The Proven Raiders - A raid group for inexperienced but skilled players

[Slatch]

I've often heard how hard it is to get into raiding for inexperienced players, and it's true. So here is a chance for those who have a desire to raid and think they are good enough to quickly progress. Starting June 25th I will be running a one night a week group aimed at inexperienced players. This group will be formed over the next couple of weeks, and aims to be a consistent raiding group similar to a raiding guild. Obviously this will be cross realm, and no guild will be formed.

Scope
The goal of the group will be to clear Normal Siege of Orgrimmar in six weeks. Since many players will overgear the initial bosses, progress should be quick at first and slow at the end. With limited raid time the group must be focused and productive through a whole raid night, with one 10 minute break in the middle. If after 6 weeks the group has not completed its goal I will likely disband it, but may continue if we are doing well. If the goal is completed the group can talk about continuing on into heroics, or people can use their experience to find a permanent guild.

Evaluating Players
The main tool I will be using to evaluate players will be the Proving Grounds. I have done at least gold on six 90's, and find a direct correlation (not causation) between success in PGs and raiding potential. Other players I have raided with that raid at a high level also do well in PGs, with lesser skilled raiders having more trouble in them. While getting past a Gold rating will be the minimum, players with their Proven title from getting Endless 30 will be preferred. Whether you can get it quickly or through sheer determination I don't care. Natural skill as well as willingness to push yourself are both great qualities in raiding. If you disagree with using PGs as the evaluating tool then you are free to start your own group, use whatever means you want to evaluate, and compete against this group!

Requirements
US - Horde
No formal Normal raiding experience this Expac
Minimum 522 ilvl with gear properly prepared
At least one Proving Grounds Endless pull with your main spec and off-spec if applicable
Consistently available Wednesday 6:30-9:30 PST until August 6th
Fights reviewed
DBM or Big Wigs Addon, properly configured
GTFO Addon
OpenRaid's Mumble
Flasks, potions and backup food
Sign up on Openraid

Preferred
No formal Raiding experience
Profession perks
Proving Grounds Endless 30
Been actively working on Legendary quest line
Improve on gear by first raid if you are on the low end
Mic for raid communication and willingness to use it

Gear
Properly gemmed, enchanted and reforged gear is a must. PvP gear is acceptable. With some time commitment 550 ilvl weapons can be earned over two weeks with the catch up mechanism for Conquest points. Legendary quest line items are not a requirement, but you should have them earned by week 6. If you start today then that is possible. In addition the meta and cloak procs do not work in PGs.
If you will be using an OS then that set must be properly geared also. It's ok to share much of the gear between two sets for some classes, but things like trinkets and helm should be different.

Forums
I will try and get a forum set up soon so people who are approved for the group can have an easy place for discussions.

Raid Group
10m or 25m will be decided based on community interest. If 10m then ~13 people will be used to ensure a solid group. If 25m then 30 people will be used. I will rotate people in and out without having a permanent bench. Having extras also allows for cuts to be made for people who are significantly under performing. The raid composition will not be strict, but having access to all raid buffs is important. Bringing a raid CD will not get you a spot over a more skilled player. Swing dps/healers will be desired, as well as a player to be a third solid tank, and an additional player who has a tanking spec set up.

Loot
Loot will be rolled for on a need basis. This is defined as: any ilvl increase > tier sidegrade > OS > Greed. I advise sacrificing a gnome to the loot gods before each raid. I realize that no loot system leaves everybody 100% happy, so please come in with a positive mindset and understand that skill is still more important than loot. For years now I have played with people who are quite willing to pass gear to others charitably. I would love to see that happen. Finally if this loot system needs to be adjusted then I may do that if I think it would work better for the group.
Example: A 553 tier token drops. 3 people would like it. One already has a non tier 553, another a Flex tier, the last a Timeless Isle 535. Both the Flex tier and Timeless Isle people will get to roll.

Encounters
The more knowledge the group comes into a raid with the better. However on top of that I am quite willing to teach all fight mechanics to the raid group. I expect all members to ask questions when they are unsure of any part of a fight or their role in it. I have found that it is quite common for people to not fully understand mechanics even after doing a fight many times. Often times it only takes a few pointers to enable a group to overcome a problematic fight mechanic. I'm happy to clear things up.

Logs
For those interested I will be utilizing WarcraftLogs.

Streaming
While I have never streamed I may choose to set one up, or others are free to do it.

About me - Slatch
I hardcore raided through Vanilla and Karazhan. After completing Karazhan I was deployed twice and didn't continue playing WoW until the end of Wrath. A bunch of friends got together and we started raiding Normals during Cata. Soon after this I got married and was able to have a whole table of WoW players come to our wedding and reception. My wife joined the raid group only for me to cut her because she wasn't very good. Her competitive spirit took over, she successfully re-rolled and rejoined the raid team as a productive member. Slowly my real life friends stopped playing. I however found replacements and continued running a raid group through Cata and into MoP. At the start of Throne of Thunder I told my raid group that they needed to improve and get some bosses down or I was going to disband the group. No one improved their play over the month, so I disbanded the group and found a guild to join that had like minded people in it.
I have been a part of Impetus on Turalyon now for over a year as we push to be the top 6 hour a week guild. I have had a blast playing a Brewmaster Monk as well as getting to raid with my wife, who eventually earned a spot in the same raid team. I really enjoy raiding and progressing. An opportunity to gather a fresh group and progress on a very limited schedule seems like it could be a lot of fun!
I will most likely bring my Protection Warrior into the group, but can bring a dps or healer if those spots need to be filled.

OpenRaid
There is no need for anyone to post their contact info here, as OpenRaid sign ups will be used.
http://openraid.us/events/view/201737/okstatus#info

[NickCageFanatic]

Good luck to you! This seems like an excellent idea, but I would be on the lookout for people looking for a free ride to gear alts though.

[Deleted]

At least one Proving Grounds Endless pull with your main spec and off-spec if applicable

Preferred
Proving Grounds Endless 30

Tbh Proving Grounds is nothing like raiding. It does help to get your class to know better yes, but should never be a requirement for raiding imo

[Slatch]

This thread is not to be a discussion for the merits of using PGs as an evaluations tool. Please don't derail it.

[Forsedar]

Hmm... going to have to contact my buddy for this. He just started WoW but has been excelling (since I've gamed with him since we were 12). This may be the perfect thing for him.

I'll get in contact with him and have him join the OpenRaid event.

[Sonnillon]

Please use the following thread: http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...lm-Raid-Thread for looking people for your raid groups.