SRSLY!

Ok, so this is a serious post again.

I would like to talk about trainable Ice Block, and the possible repurcussions that would entail, if any.
For those not in the "know", the following forums are in an uproar about mages getting trainable Ice Block:
-Mage forums (duh)
-Warrior forums
-Warlock forums
-Hunter forums

The other forums don't really seem to care. The rogues are bust theorycrafting in thread after thread about the new Hemorrhage, the Shamans are awash in utter disappointment, Paladins are still yelling and screaming at each other about retribution, and the priests seem strangely occupied about racials.

The warriors are anywhere for entirely outraged from a PvP standpoint, the warlocks are QQ'ing endlessly about the might of the mages (this made me laugh, long and bitterly), and the hunters somehow think we'll be incredibly overpowered if we all have Ice Block.

Which leaves the mages rejoicing about PvE, and really not caring about the PvP.

"LOL WUT?" you say. Yes. Thats right. For the majority of mages, having Ice Block as a trainable ability will impact basically... nothing for us PvP mages.

Yes, I've said it before, I'll say it again. Ice Block is a game breaking talent. Without it, you are guaranteed to fail on a competitive level.
But if you do have Ice Block, that does not guarantee that you will not fail.

To be successful in an arena, you need to be able to outlast your opponent. You need to counter their specials, and have the durability to survive the ones you cannot avoid.
Every mage having Ice Block will not impact the other specs a great deal in the arena.

Even with Ice Block, you lack the control frost mages have. You do not have the ability to kite, you do not have multiple and rapid sources of frost novas.
You do not have Ice Barrier, and the mana-chugging protection that gives you.
You do not have the water elemental, a sickeningly effective killing tool when used effectively.
You do not have ridiculously powerful Ice Lances, one of the best burst damage spells a mage has. Specced for it, Ice Lance IS the best burst damage spell a mage has.
You do not have Cold Snap, allowing you to Ice Block twice in a match, and have a water elemental out for a full minute and a half.

Put bluntly, frost is a dozen-trick pony. And with Ice Block, you get one small trick to surviving.

"But Euri!" you whine, "If a PoM + Pyro mage can get Ice Block, then he can nuke my ass to hell and back and live right through it!"

Let me ask you something. When was that last time you got hit with a PoM + Pyro. Did it hurt? Of course it did. You know why? Because your resilience was shit.
Sorry. That was uncalled for.
Let's be realistic here.
Mages are essentially a glass cannon. Little survivability, lotsa damage being fired out. We die fast a slug that gets dropped in a bucket of salt, but damn, we'll hurt you just as bad as that poor slug.
We are the definition of squishy. Pretty much anything can kill us, if they gain the upper hand for even a few seconds.
A fire mage dies very fast in a tense situation. An arcane mage even faster. Simply put, a mage cannot take the hits. This is part of the foundation of the class. worldofwarcraft.com outright says so on their Mage Description page.
Challenge: Staying Alive.

So. Unless we're frost specced, we're easy to kill. Ice Block will hardly change that. Will it add to the survivability of non-frost mages? Most certainly. Will it mark the dawn of a whole new era in PvP combat? Not even close.
All it means is that the super-squishy mage will live 10 seconds longer. Thats all.
Once Ice Block is gone, the mage is just as squishy as before. Just as easy to kill. And now his survival trick is gone.

And to you people complaining about how this will effect the arenas, ask yourself.
Search your memory. Do it.
When was the last time you saw a Mage in the arena that did not have Ice Block?

Think about. Any and every moderately successful mage in any arena has Ice Block. Making it trainable will train nothing.
Every mage that PvP'd had Ice Block before... now we'll all... still have Ice Block. In competitive arenas, this change will do little besides let the arcane and fire mages move up about 50 points in rating. Some might even be able to crack 1600 now.

So, please, for those of you QQing about how this will completely change the Arena dynamics, please be quiet. This will change nothing.


Trainable Ice Block, however, will provide some major changes in a completely different part of WoW.
Yes, I'm talking about PvE. Ice Block is an immunity to everything, and a way to temporarily dump aggro.

You accidentally pull aggro on Quagmirran? Ice Block.
You get hit by Watery Tomb while fighting Hydross? Ice Block.
You get turned in a wee little girl with a Red Hood while fighting ol'granny? Ice Block 10 seconds from the debuff.
Moroes Garrote you? Ice Block. Its gone.
Get caught in the open when Ikiss blows that massive Explosion thingy? Ice Block, and you'll live happily ever after.

The uses for Ice Block in a PvE environment are many. Used correctly, it will save your healers a lot of aggravation, save your ass, and the collective ass of everyone around you.