Tanking Adventures

Onward to ICC-

I haven't been on alot since my last post. So, allow me a second to update what has been going on.

In the last post I talked about the guild I joined, i am just not in the position to raid in that style right now, so I thanked the guild I was in and bowed out. Not as a quitter but I didn't want to hold their raids up or sit on a lock out and not get an invite. It just wasn't a sound choice for either of us.

A spam came over trade "LFM, new guild looking to raid twice a week, in need of everything". I talked to the person about his guild, he told me they needed tank. I then informed him my gear was barely 5k and but I had 10/12 ICC HM experience just not on this toon. He said that would be great and sent me the invite. As soon as I arrived in guild I was told to sign up for the next nights raid if I could make it. I was the 3rd person signed up and had a free night. I was excited to make a raid and made sure nothing got in my way to give ICC a try w/a 39K hp tank and not the greatest avoidance.

I logged on half hour before the raid time, said high and did my daily heroic. While in the heroic, I looked at the raid make up, I seen we had 4 pally's, 3 warriors, a DK and a mage. Not the best group make up, I sent a tell to the RL and he said, we should be fine but probably wouldn't be taking everyone due to make up. As I finished up the daily, a new member got invited to the guild. I looked he was already in ICC and there were a few others as well. I asked in guild chat if invites were going out. No response. I sent a tell to the RL and he informed me that the new invite had experience and was going to be tanking with him tonite. I was taken aback.

At the same time, in Dal a Warrior from our guild was looking for ICC 10/25 w/a 5900 GS and 9/12HM experience. I looked the tanks up from that gulid i was in and seen the gear they had. I'm not the best geared on this toon either but both of these tanks were Pally's, poorly spec'd and didn't have the best gem/enchant set up. I sent a tell to the RL and thanked him for the invite but I excused myself from the guild.

Weekly-
The weekly was FL so I jumped in and got that accomplished. That went easy but of course someone talked to the wrong NPC and we needed to kill the towers. No big deal and that was an easy set of badges and quick gold. Back to dal to see about ICC...

So did I get in?
In trade a shammy pops up saying, LFM for ICC 10, probably only going 4/12 so bring alts but know fights. What?....Really?...NO GS requirement, surely this is fail, it has to be. Again, in trade....LFM ICC 10 need 1 tank, 1 heal. Only going 4/12 bring alts but know fights.

Why not, so I send my info and get the invite.

I zone in and I was actually excited.  I hadn't raided in a few weeks and hadn't been there for a while. I know I could tank it but would I get the OMG ur GS is suxors, plz leave. But to the groups credit I had none of that. My tanking partner....was decently set up but for the life of my I don't understand why pallys, don't have Crusade. Why in ICC would you not want 6% extra damge in a place full of undead? It baffles me.

Trash-
Not to brag but I seen after the 2nd pull who the MT was going to be. We were equally geared or close to it but I took lead right wasy, set the pace. OH WOW, did I take some damage! I mean horrible damge I was pinging off my low heath meter, over and over. My gear was going to be a problem.

Marrwogar-
I send a lil tell to the co-tank as I'll call hm and we agree on LRL for movement and the boss goes down w/o a problem. WoW this really is a face roll now. I mean walking in there with Chasey my 1st time, it was murder in there. Undergeared...alts and standing in icey fire, we didn't lose anyone AT...ALL. No loot :(

LDW-
Adds died very fast, bosses mana went down fast and w/three hunters in group and I still had to BoP one of them when she put touch on me. The Co-tank couldn't catch up fast enough on threat and the hunter grabbed aggro. Down she went, no loot.

Heroic loot ship-
We tried and wiped!
Round two- Normal loot ship-I jumped, we killed it fast and it felt really strange on the Alliance ship. Very fun, very fast and NO loot.

My goal is accomplished-
Sauerfang, Holy Jumping, the RP is soooo much less with the Alliance side. Its about a quarter of the RP. I had to use every ability n my tool box, I was not about to wipe here and have the group break up. The other tank, I just found out had never tanked ICC before, this was his 1st time tanking and his alt. OH WOW. I let him take boss 1st and had to yell in vent for him to taunt. I had to BoP myself to drop threat, Salv myself for threat and stun adds. I even had to taunt adds so they didn't get at our slow DPS. Did I mention we had 3 hunter? Guess how many traps were down? O N E! yep, only 1 hunter dropped a trap. We only had 1 mark pop thou.

On we went-
Yes with only 1 wipe, we moved to Rotface and festergut.
We did fester 1st, quickly explained the fight. My Co-Tank had never been this far in ICC, ever! We did one shot him, its really a face roll now w/the 30% buff, but I did have to LoH the priest healer who was about to die, and at about 5 stack after the switch the other tank died!. I Bubbled, and cancelled it and had good aggro. He was at about 10% and down he went. Again, no loot but I did now have the rep for my Ring. WOOT for me.

On to Rot, I did the kiting and just told the other tank move when he gets I get 5 big bubble. Well our DPS didn't understand getting to the kite tank. We wiped once. The second time, I died at about 25%, a hunter picked up kiting and we got him to 2%, there wen the raid, like a house of cards. The "I have to go" started and we called raid. I do have to say, for a "alt" group, it was pretty good. I got a guild invite, a ring and a bit of confidence.

My view-
Blizz accomplished what they wanted by allowing everyone to see the content. But I think they went overboard with this. Undergeared tanks, poor and low dps and healers that have no gems or enchants and we walked the 1st four. I can't wait for Cata to come out.