Curse

LaserLight · Feb 22, 2006, 07:31 AM // 07:31

“Furious Typhoon”
Assassin/Elementalist
Damage Dealer/Condition Bomb

Attributes:
Critical Hits 8 (9 w/Minor Rune)
Dagger Mastery 11 (15 w/mask + Superior
Shadow Arts 9 (10 w/Minor)
Air Magic 8

Skills:

Black Mantis Thrust
Wild Strike
Twisting Fangs
Blinding Flash
Unseen Fury
Shadow Refuge
Ride the Lightning/Death’s Charge
Viper’s Defense

Weapons:
Zealous Butterfly Knives (+15% Stanced) of Defense

Armor:
Zodiac set

Notes:

This Furious Typhoon is my concept for a Dagger Master post-GWWC. Observing those matches, it occurred to me that Distortion would single-handedly ruin Dagger Mastery as an attribute. Anyone with Distortion on the bar is, essentially, immune to the typical Dagger Master since there isn’t really any way to get around it. There’s no waiting until it’s recharging, Wild Strike needs to hit before it strips, and Distortion is just annoying >_<.

But! There is hope!

Assassins have been given several ways to attack someone through a defensive Stance such as Distortion. Among them are moves such as Fox Fangs and Nine Tail Strike – the first of which is usable, the second of which bites compared to Fangs. There is also Expose Defenses, which is slow, expensive, and easily interrupted/stripped away. There is only attacking targets which are in no way Mesmers and thus cannot use Distortion. There’s the out-class skills such as Wild Blow and Rigor Mortis. None of those are really good options though. Looking through the Assassin skill list, increasingly despondent, I hit upon Unseen Fury and immediately realized its potential. Here was my method of screwing Distortioners in unmentionable locations with a Butterfly Knife.

Problem was…how to apply it. Unseen Fury requires that the foe be Blinded, which really isn’t easy to do. The Assassin’s Blinding Powder skill is useless, as it needs to come after a successful off-hand attack and thus cannot help either the lead or offhand strikes hit. Aside from that, not many ways to do it…of course, all you really need is one good one, and with Blinding Flash we have just that. It’s awful bloody expensive, but it gets the job done and, more importantly, does it without a 45-second recharge or some weird conditional crap. Thus, I had my defense buster and my defense buster detonator. With those two, everything else just fell into place. The Dagger Mastery skill stream was designed to inflict maximum damage for minimum energy, as well as strip away Stances ranging from Distortion to Tiger’s Fury to the ever-popular Mantra of Resolve.

Ride the Lightning/Death’s Charge and Viper’s Defense are tecH skills, designed to increase the Furious Typhoon’s capabilities in all areas. Mobility is obvious, but with RtL and VD, one boosts both the offense and defense of the Assassin as well. Viper’s Defense is especially nasty. Hitting your FF/WS/TF stream, then leaving on the wings of Viper’s Defense, leaves an enemy suffering from a nasty damage spike, Bleeding, Poison, Deep Wound, and a sudden decided lack of Assassiny target to get revenge on.

Shadow Refuge is, of course, for healing. As well as a decent defensive move to augment VD.

Please, let me know what you think. I especially want to see some constructive alternatives from other players interested in making Assassins work in the brutal top-level metagame. Hm hm, let’s show the naysayers that Assassins can be killers too! XD

*EDIT NOTE: Mass embarrassment...I didn't even notice that Fox Fangs was an off-hand attack and not a lead attack. Stupid me.*

Vermilion Okeanos · Feb 22, 2006, 08:40 AM // 08:40

Just a note I would like to make...

Those palm strike are "skills" that act as lead or offhand attack... that means it can't be block or evade.

Also, I was having alot of fun taking on many with just glimmering mark =D (there were barely anyone with hex removal... so it was fun while it lasted).

LaserLight · Feb 22, 2006, 08:45 AM // 08:45

Indeed, a skill stream running Fox Fangs->Palm Strike [E]->Nine Tail Strike would hit the enemy clear through defensive stances, but it wouldn't be half as damaging as BMT/WS/TF. It would also require the use of one's Elite slot, which would rule out the use of the potentially very cool Ride the Lightning.

Still, good thinking. Perhaps...Way of the Fox, Palm Strike [E]-> Twisting Fangs could be used as well. WotF wouldn't activate until an attck landed, if I understand the skill properly, which would mean it'd wait for Fangs. Interesting notion.

Vermilion Okeanos · Feb 22, 2006, 08:51 AM // 08:51

Personally, I think there are 2 ways to go. (just like warrior)

1: An assasin who is fully capable of doing fine alone.
2: An assasin who rely on his team mate to debuff the target, while he do the killing.

Option one defintely is something for CA.
Option two would require a much better team.

While, I am not sure why would ride the lightning be that big of a deal, does it knock down? For all we know, it probably got exhaustion too. I would prefer death charge + unsuspecting strike as of now. I would have to wait for the full detail of Ride the Lightning to decide on that one.

LaserLight · Feb 22, 2006, 09:19 AM // 09:19

Thus the '/Death's Charge' option :-P

Huh...if RtL gives Exhaustion, then yeah, it's out. Or if it costs more than 10 Energy. And though it didn't say such, we can only pray it knocks down. It feels like it should, after all...