Curse

Now Here Is Nowhere · Dec 29, 2006, 05:40 AM // 05:40

This seemed to be a good counter to any sf's I encountered and I only ran it HeroWay which does not lend itself well to balling up, probably would work better even with a PUG. Tell me what you think.

Atts/Runes/Etc
Earth Magic 12+1+3 (16)
Energy Storage 9+1 (10)
Other Att (Blood/Heal/Wilderness) 9

Highest Vigor Rune you have
Staff with +20% enchanting and +5 energy
Attunes or Vitae's on the other armor peices
Survivors or Radiants on them

3 Heal Area SS E/Mo
{E} Sandstorm
Stone Daggers
Any Ward
Kinetic Armor
Armor of Earth
Stone Flesh Aura
Heal Area
Rez Sig

1 QZ SS E/R
{E} Sandstorm
Stone Daggers
Any Ward
Kinetic Armor
Armor of Earth
Stone Flesh Aura
QZ
Rez Sig

2 Blood Ritual SS E/N
{E} Sandstorm
Stone Daggers
Any Ward
Kinetic Armor
Armor of Earth
Stone Flesh Aura
Blood Ritual
Rez Sig

Now for running this...Make sure you spread SandStorm around and don't concentrate on one target unless your taking out their ghostly. Make sure you have one of every ward and spam daggers between SandStorms to keep up Kinetic. You should be taking at most 15's on any dmg they deal. Heal Area when needed and have the BR's spam on everyone. You may want to sub one of the armors or a ward and bring Glyph of Lesser Energy so your SandStorm is free.
Key is to not break the ball unless your mopping up a kiter or two. Stability keeps you standing for all kd's and elemental clears up all SF dmg so all you have to worry about is burning which Area can handle easily.
Have Fun...

gasmaskman · Dec 29, 2006, 05:59 AM // 05:59

Um.........no.

Now Here Is Nowhere · Dec 29, 2006, 06:04 AM // 06:04

um........and why not?

gasmaskman · Dec 29, 2006, 07:26 AM // 07:26

You can't rely on SS to do your damage, and stone daggers does hardly any.

How do you expect to keep kinetic armor up when they just...walk away?

It also seems you built this around Searing Flames. Since when do you ever see SF now? It's rarely seen, and when it is, it rarely makes it past BT.

Now Here Is Nowhere · Dec 29, 2006, 05:35 PM // 17:35

a non-attacking foe in range of even 2 or 3 sandstorms takes increadible dmg. 10 secs x 2 SandStorms x 42 dps=840 if thats not enough i dont know what is. and since most of their team is being dmged like this they're being pressured like no other and their monks simply wont be able the handle it. now that dmg almost doubles if they're attacking so wars and rangers are out. and while it does counter SF well it, you still take almost no dmg so any build other than a degen team or an obsidian flame team is out.

JR · Dec 29, 2006, 05:38 PM // 17:38

Excuse me if I am being stupid... but why would you be standing around in a Sandstorm?

TheOneMephisto · Dec 29, 2006, 06:13 PM // 18:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Now Here Is Nowhere

a non-attacking foe in range of even 2 or 3 sandstorms takes increadible dmg. 10 secs x 2 SandStorms x 42 dps=840 if thats not enough i dont know what is. and since most of their team is being dmged like this they're being pressured like no other and their monks simply wont be able the handle it. now that dmg almost doubles if they're attacking so wars and rangers are out. and while it does counter SF well it, you still take almost no dmg so any build other than a degen team or an obsidian flame team is out.

Where's that picture of WASD Build Down when you need it...

Divineshadows · Dec 29, 2006, 06:30 PM // 18:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR-

Excuse me if I am being stupid... but why would you be standing around in a Sandstorm?

/sarcasm on

Because all the best players in the game tank sandstorms and dust traps cause their monks are so good. Some go so far as to frenzy straight through it while attacking so they can die and one of their teammates can put up a well of profane. The casters in the know also stand in enemy sandstorms cause it has a neat visual animation and they just lose track of time. As a monk, if my teammates flee from the sandstorm I feel that they are simply playing scared.

/sarcasm off

Dr Strangelove · Dec 29, 2006, 06:37 PM // 18:37

A couple of sandstorms can be pretty devastating in HA, as it takes a while to get out of, and many people may choose to stay in it if it's near the ghostly.

That being said, relying on it for all your damage isn't going to wipe many teams that aren't heroway.

killer toast · Dec 29, 2006, 09:32 PM // 21:32

just get 5 ss and 1 water ele D: and im loving your energy management

Now Here Is Nowhere · Dec 29, 2006, 11:33 PM // 23:33

The point is to spread out the sandstorms enough that they can't escape. as for e-managment i said it is entirely possible to take out one of the armors and put in Glyph of Lesser Energy or Attune plus all the regen from BR. Also if you like you can toss in some kd's with the ebon hawk/stoning when you have one of every ward, one person takes ebon hawk and one take stoning, this creates a nice little kd so someone spends a little more time in sandstorm. This also creates a demi spike to help kill a monk or other caster ebon hawk at 16 earth is 95 dmg + 95 from stoning and you have yourself a kd with 190 dmg + all sandstorm and daggers spam.

necrosfeelyaks · Dec 30, 2006, 05:48 AM // 05:48

Why not instead of completely overusing Sandstorm, use more than one copy of it, like 2. 6 copies of Sandstorm is overusing it, and ball-up teams never last very long... also what happenes when the other team u know, takes the altar from you because you cant heal your hero with heal area spam, and ur getting smoke trapped? o wait, u probably have never been to an altar match : ) lol jk, but seriously...

Snoes · Dec 31, 2006, 10:29 AM // 10:29

You might get owned when you are facing Sandstorm. =/

CassiusDrehyg · Dec 31, 2006, 10:50 AM // 10:50

Okay, here are my thoughts:

1) Drop the QZ ele. Change it for another E/Mo.

2) Drop Kinetic Armor from the E/Mos, take Healing Seed instead.

3) Drop Armor of Earth, take Earth Attunement.

4) Drop Stone Daggers, and take Obsidian Flame.

5) Use Vent, and call spikes rather than sitting there in a ball spamming Sandstorm whenever you feel like it.

6) Drop one of the batteries for a Gaze Of Contempt/Ward Against Harm ele.

ZenRgy · Dec 31, 2006, 11:02 AM // 11:02

Sandstorm is actually a lot more effective than people think, a lot of HA'ers are too stupid to move, it's not to be underestimated.

Philoso pretty much proved this when he ran 4 earth eles and did pretty well with it.

Randomway Ftw · Dec 31, 2006, 08:00 PM // 20:00

Its only good because the ghost attacks through it and takes 10 Billion damage.

Lord Natural · Jan 01, 2007, 11:23 PM // 23:23

It's a mystery to me how these types of builds make it past relic runs, as they are so completely vulernable when spread out. In an altar or straight 1v1 situation, it's hard to give the thumbs up to a build that is completely decimated by one skill (maelstrom). That's not to say the build can't win, as I've seen a few ele balls puttering around hoh. But to have such an obvious achilles heel...

stueyman2099 · Jan 01, 2007, 11:31 PM // 23:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenRgy

Sandstorm is actually a lot more effective than people think, a lot of HA'ers are too stupid to move, it's not to be underestimated.

If you want to build to kill stupid teams, be my guest. Personaly I'm more interested in building strategies to beat teams that don's suck, and roll through the stupid ones becuase they are stupid.

And for Natural's statement, unfortunatly due to the way HA is built, no one cares about building for relics. At the end of the day its all about holding the alter.

Hyprodimus Prime · Jan 03, 2007, 03:21 AM // 03:21

I think most teams take mesmers or rangers. SS has a 2 second cast.
[2 seconds+(interupt ranger or mesmer)]-|no anti interupt|=-6(Sandstorm)

The other team probably wouldnt be able to take them all down at once, but you also said that its not a spike, which means the mesmer or ranger has time to switch targets. And what about against a spike? 1 second to cast heal Area is a long time when someone Obi or blood spikes you. And against a SF team, some do carry MS. If you are all in a ball, thats a lot of damage and KD. By the time you get up, you healed off the last MS, the next comes, the other team is already using their OTHER damage skills. And how about an ele with a shocking shortbow and Thunderclap! An ele with TC and a battery can hold Ball Teams down infinatly. And yes as Lord natural said, one Mealstrom can kill also the build.

On the other hand, it does have a very strong front defence. Like a bunker, but you leave the back door open. Being bunched up is good in that you can share skills, but that also means you lose adaptability. e.g. asexual reproduction.

Its not a totally bad build, but it wont stand against a regular alter holder. (not that I know a whole lot about HA)

maraxusofk · Jan 07, 2007, 08:34 PM // 20:34

U can try 5 e/mo wit heal area so the balled up will constantly heal, while using a e/n wit gaze of contempt to strip enchantments to spike ghost down. U use ss then follow wit spike wit ob flame.