User:The Gates Assassin/555 = Perfection

If you have been directed to this page, then you have said that 5 - 5 - 5 on a builds score means the build is absolutely perfect or you have taken points off because the build is countered by something. Here is why you are wrong.

Concept 1: No build is perfect
There is no such thing as a perfect build. No matter what you do, your build will always have a counter. Try all you want, there is something to counter you. And even if your build has no counters, your build probably isn't good because you wasted so many skills to try to not get countered by something.

Example 1
[build prof=warri/eleme axemas=12+1+1 streng=12+1 airmag=3][eviscerate][Executioner's Strike][disrupting chop][shock][bulls strike][frenzy][rush][Resurrection Signet][/build]

This is considered one of the best builds in the game. Why? It has probably the best DPS in the game, can pressure, spike, interrupt, disable, KD, snare, has infinite IAS and IMS. There aren't many other builds that can come even close to that. This build is one of a few that have a perfect 5 - 5 - 5 score. "But, Blind! What if an anti melee necro puts hexes on you! It's not so perfect, huh?" It still is. The reason is, that's why you have teamates. Teamates remove the blind from you, teamates remove the hexes for your, teamates take rigor mortis is you ABSOLUTELY need it (But honestly, you don't need it for this build. Target switching is why).

Concept 2: Every build is counterable
Let's try to modify this build so it is uncounterable.

So what are it's main counters?


 * 1) Anti Melee Hexes
 * 2) Blind
 * 3) Blocks
 * 4) Damage

[build prof=warri/monk axemas=12+1+1 streng=9+1 tactics=9+1 protect=3][eviscerate][Executioner's Strike][disrupting chop][Warrior's Cunning][Mending Touch][Healing Signet][Holy Veil][Resurrection Signet][/build]

Now this build is pretty much uncounterable right? They can't blind you for long, you have a self heal, you have hex removal and you can't be blocked. Great build right? Not even close. Thinking that shock axe is great because of ONLY it's DPS is just plain wrong. It's the disruption skills that make the kills happen. Taking those out, makes the build much weaker, since you are losing your KDs, snare, IMS, and IAS.

Also keep in mind, even this build is counter able. What if I disable your mending touch/healing signet? Now what? Are you going to take anti-interrupt skills too? What if I remove Holy veil, then hex stack you? Even when you try to make a build that is uncounterable, there are still plenty of counters.

Concept 3: A perfect build is counterable
A build that focuses on something, and does it well, is more often than not going to be perfect. While of course it does have counters, your teamates are the ones that will be helping you overcome those counters, not you. It all depends on how you perform on the battle field. If you aren't interrupting enchantments, aren't getting kills, are attacking people who counter you (Block stances, high armor targets), you are going to lose. By doing the opposite of all those things, you are countering the counters against you, by yourself, without taking any skills that do the same thing.

Concept 4: A more perfect build is a build with less counters, without sacrificing effectiveness
Shock axe has four counters (Block, blind, death and hexes). Four. That is rediculously low. Let's look at a few other builds:

To show how much the counter hurts the build and how easy it is to overcome the counter, small counters will be black and heavy counters will be in red.

Also keep in mind that Anti-Melee hexes includes being snared.

Cripshot
[build prof=R/Me expertise=11+1+2 marks=9+1 wilder=9+1 dom=6][Crippling Shot][Savage Shot][Distracting Shot][Blackout][Antidote Signet][Natural Stride][Apply Poison][Resurrection Signet][/build]

This is the legendary cripshot build. It has the best snare in the game, a spamable interrupt, one that disables for 20 SECONDS, a complete shutdown skill, Great condition removal, and can spread degeneration to an entire team unlike any other build. But let's look at the counters:



Well, that was a long list. Hexes? Interrupted. Blind? Removed or interrupted. Blocks? Crip Shot is unblockable and target switching. Even damage isn't that much of a counter because of Natural stride and 100 armor vs elemental damage. This build is practically uncounterable and does all the above things. A perfect build.

(Even though I said there are no counters, even this does have counters. If Apply poison is interrupted, this build loses it's pressure. If you are hexed while Natural Stride is up you lose your defense. So even this build, which is extremely hard to counter, has it's counters.)

WoH, it's an axe!
[build prof=W/Mo axe=12+1+1 str=8+1 Healin=10][Purge Conditions][Dismember][Axe Twist][Agonizing Chop][Executioner's Strike][Word of Healing][Vigorous Spirit][Resurrection Signet][/build]

This build uses Word of Healing to easily overcome damage. This build can be found in the trash section, beyond the obvious reasons. Let's look at the counters.


 * 1) Anti-Melee hexes
 * 2) Runners

Only two counters, that's less than shock axe and is really close to Cripshot! But at what cost? It can't KD people, Runners won't get killed, no disruption at all, no disabling, much less damage. So is being less counterable worth it? Not at all.

Aura of Restoration Assassin
[build prof=A/D dag=12+1 cri=11+1+1 win=6][Mark of Instability][Aura of Displacement][Black Spider Strike][Twisting Fangs][Golden Phoenix Strike][Blades of Steel][Attacker's Insight][Pious Restoration][/build]

This build uses Mark of Instability to use one of the most powerful combos in the game with a great shadow step. This is found in the other section. Why? Let's look at the counters:


 * 1) Enchantment Removal
 * 2) Hex Removal
 * 3) Blind
 * 4) Block
 * 5) Runners

This build is EXTREMELY fragile in trying to spike. If it's enchantments get removed, it is either no where near the target or it can't get the energy to finish it. If the hex is removed, the spike can't be finished. If someone is running right from the start, you won't be able to kill them since this doesn't have a good snare. While this does overcome damage as a counter, it fails at most else.

Recap
So the first build is not counterable, and has huge effectiveness (One of the best builds on the site). The second build has very few counters, but very low effectiveness (In trash). The last build has a LOT of MAJOR counters, but has very high effectiveness (In the other section). Shock axe has a moderate amount of counters, and has huge effectiveness. Can we really expect everything to be at the same level as cripshot? Hell no. All we can expect is not a rediculous amount of counters, no counters that completely blow up the build*, and with that some great effectiveness in their field.


 * Please note that while Blind and daze do blow up the build completely, they are easy to overcome via monks.

Concept 5: Guild Wars is a team game
You have to rely on other people. You only hurt yourself if you don't. If guild wars was all scrimages, then fine, a build without counters is going to flourish, however that isn't what guild wars is. Frontline focuses on killing, midline helps frontliners kill, backline keeps everone alive. If the frontline starts to try to keep everone alive, you either have a bad monk or a bad frontline.