Ahh, mages. Arguably the squishiest class in the game, and yet capable of terrifying power, solid crowd control, and the most powerful burst capability of any class in the arenas.
Overview
— Almost all arena mages are specced deep frost (either a 17/044 or 0/0/61 build) due to that specs superior survivability and control to the other specs. This appears to be changing, but for now, frost is still the go-to tree for arena mages.
— Similar to hunters, a mage left without pressure can deal a massive amount of damage very, very quickly, to any class.
— Decent mana longevity, due to Evocate and mana gems.
— Has the longest spell school lockout ability in the game, which just so happens to be off the GCD, instant cast, and ranged. Counterspell is devastating.
— Very strong crowd control, via polymorph and multiple snares/roots. Even a few seconds of successful mage CC can completely turn the tide of a battle.
— Invisibility, as much controversy has surrounded it, is still a very effective tool.
— One of only two classes that can render themselves completely immune to focus fire. (more…)