective because these "Gale Warriors" generally do not carry any other spells. Because this counter is so effective, many teams are now including a spellcaster with Gale, usually a mesmer/elementalist who steals a second copy from any opponent Gale Warriors.

Related Skills

 * Echo
 * Arcane Echo
 * Arcane Mimicry
 * Inspired Enchantment
 * Inspired Hex