What the hell are Blizzard doing to Warsong Gulch...

The topic sums up my thoughts having read the current PTR patch notes.

There is a now a 20-minute timer on this Battleground. After that , the team with the most flag captures wins. If this would result in a tie, the team that captured the first flag wins. If neither side has captured a flag, then the game ends in a tie.

The first sentance is not where I see the problem, although I do think the timer should be longer than 20 minutes. The second sentance is possibly the most stupid decision on a competitive activity I have ever seen.

Imagine a game where you went 1-0 down after 5 minutes. You now have 15 minutes to score two captures to win. The enemy team are going to defend like crazy once they score their first capture, and you face a much harder challenge just to level the game, let alone win it outright. Then even if you do manage to beat a 10 man defence and score a capture to draw level, the other team will still win unless you manage to do it again!

Every other competitive goal-based game or sport with a limit will either end tied games in a draw or enter a form of sudden death to decide the winner. Blizzards first capture wins rule will ruin competitive Warsong Gulch.

It is a horrible, horrible ruling indeed. As you said, it hugely promotes taking 1 flag fast and then camping, its almost always going to be more successive then going for extra flags in a pug. Then again, WSG with pugs is something i try to shun as much as i possibly can anyway, so I guess it doesnt affect me hugely, apart from getting that 1 mark a lot faster

The last thing I am affraid for is to have to fight against a 10man defense, there are soo many options nowadays to get away.

if you lock and load a 10man offence ( or less), during the mayhem 1 or 2 might slip away with the flag, get the speed debuff and have an almost free run back home.

then again there are also things like cloak/sprint for rogues, portals to the balcony for locks,blink for mages/ bubble for pallies ( the melee bubble though, not the divine one)/ mass fear ( priests and affliction locks)/ hunter whatever skill it is to throw yourself backwards/intervene or charge (requires skill)/ the knockback for druids/shamans.

so nearly every class except dk has a good way to move out. nonetheless in a 10man defense you cannot do this on your own, you need cannon fodder.


but 20minutes....too short