Best Mage Thread Evar

I know we don't have a lot of mages around, but Flamestrike is a decent fire spell but all around not something you're gonna write home about.

wowiki explains it best:

It's difficult to have a situation where targets stay in the affected area, since they usually get mad at you and run out of the area to let you know how they feel about massive fire damage. To get the full DoT effect (which is almost half of the spell's total damage) you'll need to cast this spell and then run into the pack of things you just angered.
* This sounds suicidal, but is a common tactic. Mages with Arcane Impact and Blast Wave are very very nasty up close.

So if you're still reading, here's the thread:

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=86812045&postId=867346848&sid=1#0

But, I'll just pull out the funny parts (I about started crying at the point where he talks about aoe'ing the flag carriers, then it just gets funnier):

OP: These are my efforts to create a decent build for amges that is not heavy on frost, and uses fire without being arcane/fire, as I make talent builds for a hobby. I ahve little experience with mages ( level 15), but please don't disregard the build on that account.

link:http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/mage/talents.html?0000000000000000000000005500231230303105312112034320010005000000000

OP posts a flamestrike build... no need to read that, just know that thats a stupid idea. The replies are the funny part:

Poster: That build makes me think you ebayed.

OP: Meaning?

Poster: Meaning that is probably one of the worst hodgepodge build I've ever seen... I'm surprised you didn't pick up imp arcane missiles, imp wanding, magic absorbtion, and arcane fortitude...

OP: Okay, so the main fault, you're saying, is that I failed to include the arcane tree? Funny, I saw those as good talents, but only equally good compared to, say, imp. flamestrike or shatter. Is there any way to improve it short of including arcane?


Poster: Depends what you are creating a build for.. arena pvp, bg pvp, solo pve, raiding. That build is good for none of the above..

OP: I was mostly building it for a big, good flamestrike, some other good spells, avoiding damage by freezing and mana refunds to let you keep at the blasting for a long time. As a role, it would be a bit unsuited to PVP, I guess, because the tank can't take aggro off from players, although you can still freeze them. I suppose it would be best for PVE against large groups...that would put it under raids, I guess?

Poster: I didn't read anything. But right off the bat, the thread title tells me that your build sucks.

OP: Constructive criticism is a wonderful thing, not that I would know, it seems. First of all, that's simply a title, and you haven't read a thing, or you would have realized that there's more to it than that. And by the way serpentes, I've looked at your posted mage build, and considering that you've left out the talents you claim to be essential, I'm inclined to think that either they aren't as important as you say they are, or you were speaking from experience with that Ebay comment.

Poster: Okay. Flamestrike is so bad as a spell, if you want to make a "flamestrike build" it will by definition fail. Constructive enough?

Poster: you dont have a primary nuke, like frostbolt or fireball. which makes it hard to use for anything other than running around screaming, "LOOK AT ME LOLOLOL FLAMESTRIKE J00" but still, nice try on it.

Poster (hillarious): Be sure to get the ZG set, Incanters and a Mind Quickening Gem to reap the full benefits of a flamestrike build. We're talking about serious flamestriking here. People not into serious flamestriking just move along. This thread is not for you.
I didn't even look at the OP's flamestrike build as I have never heard of him and we Flamestrikers are a tight knit group who've been flamestriking since way back.
Anyways, this is my flamestrike build.
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/mage/talents.html?2300350302200140330120005520031200303120000000000000000000000000000
Have to kill a flag carrier? But what's that? He's got an entire train of healers on him? Not a problem with this build. You put up that imp mana shield son, you blink right in there, you pop AP, your MQG, you drop a flamestrike on that flag train, then to the flag train's dismay, you PoM up another one RIGHT AFTER YOUR FIRST FLAMESTRIKE BOMB. By this time you are already reaching godlike status in your opponents' minds. Meanwhile, due to your insanely high critical chance your mana's hardly touched thanks to MoE. That's it right? No, that's not all. You drop a blastwave in the last few seconds of AP. Now's the time to make your escape and deliver the coup de gras, start your AE spam with confidence and finish em all off, blazing speed should have procced by now and you're well on your way to a friendly healer, rejuv or a refreshing glass of conjured water. When it's over, rest assured your opponents are alt tabbed in the GY cryin' on the mage forums about the insane OPness of a flamestrike build.

Poster (quoting the above): HOLY SH!T RIGHT AFTER!!??!?!?!?/1/1/!?!/111!?!?! Winner! lol, can't stop laughing now...

Poster: i stopped at "I dont have much experience with mages, cause i only lvled one to 15"

Poster: posting in a legendary thread. flamestrike build, rofl omg I am crying but not at you OP, but the blink in and drop 2 flamestrikes on a FCs train was histarical 10/10.

Poster: Just wait til a priest hops in with super-crit holy nova! OMG epic battle

Poster: Also, (and this is not to flame you, but to teach you a bit about the mage class, and more the mentality of these boards) if you don't want to immediately be shot down and beaten to a pulp on a build you make, never ever, EVER, base a build around any of these talents, and even moreso, avoid them if you can: Wand Spec, Arcane Fortitude, Improved Mana Shield, Prismatic Cloak, Improved Flamestrike, Arctic Winds, Frozen Core. They're HOOOOORRRRRRIIIIIIBBBBLLLLLLEEEEE talents on a level that defies description.

Poster: This has to be a joke thread, there is no other way to explain such a horrible build.

Poster: flamestrike build ! AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA plz remove imp flamestrike and put it somewhere where it really deserve 3 talent point

Poster: this thread fails to deliver.

Poster: This thread has the stench of some pretty intense theorycrafting. We should sticky this thread and cite it every time someone gets a little too carried away theorycrafting about mage nerfs that we haven't even seen yet.