Curse

JR · Sep 01, 2006, 08:58 AM // 08:58

You can divide splitting into two catagories: reactive and pro-active splitting against an opponent, based on the characters you have in your build.

This is where the choices come in. Given how splittable your build is, you can either choose to split off the bat if you have the appropriate characters (for example sending an Assassin down the back path), have split decisions judged by how well you fare against them in 8 vs 8 at the flag stand, or you can choose to face them straight up and simply react to any splits they attempt.

Both strategies basicly revolve around the ability to think on the fly, and divide your team to deal with the situations at every end of the split as best as possible. Preferably giving you the advantage, but this really depends on how well suited you and your opponent are to a split.

Obviously pro-active splitting is stronger, as it gives you the advantage in time. However if your opponent is better built to deal with splits you may find this isn't a strong play. Reactive splitting involves carefully monitoring your opponent to keep track of who they have where, and sending the ideal character(s) to deal with that situation. For example if they send a Warrior into your base, you can be quite safe sending an E/Mo with Blinding Flash to stall him. If they send back two Warriors, it may well be worth possibly sending a Cripshot with the E/Mo.

Teams that are very strong on a split are usually a lot weaker 8 vs 8, and vice-versa, so a strong play against any highly mobile split build can be to simply send a couple of defensive character back to turtle in your NPCs. Meanwhile the rest of your team can make a strong push into their base. Even simply turtling untill VoD, trying to maintain as many NPCs as possible whilst trying to get as little DP as possible. Both can be risky, as then NPC numbers advantage comes into it at VoD. However, both strategies (the second in particular) do encourage them into an 8 vs 8 engagement, where they should be weaker despite having a slight morale advantage. (The 10% morale boost really makes little difference if nobody had lost any Res Sigs anyway.)

If you chose to pro-actively split, then you have to think of all of that but in reverse. What can you send back into their base that will give them problems? If you can send one guy in that will force them to send two back to deal with him, then you have forced a power play with the main group. They now have to play you with a slight numbers disadvantage. If you send two or three guys back that force them to send back a Monk, then you can really push at the stand with your two. Some teams have made the mistake of thinking that you then need to split your Monks to deal with theirs, when infact they should just play cautiously on the split, and super aggressively with the main group to take advantage.

The same thing to some extent works for reactive splitting; trying to force a numbers advantage by dealing with two guys with one character. However, generally if the other team chooses to split it is because they think they can give you a problem, and force a power play in their favor.

There is also the element of confusion you introduce, which can give you a temporary edge on the opponent. This occasionally allows you to capitalise on mistakes they make; such as killing NPCs, or catching stragglers with snares as they move around the map. Recall/AoD split builds are particularly good for this, as it takes a lot of observation to try and keep track of who on the opposition has the ability to pop up where.

Unlike most normal maps, Frozen Isle offers a large number of possible splits. Warriors Isle (and its counterparts) for example offers two main routes, Meditation is much the same, as is Weeping Stone... and so on. Frozen Isle on the other hand offers three main routes through the various gates, aswell as the large open area which gives scope for even more confusion.

The central doors can be a pretty big part in controlling the movements of splits, but this in its self relies on you having someone there to manage the switches. This puts them at risk, and puts you a man down. Whether it is worth doing or not really depends on the situation, and is a decision you will have to learn when to make. In cases where you can trap a split and wipe them through use of the doors it is a huge benefit, but the opposition can generally just see what you are doing and take another route.

Frozen Isle is definately a good map choice for guilds running very flexible builds, with a number of characters that have a strong solo ability. This gives you more versatility when reacting to splits, and thus more of a chance to powerplay your opponent. Druids Isle is also strong for splitting, given the multiple paths once Vine Bridges are repaired.

For maps with locked bases (and also in particular Catapult maps) there is yet more elementsto splitting; application of the Guild Thief, the Repair Kit, and of course the Flag. This does complicate things slightly. Generally if you are trying to force the opponent to split, you want to divide these three entities between your squads. For example they will have to split if they want to both stop you running a flag, and stop you repairing the Catapult or entering their base with the Guild Thief.

Catapult controll is particularly important when splitting or reacting to a split. It effectively allows you to cover the front of either base with a single character. For example if they split into your base you can have one guy on the catapult, and push in with the main group from the back. As the old saying goes; stuck between a rock and a hard place. However playing against a split with Catapult controll you do have to be very cautious, should they have sneaked someone onto a Catapult that you were unable to track.

Splitting in general is a fairly hard concept for new guilds to grasp, and it takes a lot of practice and experience in a fairly decent level of GvG to become good at. You should always be in some way equipped to deal with a split, even if that just means having one character who can be a back-up flag runner should you require yours to deal with someone in your base. It also requires swift and decisive strat calling. Even if the call made is not ideal, it is far better to make it quickly rather than discuss it for two minutes while you lose NPCs.

Thom Bangalter · Sep 01, 2006, 09:47 AM // 09:47

this is one of those "theory" posts I so enjoy reading and wish we had more of on the forum instead of flamebaiting and iway bashing.

gg JR.

Wasteland Squidget · Sep 01, 2006, 09:49 AM // 09:49

Excellent article, as usual.

One point I'd stress is the importance of movement control in both offensive and defensive splits. Movement control comes in three forms - snares, speed buffs, and teleports.

Snares are skills that slow an enemy's movement rate. Any form of snare becomes more useful in a split situation, but the real 'money' snares are those which are spammable and/or difficult to remove. The three major snare templates at the moment are the Crippling Shot ranger, the Crippling Anguish illusion mesmer, and the Water Ele. Each of these characters brings their own utility to a group, and each is capable of applying an effective snare on a key target.

Speed buffs, obviously, increase a character's speed. The king of speed buffs in splits is undoubtedly "Charge!", which allows quick movement around the map for an entire split team. Others tend to come in the form of run buffs or enchantments like Windborne Speed.

Teleports are exclusive to assassins, and can be an extremely powerful addition to a split force. Skills like Recall and Aura of Displacement add an interesting element to splits, because they allow one split team to instantly rejoin with another. If the enemy sends two into your base to deal with a split team, you can force a period of 8v6 at the flagstand by teleporting back into the main battle. Teleports also provide a reliable escape for an outnumbered gank force that can evade most snare templates.

Builds which are planning to rely on split need to be able to control their opponent's movement through snares and speed buffs, as this allows split teams to kill specific characters who are away from the main group (like flag-runners.) Likewise, a defensive split is only really helping your team if they are able to force kills on the enemy gank force, and that often requires spammables snares like crippling shot or water hexes. 6-2 or 5-3 splits will often leave a fight at the flagstand where neither team can apply effective pressure, but if you are getting kills and applying DP to their gank force you are winning the match.

JR · Sep 01, 2006, 02:58 PM // 14:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasteland Squidget

...

Excellent addition. I didn't want to get into actual builds and skills myself, purely the practical theory of it, but this covers it well.

Patrograd · Sep 01, 2006, 07:26 PM // 19:26

Thanks JR

Splitting will often turn a battle around completely, from a hopeless loss into a heroic win. Not always, but often enough, and the lower the rank of your opponent the less likely they are to be able to react properly

As our new strat caller discovered the other day, not splitting in time when getting owned at the stand can cost you heavily

Stealth Rider · Sep 01, 2006, 10:35 PM // 22:35

If i may add something,

the most reliable and arguably strongest proactive split team is a dual Assasin split. With two assasins, you can easily coordinate things like a spike on a Flashbot right after his Blinding Flash, thus scoring an easy kill, or drain a Cripshot's energy fast, making his DIstortion worthless (not to mention being relatively unaffected by his Crippling Shot), can take out Warriors easily, and most importantly, via AoD, can confuse the opponents team fairly effectively no matter their skill level (assuming you are skilled yourselves). (AoD is a very strong skill. It can let you coordinate quick spikes with your flagstand team, and a split second after your assasins can be in their base, attacking NPCs or flag runners.)

Of course, a dual assasin split forces you to be much less effective in 8v8, which means you need to make it a point to keep the fight 6v6 at the stand at (mostly) all times. Now, this may seem hard if your opponent's split team is stronger than yours, but hope should not be lost. Simply play "stalemate" with their split group. Playing stalemate involves keeping your split team in a position where they are safely out of range of your opponent's (far enough to get back to the flagstand without being touched but close enough to threaten going into their base. Playing stalemate can keep a few characters in their base, whom would otherwise destroy your team 8v8. By doing this, if your flagstand team has enough pressure (which, if you are running a build desgined for 6v6 fights mainly, it should.) you will be able to force them into their base, where you will easily be able to keep them until the end of the match (assuming you play the situation correctly).

(On a side note, the effectiveness of a dual Assasin split shows even more if you send one Assasin off that is AoD bound at the flagstand, while your other is bound outside their base. You can then keep the base Assasin at your stand, while the stand assasin heads to their base, either engaging or leaving depending on what they send back. Then, when their character is coming abck, the base assasin can hit AoD off and go in for at least a couple of Archers before the other team realizes what youve done.)

(Also note, playing stalemate is a tactic useful by virtually every split team. I used Assasins in my example because i had already been talking about them, and that was my train of thought.)

AnkleBreaker · Sep 02, 2006, 02:08 AM // 02:08

Gg Jr! :d

Neo-LD · Sep 04, 2006, 06:10 AM // 06:10

Very nice guide JR! I hope someone is keeping track of all the guides that have been written for this and other sites - it would be a shame to lose these strategic gems in a sea of flames and idiocy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stealth Rider

the most reliable and arguably strongest proactive split team is a dual Assasin split.

Overall, yes - and EvIL, it would seem, would agree with you - look at their build from the GWFC. The main advantage to dual assasin is the ability to not fight if you dont want to. Just to clarify, tho, if there were ever a forced 2v2 (tho these situations are rare) I have found CS ranger + Air Ele to be nearly invincible.

JR · Sep 04, 2006, 06:21 AM // 06:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neo-LD

Overall, yes - and EvIL, it would seem, would agree with you - look at their build from the GWFC. The main advantage to dual assasin is the ability to not fight if you dont want to. Just to clarify, tho, if there were ever a forced 2v2 (tho these situations are rare) I have found CS ranger + Air Ele to be nearly invincible.

I would say QQ was an even better example. Their build (which can be found in the GvG build repository) being designed simply to make the opponent deal with large amounts of flagstand pressure AND two Assassins in their base. When I played this build I saw teams crushed by by their own confusion, with no idea how to react.

sir lockt · Sep 04, 2006, 06:33 AM // 06:33

nice article!

Split is something our guild mastered pretty early (although i would like to have seen elemental calling to be perfect first

) and the tactics you discribe (with the various additions) are very well chosen.

I want to point out that good tactics in meditation island can "repair" the natural disadvantage of splitting vs pressure, since you can cap the top flag as well and add pressure to the flag-holding team. I have seen a lot of teams crumbling (incluiding my own) by not controlling this extra pressure. Most people negate for its so little... Same here you can perfectly "safe" counter splits by using the miasma inventively

JR- makes a difference between pro-active splitting and reactive, but I was wondering: when you are build to be pro-active splitting and you end up at a map like burning isle what do you do? stick together or still try to split? I know the split is simplified here since the sentinels are lessened, but still... In general my question: how to respond as an pro-active splitting team when your map does not favor you?

Red Locust · Sep 04, 2006, 06:35 AM // 06:35

For what it's worth, I'd like to point out that my dreamteam of a 3-man split would be a cripshotter, empathic removal bulls strike sword warrior, and AoD shock assassin. If anyone is particularly interested in designing and trying out a split build, I'd go for that 3-man split above anything else.

If I see that 3-man combo heading my way, I'd just keep my distance, camp my NPC's and hope my flagstand team can pull off a miracle. Failing that, I'd get in the fetal position and cry myself to sleep.

Wasteland Squidget · Sep 04, 2006, 07:20 AM // 07:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stealth Rider

the most reliable and arguably strongest proactive split team is a dual Assasin split.

This is definitely a strong play, though I wouldn't say it's always the strongest. We've been having good luck with a single assassin and a Recall hammer warrior. This allows for better 8v8 fighting when forced, and the hammer warrior has a much easier time against things like Distortion and Blurred Vision. Recall allows him to move around the map with the assassin and quickly transport between the flagstand and base, as well as help gank bodyguards.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sir lockt

JR- makes a difference between pro-active splitting and reactive, but I was wondering: when you are build to be pro-active splitting and you end up at a map like burning isle what do you do? stick together or still try to split? I know the split is simplified here since the sentinels are lessened, but still... In general my question: how to respond as an pro-active splitting team when your map does not favor you?

It depends on your build, and the opposition. If your build has a lot of interrupts or other disruption and the enemy is a caster spike, 8v8 fighting might be your best bet. If your build relies more and movement control and open spaces to kite, fighting 8v8 is a losing proposition.

Recognize the following though:

-'Most' teams on Burning choose Burning because their build isn't well-prepared to split.

-'Most' teams on Burning aren't expecting a split, so you can often pull off some nice ganks while they're confused.

Basically, you want to play agressively at first and push into them. If possible, keep the fight on their side of the flagstand for the first few minutes. When you see an opportunity, push ahead with a couple of characters who aren't going to be easily spiked down - AoD assassins, Cripshot rangers, and Crippling Anguish mesmers are all good canidates. Push these guys past the enemy team and up over their bridge. This is an excellent vantage point to gank the enemy flagger from above (especially with teleports at your disposal) and the enemy team will be forced to send some people back to deal with you.

After that, play it like a normal split. Take out the enemy flagger and kill NPCs where you can. The bodyguards are out in the open, so a Cripshot ranger can drop them from the vantage point on the back. Once you have flag control covered you'll be in control of the match, and if you're able to quickly drop their bodyguards they won't even have turtling as an option.

On Burning, more than any other map, it's important to play agressively with a proactive split team. Keep pressure on both sides and force them to constantly make decisions and choices, because if they force you into an 8v8 there's a good chance you're going to get flattened.

Vindexus · Sep 04, 2006, 08:22 AM // 08:22

I agree, great article.

Patrograd · Sep 04, 2006, 09:12 AM // 09:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasteland Squidget

Basically, you want to play agressively at first and push into them. If possible, keep the fight on their side of the flagstand for the first few minutes. When you see an opportunity, push ahead with a couple of characters who aren't going to be easily spiked down - AoD assassins, Cripshot rangers, and Crippling Anguish mesmers are all good canidates. Push these guys past the enemy team and up over their bridge. This is an excellent vantage point to gank the enemy flagger from above (especially with teleports at your disposal) and the enemy team will be forced to send some people back to deal with you.

This is excellent advice IMO. The majority of teams on burning will fall apart faced with this kind of tactic. Not all, but enough to make it worth doing.

LightningHell · Sep 04, 2006, 11:19 AM // 11:19

Request permission to reproduce article, with all due citations and referencing.

:P

Stealth Rider · Sep 04, 2006, 09:17 PM // 21:17

Quote:

We've been having good luck with a single assassin and a Recall hammer warrior

Interesting, i've been messing around with Recall on Mesmers and Necs recently, but i'll have to try that out some time.

Dodo The Extinct · Sep 04, 2006, 11:40 PM // 23:40

Quote:

Gg Jr! :d

Omg Hey Ankle! Its Cham.

Anyways, great article. I posted it on the Sinister Swarm forum

Thom · Sep 05, 2006, 07:25 AM // 07:25

Two things--
-You can't mention splitting without mentioning VoD tactics. Against teams marginally better than yourself, you're going to be spending significant time in VoD. As famously shown by iQ vs EvIL, split generated offenses have a small window from 30:00~36:00 where they either need to secure NPC dominance built throught the game or force a final split to gain an NPC advantage when the guild lord arrives. I guess this is just standard play, but it is often the vital moment in a split's game.

-You kind of hinted at a distinction between rigid splits and flexible splits (my termanology). Rigid splits which are trying to force a certain type of situation are great as you can dictate play. Having multiple split looks in a "splitting toolbox" adds a dimension to decision making, but loses some brute strenth. That is to say, a team can plan to generate offense through splits while still being reactive. Even though EvIL often ran multiple assassins, they had an infinite number of split looks they could potentially give you.

JR · Sep 05, 2006, 09:28 AM // 09:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thom

Two things--
-You can't mention splitting without mentioning VoD tactics. Against teams marginally better than yourself, you're going to be spending significant time in VoD. As famously shown by iQ vs EvIL, split generated offenses have a small window from 30:00~36:00 where they either need to secure NPC dominance built throught the game or force a final split to gain an NPC advantage when the guild lord arrives. I guess this is just standard play, but it is often the vital moment in a split's game.

I wrote the original post with the assumption that people would know the reasoning for splits, and how best to prepare for VoD through generating an NPC advantage.

I'm not entirely sure that you are implying this, but I think it is very much incorrect to assume that split builds are generally designed for a VoD play. QQ's build being a prime example, but I shall get to that...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thom

-You kind of hinted at a distinction between rigid splits and flexible splits (my termanology). Rigid splits which are trying to force a certain type of situation are great as you can dictate play. Having multiple split looks in a "splitting toolbox" adds a dimension to decision making, but loses some brute strenth.

Thus the comments on strong split builds being weaker in straight up combat, and flexible builds being stronger on split. Although yes, there is a large difference that I maybe should have covered in more depth. Current good examples I can think of is QQ vs Te:

Flexible Split:
Te runs/ran a very strong build with a number of very strong split characters. A Crippling Shot Ranger, a Crippling Anguish Mesmer, a Recall Hammer Warrior, and an AoD Assassin. This meant they could be utlimately flexible with or against any split, and always have characters that could deal with a range of situations.

Rigid Split:
QQ runs/ran a dual Assassin split build, with a very pressure heavy five man squad at the flag stand. The flag team consists of two Thumpers, a Smiter and two monks. Effectively 2.5 monks when they want to play defensively, and when they can afford to play offensively they have a very strong offense. They use the dual Assassins splitting off in every game to put an opponent in a horrible situation. They have to send back some form of Warrior hate to deal with them, and it usually has to consist of two characters due to how difficult Assassins are to deal with. This leaves them significantly weaker at the flagstand, where the pressure heavy offense can roll over them. The alternative is letting NPCs die, and within about four minutes they will have cleared your base and have your Bodyguards down, and will possibly be sending a Thumper to assist with finishing the Guild Lord.

These two builds are brilliant examples of the two kinds of split you mentioned, and I wouldn't say either was strictly better than the other. If anything then maybe in the long run a Te type of build may be stronger, as you are less predictable when playing against opponents who are aware of your build.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thom

That is to say, a team can plan to generate offense through splits while still being reactive. Even though EvIL often ran multiple assassins, they had an infinite number of split looks they could potentially give you.

Again a reference to the general ability of a build to be flexible and adapt to different splits.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LightningHell

Request permission to reproduce article, with all due citations and referencing.

:P

PM me with info.

Byron · Sep 05, 2006, 04:20 PM // 16:20

A most helpful and well-informed article, for sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR-

However playing against a split with Catapult controll you do have to be very cautious, should they have sneaked someone onto a Catapult that you were unable to track.

Does anyone remember that RnS vs iQ match? iQ performed a textbook example of dealing with a spike team, and had RnS pushed back into their own base at about the 34 minute mark. But, one of the RnS Me/E spikers snuck out the front door and unleashed a catapult attack that killed 7/8 of the iQ team. RnS then took the back way, around iQ NPCs, and killed the GL lickety split. It was just awful to watch; I think the only time I'd seen iQ members rage quit.