Since I have been out of the game for a bit, I have not had a chance to really discuss much about the MoP beta level cap getting bumped up to 88 (or is it 89 now?). One of the nice things about the cap getting raised is that Symbiosis is now an ability that we can test. I have not started the grind at all - I like my grind to be something new every expansion and I do not want to have to do it multiple times. However, the nice people over at WoWHead put together a nice compilation of Symbiosis abilities for us all to enjoy:

Symbiosis Abilities

There is a lot to digest here and I think that many of these will end up changing, but it is an interesting look into how Symbiosis is truly going to change the way Druids play on teams. For example, I always take a first look at new abilities in the light of "how will this affect 2s with Guntir?" Priests, for the moment, get the short end of the stick in that they are given Entangling Roots. This is not terrible, but it definitely leaves me wanting; why would they give a CC to another class when I still have that CC? It just means that Guntir will be able to use Entangling Roots on targets while I am able to continue dps'ing which is a boon, I suppose. Additionally, it means that Guntir will have another school to use when locked out, or another school with which to bait out kicks. All told, this is not the worst spell the Devs could have given him; Priests could have gotten Rebirth like Holy Pallies did...

On the flip-side of the coin, Feral ends up getting Dispersion from Priests. This is a hugely powerful defensive cooldown, and it could not come at a better time. In MoP, Feral is losing Survival Instincts as our 2min 50% damage reduction cooldown, so we are sort of squishy feeling at the onset, but with us having access to Dispersion, we gain a 2min 90% damage reduction cooldown that can be used while stunned. I am enjoying all the fruits of that ability swap, I am afraid, and Guntir as much (though he is more confident in gaining Entangling Roots than I am).

Like I mentioned in my last post, I am looking more like a dps with supplemental roles in healing at the moment (tons of offensive cooldowns, but if I take Cenarion Ward and Dream of Cenarius, I will be an off-healing machine as well as being a strong dps), but Feral should also end up being pretty strong defensively given Dispersion getting thrown on the table as well, and with Guntir getting Entangling Roots, he may be more self-reliant when it comes to peels which would mean less healing required in the long run and more offensive support. Right now, Feral+Disc is looking rather strong.

However, I want to go back and talk about 11-Man Cleave a bit. 11-Man Cleave is the name I came up with for Feral+Enh+Disc which largely relies on the specializations to build upon. Feral ends up taking Tree Posse, since it is a good offensive cooldown anyway, and uses Symbiosis on the Enhance Shaman instead of the Disc Priest. Yes, the Feral loses access to Dispersion which is a huge defensive cooldown, but gains Feral Spirit, or Dog Posse, on a 2min cooldown. The wolves provide decent damage output, mobility, and self-healing while dealing damage, so the ability to survive while dealing damage is intriguing.

However, what is most notable about the comp is the fact that the Feral can pop out 3 trees every minute and 2 dogs every 2 minutes (and so can the Shaman). So, your burst attempts revolve around the tree posse, with your big burst attempts revolving around have 3 trees, 4 wolves, the Feral, the Shaman, the Disc Priest, and potentially the Shadowfiend (or Mindbender if talented for it) on the kill target all at once. The wolves have a small stun, but the tree posse has a 5s stun, so the wolfy-stun will be pretty much ignored. In addition to this, Berserk is still on the table and since this team is less about keeping Guntir alive and more about running down healers with insane pressure, I would probably swap my tier90 talent over to Nature's Vigil for the 3min cd that increases my damage done by 20% and heals nearby friendlies and just macro it to roll with Berserk.

I am really having a hard time seeing a healer live through the following:

1) Treant damage
2) Wolves damage
3) More wolves damage
4) Feral damage (Berserk + Nature's Vigil)
5) Enhance damage
6) Disc damage (HF+Smite spam is insane plus double-SW:D sub-25%)
7) Mindbender damage
8) 5s stun
9) Feral's 8s interrupt

This just seems like "nerf-me-cleave" at the moment.

Additionally, I intentionally left the best part for last: the Enhancement Shaman also has Solar Beam for that added "yeah, you're pretty much fucked" factor that comes with a 10s AoE silence.