Warcraft WoW Arena - Mages 101

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[WoW Arena] Mages 101 by @tKeR

Introduction
This will not teach you how to play a Mage but rather it will list their weaknesses and how to defeat them. This way, this guide can be useful for the person playing or playing against the Mage.
Mages are commonly known as glass cannons in PvP. This is because of their weak survivability and their high damage output.

Common Specs

Improved Counterspell 17/0/44
- http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info...000000000000000000000000505320310205010231551
Weaknesses:
-This spec offers less DPS than full frost in exchange for a constant counterspell.

Full Frost 0/0/61http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info...000000000000000000000000535323310235313251551
Weaknesses:
-Well, it doesn’t have improved counter-spell :p.

Common Compositions

2v2
Mage/Warlock
– Mage should be Imp CS Frost
This is a great 2 DPS team with a lot of burst and CC. However, this lacks reliable interrupts and is very weak against Druid/x teams. This team is also very vulnerable to CC.
Weaknesses:
-Cannot dispel CC
-Therefore is weak against CC
-Lacks reliable interrupts
Mage/Rogue – Mage should be Imp CS Frost
Another great 2 DPS team. With the loss of CC, the rogue offers stuns and reliable interrupts. This team still suffers from vulnerability to CC but is more mobile than Mage/Warlock.
Weaknesses:
-Vulnerable to all CC
Mage/Priest - Mage should be Imp CS Frost
One of the only healer teams that work with the mage. It is slightly weak but is very strong against double DPS teams. The priest’s mass dispel is what a mage needs to continue burst through enemy immunities. Mana burns also make the fights short which are great for the mage. However, this team lacks poison dispels and therefore rogues and hunters have a huge advantage.
Weaknesses:
-Lack of poison dispels.
-Unreliable interrupts.
-Have to kill a target within a few minutes or else the mage will not be able to dish out any burst DPS.

3v3
Rogue/Priest/Mage
– Both Improved Counterspell and Full Frost work well.
This build is very burst oriented and they will try to kill something very fast. This is also one of the only viable mage builds for 3v3. This is because of how mages work in their current state, which is an essentially glass cannon with a limited mana pool. Once the mage pops his cooldown, it is best to stay on the mage, but be worn that if you leave the priest open he can cast Mana Burn at will. Make sure you line of sight or interrupt those mana burns!
Weaknesses:
-Unable to cleanse poison.
-Mage theoretically only has 2 spike periods, after that the mage will be out of mana or his spells will be on cooldown.
-Rogues like to go PvE gear for this composition, which is a huge gamble if they choose to go after the rogue.

Conclusion

This concludes the guide for the mage!
 
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