Dueling With and Against a Light Armor Magplar

WhiteMage · November 2016

I'm a light armor magplar who is very at home in an openworld build optimized for No-CP land, but like any ole' build it can be used for dueling with favorable results, even with CP. A magplar is a predominantly (even almost exclusively) a melee fighter; I could not find a single magplar build online that centered on a destruction staff for damage. Because of the magplar's reliance on melee (we can blame Puncturing Sweeps for this--love that skill), they are very susceptible to roots, for which there is no period of immunity against. I have found that, against a very good magicka nightblade, a light armor magplar has little to no chance to win--which I believe this is in no small part due to the roots and other CC.

I asked these magblades when the last time they lost a duel to a light armor magplar, hoping to then ask how exactly they lost so I could improve based on that information. To my surprise, none of them could ever recall the last time they lost to a light armor magplar. At best, one nightblade could only remember a loss to a heavy armor magplar. I then went to a number of really good light armor magplars and they echoed my experiences of not being able to defeat a really good magblade.

I started thinking back to my duels against other classes with skilled players that represented their class very well. Magsorcs have always been difficult, often times I could only wait for a shield to lapse and jump in with a CC, but usually very miserable fights. MDKs are worse because they keep you rooted and move to your backside. Mist forming out buys you a few seconds at best before you're back in the "cage." The light armor magplar seems to be the worst off in duels involving other magicka classes and a lack of burst options are probably the culprit.

So what are your experiences involving light armor magplars? How do you deal with a light armor magplar? How do you lose to one? How are your experiences vs the other classes as a light armor magplar? (For all intents and purposes, a heal-spec cheeseplar is not a real dueling magplar)

Kutsuu · November 2016

Yeah, pretty much all the magicka setups you described are very strong in duels right now. It's not just light armor magplars that feel the pain.

As for me on my stamina NB, low health magplars melt fast if they let me burst them, but if they've included some health in their build (trainee set on jewelery/2armor or weapons or plague doctor, etc) and run BS it becomes a nightmare and very hard to finish.

Galvanize · November 2016

Eclipse/total dark is your best friend vs mNBs, trust me, yes they can cc break but if you time it and keep reapplying it, it will drain their stam and also reflects their crippling grasp/swallow souls while it heals you. I say this because my main is a magplar and ive always worn light, eclipse is pretty much a must, also I've duelled on my mNB vs magplars and total dark is really annoying to fight againest. Hope this helps you!

Sheuib · November 2016

My main is a magplar and I'm almost exclusively range. Entropy, vampire Bain, dark flare, and radiant destruction.

WhiteMage · December 2016

How do you manage to get dark flare off in a duel? Whenever I use it, I get hammered by the ranged classes during cast time and stamina users dodge all of them.

I'm actually very interested in ranged magplars. What kind of build do you run, and how does it work in duels? I have a set up that feels very much like a stationary magblade with less burst but a better execute.

Mayrael · December 2016

There was a time when I tried full light magplar, what worked for me well was:
1. Offensive bar, dual wield:
- Sweeps
- Topling charge
- Vampire Bane
- Shards
- Radiant
- Soul Assault
2. Def bar, ice staff.
- destructive reach (root!)
- entropy
- ellusive mist
- extended ritual
- honor the dead
- eye of the storm

Eventualy for more defence vs very high burst toons second bar was SnB:
- restoring focus
- entropy
- mist
- extended ritual
- honor the dead
- spell wall

Gear on offensive 5 spinner/5seducer/2 skoria defensive was spinner staff or magnus SnB.

What ive noticed is that folks cant handke roots. Eslecialy melee ones so with root I had better defence than with SnB. You just keep spaming your dots and roots (skoria

), your enemy prolly will gap close you as soon as he realise what are you doing, mist form asap, reposition, root, buffs and again. When you have your destro ulti on, use it, and root, gap close n root. Rly, against any melee toon there is no better tool than ranged root (without immunity sic!).

While fighting against ranged toon, SnB is better as you have cheap 7s reflect ulti + block casted heals. Just gap close them and stay on them. Problem starts when they have roots :P