Curse

Mr Pvper · Oct 11, 2006, 02:33 AM // 02:33

Intro: in my opinion, the Mo/A blessed monk version is better than the Mo/Me version. Why do i say this? Mo/A have shadow arts to keep them alive, and excessive warping to warp out of situations while Mo/Me cant. U dont need any energy management if u dont get hit much and if u focus on low energy spells for high heals.

13+2+1=16 Divine favour
10+1=11 Heal prayers
8 shadow arts

Blessed Light {E}
Signet of Devotion
Gift of Healing
Divine intervention
Shadow of haste
Dark escape
Return
Other [Heal touch, rez sig, rez chant, anything]

For this build, u focus on kiting till heal is neccessary and use signet of devotion/gift of healing for ur main heals to conserve energy. Since shadow of haste stacks over itself, u can maintain a 15% speed all the time, and under certain circumstances u can use darkescape to warp away.

Let's say a non-noob assassin warps up and attacks you with a hard hitting combo that can kill in 4-8seconds at full hp
-If u were a Mo/Mesmer u have a high chance of dieing if u dont have any ally healers or u just have a slow reaction time/no allies to defend u atm.
-If u were a Mo/A u can maintain where u triggered shadow of haste and use Dark escape u get away from the situation, especially if ur KD'd or use return on an ally to cripple the guy giving u team to heal.
Since Shadow of haste and dark escape are both 30second recharge times, u can use a warp every 30seconds using stances[which is more reliable than a spell warp] including Return, which is 15seconds recharge time. This gives u 3 warps every 30seconds giving u advantages over melee attacking u. Divine intervention is also a 30second recharge time, use it incase ur going to die as like shadow of haste and dark escape giving u 2 lifelines pretty much.
Since ur moving at a faster pace then ur enemy probably, u can kite and heal without getting hurt much. Keep track of where u use shadow of haste, because u dont wanna warp too close by and get killed, nor too far and let allies die. Shadow of Haste stacks over itself, once u combine it with its recharge time thats its new warp-back location.

For Ra:
I use this build to rush at start and to tank hexes[because i wont need to heal allies as much] for the team using shadow of haste in a reasonable location at start, then i use Blessed light when the 1st important hex hits me. When I'm going die, i use Dark escape to warp back and heal myself with blessed light or Divine intervention[If i have really low hp and deg]. I also help cripple the enemies on my team by running up to guy w/ shadow of haste then returning so my allies can kill them faster while keeping everyone alive.

For Ta:
Basically the same as Ra and just be more cautious.

For Ha:
Keep moving constantly with shadow of haste always on and be ready to heal/be aware of surroundings. When a assassin comes up to u immediately warp away. Focus on keeping urself and the main priority alive[ghostly hero] if ur the only monk healer on team, because a dead monk does no good. Against a starburst build, id just rush with shadow of haste because starburst eles cant do crap against a fast moving monk.

Tips for using skills

--Blessed Light-- Use conservingly as a condition/hex removal or self-heal because it cost so much energy or as a major heal against a spike.

--Signet of Devotion-- Use this to conserve energy and to do about a free 100pt heal when its safe to do so using warps and speed

--Gift of Healing-- Primary heal for healing allies app~ 170 pt heal

--Divine intervention-- use as a life saver skill

--Shadow of haste/Dark escape-- use for kiting/reducing dmg and warping away especially while KD'd

--Return-- Cripple enemy to stall them and/or to warp out of a situation. Preferably followed up by a sig of devotion

--Other-- Heal touch is used as a primary heal for urself to do 150pt heal right before gift of healing while kiting. Rez chant could be used in Ra for rezing, for u can trick ur opponents and warp from 1 end to the map to the other.
Rez sig is used for w.e circumstances.

Effigy · Oct 11, 2006, 01:20 PM // 13:20

Personally, I'd take RoF over Divine Intervention. Both can be used as a life saver but RoF actually has uses when someone is not on death's doorstep. Also 2 sec recharge versus 30.

I'd probably put Mend Condition in the open slot. Extra condition removal is always welcome and it's an efficient heal if it actually removes one. Spammable as well.

Generally, I think having 3 skills devoted to self-defense with no team benefit is overkill. That's nearly half your bar. Return is awesome, but I'd suggest dropping one of the stances (probably Shadow of Haste) for another skill. For arenas, where you're usually the only monk, Healing Touch is probably a good choice; a solid self heal, but can also be used on allies especially in combination with Return. For other formats, either Protective Spirit or Spirit Bond is a good choice.

holden · Oct 11, 2006, 02:07 PM // 14:07

i agree with effigy. i'd drop shadow of haste. protective spirit/spirit bond in it's place. reversal of fortune is a must have for me as well as mend condition.

no divine intervention.

moriz · Oct 11, 2006, 02:14 PM // 14:14

how did you get your divine favor up to 13 without runes?

Effigy · Oct 11, 2006, 02:41 PM // 14:41

He probably meant DF 12+3+1. Personally, I don't like using superior runes on a monk in PvP. 13-14 DF is perfectly fine.

With the prot skills added, here's what I'd recommend for attributes:

DF 12+1+1
Healing 10+1
Prot 8+1
Shadow 2

or
DF 12+1+1
Healing 9+1
Prot 9+1
Shadow 3

Kuja · Oct 11, 2006, 06:58 PM // 18:58

"dont need any energy management if u dont get hit much and if u focus on low energy spells for high heals."

Meh, this build will run out quickly under pressure, so yea, you do need to worry.

Effigy · Oct 11, 2006, 08:10 PM // 20:10

It really depends. If the pressure is directed toward the monk, like it often is in arenas, then having good self-defense is actually a type of energy management. The trouble with Mo/A is that they aren't as good at dealing with consistent pressure against other teammates, since their self-defense skills don't help in those situations.

Mo/Me is a more balanced combination since it provides lots of options for emanagement as well as some self-defense options like Hex Breaker and Distortion. Mo/A shines in places where pressure is usually on the monk as opposed to other teammates, and thus it is the optimal choice for arenas. It is also good in teams where the other players have ways of dealing with pressure rather than relying solely on the monk(s) to handle it for them. The choice between Mo/Me and Mo/A is largely dependent on the PvP format and your team build.

dgb · Oct 12, 2006, 01:19 AM // 01:19

Bad build IMO. The monk is survivable but all he's got is red bars go up for when someone else gets hit. If I see this guy first thing I do is set a warrior raging another squishy. You've got no way to mitigate any other damage, you just have to pour healing into them. There's a reason why every decent blessed light runs protection magic as well as healing.

Master Fuhon · Oct 12, 2006, 05:01 AM // 05:01

Back in the old days, monks used to only be able to move at regular speed away from damage. It still works fine. This build has an overload on ninja skills (Divine Intervention, Shadow of Haste, Dark Escape, Return). You can be a fast monk, you can take double damage during a spike while knocked down, or you can taunt the melee with teleporting (which I think works nicely with the 15 second recharge, but not at the risk of letting teammates die).

Mo/Me protection based builds were typically very energy heavy, and the mesmer skills provide instant energy boosts with some utility. Mo/Me healer builds had no way to mitigate adrenaline spikes (no fast self casts), so they would take distortion. Typical Mo/Me builds can precast guardian/blocking skills to disrupt assassin combos, or use enchantments for Contemplation of Purity fuel (Protective Spirit works well). If you are just swapping out the three assassin skills for 3 random mesmer stances/interrupts/hexes, then it's no surprise you think the Mo/A compares favorably.

Mo/A builds take the monk out of danger, and unwittingly place the teammates at a greater risk of dying. I'd give a slight edge to common Mo/Me builds in PvP, even though opponents are built to counter them better. Mo/A builds are only attractive because they are specifically created to counter the likely sources of pressure during most battles (melee attacking monks). They flop bigtime during a slugfest when other teammates can't stay mobile.

That Mo/A build has to be the fewest amount of team healing skills I've ever seen on a primary monk. Also, there are some unconvincing references to "tanking hexes with Blessed Light and teleporting", using a teleporting monk with a stationary Ghostly Hero who needs to be kept alive, and ignoring the likelihood of conditions/hexes/sustained attacks on anyone but yourself.

Effigy · Oct 12, 2006, 05:50 PM // 17:50

While I won't deny that Mo/A break more easily under widespread pressure than Mo/Me do, I don't agree with people saying that teleporting and whatnot puts teammates in danger. Remember, Return teleports you to an ally, not away from them. Unless your team is very spread out, flying around the battlefield is not likely to endanger your friends. Dark Escape can also help a monk deal with multiple threats at once--for instance, if the monk is taking damage but another party member needs help, he can flash Dark Escape to take pressure off himself and focus on the other teammate.

Again, I'd say the choice between Mo/Me and Mo/A really depends on the game format and your team build. Using Mo/A in the wrong context could have negative consequences, but the build has also been very successful in the hands of the right players.

Tingi · Oct 12, 2006, 06:00 PM // 18:00

this is the Mo/A BL build I always run in GvG.

Divine Favour - 15 (headpiece + sup rune)
Protection - 10 (minor rune)
Healing - 9 (minor rune)
Shadow Arts - 8

Blessed Light {E}
Gift of Health
Sig of Devotion
Reversal of Fortune
Mend Condition
Sprit Bond (other monk carries prot spirit)
Return
Dark Escape

seem to work really well for me

Effigy · Oct 12, 2006, 06:39 PM // 18:39

Pretty solid build overall, but you might consider dropping Shadow Arts a bit. The difference between lvl 3 and lvl 8 is only 3 seconds on Dark Escape and 2 seconds cripple on Return--not a great benefit considering the attribute cost imo. If you used one of the attribute spreads I posted earlier in this thread, you only lose 1 point in DF and your Heal and Prot would be higher; alternately, if you decided to keep the sup DF rune, all your monk attributes would be higher.

Skuld · Oct 12, 2006, 06:57 PM // 18:57

I'm surprised you missed out this, don't use a superior!

Tingi · Oct 12, 2006, 07:02 PM // 19:02

rodger won't use a sup anymore

Master Fuhon · Oct 12, 2006, 07:04 PM // 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Effigy

I don't agree with people saying that teleporting and whatnot puts teammates in danger. Remember, Return teleports you to an ally, not away from them. Unless your team is very spread out, flying around the battlefield is not likely to endanger your friends. Dark Escape can also help a monk deal with multiple threats at once--for instance, if the monk is taking damage but another party member needs help, he can flash Dark Escape to take pressure off himself and focus on the other teammate.

Again, I'd say the choice between Mo/Me and Mo/A really depends on the game format and your team build. Using Mo/A in the wrong context could have negative consequences, but the build has also been very successful in the hands of the right players.

Putting the other teammates in danger is related to team positioning. Problems mostly occur from moving a monk (a backline character) to a location further than what your teammates might be used to at the time. A monk jumping the gun with Return often hangs the other monk out catching for an overextending player. Works better with both monks having the teleport, but the person who ends up getting caught off guard is a midline mesmer/caster character. It's easy to think "Return takes me to the safety of an ally", but your safety lies in positioning. Monks should usually take the safest position possible.

So what you get is Return being used aggressively. Monks decoy, and teleport out. A very risky manuever that can pay off if you have good team communication (not in Random Arena). Most Return opportunities occur from sideways teleporting, emphasized on maps with bridges and scenery obstructions. I think more than one "Return" is redundant with another team form of cripple (Crip-shot rangers are almost a must have).

Dark Escape is the get out of trouble free card. Stance activation on knockdown, and the ability to have a speed burst on the monk without a "Charge" warrior. Losing monks during retreats is painful in most places because it leads to instant NPC deaths. I don't think this skill can be misused, except to overuse it to the point that you get yourself in trouble with the recharge.

Return takes the place of pre-kiting, but doesn't give you an excuse not to do it. I play it on an aggressive/mobile team or split, because as long as a warrior can Sprint away you can warp to him. Dark Escape is defensive in nature like you noted. Having a stance that halves damage means that you can heal yourself at half the rate while you have it active. It doesn't mean you should take half the number of healing skills you would usually take.

Rera · Oct 12, 2006, 09:22 PM // 21:22

I've never liked Mo/A blights because of the lack of emgt. It's not as much of an issue if you have an external source, like a BiPer, but any kind of edenial is going to work you.

Effigy · Oct 12, 2006, 11:15 PM // 23:15

Lack of emanagement skills is a pain, but really i think BL requires less since it has an extra pip of regen over BP and the spells don't take an extra 2e to cast. Not to mention the fact that Blessed Light itself can accomplish what would normally take 2-3 spells, thus saving both time and energy. Mo/Me can definitely recover from edenial more gracefully though since it has active emanagement options.

Minus Sign · Oct 13, 2006, 03:44 PM // 15:44

I agree that Mo/A is much more sturdy as a solo monk than its Mo/Me coutnerpart. But I don't use Return on my monk anymore.

Guradian/Shielding Hands instead of Return.

Its a matter of personal prefference in PvP to bring an enchant I can use at need on anyone than a skill that only helps me. I know Return--when used properly--can turn a gank into a group of overextended melleers, but I've found Guardian (in TA/RA; in HA up its SHands while the BProt takes Guard) a stronger weapon counter for my arsenal. I can drop it where I need it when i need it, instead of having 2 self targetting skills that may or may not have use in the situation.

In HA/GvG, Its not hard to kite a warrior with DEscape and drag them into overextending without their noticing. Shielding Hands can prove an effective anti-spike--applied to target, not just to self--that can mean the difference between me and my duo salvaging the attack or our caller halting the offense for a rez.

In 1-monk playstyles having Guradian instead of Return makes for counters against ranger interupts (something we're all loving atm with the FotM Punisher builds). the shutdown it applies can make warriors and sins positivly groan when its on you, and proves a pain when they aren't...since you're spamming it on whoever they gank.

BLight
Sig of Devo
GoH
RoF
Guardian/Shielding Hands (GvG/HA)
MendC
DEscape
Prot Spirit/Spirit Bond (GvG/HA)

Thats what i use when I run a Mo/A instead of Mo/Me Blight. Sometimes, yes, groups do bash me for not having Return. Then again, I've noticed a lot of people tearing into my monk recently about not carrying a rez too...