New PC inc, Plans for Two Videos

I will, if all goes as planned, have my brand new PC by Saturday. Specs are:

Motherboard: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core
Hard Drives: Seagate Barracuda 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive x2 (2x160GB)
GFX: EVGA GeForce 8600GTS Superclocked 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP
Memory: mushkin 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit x2 (4GB)

To someone who has no clue what all this computer jibber-jabber means, I'll spell it out for you.

New PC = Rape = Fraps = videos.

I currently am planning to release two PvP videos -- One Arena video (focused around 5v5) and one solo PvP video (Nerf Treisk 2). Both videos are slated for a late Spring release, and will probably be released about a month to a month and a half between each other.

Clutch Tactics 5v5
This video will be mostly about our 5's team, Clutch Tactics, which is currently (and plans to continue) running Hunter, Rogue, Disc Priest, SLSL Lock, Resto Druid. The comp is essentially a drain team, with burst and mass CC. While we are outlast, it is absolutely normal to see us kill a target in the first minute or so of a fight. While the drain setup might not always be the most entertaining to watch, we don't truly look at this as an absolute drain setup -- We look at this as a regular 3DPS team with emphasis on CC and wearing out mana pools.

Since our Priest is regularly put on the defensive to spam heal, more often than not he is not allowed the opportunity to mana burn. While he does usually work early in the game to purge down a target and prepare to put pressure on the DPS target, he seldom doesn't have time for a Mana Burn cast. Having Mass Dispels to keep pressure on Mages and Paladins is invaluable, and having an AOE fear for additional CC against casters that enjoy getting up close and personal (Affliction Warlocks, Frost Mages) makes a Priest a great tool for this comp. That's where the Druid comes in.

One of the strengths of this comp is that MS is seldom on a target. This is helped by the Druid, who compliments this setup in a way that most Paladins could never dream. Having a Cyclone/Root CC rotation on a Warrior, combined with Frost Trap, Entrapment, Scatter Shot, Wing Clip, Blind, Mind Control, and Fear (forcing Death Wish or waiting for Berserker Rage to initiate DR), a Warrior is usually taken out of the game with ease. Because of that, Druid heals are incredibly effective at keeping a player alive. With Lifebloom ticking for 600+, Rejuv ticking at 800+, and Regrowths critting for 3K+, our Druid is usually able to keep a player alive without MS. With MS, his mana pool is not challenged.

As well, our Warlock's main focus is stopping casters and CCing while applying DoTs for pressure. Curse of Tongues, Fear, Spell Lock, and Death Coil are absolutely incredible for locking down their CC and any Paladins or Shamans on their team. Taking a class with as much burst as a Shaman out of the equation while still managing to use half of his GCD's for other things makes a Warlock an invaluable asset to our comp.

The Hunter's role in this build is as main drain, kiting, and DPS. The Hunter also acts as a backup MS when Wound Poison isn't applied to the DPS target and the Hunter is wide open. Multi Shot does a good job of keeping pressure up on multiple targets, and devastating DPS from a Hunter stacking AP (~2100 unbuffed, meaning 900+ top-end) puts incredible pressure on their healing, distracting Priests from mana burning and Druids from CCing. Essentially, this comp was 100% built around having a Hunter, and would not work the same way without one.

The Rogue's role in this matrix is to lock a target down. This is usually the Rogue's job in any case, but our Rogue's focus is so strongly on controlling the fight, our Rogue is Shadowstep (pre-2.3.2) for the extra mobility. Having him onboard for Crippling Poison and Stunlocks makes mana burning a snap, as we don't have to concern ourselves with LOS, and Crippling Poison covers Viper Sting like a champ.

Still haven't played a ton of games, so no strats quite yet, but with any luck, by the time our 5's video is ready to drop, we'll have enough put together to come out with strats from the POV of each player.

Clutch Tactics is currently #9 in Battlegroup Rampage, and claims victories over S1/S2 top teams such as Grizzly, SPAWN MORE OVERLORDS, and Dejthstoneibilyfunecima. "You Can't Spell Skill Without S" (working title) should be released before April 1st.