The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (Season 3)

Hey all,

First time posting a blog so bear with me if it's terribad. Just something I wanted to get off my chest.

If any of you know me around here, one of my greatest passions to this game is the PvP aspect of it and more importantly Arenas. I got started late in season 2, scrapping together a Deep Thunder which carried me into s3 with 4/5 s2 gear acquired with all the hopes and aspirations of being something great come season 3. I even had a good resto druid friend who promised that we'd break 1850 together and be envied by many.

Well, season 3 is nearing its end now and I'd like to recap on the goods, the bads, and the plain ugly of this season in my experience.

I'll start with I guess the bad, since that's chronologically correct. Season 3 began, and we took off like lightning, playing as many games as possible, having 5k points saved up and buying my s3 gloves right away. Except we hit a brick wall. We were facing a lot of top ranked teams that weren't sorted out of the lower brackets yet. And we weren't as good as we had hoped we were. We were stuck in the 1650's to 1700's for weeks, even months. Our dreams were being crushed. I was constantly just playing games, staying at 4000+ points hoping that once we break 1850, i could buy my s3 weapon and pwn face. Well, it didn't happen the first month, january, february, march, they all passed and no 1850. The best we got was 1816 but then crushed by a full s3 hunter/druid team repeatedly. Our souls were crushed and we were gonna call it quits.

Then came the ugly. My druid in his lust for something great and with the obstacles and hindrances we'd been facing, ditched me for anyone he could get his hands on. Resto druids are a scarcity on my server and as such, he picked up lots of partners. Often leaving my team, joining with other warriors, warlocks, and even trying our anti-matchup, the hunter/druid. He would eventually break 2k, but foolishly spent his points on a weapon instead of his s3 shoulders. He would come back to me afterwards having me sit weeks without any games played, as i just lost 3v3 matches with random pugs to keep my points at 3250+ while i filled out my s3 gear. I was crushed, I got into verbal arguments with him on ventrilo, calling him vulgarities for having left me in the dust when in s2 no one would even take him because he was known as a scrubby rogue and what did he know about pvp healing with his alt druid. I felt stabbed in the back, to help him get to where he is, and being at the homestretch to get slapped behind for a warlock. Come April, I was thinking of just quitting Arena's entirely.

Then came some shining hope. Arguably the best resto druid pvp'er horde side who happens to be one of my good friends, decided to transfer back to this server having traded his account for an alliance char some months back (he made gladiator in s2 but gave it all up to get that alliance char). When he came back, he promised to help me get 1850 having heard my story multiple times in vent and feeling sorry for all I'd been through. Well, we did it, that weekend in the mid of April, we played our matches, and it was like I was destined to get it today. We went nearly flawless as we plowed through the ranks from 1770->1854. Our last 3 matches were incredible, 2 times in a row only 1 person joined the arena from the other team, so i got some easy 34 points (17 each!). Then we ran into a dreaded rogue/priest combo which really took some lucky shield reflects, but having played all season, my skill had sharpened, and we routed this team despite being put at 100 hp early into the match. 1854... it was finally mine, and i had the points to buy the weapon. But what to buy?

Well, here comes some ugly again... I was coaxed by the same druid who ditched me that swords were the way to go, since in his experience, I couldn't kill things fast enough. Going against my better judgement, and advice of such greats as Kazaganthi and Serennia, i grabbed the s3 sword. Boy, i was on top of the world, wielding my jin'rohk look-a-like and spamming it in guild chat. Drained all my gold to buy mats to put executioner on it right away. Gave 500g to my druid who I had promised to give him if I got 1850 from him, and he didn't take it at first, but eventually said if I wanted to give it to him as a gift then he'd accept :P. Man, things couldn't get better.

And then the downhill happened again. The druid, decided he couldn't stand trying to get 2k with a warrior without maces. He faced many crushing defeats with a former HWL warrior friend of ours who opted for the sword as well. Mace after Mace warrior came through and would beat them in the closest of fights due to mace stuns. It was frustrating, and when that warrior got 2k with his 5s team instead, the druid was done. He vowed not to do 2v2s with warriors again, and went to work with a rogue friend of ours and I eventually would get back my old druid who got his shoulders eventually. I spent the next 5 weeks just lolly'ing around doing basically nothing. Just getting points, coming nearly to begging just to get some arenas in. I tried all sorts of weird makeups, including an elemental shaman/MS war blow up team. We had our moments but it merely wasn't a 2k makeup. I had dreams of breaking 2k with an awesome resto druid/enh sham/me combo that went 14-2 in our first week, but that fell apart quickly due to schedules. It looked like S3 was gonna end and I'd not attain my goal of breaking 2k. Resto druid having sworn off warriors, and the other barely logging on due to RL issues. I was stuck.

Then I got notice from my old druid that he'd be quitting his druid soon, and possibly selling it. He got what he wanted out of it but wanted to go back to his rogue. So we got our 10 matches in last night, and basically said, he'd help me try to break 2k if we could before the account was taken away, but his motivation just seemed out of it. we went 7-4 and called it a night. 1784 again... Stuck in the middle and can't get out of it. S3 is probably ending within the next month, what can I do besides just wait for s4, and hope I find a decent team again, but without my 2 druids, it looked slim.

Then it happened
My awesome druid friend was gonna be taking a business trip this whole summer and would have to be on permanent hiatus from his druid during that time. And he wanted to do me 1 last favor before he'd go. He logged on his druid, dropped his 2k+ team, and started queuing up with me again. We do phenomenal. We go something like 8-1 and I'm back over 1850 again. It's 5am, and he says, lets end this tomorrow. 2k or bust baby. And that's where I stand now. I'm so excited about tonight, my palms are sweaty. I think I am gonna have to bust my balls and play amazing for this to happen. It's not gonna just fall into my lap because I have a good druid. Without Maces, I really have to watch my CD's and blow the fuck up on the guy when I get my sword procs going. Change Targets a lot, know when to break cc, call out heals, and just be a machine. Some games are gonna be tough and drawn out, others will be quick wins/losses. But now I have that light at the end of the tunnel. Breaking 2k for me, will be the equivalent to a progression guilds' Illidan downing, or Kil'jaedan killing. This to me... is everything...

Wish me luck guys, I'm gonna need it.

2000 Rating, and [item]Vengeful Gladiator's Plate Shoulders[/item] You will be mine.... even if it kills me to get you.