Guild Wars 2

Hey fellow Guardians, I’m running a Meditation Build for sPvP and WvW Roaming.

I’m looking for tips and advice for 1v1 with other professions. Which professions do we counter? Which professions are our counters? What ability shall we be saving? Which attack shall we be aware of?

Here are 2 tips I found out by playing:

- Warrior: Evade or Block the Earthshaker(Hammer), or save a stunbreaker because it could be the end of the fight.
- Thief: Wait 3 seconds after the thief went stealth then dodge or block AND use Ring of Warding, they lose when you cc them.

If you know more tips or have any advice feel free to discuss.

Thanks

Engineer starts pull → make sure block/aegis ready (his pull is unblockable) and I’m not in middle of channeling a skill → make engie waste his wrench on block → ty for free gapclose → apply burst

VS Ranger
Easy fight. Not much to say here other than save your contemplation for entangle and if they don’t have entangle, you’re pretty much the winner already. If they’re condi, stay frosty and time your burst, since they’re probably rabid and have alot of toughness. If they have axe, don’t try fighting them in melee range, since the auto really hurts if you stay too close for too long.

VS Thief
Easy fight if they’re running meta, just don’t get sloppy with your blocks. If they’re S/D, you REALLY have to stay sharp. Instead of perma stealth, they have perma dodge and will literally dance around you for days and days. The trick to downing them is to lock them down right after they burn withdraw. Normal dodges can’t get them out of an immob, and then their only escape is either to shadowstep away from you or to steal. If you forced them to steal in order to save themselves, the fight is practically yours. Keep your rotations fresh. Most S/D know the cookie cutter JI > BB or JI > MB/RoW and know how to dodge it so play like they play and wait a bit before unloading all of your DPS.

VS Engineer
Easy fight, don’t get sloppy with blocks.

VS Warrior
Here’s a fun fight. Assuming they’re running something that isn’t faceroll shoutbow, you REALLY have to time your blocks and save your stunbreakers. They don’t apply many conditions, so using contemplation to break their stun (assuming they’re axe+shield/gs), forcing VoC’s aegis or the blind on VoJ to avoid the eviscerate, dodge rolling through their whirl is fine, and actually mandatory, imo. Cool thing about fighting most warriors is that they bring healing signet along meaning that once you’ve gotten them down to low hp, you’re practically the winner. Pace out your blocks so you don’t blow them all at once, but don’t wait up, since they’ll shred you if you’re not careful.

IF they’re running shoutbow, stay out of the fire field and pew pew with scepter. If you don’t have scepter, may as well make use of the constant burning you’ll be taking and time your smite condition with your burst and pray they die before backup comes around.

VS Mesmer
Stay sharp and avoid the shatters. If you can avoid the shatters with your multitude of skills, you win. If you really wanna pull off some MLG business, you can wait until they’re RIGHT in range for VoJ’s blind and use that instead. Most mesmers run illusionary persona, so if you don’t see a third clone and the mesmer has gone stealth, wait to see when the clones are about to huddle around you and pop your block/blind/invuln because the mesmer is about to shatter. Also, if you can force the blink and the distort without burning JI, you’re a shoe in for the win.

VS Necro
Easy fight. Wait for the condi bombs to contemplate through and force them into DS. Once they’re in DS, life blast is literally the easiest thing to avoid. Same deal if they pop lich, except you get rekt if you make a mistake.

VS Elementalist
The only fight I truly dread. With the D/D cele meta, they’re immortal. They don’t need to block. They only need to dodge to force the water heals.

Things to avoid: RtL > Updraft (common opening). Fire grab (does some nice damage if they catch you while you’re on fire, so if you wanna pull some clutch MLG business, you can either blind with VoJ or pop smite to heal, do some nice damage back, and cut their fire grab’s damage by half). Their earth grab thing that immobilizes you. No D/D ele seriously uses churning earth in a head to head fight, but some will. When they do, they usually pop lightning flash on top of you so it lands, so stay privy to it and dodge/block/blind. I recommend you force your DPS onto them WITHOUT popping JI so that they’re forced into water for the heals. Once you’ve gotten them out of water, you have a 10 second window to force your DPS down their throats. They’ll usually default to air for the shocking aura or earth for the decreased damage just to stall, so you have to be ultra aggressive. If you can bait the dodges by canceling through BB/MB/RoW, you’re pretty much set to wreck them.

When they’re fresh air, bait the obsidian flesh and arcane armor and then they’re practically dead very soon after. Stay sharp though, since they can down you as fast (if not faster) as you can them.

If they’re staff, they’re probably cele. Interrupt the meteor by forcing DPS or dropping some CC and you’re practically fine. Staff cele isn’t that big of a deal to face in 1v1 anyways, especially for a medi guard.

VS Guardian
As with any class, facing someone using the same class/build as you are literally boils down to who’s simply better at it. Save your SoW for when they setup their burst combo and ALWAYS be the last guy to shelter/RF. You want to force them onto the defensive because a medi guard without their blocks/heals is practically as squishy as an ele.

Feel free to PM me in game if you have any further questions.