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Dampening & Mana Management

Master the long game when matches go the distance

Understanding Dampening

In TBC arena, there's no actual "dampening" mechanic like in later expansions. Instead, long games are decided by mana attrition. The team that manages resources better wins.

The Mana War

In extended arena games (5+ minutes), healer mana becomes the primary win condition. When a healer goes OOM (out of mana), their team dies.

  • Mana Burn: Shadow Priest removes 1000+ mana per cast
  • Viper Sting: Hunter drains mana over time
  • Drain Mana: Warlock steals mana
  • Pressure: Forcing inefficient heals burns mana

⚠️ Long Game Reality

If your comp can't win in the first 2 minutes, you MUST have a plan for the mana war. Comps without mana drain or sustained pressure will lose to attrition teams.

Healer Mana Management

As a healer, your mana pool is your team's life bar. Here's how to make it last:

🔵 Efficient Spell Selection

Use the most mana-efficient heal for the situation:

  • Light damage: HoTs, Renew, Earth Shield
  • Medium damage: Efficient heals (Healing Wave, Flash Heal)
  • Heavy damage: Fast expensive heals (Lesser Healing Wave)
  • Emergency: NS + Big Heal, Pain Suppression

💧 Drink Whenever Possible

If there's ANY opportunity to drink, take it:

  • Enemy in full CC (Poly, Fear, Cyclone)
  • Behind pillar with no pressure
  • Team resetting/recovering
  • Even 1-2 ticks of water helps

⚡ Mana Regen Cooldowns

Know when to use mana CDs:

  • Innervate: Use at 50% mana, not when OOM
  • Shadowfiend: Use when enemy is CC'd (won't kill it)
  • Mana Tide: Position safely, use during resets

Healer Mana Pools (Approximate)

HealerMana PoolLongevity
Holy Paladin~9,000Longest (Illumination)
Resto Druid~10,000Long (HoT efficiency)
Resto Shaman~9,500Medium (Mana Tide)
Disc Priest~8,500Short (expensive shields)

DPS in Long Games

DPS players have different responsibilities in extended matches:

🎯 Maintain Pressure, Don't Overcommit

In long games, pressure is more important than burst:

  • Keep consistent damage on targets
  • Force healer to use mana
  • DON'T blow all cooldowns randomly
  • Save burst for when healer is OOM/CC'd

💀 Mana Drain Priority

If you have mana drain abilities, USE THEM:

  • Mana Burn (Priest): Burns 1,000+ mana per cast—devastating
  • Viper Sting (Hunter): Drains 1,500+ mana over 8 sec
  • Drain Mana (Lock): Steals mana for yourself

🛡️ Help Your Healer

Extend games by reducing pressure on YOUR healer:

  • Peel enemies off healer
  • Use self-healing (Recuperate, Death Strike, etc.)
  • Healthstones save mana
  • Bandage during resets

Denying Enemy Drinks

If you can prevent the enemy healer from drinking, you win the mana war. Here's how:

🏃 Constant Pressure

Never let the healer sit down:

  • DoTs prevent drinking
  • Pet on healer (Hunter/Lock)
  • Any damage cancels drink

👁️ Track Enemy Position

Watch for drink attempts:

  • Healer running behind pillar
  • Enemy team creating space
  • Healer dropping combat briefly

⚡ Instant Drink Cancels

Best abilities to stop drinks:

  • Faerie Fire: Instant, long range
  • Moonfire: Instant DoT
  • Arcane Shot: Fast interrupt
  • Any DoT: Corruption, SW:P, etc.

Drink Deny Example

Enemy Priest runs behind pillar at 30% mana. Your Warlock immediately sends pet + applies Corruption. Priest can't drink, eventually goes OOM, and your team wins.

When to Reset

Sometimes the best play is to disengage and reset. Here's when and how:

✅ Reset When:

  • Your healer is OOM or very low mana
  • Major cooldowns are used (need to recover)
  • Someone on your team is very low HP
  • Enemy used all their burst—you survived
  • You need to set up a fresh opener

🔄 How to Reset:

  • CC enemy team: Fear, Poly, Cyclone
  • Peel and kite: Run to opposite side of arena
  • LoS behind pillar: Break enemy vision
  • Use mobility: Blink, Sprint, Travel Form
  • Vanish/Invisibility: Hard resets

❌ Don't Reset When:

  • You have kill pressure on a target
  • Enemy healer is OOM (finish them!)
  • You'd give enemy free drinks
  • Your team has the advantage

Cooldown Economy in Long Games

In short games, you pop everything and hope for a kill. In long games, cooldown economy matters.

💰 The Trading Principle

Try to trade small cooldowns for their big cooldowns:

  • Force Ice Block with just damage (save your burst)
  • Make them trinket CC, then use YOUR trinket for next CC
  • Bait Cloak of Shadows, then land real CC

⏰ CD Tracking is Critical

Track major enemy cooldowns mentally or with addons:

  • Trinket: 2 min CD—know when it's up
  • Ice Block: 5 min CD—long window
  • Pain Suppression: 2 min CD
  • Nature's Swiftness: 3 min CD

🎯 Kill Windows

In long games, kills happen when:

  1. Target has no defensive CDs
  2. Healer is CC'd or OOM
  3. You have ALL your burst available

Be patient. Wait for all three conditions.