Last updated on Jun 12, 2024 at 00:00by Seksixeny
This guide will focus on rankings for the Arena, where 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5matches occur. Doing well increases your team's rating, and the higher you go,the more points will be gained upon the weekly reset. These points can then beused to buy arena gear, which mirrors PvE gear in item level, but with some itembudget allocated to Resilience and PvP-oriented set bonuses.
We will be listing and ranking some of the best arena compositions forthe 2v2 arena bracket in this guide. These compositions rely on having asynergistic combination of abilities that can put pressure on opponents and deflectincoming aggression successfully, and we will be offering a brief explanation oneach.
Feel free to also consult the 3v3bracket and 5v5 brackettier lists, as well as our PvP DPSand PvP Healer rankings in orderto learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of each class andspecialization when individually assessed.
In this guide, we will be presenting the compositions that form "the meta" ofCataclysm's Arena in the 2v2 bracket.
The meta changes over time, but it will naturally change less and more slowlyin a game as well understood as Cataclysm Classic. We will also be getting the finaltalent balance of Cataclysm right away, and thus most of the changes will come fromhaving better gear for classes that scale well as we progress in tiers. To givea practical example, Casters will not have immediate access to their 
Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Restlegendary right away, making them much weaker in the first phase than they willbe by the end of Firelands.
While most compositions have a favored healer, alternative healers can oftenbe employed to some degree of success, especially as healers are significantlymore versatile and capable with Cataclysm talents and spells. Also, note that withineach tier the compositions are not listed in order of power.
2.
Cataclysm 2v2 Arena Tier List
2v2 is generally considered an unbalanced bracket, where only a few classesand compositions rule at the top, but even then there are good compositions foralmost all classes and specializations, and a lot of diversity at the top!
Restoration Shaman are particularly notable for bringing greatinstant cast healing, crowd control and disruption in a single package, making themvery strong with any other class, even when not explicitly listed below.
2.1.
Best Cataclysm Arena Compositions for 2v2
The best 2v2 team compositions have both strong defensive and offensivecapabilities, and generally are composed of classes whose crowd control (CC) doesnot share diminishing returns (DRs), facilitating setups. These teams also tendto have very few bad matchups or counters.
This list will be adjusted over time as teams match against each otherin Cataclysm Classic.
| Composition | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|
- Retribution Paladin
- Unholy Death Knight
| - High damage and constant pressure with Death Grip, Necrotic Strike,and Chains of Ice, as well as double heavy burst damage cooldowns;
- Great utility with Retribution off-healing, Cleanse, Hand of Freedom,and Hand of Protection.
| - Double melee allows for enemy kiting, as the main gap closer is Death Gripwhich has a relatively long cooldown.
|
| - Huge burst damage potential with Shadow Dance and Hunter shortcooldown shots;
- Excellent mobility from Disengage, Rogue cooldowns, and Master's Call;
- Widow Venom and Wound Poison ensure enemy team has alwaystheir heals weakened.
- Excellent double lockdown with Scatter Shot into Freezing Trap, Blind and Rogue stuns;
| - Low self-sustain capabilities;
- Limited offensive dispel from Tranquilizing Shot lowers pressurepotential against some compositions.
|
| - Priest brings high offensive and defensive abilities, including theability to remove most crowd control from the Rogue and themselves;
- Being able to remove many slows, damage-over-time effects, and Faerie Firecan often allow the Rogue to re-stealth many times duringa match, especially if not focused.
| - The low survivability of Priest makes them a good targetto train for most compositions, requiring heavy peeling from the Rogue.
|
- Feral Druid
- Discipline Priest
| - Strong crowd control chains with Predatory Strikes instant Cyclones into Psychic Scream;
- Feral has great mobility, damage, and Infected Wounds'spowerful slow, as well as Curse and Poison dispel;
- Priest can contribute damage during CC chains and can remove diseasesand friendly or enemy magic debuffs, perfectly complementing the Feral Druid kit.
| - Feral damage requires ramp time and Cat Form, making thiscomposition have to pick between damage or defense against heavy Physicalcompositions;
- Damage requires melee uptime, which can be disrupted by enemy CC andcertain classes with high mobility.
|
- Unholy Death Knight
- Holy Paladin
Alternative healers: | - High damage and constant pressure with Death Grip, Necrotic Strike,and Chains of Ice;
- Good mobility through Cleanse and Hand of Freedom.
| - Difficult to keep healer alive when focused as Death Knight'speel is limited;
- Very limited crowd control.
|
- Retribution Paladin
- Marksmanship Hunter
| - Excellent survivability with off-healing, Sacred Shield, Divine Shield, and Hand of Protection;
- Excellent mobility from Disengage, Hand of Freedom,and Master's Call;
- Widow Venom plus Retribution Paladin burst for high pressure.
- Excellent CC chains with Scatter Shot into Freezing Trapand Hammer of Justice into Repentance;
| - Limited healing and self-sustain capabilities;
- Limited offensive dispel from Tranquilizing Shot lowerspressure potential against some compositions.
|
- Warlock
- Restoration Shaman
| - Multiple interrupts and Fear and Hex do notshare diminishing returns;
- High spread pressure through Affliction dots and dispel protection from Unstable Affliction;
- Dispels and disruption from both Warlock and Shaman.
| - Lack of mobility;
- Weak against Warrior comps;
- Low burst damage.
|
- Marksmanship Hunter
- Discipline Priest
| - Very long CC chain with Scatter Shot into Freezing Trapand Psychic Scream into Mind Control;
- Good survivability and peeling capabilities as well as a Mortal Strikeeffect with Widow Venom.
| - Can be difficult to fend off double DPS pressure, especially if Huntercan be disarmed, which prevents the use of Deterrence;
- Overall damage output is not huge, relying on the long CC chain to landkills.
|
- Retribution Paladin
- Enhancement Shaman
| - Can remove anything but Curses with Cleanse and Purge;
- Great utility with double off-healing, totems, Hand of Freedom,and Hand of Protection;
- Incredible offensive potential with Windfury Totem and othermelee buffs, as well as Purge.
| - Vulnerable to Mortal Strike comps as much of the defensive power comesfrom limited off-healing;
- Double melee allows for enemy kiting, as both classes lack reliable gapclosers and slows.
|
| - Great burst damage on opener;
- Multiple interrupts and CC options.
| - Low healing and personal survivability;
- No spread damage or way to deal with Divine Shield.
|
3.
Other Cataclysm Arena Compositions for 2v2
While the teams listed above are, arguably, the best ones in the current meta,there are plenty of other strong options as well, which we will list below. Ifyour desired composition is not on this list, it is likely because it lags furtherbehind the current state of the meta.
This list, as all others in this page will be adjusted over time, as teamsmatch against each other in Cataclysm Classic.
| Composition | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|
- Arms Warrior
- Restoration Shaman
| - Incredible offensive potential;
- Excellent at pinning targets.
| - Vulnerable to root effects and curses;
- Limited crowd control.
|
| - High damage alongside Mortal Strike for extra pressure;
- Good mobility through Intercept, Cleanse, and Hand of Freedom;
- Double Plate increases survivability against Physical damage comps.
| - Paladin healing is vulnerable to interrupts and offensivedispels;
- Limited crowd control.
|
| - Strong crowd control chains with Polymorph into Psychic Screamand double silences with Counterspell and Silence;
- Decent survivability if Mage escape tools and Ice Block areused well, as Shadow can rely on Dispersion;
- Very high burst damage windows during Deep Freeze.
| - Low healing and survivability if caught off-guard;
- Damage output is vulnerable to silences and line-of-sight.
|
- Frost Mage
- Discipline Priest
| - Strong crowd control chains with Polymorph into Psychic Screamand double silences with Counterspell and Silence;
- Decent survivability if Mage escape tools and Ice Block areused well, as Shadow can rely on Dispersion;
- Very high burst damage windows during Deep Freeze.
| - Low healing and survivability if caught off-guard;
- Damage output is vulnerable to silences and line-of-sight.
|
| - Strong crowd control chains with Sap into Psychic Horrorinto Psychic Scream into Silence alongside Roguestun lock combos;
- Very high burst damage windows during Rogue stun locks.
| - Low healing and survivability if caught off-guard;
- No way to remove poisons or curses can be troublesome against certaincompositions.
|
| - Double stealth ensures strong openers, and both classes have a lot ofcrowd control abilities to capitalize on a strong start;
- Balance Druid and Rogue have insaneburst damage capabilities, allowing their opener to easily translate intoa quick win.
| - Cyclone and Blind share DR in Cataclysm, makingprolonged CC setups much harder to execute;
- No offensive or defensive dispels, lowering the survivability againstclasses such as Frost Mage.
|
- Arms Warrior
- Restoration Druid
| - Great durability;
- Easy to drink for Restoration Druid.
| - Low overall damage;
- Warrior CC vulnerability can leave Restoration Druidexposed for extended periods.
|
| - Strong damage all around;
- Multiple interrupts and CC options.
| - Weak healing and survivability capabilities;
- Limited dispel from Devour Magic.
|
| - Double stealth ensures a favorable opener;
- High mobility and multiple CC options from both classes.
| - Restoration Druid options for damage dealing in Cataclysmare non-existent and Feral Charge is too low on the tree to be taken;
- No offensive or defensive dispels, lowering the survivability of theRogue especially.
|
| - Strong burst damage with Chaos Bolt;
- Strong crowd control with Seduction + Fearand Cyclone.
| - Limited dispel from Devour Magic;
- Warlock and their pet are obvious targets with low mobilityand survivability.
|
No matter what class or specialization you play, there is always a strong teamcomposition you can utilize. Every team has a weakness and it is important toknow them. Teams and their weaknesses can change frequently throughout a season.If there is a team comp that is missing, please let us know in thecomments so we can add it to the list.
Feel free to check out our 3v3 and 5v5 arena tier list / comp guides as wellif you are interested in those brackets:
3v3 Arena Tier List5v5 Arena Tier List
Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Restlegendary right away, making them much weaker in the first phase than they willbe by the end of Firelands.
