The Interviews are a series of one-on-one conversations between myself and the GM's/Raid Leaders of the guilds of Saurfang that are likely to feature in the race for PVE supremacy. They are designed to provide an insight into the community before the release of the Mists of Pandaria expansion and to generate interest in what is likely to be a fascinating next few months.
My first interview was conducted with Cast, the Guild Master of Blizzard Mentor Horde (formerly known as Antiquus). The guild has grown in stature and enjoyed a strong Cataclysm experience and is a personal bet to feature very strongly in the PVE scene for months to come.
Here is what Cast had to say on their upcoming Mists of Pandaria prospects.
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Nastre: Mists of Pandaria is mere sleeps away. What's the general feeling in the guild like heading into the fourth WoW expansion?
Cast: Our guild consists of a variety of players but the main raiding team is excited for numerous reasons. Partly due to the endless nature of the current expansion and partly because the team is looking pretty hot and keen to dive in.
Sounds promising! As a guild what are your ambitions for MoP in terms of raiding accomplishments?
Hmmm. Well I guess there is a silent hope within the raiding team to be first at the end. The Heroic Elite mode appears like it needs to be conquered in a timely manner. We have several new strategies that we hope can put us into the lead by a significant margin compared to how things have been done in recent tiers. We hope they are successful.
Give an overall impression of the Saurfang PVE scene and who you consider your main rivals for server first kills.
I think for the size of the server there are some pretty solid teams... there are going to be some instances where it may be in the best interest to let other teams get a server first kill, particularly as we are focused on the end and not individual bosses.
As for main rivals, the leadership of IAC (In Another Castle - Horde) is not to be sneezed at and they are rocking a strong team. They would be the main ones [rivals]. Lotion (Alliance) have been vocal but there are a few variables that make it hard to place them.
With Ominous (Alliance) going to 25 man mode I think they may be in for a rude shock. However they did manage to retain many of their old members but I think Ajantis (Horde) will beat them. [Ajantis] are in a better place than they were in Dragon Soul, even with their golden age behind them.
As Is Tradition (Alliance) have some fine members but appear to lack the hunger for server firsts and instead progress at their own pace. I think the biggest factor facing guilds is the length of tier and success will depend on avoiding massive issues while maintaining team spirit.
I think IAC will get a few initial server first kills, due to their raids starting slightly early by a few hours.
A truly indepth answer! The 10 man vs 25 man debate. What are your thoughts on the merits and future of each format?
Well it has been a tricky question since Tier 11. I guess it comes down to a lot of what people want to do. This in turn affects the ability to recruit the skill required for 25 mans. In Tier 11 a lot of people saw it [10 mans] as an easier way to get the same thing but as the tiers go on I suspect some people will want to make the change to 25 man raiding, as long as the leadership is strong.
Most 10 man guilds seem to avoid many of the issues facing 25 man groups. There are more people to afk, dc, lag. However there are merits in 25 man raiding that can benefit your roster that I particularly like. These include the cooldown options and a 'sense of awesomeness', if you are into that.
10 mans are not without there issues however. If you lose one person you need... it can hurt. But I suspect there is less chance of a 'mass exit'. 10 mans can also feel more personal while larger raids can take on a corporate feel. A lot of 10 man guilds who raided this tier also swapped to the 25 man format in order to see more of the loot individuals desired.
If Blizzard maintains the status quo then I do see a future for 25 man raiding. I would much rather throw a massive spanner in the works and see the introduction of 15 man raids!
An interesting concept for sure. I agree on a lot of your points. Having played since Vanilla, 10 mans will always feel like UBRS runs for me. To small to be a raid. Feels more epic with 25, but I realise I'm a little antiquated with that view.
Next question. You have to choose one player from Saurfang, past or present, Horde or Alliance, and who is not currently in your guild to take in your raid (any class). Who do you take and why?
Nastre, because he never misses a beat :P
Humbled! Last question. Describe your guild and what you hope to achieve in MoP in three words"
Wow, not giving me many words to play with!
Efficiently Kill Shit!
Love it. Thanks Cast. I'm sure everyone will love reading about the thoughts of a major player ahead of the next expansion. Best of luck for MoP and hopefully we can do another interview a few months down the track.
Thanks mate. Also, a final shout-out to Tealc and Muffle!
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That's it for today. I hope to bring you an interview with an Alliance guild tomorrow, so stay tuned!
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