Let's put an end to Graves/MPD teams

[Grinderman]

Like many of you I am sick to death of meeting this combo in pvp. It seems at least 80% of my matches are against them.

What is the best combo to beat them?

So far my best success is (thanks to Discodoggy) Frostfur Rat, Nightshade Sproutling, Bone Serpent.

But please let me know your best anti-Graves/MPD teams.

Hopefully we can stop this domination of pvp.........please give generously.

[Sile9]

I've been doing my civic duty with P/S Netherspace Abyssal, Son of Sethe, and S/S Ore Eater. My favorite is when they go "ooh, magic pet!" and start with the MPD (also good is if I can force swap it in!) so I can get Immolation and Sethe heals rolling for when they swap to Graves after the Decoy immediately gets knocked down. The infernal is kept topped off while Sethe does what it does. Then I'll usually swap back to kill the undead with Nether Gate and recast Immolation.

I've beaten the same Murk/Graves/MPD over 10 times using these two pets alone (only once gating the initial RI). When Graves has Consume instead of Skull Toss they just can't put any real pressure on the Sethe. While my backrow humanoid is mostly dead at the end of the RI cycle, my other two pets have just about full health.

It can get hectic though if their third is a fast sweeper in which case I'll need to put in more work to keep the Ore Eater alive. Fortunately, most players make the mistake of letting me put Touch of the Animus on their Graves with Acid Touch after their initial AoE gets soaked by Shell Armor.

This team is also incredibly effective against most AoE counters. I haven't met a single sunlight-based team I couldn't outheal. Beware of wish-swapping!

[Grinderman]

I did about 30-40 battles on the weekend and only came across the Graves/MPD combo twice, so things are definitely improving.

I met lots of MPD's in different teams but only the two with Graves, so it looks like people are being a bit more inventive or experimental and not just going for the dull win-at-any-cost strategy.

Hooray!!

[Paladance]

I did about 30-40 battles on the weekend and only came across the Graves/MPD combo twice, so things are definitely improving.

I met lots of MPD's in different teams but only the two with Graves, so it looks like people are being a bit more inventive or experimental and not just going for the dull win-at-any-cost strategy.

Hooray!!

I haven't seen Graves since the recent pet event, though I've done maybe 20 battles only I found it too strange to be believed!
Glad to see that I'm not the only one who managed to avoid him.

By the way, recently people don't get Graves after their HotS grinding.
It's considered a bug, but still, paraphrasing someone from the EU forums, it's very hard to actually sympathise with them.

On the other way, I still see hardcore healers including that [pet]Blossoming Ancient[/pet] pile of blocks.
At least Broot seems to be obtainable with a little effort.
If its build isn't going to be changed, maybe designers would consider nerfing both of them?

Otherwise we'd need to use a Barov Lumberjack Caller before each serious queue.

[Gráinne]

I haven't seen Graves since the recent pet event, though I've done maybe 20 battles only I found it too strange to be believed!
Glad to see that I'm not the only one who managed to avoid him.

You're lucky. I've been sitting on the weekly quest at 7 of 10 wins since the last purple-stone event, and decided to get it out of my quest log today.

4 battles - 2 Graves; 1 Healing; 1 actually interesting team.

[Ermelloth]

So true.

Due to Graves / MPD / other Undead AoE pets PvP pet battling became virtually impossible. Unless you have the combo I've listed below.

I don't play MOBA games and I never will. But at the moment it's like "play HotS or lose PvP pet battles" cause the way Graves is OP is just absurd - even if you take aquatic pets with critter attacks, the MPD / Anger / Graves team do so much combined AoE damage that nothing except an extreme 3-healer team would help.

Graves and all AoE pets need 33% flat AoE damage nerf.

P.S. I do have one team which counters all these Undead AoE pets, but this is an affront to logic and the most boring thing ever: Stinker, Golden Dawnfeather, Magical Crawdad. No one dies. 3 healers... It's sad I'm pretty much forced to queue with that.

[Drudatz]

Graves and all AoE pets need 33% flat AoE damage nerf.

Sorry but these muricans sadly dont give a f.... Graves is a slap in every pet battlers face - its not his aoe thats totally bullshit but his [ability]skull toss[/ability] that is totally FUCKED UP - either it hits you with 400-500 dmg ALL THE time or it crits on you for 700-800(!) dmg....

So yes, pet battle at the moment is only working if you have graves otherwise you dont even have to try.
Sadly Quintessence isn't a pet battler otherwise we would have someone they would (at least perhaps) listen to....

[Paladance]

*cough* Spectral Spinner *cough*

Originally, Graves was used just by several people along with [pet]Murkalot[/pet] to boost him.
Of course, while Graves can be reached by everyone (it just begs for a pun), getting Murkalot is almost impossible
and the golem alone is just a shade of these horrible days when he was starting.

I thought that Highmaul Manafiends would be another nightmares, but while they have a Weebomination-like output, they are defenceless.

Besides…
For the love of the Light.
The [ability]Haunt[/ability] + [ability]Consume Corpse[/ability] exploit.

I would report for that. Each time. Twice.
Really.


<personal stuff>
Hm, I thought that I know you Drud from the EU forums, but apparently you're not that person.
Nevertheless, you even are in the same guild!
</personal stuff>

[Paladance]

That wouldn't work against someone who knows what they're doing.
The secret to beating Graves is 1) out-healing his DPS or 2) killing him before he can get a 2nd AOE rotation off.

That's correct.
But some people just rely on Graves so heavily that even being careful, they have no exact idea what to do instead.

P/P [pet]Fjord Worg Pup[/pet] can take him out in two rounds with a favorable flurry.

Not too slow after all? I mean, after this part encounter it basically spams [ability]Leap[/ability] or lose a round on [ability]Dazzling Dance[/ability].

But okay.

[Jerebear]

[pet]Spectral Spinner[/pet] ?

How is this an answer to Graves?
Blind?
That wouldn't work against someone who knows what they're doing.
The secret to beating Graves is 1) out-healing his DPS or 2) killing him before he can get a 2nd AOE rotation off.

P/P [pet]Fjord Worg Pup[/pet] can take him out in two rounds with a favorable flurry.

I've never tried it, but my guess would be:
P/S Spectral Spinner:

Blinding Poison vs miss
Spectral Strike (618) vs miss
Bone Bite (309) vs BONESTORM
Bone Bite (309) vs Grave Destruction
Bone Bite (309) vs Skull Toss
Bone Bite (309) vs Skull Toss (pushes Graves to Undead Round)
Blinding Poison vs Miss

Basically keeps him to one set of AoEs, even if he is smart and holds off for the Blinding poison. Not as fast, but effectively the same. Works for the S/S breed as well (barely 280*4 + 560).

I agree with you though that the Worg Pup is better. I even like a P/S fox better than the spider (takes 3 rounds, so not as awesome as the worg pup, but has slightly better speed for other enemies).

[Paladance]

I'm a fan of the P/S Foxes as well. With dazzling dance, they're JUST quicker than a rabbit.

Aaah, this indeed DOES make a change!

I've also thought about an S/S [pet]Frostfur Rat[/pet] (talking about the whole battle), but can't say anything about the 256 attack power.
A P/S is 285/305.

[Drudatz]

<personal stuff>
Hm, I thought that I know you Drud from the EU forums, but apparently you're not that person.
Nevertheless, you even are in the same guild!
</personal stuff>

Nice to see a guildie here

atm I mostly run a tree, a sunflower and a terror claw because of all the aoe.

[Paladance]

<personal stuff>
Hm, I thought that I know you Drud from the EU forums, but apparently you're not that person.
Nevertheless, you even are in the same guild!
</personal stuff>

Nice to see a guildie here

It's not me!
You can find him here: http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/16744274523#6

I feel like a gossipmonger now. :<

Recently I used a healer team and met a Blossoming Ancient.
/cover