Guide:GvG Tiebreak

Explanation of the GvG Tiebreak Mechanic and how to successfully play a match that goes to 28 minutes.

Tiebreak Mechanics
If no guild lord has been slain until 28:00 the match is decided by the tiebreak mechanic usually referred to as Lord Damage. The guild which has a better lord damage value wins the match, but other than the name implies it's not just about damage dealt to the lord, as it involves punishment for a couple of defensive strategies.


 * Dealing Damage to the Lord in General
 * The effective damage per second you can deal to the guild lord is limited. Whenever the threshold for damage per second is exceeded the guild lord will automatically be healed for the offset.
 * In the beginning of the match the effective damage per second is limited to 25 and reaches its peak of 300 at the mark of 12:00. The sooner in the match you reach the guild lord, the longer it will take to kill him.
 * However, even when the damage is automatically healed, it still counts for Lord Damage.
 * The health pool of the guild lord is 1680HP initially. Every morale boost will permanently increase the health pool by 300HP.
 * The guild lord only takes damage if the number of attackers in the pit is equal to or greater than the number of surviving pit NPCs.
 * Pit NPCs are: 2 Knights, 2 Pit Archers, 1 Bodyguard
 * You can still deal damage to the lord if he receives more than one damage package per second. This means that a solo split character can deal a low amount of lord damage through the full pit if it features damage compression, such as hitting the guild lord at the same moment as using [[Mirage Cloak]. When attacking the guild lord with multiple characters it means that one damage package per second is negated completely.


 * Increasing the Lord Damage Value
 * Hitting the guild lord with damage, see above.
 * If your attack on the guild lord is blocked or misses it counts as dealing 50 damage.
 * If a Zurrie Dervish hits the guild lord and a defending monk protects him with [[Guardian], the blocked attacks will sum up to an enormeous amount of lord damage very quickly. Likewise, a [[Blinding Surge] elementalist may stop the dervish from killing NPCs but at the cost of likely losing the match because the dervish deals a lot of lord damage by missing attacks on the guild lord.
 * If you're in the opposing pit and got hit by blindness, [[Blurred Vision] or similar effects or see that the opposing team used [[Protector's Defense] next to the guild lord, immediately start throwing spears at the opposing guild lord to improve your lord damage value drastically.
 * Using an enchantment or a weapon spell on your guild lord counts as though the opponent dealt 50 damage.
 * Avoid using enchantments on the guild lord if possible. Heal with [[Healing Burst], not [[Patient Spirit].
 * Don't be afraid of protecting the guild lord if it's else unavoidable that the opponent will slay him.
 * It can be worthwhile to use few protective enchantments on the guild lord. [[Shield of Absorption] against a full team of foes hitting the guild lord is going to help your team win the match. A well-placed [[Stone Sheath] or [[Resilient Weapon] can have the same effect. When playing against foes with enchantment removal, it's even worth it covering such an enchantment.
 * Health drain (including vampiric weapons) and degeneration do not count towards lord damage.
 * Characters based on degeneration, such as rangers and blood necromancers, are not good at dealing lord damage.
 * The ideal martial weapon for dealing lord damage is sundering.


 * Implications of the Bodyguard
 * The bodyguard heals the guild lord for roughly 133 health points per second.
 * While the bodyguard is alive a single healer can easily keep the guild lord alive with pure healing due to the damage to the lord being capped at a maximum of 300 per second.
 * If the bodyguard has been killed monks will likely have to use protection prayers on the guild lord to keep it alive.
 * With three damage dealers focusing the guild lord against two monks you may not slay the lord, but deal devastating amounts of lord damage due to the combination of raw damage and the opponent having to use a lot of enchantments on the guild lord.
 * Killing the bodyguard is not required for winning the lord damage race, but it does help a fair chunk. If you can't kill the bodyguard quickly, simply focus the guild lord instead.

Preparation Mid-Match
You can gain a large advantage for the lord damage race throughout the match by protecting your pit NPCs and taking out the opponent's. Split builds are usually designed around this concept by preventing the opponent to split to one's base while simultaneously sneaking out his NPCs throughout the match.
 * Having more surviving pit NPCs than attacking foes negates one damage package on the guild lord per second.
 * While their individual damage output is low, the five pit NPCs and the guild lord build up an impressive amount of pressure. A solo monk will have trouble to keep his pushing characters alive against the pit and even a single defending damage dealer. Against the full pit and two defending damage characters it's likely that the push will quickly wipe.
 * If you wipe the opponent's push you prevent a lot of lord damage.
 * You force the opponent to attack with two monks, leaving only one for defense in the base. If you were able to take out the opponent's pit NPCs throughout the match, you can play much more aggressive in the opponent's pit, potentially killing the solo monk with three or four damage dealers and slaying the lord.
 * Depending on the opponent's defending damage characters you can attack with a solo monk due to the lack of pit NPC pressure, guaranteeing that your pit is safe with two monks.

Standard Lord Damage Split
Around the 24 minutes mark both teams have to prepare for a final assault on the opposing guild lord to either slay him or win by having a better lord damage value for the tiebreak. You need to know how to react in the lord race, sending the right people to defend and the right people to attack. Unless a team attempts a lord rush both teams usually split up into a defending and an attacking team, trying to keep the opponent's damage dealt to your lord minimal while maximizing your own lord damage. Generally, you send degeneration characters to defend your base because they're a threat for attackers but not valuable for accumulating lord damage themselves. Frontline characters push to attack the opponent's base as they have a much larger base damage output and can potentially wipe defending monks. If you have a single domination magic mesmer, it's usually sent to the offense. You always send your infuse to the assault team and keep your runner defending your own base. Examples below. {| width=90% class="collapsible collapsed" !align=left|Examples: Team builds and their standard splitting for the lord damage race. (Click [show] to the right to display them) ➝
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{| ### E X A M P L E  T W O ### ! Triple Melee
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!Core Defense
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!Core Offense
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 * Ranger and blood necromancer combine to an extreme amount of sustained degeneration on the attacking foes.
 * Combined with pit NPCs the pressure is overwhelming for a solo monk and forces the opponent to bring a second monk or risk a quick wipe.
 * The ranger can focus on interrupting a solo monk to wipe the opposing lord rush team.
 * If the opponent is unlikely to wipe easily, lineback offensive casters while still trying to take out [[Healing Burst] whenever possible.
 * The necromancer's weakness decreases the damage dealt by physicals. If two physicals hit the lord, put bleeding on one first, use [[Signet of Suffering@14] again and then weaken both with a single [[Oppressive Gaze@14] on the second physical. Requires balling foes.
 * Punish [[Frenzy] with [[Dark Pact@14]!
 * Against solo monks save your [[Strip Enchantment@14] for killing windows. Tell your ranger that you can strip and will take down the next guardian that gets through. This should open up an opportunity to kill the already degenerating monk.
 * Rez control!
 * Rez control!
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 * One dervish runs into the pit first and balls knights (if still alive) on an appropriate other pit NPC (ideally body guard/guild lord). This way you either drain a lot of monk energy or quickly reduce the amount of pit NPCs threatening to kill your push.
 * If the opponent defends with a solo monk, stomp it and slay the lord.
 * When the opponent is defending with two monks simply hit the guild lord with all frontline characters to deal lord damage. Ideally kill the bodyguard first if you arrive in the opponent's pit sooner than his monks.
 * If necessary, lineback defending characters with your hammer warrior.
 * Else you can be a threat to even two monks. If you have enough time left because you charged the opponent soon enough, your hammer warrior can take out one monk while one dervish trains the second monk and one kills the bodyguard. This way you may kill the defense team and slay the lord. However, this may take quite some time so it's generally more recommendable to play safe in this situation and simply deal lord damage instead.
 * Else you can be a threat to even two monks. If you have enough time left because you charged the opponent soon enough, your hammer warrior can take out one monk while one dervish trains the second monk and one kills the bodyguard. This way you may kill the defense team and slay the lord. However, this may take quite some time so it's generally more recommendable to play safe in this situation and simply deal lord damage instead.

!Variable
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 * Standard.
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{| ### E X A M P L E  F O U R ### ! Physical Spike !Core Defense
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 * Ranger linebacks with interrupts.
 * You may attempt to kill a solo monk if you still have NPCs that contribute pressure.
 * If you have a defending frontline character aswell and play against a solo monk, definitely try to wipe the attacking team.
 * Else just lineback attacking characters.
 * Rez control!

!Core Offense
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 * Paragon counters defending rangers and necromancers.
 * Cripple removal also helps to keep the frontline working.
 * If playing four damage in the offense team, you can camp the guild lord with the three physicals while linebacking with the mesmer.

!Variable
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 * This team does not natively have good options for the defense team due to lacking standard pressure characters. There are two common variants on how to play this:
 * (A) Go for a standard 3-5 solution.
 * Send your hammer warrior to the defense team, axe warrior and prot monk to the offense.
 * In case the opponent sends four damage with one monk to your base, send the hammer warrior to the offense and the axe warrior and prot monk back.
 * (B) Play more aggressively and send four damage together with the fuse into the opponent's base.
 * You can do this when playing against a team that defends with ranger and necromancer as the paragon negates a lot of condition pressure.
 * Send back your prot and defend with ranger + two monks.
 * Unless you see an opportunity to kill the defending monks, put all physicals on the guild lord and lineback with the mesmer.
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{| ### E X A M P L E  F I V E ### ! Dual Elementalist Spike
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!Core Defense
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!Core Offense !Variable
 * The hammer warrior linebacks physicals.
 * Fire ele spreads burning and uses [[Smoldering Embers@15] on casters.
 * Don't use [[Mind Burn@15] on the fuse monk; he'll draw burning anyway. Use it on other characters for the chance of the burning staying for an extended period of time. You can use it on a prot monk, if available, as they usually don't have condition removal on self.
 * No need to focus the monk if playing against a solo monk. Your pressure should pay off anyway. Better to keep the frontline knocked and weakened.
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 * The invoke elementalist is kept in the front for cracked armour on the guild lord.
 * The axe warrior is kept in the front because of its good pressure and lower lineback potential compared to the hammer warrior – keeping the cracked armour synergy and having one death pact signet on each side of the map are bonuses.
 * Unless you see an opportunity to kill the defending monk(s), simply hit the lord with warrior and elementalist.
 * If necessary, lineback with the mesmer.
 * Unless you see an opportunity to kill the defending monk(s), simply hit the lord with warrior and elementalist.
 * If necessary, lineback with the mesmer.
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 * Standard.
 * Variant: Keep both frontliners in the offense, send back both elementalists. Usually preferable if the opponent plays with a defending domination magic mesmer.
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{| ### E X A M P L E  S I X ### ! Dual Elementalist Split !Core Defense
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 * Your team build is designed to protect your pit while taking the opponent's pit NPCs. Ideally you still have your NPCs up but the opponent doesn't. If that's the case, defend with two monks and one mesmer while keeping the rest of the damage pushed up with the infuse.
 * See variable for other options.

!Core Offense {|
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 * Two or three more casters.
 * Two or three more casters.
 * Two or three more casters.
 * Two or three more casters.


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 * The power block mesmer is good for the offense if the opponent defends with a single monk. Together with the dervish and one elementalist you'll usually be able to quickly kill the monk and then slay the lord.
 * Thanks to [[Wastrel's Demise@15] and [[Wastrel's Worry@15] mesmers can deal lord damage, too.

!Variable
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 * When to start going for lord damage
 * If both teams are vaguely at the flag stand, start dissolving your team for the endgame around 25 minutes.
 * If the opponent has pushed you to the front of your base, you want to start sooner, around 24:30.
 * If you have pushed the opponent to the front of his base and he's not taking the initiative, delay the endgame up until 26:30. Else react to his actions.
 * If you have pushed the opponent into his pit and he does not dare to come out, wait until 27:00 before pushing in. This is a guaranteed win.
 * Where to send your prot
 * If the opponent attacks with three damage dealers...
 * ... and both pits still have NPCs, send the prot to attack the opponent's base.
 * ... and your pit is empty, but the opponent still has his NPCs, you need to take the risk and send the prot to the offense team. This is the scenario you want to avoid.
 * ... and you still have some pit NPCs in your base and the opponent's pit is completely empty, send the prot to defend your own base depending on the opponent's two defending damage dealers. Communicate with your infuse whether he'll be able to survive without help of the prot. This is the scenario you want to achieve.
 * ... and both pits are empty, decide whether to attack or defend based on the opponent's damage characters. The infuse will be able to keep the push team alive against ranger and necromancer for a while without any pit NPCs interfering. Ranger and hammer warrior, however, can quickly kill him. Communicate with your team where you're needed.
 * If the opponent attacks with four or more damage dealers send the prot back to your base.
 * If the opponent defends with three or more damage dealers send the prot to attack the opponent's base. The pushing team has to wait for the prot to arrive before committing to the pit.
 * In doubt and if no one in your team makes a call or responds to your question where to go, send the prot to the opponent's base.

Abuse Mid-Match Lord Damage
If your team was able to deal a lot of lord damage throughout the match, you don't need to follow the standard lord damage protocol. Assume that you had a split dervish hitting the opposing guild lord for five minutes while the opposing monk runner kept protecting him with [[Guardian]. The usage of enchantments and the amount of blocked attacks have generated a very large amount of lord damage for your team. Once the opponent starts pushing towards your base, you can defend with your entire team and wipe the opponent using your full damage combined with the pit NPCs. In case the split dervish is still in the opponent's base, leave him there. You're already ahead on lord damage and wiping the opponent in your base prevents him from surpassing your amount of dealt lord damage.

Improper Split Punishment

 * If you have a full pit and the opponent attacks with a solo monk while already sending the prot to his own base you can collapse the opponent's assault team with a third damage character, wiping them in your base quickly and preventing them from dealing a relevant amount of lord damage. Your defense team can then join the offense.
 * If you have four damage dealers near the opponent's base and he sends his prot monk to help with his offense team, don't send back the superfluous damage character. Kill the defending monk and slay the lord.

Full Damage Lord Rush
Some teams attempt a lord rush, that is: Sending all/most their damage to the opponent's base in an attempt to quickly kill the guild lord before monks arrive. This can be especially effective in teams with water or earth elementalists which can snare multiple monks at once or permanently snare one monk. Even if the lord rush team can't kill the guild lord before a monk arrives, the snare's opening up a window for the pushing team to kill the first arriving solo monk and then slay the lord – or kill the second monk that's arriving late, likely when the first monk has already been killed.
 * Full team response: If you're not yet near 25 minutes, you can follow the lord rush with your entire team and try to wipe the opponent in your base.
 * Counterrush: Go back to your base with all monks (or if the opponent has one damage back in his base, send the fuse with your push team). Interrupt characters need to support the monks: Take out snares so the monks arrive in the pit as quickly as possible. Once the monks are in the pit, the interrupt characters still need to be linebacking to prevent a monk wipe. Meanwhile, your team sends three to four damage dealers to the opponent's base and tries to achieve NPC kills in return – or lord damage or a lord slay, depending on how much defense the opponent sends to his own base.
 * Mixed response: Go back to your base with most characters, but send one or two damage dealers to clear the opponent's pit.

Block and Lord Rush
On some maps with choke points like warrior's isle teams will alternatively block a gate and attempt to kill the guild lord with just two to three damage dealers, preventing monks to get close with the block.
 * Counterblocking: If you see that the opponent pushes up to try to block you, immediately run to the choke point yourself and counterblock. The collision box of allies is smaller than of foes. This means that if you have a party member standing in the opponent's block, your allies can still squeeze through, making the block effectless. This is the ideal response.
 * Shadow Stepping: A runner build featuring a skill like [[Return] can, unless they've been killed, shadow step on one of the outer archers and thus past the block.
 * Crushing: With enough area damage you can crush the block. This puts your opponent at a large disadvantage as it means he has lost (usually) two backline characters and one midline character, leaving the damage dealers which pushed through to the pit at a high risk to get wiped after time. However, it'll also have cost you quite some time to kill the blocking characters, so you've likely lost some pit NPCs to that action.
 * Splitting: If the opponent starts blocking a gate and you can't kill the blocking characters quickly enough, your runner can go to your base's backdoor and thus run past the block. This will take a while, but it's a chance to save NPCs or at least the lord. Works well on maps with both entrances nearby each other, like isle of dead. Works not as well on maps with medium to large distance entrances like warrior's isle.