Hunter/rDruid 2s Advice

[Froot434]

My friend (Hunter) and I (Resto Druid) are both new to arena and are running this comp in 2s. We’re beginning to work well together, though we both know there’s plenty of room for growth. I’d appreciate advice from anyone on how we can generally improve.

• How do we survive bursty double DPS comps? We struggled with this initially, though I’ve gotten better at keeping HoTs up on both of us and kiting in bear form.
• How do we fight DPS/healer teams? We usually try to force defensive CDs early and keep the healer in trap/cyclone chains. The games are generally long and have mixed success rates.
• How do we identify the best target to DPS down or lock out? We generally focus the lower geared enemy, unless we know they’ll be slippery or hard to kill (ice blocks, bubbles, etc.).
• How do we open up? I know it depends on the enemy comp and arena map, but since we both have stealth, we pick the initial engagement. We try forcing a trinket early by starting a CC chain.
• Would SV or BM be better for the Hunter? BM is more bursty and SV has better sustained and CC, right? Have the recent buffs pushed it in favor of one or the other? He’s more comfortable with SV, but has been running BM since the 6.2 nerfs.
• What would be a good partner for us in 3s? I often see Rets and Rogues paired with Hunters.

We’re grateful for any input you can provide :)

[Lady Tygry]

I've played both roles of this comp in 2s (first run last season) so feel free to jump in with corrections. I haven't tried SV since the changes so this is from a BM perspective. I roll a cunning spirit beast most fights though I like a cunning devilsaur for the mortal strike against a lot of healing comps.

1. Your hunter needs to be ready to peel as almost always, they're going to want to swap to you since they have to get through double deter to land a kill on your hunt. He should typically be running explosive glyph + wyvern rather than binding (never intimidation). Be sure get your mastery proc going with RG right away (can be los on yourself or not). Keep HoTs up on yourself and the hunter as failing to do so opens you up to easy hardswaps. While I'm more choosy with RoS in 3s, I'm liberal with it in 2s for my healer (your hunter needs to be ready to give you sac while your health is still high). Feral/rogue can be rough even with displacer (even then, I like wild charge for its versatility; juking people with a jump off a platform and back to your mushroom can be a game changer).

If you don't have powershift macros, use them. Here's a spammable one that includes your bear heal:

#showtooltip Bear Form(Shapeshift)
/stopcasting
/castsequence reset=0.5 !Bear Form(Shapeshift), Frenzied Regeneration

Against double DPS, run master shapeshifter. I like blooming and enchanted bark as well when I know I won't be able to land a lot of cyclones. Sprouting mushroom always.

2. Your hunter needs to be stripping buffs with tranq shot and looking for hard swaps. He shouldn't use his wyvern and trap just because they're on CD but rather, when he wants to push for a kill (5 frenzy + BW/crows/barrage up). You can assist by following up with bash/clones/roots and if you're running wild charge, bear roots. Don't be afraid to clone the kill target when your CC target is DR'd. Communicate this to your partner but this can screw healers hard when you're out of options to continue a CC chain. (Make sure to clone BoP targets if tranq doesn't get it) and have your hunter dispel pally sacs or let it fall off before trapping their partners.

3. This is the way to go about it. Sometimes the best target is whoever is in a crappy position. Your hunt should know when it's safe to chase and when he should back off and swap.

4. I usually only open with a camo glyph on feral/rogue, mage/rogue, and feral/mage. Stand within view of your hunter but not on top of him so that you don't risk being caught in aoe burst. He should flare not just in the opener to catch stealth/invis/camo/SG but also to prevent it midgame. It takes practice to keep it down. While I'm waiting on a single stealth, I like to send in my pet to start building frenzy stacks. No point in being shy with a healer. I'll often stand on my flare with an explosive behind me. I save the frozen/wyvern for peels. As a tree, I hang in stealth for as long as possible. As a hunt, the first deter is to avoid burst, the second is to avoid dying. Better hunters are stingier with it but this is just 2s. I'm stingy with my trinket. Your hunt needs to CS polys if you're deep'd out of shift and CS RoFs if you're deep'd in bear.

5. I can see SV being solid but I just don't have the experience to offer an opinion. I'm still enjoying BM.

6. Warrior or rogue would be my top choices.

[apoe]

Literally 50% of the games I've played at 1.9-2k MMR 2v2s are against rdruid + hunter in my experience. Playing warrior + healer, I have not played a SINGLE game against that comp where the hunter has targetted my healer, they always train me with clones and traps on healer. Games always last ten years until deep dampening.

Based on that, going for the DPS while CCing healer seems to be the common strategy. In high dampening, everything is killable, so at that point you'd probably try to kill whoever is out of position or doesn't have defensive cds available.