Phae’s 4 Rules of Arena Play

A few months ago, I discovered that I enjoy PvP. I found healing in Alterac Valley analagous to healing in a raid where 10+ people refuse to use Threat Meter. With the introduction of Arenas, I’ve shifted more and more Talent points into PvP-oriented abilities and have worked hard to build a set of Healing gear with an emphasis on Stamina, Resilience, and Armor (for when I switch to bear). I recently respecced from a Restoration/Balance healing spec to a 3-Tree PvP spec which includes Balance talents for insta-cast root and interruption prevention and Feral Talents for increased armor and ROCKET BEAR:

I have no idea how I have played this game for two years without this ability. It is an endless source of amusement to send my large, furry bear behind rocketing toward an unsuspecting … whatever. Or rocketing away from a Warrior or Rogue intent upon my ursine demise.

I’m currently actively playing on two Arena teams, a 2v2 with my husband called The Honeymooners and a 5v5 that we only just joined last night (whose name I’ll refrain from mentioning in case they decide we don’t work out). I’m using our 2v2 team to learn new tactics against different classes and also to learn how to take losses in stride. Because while I exhilirate in the thrill of victory, I have a tendency to throw pens when in the agony of defeat. To counteract this, I’m experimenting with a new form of positive reinforcement. Here are the rules:

1. Never look at your rating change. It hurts more to feel yourself sliding into decline. It’s okay to look at your rating at the start and the finish of your Arena play.
2. After each match, regardless of the outcome, take 2-3 minutes to discuss with your partner what went right and what went wrong. Consider alternate strategies that might work better.
3. Don’t try to “go out on a winning streak.” Winning one final game won’t counteract the 5 losses you suffered trying to win one to make yourself feel better.
4. After every loss, you must slam half a shot of tequila (with salt and lime). This gives you something to be excited about and helps take the sting away from the loss.

Rule #4 above made Arena play so much more enjoyable yesterday. Obviously, this rule doesn’t go for our 5v5 play as it can sometimes result in the following:

Yesterday we finished up at 1623 on our 2v2 team, which is about 20 points higher than where we started. We had a string of three losses at the end but I was able to convince my husband that Rule #3 was a good one to follow, especially when used in conjunction with Rule #4. Oh, and Rule #4 made it easy to fall asleep last night.

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