Caster Cleave
Caster Cleave trades melee pressure for crowd control and magical damage. Polymorph + Fear + Cyclone can control 3 enemy players simultaneously while the Mage and Warlock burst the kill target. Bloodlust amplifies the caster damage window. The Mage's AoE (Blizzard, Cone of Cold) is devastating in 5v5 team fights where enemies clump. This comp excels against melee-heavy teams that struggle to reach the casters.
General Strategy
CC everything, kill one. Poly a healer, Fear another, Cyclone a DPS. The remaining two enemies face Mage + Warlock burst with Lust. The key is never letting all 5 enemies play at the same time. Rotate CC targets to keep multiple enemies out of the fight.
Positioning is critical. Casters stay at range, spread to avoid AoE CC, and LoS melee. Healers position between the casters and any melee threats. The Mage uses Blizzard to slow melee that try to push in.
Team Roles
Mage: Polymorph for CC, Shatter combo for burst. Blizzard and Cone of Cold for AoE slow. Counterspell enemy healers during goes. Cold Snap for double Ice Block or double Frost Nova.
Warlock: DoTs on everything. Fear for CC chains. Curse of Tongues on enemy healers. Soul Link for survivability. The Mage and Warlock together provide enormous CC depth — Poly, Fear, Banish (if enemy has Warlock pet).
Shaman: Bloodlust during coordinated goes. Purge enemy buffs. Wind Shear interrupts. Tremor for enemy Fears. Earth Shield the target most likely to be trained.
Druid: Cyclone to add a third CC chain. HoTs on everyone. Drink aggressively. Feral Charge to interrupt enemy casts.
Priest: Mana Burn enemy healers. Mass Dispel. Pain Suppression defensively. Shield before enemy goes. Offensive dispel buffs off kill targets.
Matchups
vs Eurocomp (Triple Healer)
Triple healer is hard to burst. Must coordinate CC chains perfectly to lock out all three healers. Mana Burn is essential. Poly + Fear + Cyclone covers three, kill the fourth or fifth. Very long games.
- CC all three healers simultaneously
- Mana Burn is essential
- Very long games
- Perfect CC coordination needed
- Kill during CC windows
vs Melee Cleave
They rush your casters. Blizzard and Frost Nova to kite. Poly the Warrior, Fear the Rogue. Kill the Warlock or a healer during CC. Your positioning must be perfect — if melee reaches the Mage, you're in trouble.
- Blizzard + Frost Nova to kite
- Poly Warrior, Fear Rogue
- Positioning is everything
- Kill during CC
- Don't let melee reach Mage
vs 3 DPS / 2 Healer
Favored. CC their healers, AoE the DPS. Three casters + Blizzard devastate clumped DPS. Kite melee, CC healers, kill DPS. Your healing is stronger.
- CC their healers
- AoE devastates clumped DPS
- Kite melee
- Healing advantage
- CC depth wins
vs 4 DPS Zerg
CC and kite. They have zero healing. Frost Nova + Blizzard + Fear = nobody reaches you. Kill one at a time. Free win with proper positioning.
- CC and kite
- Zero healing for them
- Frost Nova + Blizzard
- Kill one at a time
- Positioning wins