Originally Posted by
Serene
Hmm, I would make the argument that none of the 3 of you are playing 'optimal' specs overall, and this could perhaps be a reason. Another thing to consider is that in 25 man when you have multiple of different classes there's a lot more intra-class competition, and being able to top meters when you're a "sub-optimal" spec AND against people of your class who are at a similar level skill-wise whilst playing an "optimal" spec is something quite different.
In 4.3 it depended on the fight but Affliction was very strong all the same. Fire was King of Mages during 4.3 even after it got nerfed.
Another thing - if you're over-geared for current content it doesn't hurt your DPS; it helps it. With certain exceptions the shorter a fight is, the better your overall group DPS will be.