SPriest, MF clipping questions

[alturic]

Ok, so I decided to start rolling with my alt on alt nights and was wondering a few things about clipping.

Now, back in the day nochannel macros were iirc the way to use MF. People have said it is now not only not need but also a DPS LOSS to use it. My question is "why" exactly. I mean is it the way the client/server work with spellcasts now? What I don't really understand is that you don't ever want to recast MF while it's already channel correct?

For example on Quarts it shows me 3 "ticks" and then the latency bar (last tick?), on MFClip it shows me 4 "ticks" (the 4th is technically the latency bar on Quartz), so I'm pretty sure TECHNICALLY you don't want to recast MF until its "finished" correct? i.e. why would nochannel macro NOT be good?

EDIT before anyone brings it up: YES, I understand if MB or Dot refreshes need to happen clipping MF at 2 ticks is generally considered higher DPS than letting it run its course and THEN refreshing/MBing.

[eErike]

You don't clip MF anymore, you just add more time to it when you press it again during a current cast

Edit: MF is considered a dot that you channel, as every other dot we have now in cataclysm, they don't clip anymore. That's why you want to refresh everything right before the last tic, same goes for MF and hence no "no channel" -macro

[Soisoisoi]

Time between the end of the cast and re-casting it rather than it being one big continuous cast, I guess. Since now MF acts like a DoT and just continues the 'ticking' rather than restarting it.

[alturic]

I also understand that you can't "clip" it anymore, when I say clipping I mean /cast 2 ticks, /cast 2 ticks, /cast 2 ticks, that's what I mean by clipping. That brings me back to my whole "why is nochannel macros a loss nowadays"?

So then, will "clipping/recasting" at 2 ticks and then adding the tick to every other cast technically be a DPS increase or?

I'm just confused as to whether or not you should be recasting MF when it ENDS or after the THIRD tick everytime?

[Denae]

Quartz is not very good at showing when ticks will come — you might try Gnosis instead. It's a dps loss to wait until MF ends to recast it. Clipping MF with itself will not lose any ticks. Clipping MF with another spell can though; you can try to interrupt MF right after any tick happens to minimize lost time (but still don't delay MB or let dots fall off trying for this).

[nadrii]

A no channel macro results in a tiny bit of lag between each mind flay you cast which ends up wasting quite a few second at the end of any given encounter. It's better if you simply practice recasting your mind flay at the perfect time to accommodate your latency.

You should be clipping mind flay for any other spell. Mind flay is the last priority spell you have.