Elemental damage

I don't know why, but elemental damage is something I find immensely interesting. I find myself often championing a non-generalized approach to things. It's an open mind that allows one to see the true value in things, and the possibilities of seldom-explored dimensions of existing knowledge. And that's the most pretentious sentence, I suspect, that I've ever written. However, it's true. I quietly cheer to myself whenever I inspect a hunter to find leather gear which exceeds any mail he's come across. Or anyone wearing a non-epic when they would clearly have a purple alternative, or even a level 60 piece like the Scarab.

The vast majority of tanks I've come across are, well, quite stupid. They usually have a single 'tanking' set, all epic and plate and dripping with stamina. As early as Karazhan, I noticed that I was the only tank who wore resistance gear for anything. However, it was on my guild's first attempt at Hydross that I realized that there was a serious problem: the frost tank, while wearing the three smithed epics donated by the guild, also sported [item]Figurine of the Colossus[/item]. (I was the nature tank at this point.) Probably the most painful thing about the situation was how delicately I had to approach it; I have an unfortunate amount of experience in trying to help people who don't think they need it.

Anyway, back on subject: what's wrong with this trinket? Isn't blocking good? Isn't healing good? Well, as much as I love this trinket (which I really do - it snatches a close 3rd in block rating trinkets, and allows full heals in some situations), it's absolutely useless against Hydross. Why? Elemental damage cannot be blocked. Thus block rating is useless, as is the use effect. In fact, I'm happy to say that the only reason I actually use a shield against Hydross is the threat from Shield Slam. I almost wish threat wasn't so Slam-intensive, so I could whip off the shield in favor of a second weapon just to labor this point.

People don't seem to make the mistake of neglecting resistance gear in these fights. I guess this is because the magic school is explicitly displayed in the combat log, and/or because one instinctively sees an elemental and foresees magic damage.

What's so special about elemental damage, though? Everything I've said so far can be safely extended to casters, except that shields also sometimes allow a method of interrupting or reflecting magic attacks. Well, (and I really love this), elemental damage can be avoided. Dodged, parried or [non-existent verb indicating that it misses you. Suggestions anyone?].

Luckily for all the stupid tanks out there, they don't drop avoidance against magic attacks, so likely keep those stats stacked for elemental. Ironically it's probably those with a tiny bit of sense who confuse elemental with magic damage and, in their knowledge that magic damage can't be avoided, gear suboptimally.

A while ago I started scribbling a diagram of the four different magic types, and the means of protecting oneself against them. Here it is:


It'd be nice if there was something linking the two ranged damage types, but what can you do? Stamina is applicable to all four types of damage. By the way, I took liberties in naming everything there. Don't take the labels as canon, but please walk away with some insight into the finer details of tanking stats

I guess it's the way elemental damage combines magic (such that it needs to be resisted) and a very physical property (avoidance), which makes it a very appealing subject for my perusal.

I found a nice screenshot illustrating it, here. The block chance listed in the Tankpoints addon (in red) actually turns out to be my chance to be hit, since elemental damage can't be blocked.

Edit: please don't judge me for being so rude to the guy in chat; he's my twin brother. So it's allowed.