I feel like life pvp, in its current state without guardian spirit is in a mediocre position right now. Now am not saying guardian should always be heavily reliable but it does ensure protection from one shot strategies such as dark nova and school scions. I feel like the removal of guardian as a Nerf without any compensational buff has definitely change life schools approach to more of an off meta offset build, which requires a more damage built compatibility deck. My only issue with this approach is the unreliability of underwhelming utility cards life has as its main source, absorbs. A key factor to bring out to the table would be that one would think that absorb can actually come in clutch moments where it mitigates flat damage, but in truth they are not even compared or equal to that of a 25% shield unless its over 1000. If spirit armor would have the ability to divide 1000 damage in 3 wards then perhaps that would play out as a different scenario.
Moving forward beyond this point, life main source of keeping up with the meta right now is to rely on critical healing. This is perhaps the most best reliable option life has within its kit and i find this very worrisome at times. The reason i say this, is that you could have as much as 70% critical and would only critical 3/10 times, where as in any giving situation where you actually need to crit a heal, ends up being your demise for going towards such an approached investment. Hence why i decided to go with a more well balance all around build with the followings stats: 7,758 Could be 8k with dragoon hat but resist goes down to 48% from 60%. 133% damage 60%resist 17%Accuracy 579 or 47%critical block is non existent(considering trying out the dragoon robe, doesn't seem worth it all losing 20% damage as life needs damage for lack of damage utility spells) 35%pierce 27 incoming/28 outgoing or 55% Heal boost(Anything over 50% is super effective) 33% pip conversion 99% power pip chance 7%pip chance. My main issue with life pvp at the moment is scions. Scions have dominated the meta since their initial release. For example certain schools like ice, death and myth primarily creates a pressured environment in which all they have to do vs life is brace or shield into blade stacking 3 different blades then use a Shift oak or Grendel if you aren't using any set shields against them.Meanwhile, fire gets away with stacking endless traps with fuel and pet fire beetle*cough*cough*(Not Ban from pvp) while storm can basically use an infallible rain beetle and just use set shield vs life saving enough pips for a scion. If you do have a set shield then they just go for the shrike into a dot(excluding storm), while your praying to pull a triage with your already troublesome deck build to keep up with other schools just for those schools. I carry 5 triage in my main deck just for this purpose because tc version are already hard to come by but when i do get them i save them. Dispels in turn base pvp are great for stalling but is not as effective when used on a life as it used to be, its was pretty much a guaranteed strategy killer but now acts like a 100% mantle frizzle. In a sense this is very bad for life to use now especially giving the fact that we have to save pips for emergency heals.
With the introduction of Ratatoskr Spin, I have experienced a major difference in some fights as oppose to when I never had it. This spell was badly needed to deal with minion spamming so it became very helpful, but to say its pay win spell its a bit over exaggerated. Since life already suffer from the stability of inflicting high damage on defensive play styles, this spell alone wasn't enough to bring life back from the debts of oblivion. There needs to be some key changes that life is going to need in order to be viable in max pvp again. The list goes as follows:
1. Life strongly needs a 25% damage offensive global control for 2 pips.Global-Bubble control wars is becoming a trend around max pvp. Every school right now has a 2 pip bubble control even death, mean while life suffers having to spend 3-4 pips at the expense of having it change again by said schools. This is a major disadvantage towards life and is an on going problem i have seen in my past experiences within my match ups. Not having the ability to maintain bubble control leaves an open window for my opponent to stack damage on top of damage, while I have to suffer seeing my pips wasting away. Mind you,in turn base pvp now, going first as life means starting with 3 pips so when the opponent use bubble for 2 pips and you have 5 giving the fact you got a power pip on their turn you essentially give up 3 or 4 pips for no good follow up or them having to change it back again.
2. Goat monk needs a solid defensive or offensive effect added. This spell is the most underused spell of all the lore and adds no real benefits to the life school. In fact Id never recommend anyone to use this spell because it will just use up space and pips that can create some critical problems in your deck build component. My suggestion would either turn it into a dot that does the same damage equivalency of a frost bite or give it a heal or something. Honestly I don't really know so its open for suggestion.
3. Make Guardian Spirit for 5 pips Give an absorb for 15% of maximum health. Again that would only equal to 25% shield ratio. For example having 7500 would = 1125 absorb, a good trade off for not being able to revive.
These 3 changes would definitely bounce life back into pvp for the lack of not having a damage scion which I still feel is a bit absurd. Conditions could have been made hard for life to apply x2 damage at 1100 like ice but that's just my opinion. Let me know what you guys think. Remember this is solely base on personal experience in life offensive pvp I don't condone or support jading or heal only strategies id prob only troll that in practice but never in rank pvp.
I feel like life pvp, in its current state without guardian spirit is in a mediocre position right now. Now am not saying guardian should always be heavily reliable but it does ensure protection from one shot strategies such as dark nova and school scions. I feel like the removal of guardian as a Nerf without any compensational buff has definitely change life schools approach to more of an off meta offset build, which requires a more damage built compatibility deck. My only issue with this approach is the unreliability of underwhelming utility cards life has as its main source, absorbs. A key factor to bring out to the table would be that one would think that absorb can actually come in clutch moments where it mitigates flat damage, but in truth they are not even compared or equal to that of a 25% shield unless its over 1000. If spirit armor would have the ability to divide 1000 damage in 3 wards then perhaps that would play out as a different scenario.
Moving forward beyond this point, life main source of keeping up with the meta right now is to rely on critical healing. This is perhaps the most best reliable option life has within its kit and i find this very worrisome at times. The reason i say this, is that you could have as much as 70% critical and would only critical 3/10 times, where as in any giving situation where you actually need to crit a heal, ends up being your demise for going towards such an approached investment. Hence why i decided to go with a more well balance all around build with the followings stats: 7,758 Could be 8k with dragoon hat but resist goes down to 48% from 60%. 133% damage 60%resist 17%Accuracy 579 or 47%critical block is non existent(considering trying out the dragoon robe, doesn't seem worth it all losing 20% damage as life needs damage for lack of damage utility spells) 35%pierce 27 incoming/28 outgoing or 55% Heal boost(Anything over 50% is super effective) 33% pip conversion 99% power pip chance 7%pip chance. My main issue with life pvp at the moment is scions. Scions have dominated the meta since their initial release. For example certain schools like ice, death and myth primarily creates a pressured environment in which all they have to do vs life is brace or shield into blade stacking 3 different blades then use a Shift oak or Grendel if you aren't using any set shields against them.Meanwhile, fire gets away with stacking endless traps with fuel and pet fire beetle*cough*cough*(Not Ban from pvp) while storm can basically use an infallible rain beetle and just use set shield vs life saving enough pips for a scion. If you do have a set shield then they just go for the shrike into a dot(excluding storm), while your praying to pull a triage with your already troublesome deck build to keep up with other schools just for those schools. I carry 5 triage in my main deck just for this purpose because tc version are already hard to come by but when i do get them i save them. Dispels in turn base pvp are great for stalling but is not as effective when used on a life as it used to be, its was pretty much a guaranteed strategy killer but now acts like a 100% mantle frizzle. In a sense this is very bad for life to use now especially giving the fact that we have to save pips for emergency heals.
With the introduction of Ratatoskr Spin, I have experienced a major difference in some fights as oppose to when I never had it. This spell was badly needed to deal with minion spamming so it became very helpful, but to say its pay win spell its a bit over exaggerated. Since life already suffer from the stability of inflicting high damage on defensive play styles, this spell alone wasn't enough to bring life back from the debts of oblivion. There needs to be some key changes that life is going to need in order to be viable in max pvp again. The list goes as follows:
1. Life strongly needs a 25% damage offensive global control for 2 pips.Global-Bubble control wars is becoming a trend around max pvp. Every school right now has a 2 pip bubble control even death, mean while life suffers having to spend 3-4 pips at the expense of having it change again by said schools. This is a major disadvantage towards life and is an on going problem i have seen in my past experiences within my match ups. Not having the ability to maintain bubble control leaves an open window for my opponent to stack damage on top of damage, while I have to suffer seeing my pips wasting away. Mind you,in turn base pvp now, going first as life means starting with 3 pips so when the opponent use bubble for 2 pips and you have 5 giving the fact you got a power pip on their turn you essentially give up 3 or 4 pips for no good follow up or them having to change it back again.
2. Goat monk needs a solid defensive or offensive effect added. This spell is the most underused spell of all the lore and adds no real benefits to the life school. In fact Id never recommend anyone to use this spell because it will just use up space and pips that can create some critical problems in your deck build component. My suggestion would either turn it into a dot that does the same damage equivalency of a frost bite or give it a heal or something. Honestly I don't really know so its open for suggestion.
3. Make Guardian Spirit for 5 pips Give an absorb for 15% of maximum health. Again that would only equal to 25% shield ratio. For example having 7500 would = 1125 absorb, a good trade off for not being able to revive.
These 3 changes would definitely bounce life back into pvp for the lack of not having a damage scion which I still feel is a bit absurd. Conditions could have been made hard for life to apply x2 damage at 1100 like ice but that's just my opinion. Let me know what you guys think. Remember this is solely base on personal experience in life offensive pvp I don't condone or support jading or heal only strategies id prob only troll that in practice but never in rank pvp.
No one will use that since absorbs dont count resist and break easily because of that.
Could be 8k with dragoon hat but resist goes down to 48% from 60%.
damage
resist
power pip chance
pip chance.