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Introduction
This guide was made in collaboration with multiple current Rank 1 Gladiators, but is designed to represent the entire arena ladder.
To help understand how these rankings work, we assume the following:
S tier comps are expected to have the highest winrate against equally skilled opponents.
A tier comps are expected to have positive winrates against equally skilled opponents.
B tier comps represent the “average” comp, and have a relatively equal distribution of winning and losing matchups
C tier comps are generally weak into the meta and are expected to lose against most higher tier comps
Other important notes:
This list is an ongoing project and will be updated periodically
If you don’t see a comp listed, it MIGHT be weaker than C tier, but could also mean that it is too experimental to properly rank or simply an oversight.
For Healers, Restoration Shamans can fit into most compositions and do well, and due to Melee compositions being prevalent in Cataclysm Season 9, Holy Paladins can fit this criteria as well.
S Tier 3v3 Comps
“RMP” Subtlety Rogue / Frost Mage or Fire Mage / Discipline Priest
“RMS” Subtlety Rogue / Fire Mage / Restoration Shaman
“FLS” Feral Druid / Affliction Warlock / Restoration Shaman
“Jungle Cleave” Feral Druid / Marksmanship Hunter / Restoration Shaman
“Triple DPS (Ret)” Retribution Paladin / Marksmanship Hunter / Subtlety Rogue
“RLS” Subtlety Rogue / Affliction Warlock / Restoration Shaman
In the current meta, these compositions will be your strongest picks out of all compositions listed in this tier list. Performing as RMP and Jungle Cleave compositions will require more control based coordination in order to land consistent kill windows on enemy teams. RLS and FLS will require more AoE attrition and maximizing damage output until the damage is unsustainable for the enemy team. Overall, these compositions require different playstyles depending on the composition that is played, allowing you to be flexible on what comp fits you best.
A+ Tier 3v3 Comps
“Fire MLS” Fire Mage / Affliction Warlock / Restoration Shaman
“Godcomp” Shadow Priest / Fire Mage / Holy Paladin
“Kitty Cleave” Feral Druid / Arms Warrior / Holy Paladin
“PHDK” Marksmanship Hunter / Unholy Death Knight / Restoration Shaman or Holy Paladin
“Thug Cleave” Subtlety Rogue / Marksmanship Hunter / Restoration Shaman or Discipline Priest
“Vanguards Cleave” Retribution Paladin / Unholy Death Knight / Restoration Shaman
The A+ tier includes additional compositions with Arms Warrior, Unholy Death Knight, and Shadow Priest. These specializations can still affect the pacing of arena matches, but require more consideration in regard to their defensive utility provided in their toolkit. Due to these specializations requiring a bit of thought and decision making, it may result in these compositions performing not as well as the S tier compositions listed above for the average player.
A Tier 3v3 Comps
“KFC” Arms Warrior / Marksmanship Hunter / Holy Paladin
“Frost MLS” Frost Mage / Affliction Warlock / Restoration Shaman
“LSD” Balance Druid / Affliction Warlock / Restoration Shaman
“Triple DPS (DK)” Unholy Death Knight / Subtlety Rogue / Marksmanship Hunter
“Ebola Cleave” Unholy Death Knight / Feral Druid / Restoration Shaman
The A tier includes comps that perform above average, but lack survivability and defensive utility. This will result in these compositions struggling due to the lack of cooldowns to maintain offensive pressure and land kill windows. Having good coordination with your team can result in these comps performing well in a competitive setting, but requires more thoughtful gameplay.
B Tier 3v3 Comps
“Shadowplay” Shadow Priest / Affliction Warlock / Restoration Shaman
“RPS” Shadow Priest / Subtlety Rogue / Restoration Shaman
“Turbo Cleave” Enhancement Shaman / Arms Warrior / Holy Paladin
“LSP” Elemental Shaman / Affliction Warlock / Holy Paladin
“Spicy Chicken Cleave” Balance Druid / Fire Mage / Restoration Shaman or Holy Paladin
“Dancing with the Stars” Balance Druid / Subtlety Rogue / Discipline Priest or Restoration Shaman
“Cupid Cleave” Retribution Paladin / Marksmanship Hunter / Discipline Priest
“Vanguards Cleave (Disc)” Retribution Paladin / Unholy Death Knight / Discipline Priest
“FMP” Feral Druid / Frost Mage / Discipline Priest
“WLS” Arms Warrior / Affliction Warlock / Restoration Shaman
The B tier includes more variance in comp selection, which involves choosing specializations less impactful for overall success. This is to represent more of an “average” composition performed in rated PvP, and is neither too good or too bad to excel in the current meta. Most of these compositions can be performed at Rank One levels, but have some noticeable weaknesses that distinguish them from the higher tier comps.
C Tier 3v3 Comps
“Vanguards Cleave (Frost)” Frost Death Knight / Retribution Paladin / Restoration Shaman
“Frost DK & Sub Rogue” Frost Death Knight / Subtlety Rogue / Restoration Shaman
“Godcomp” Frost or Fire Mage / Shadow Priest / Restoration Druid
“MLD” Frost or Fire Mage / Affliction Warlock / Restoration Druid
“RMD” Frost or Fire Mage / Subtlety Rogue / Restoration Druid
“RLD” Subtlety Rogue / Affliction Warlock / Restoration Druid
“RPD” Subtlety Rogue / Shadow Priest / Restoration Druid
C tier comps are generally underperforming and include some of the lower tier DPS (Frost Death Knight) and Healers (Restoration Druid). While some people might find success with some of these setups, they are generally inconsistent into the majority of higher tier comps.
Unlock your PvP potential with Skill Capped! Our brand new Skill Capped UI for Cataclysm will fast track your success, offering everything you need to set up your UI like a pro in just seconds. Skill Capped members can download the complete addon package from our site and unlock premium profiles for Plater, OmniBar, and OmniCD to gain visual and in depth insights that enhance your gameplay and give you the edge over your opponents. With Skill Capped, you’ll start climbing the ladder in no time.
As a member, you’ll also gain access to specialized video tutorials from the world’s best pro players, with courses available for every class. Sign up today for a special 5% discount and start mastering WoW PvP with our engaging and informative content and take advantage of our 400 rating gain guarantee where we guarantee you’ll see improvement or get your money back.