Is Stacking Stam For Blue Gems Bad

[mygotkilla]

Just started tanking again after a little break and was wondering how my gems were. Is it bad to stack the +101 stam in my blue slots for my gear.

Here's my armory link:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...xuslord/simple

Any tips would be helpful.

[Loganisis]

Basically, you're still gearing for Wrath tanking and it's wrong for Cata.

A) No PvP gear - unless it's just loaded with mastery and several steps above what else you have, it's a lot of wasted rating. Res is useless for PvE now.

B) Check out the primer in my sig for why, but gemming sub-hard mode raiding is:
Yellow = Mastery
Prismatic = Mastery
DPS Socket Bonus = Mastery
Blue = Mastery/Stam
Red = Parry/Mastery

C) Every piece of gear should have mastery on it - if it doesn't reforge to it.

D) Outside of a very specific case in hard modes (basically raid DPS is right at the enrage timer so you need DPS to go faster sooner) hit/exp is of little value. Taunt/Interrupts don't miss anymore. Exp = 2x hit for threat.

I'd encourage you to read the primer, at least the sections on gearing and gemming, to understand why - but sub-hard modes, WarTanking is all about the mastery.

[Theotherone]

I'm putting my JC 101 Stams in blue sockets on my DK; since we don't have a special green JC cut.

[mygotkilla]

Yea I still have those 2 pvp pieces which I am trying to get rid of, just haven't had them drop in ZA/ZG yet and I'm waiting on the rep cloak from Hyjal.

[Loganisis]

I'm putting my JC 101 Stams in blue sockets on my DK; since we don't have a special green JC cut.

Mastery isn't better for a bigger absorb? Mastery > Stam for sub-hardmode wartanks like the OP.

[Theotherone]

Mastery isn't better for a bigger absorb? Mastery > Stam for sub-hardmode wartanks like the OP.

Yeah, I don't know the numbers on it, but the 101 stam is more of a personal quirk I guess, I just can't not put a 101 stam gem in a slot.

[Crittable]

Yeah, I don't know the numbers on it, but the 101 stam is more of a personal quirk I guess, I just can't not put a 101 stam gem in a slot.

Although I'm not a JC on my DK and I just started tanking heroics with him, I have 2 stam gems in my belt. I put dodge/stam in my other blue sockets but, since I'm still gearing up, I think that the little bit of extra health helps quite a bit until I get a few better pieces. Especially since I have crap trinkets. I still haven't figured out if dodge or mastery would be better to put in the blues/yellows. On my warrior, it's all mastery, but on the DK, I'm sorta winging it.

[aresius]

I recently re-gemmed my toon from a more stam oriented gemming to mastery and it really only swaps 10K hp for 3-4% block (and im a JC).
I run with a mastery trinket and a stam trinket, if i swap to two stam trinkets im exactly the same hpand mastery i was before re-gemming (many tanks i see around wearing fully mastery oriented gems pack 2 stam trinkets anyways).
I wouldent say gemming stam is optimal (i did notice a smothened damage income with that extra mastery), but i dont think its the end of the world like many make it sound to just gem stam.
If you flask mastery and eat mastery food you will get the same mastery as if gemming all mastery.
The base line is that gemming one way or the other can be compensated with which trinkets you use and consumables you take. And what is best does vary from fight to fight. For dungeons pretty much anything is fine for a tank that can tank.