So I just went and looked at the top ret logs on Goroth.
#1 log -
https://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports...=9&view=events - BoJ, Crusade, TV, Wake.
#2 log -
https://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports...=2&view=events - Crusade, BoJ, TV, Wake. (Even I'll admit this is wrong, but he clearly had no intention of building to 5.)
#3 log -
https://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports...21&view=events - same as #2 except he didn't even Judge before casting Crusade.
#4 log -
https://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports...05&view=events - same as #3.
#5 log -
https://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports...13&view=events - same as #1.
I don't know how far down the list you want me to go before you'll consider the point proven, but top rets are not building to 5 first - they're all building to 3, casting Crusade, TV then WoA. The reason for this is because it really makes very little difference to how fast you stack Crusade, but if you go in with 5 then you delay WoA by two globals AND either waste HoPo (because you go Crusade -> TV -> WoA), or delay it by two MORE globals (because you go Crusade -> TV -> CS -> TV -> WoA), which also means you don't fit the second WoA entirely within Crusade.
Is this a trick question? It's because (a) it saves you a GCD in combat, and (b) ensures it's off CD again by the time you're ready to cast it a second time. Nothing to do with building to 5.
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FWIW, I was bored and looked at #6 through #10 as well. None of them built to 5 either, unless you count the weirdo who used WoA before Crusade. The only one who came close was #7 who built to 4 before Crusade, and let Arcane Torrent and Liadrin's give him 5 and 6 for the second TV. But if I were a Blood Elf in T20, I'd do that too - those of us who are making do with lesser races don't have that luxury :-)
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Still bored, so instead of looking at the top Goroth logs, I looked at the top ret All-Stars (
https://www.warcraftlogs.com/ranking...ec=Retribution).
#1 - Vachebringer - stacks to 3.
#2 - Makeitstack - is a belf, does the belf trick.
#3 - 柚木萌 - stacks to 3.
#4 - 白陌 - stacks to 3.
#5 - 엘타락 - stacks to 3.
So unless you can provide a better source of "high end rets" than the people who are actually performing best, I'm going to have to stick with "no, top rets don't build to 5", sorry.