Beat Fire Mage

What they want to do

Polymorph a DPS, stun you with Dragon's Breath, then Combustion into a Pyroblast queue. Alter Time so the first dump of offensive cooldowns rewinds. In Solo Shuffle they still kill if you interrupt Scorch and let the hard-cast Pyroblast land.

Main danger

Combustion overlapping Dragon's Breath into queued Pyroblasts. Weaker this patch after the Combustion nerf, but still lethal if you kick the wrong spell. Alter Time rewinds the first dump; Cauterize makes the first kill fake — keep hitting.

Interrupt priority

1. 1 Polymorph

   Kick Polymorph first. A free Polymorph on a DPS turns Combustion into a 2v1. They fake-cast to bait the interrupt — hold until the cast is real, then kick.

2. 2 Pyroblast (hard cast)

   If Polymorph is down, kick a hard-cast Pyroblast during Combustion. Instant Pyroblasts cannot be interrupted — stun them or break line of sight on those.

3. 3 Scorch

   Do not spend the kick on Scorch. Interrupt it only in execute, and only if Polymorph and hard-cast Pyroblast are both down.

Watch for

• Combustion with Dragon's Breath into a Pyroblast queue is the kill — press a defensive or break line of sight before the queue lands.
• Alter Time at low health rewinds the damage you just dealt — do not press remaining offensive cooldowns into it.
• Cauterize is a cheat death, not an immunity — keep hitting after they drop. Purge it if you can.
• Meteor on the clump as Combustion starts — do not stack for Dragon's Breath or you eat the stun and the Meteor together.

Offensive cooldowns

• Combustion. Their only kill window. Dragon's Breath into instant Pyroblasts happens here. Press a defensive before the queue, interrupt a hard-cast Pyroblast if Polymorph is down, or break line of sight.
• Meteor. Ground effect plus a stun if you stay stacked. Walk out as Combustion starts. Do not clump for Dragon's Breath on the same spot.

Defensive cooldowns

• Ice Block. Full immunity. Stop all damage. Move to the Blink angle they will take when Ice Block ends. Do not stay on top of them.
• Alter Time. Rewinds health and position. Force it with cheap damage or a bait crowd-control before you press offensive cooldowns. If they still have it, that damage rewinds.
• Cauterize. Cheat death — they drop, then stand back up. Keep hitting. Purge the magic if you can. Do not stop your offensive cooldowns the way you would for Ice Block.

Crowd control

• Polymorph
• Dragon's Breath
• Ring of Frost
• Frost Nova

Dispels

• Cauterize is a magic cheat death — purge it if you can, then keep hitting.
• Polymorph is magic — dispel it off your partner. Do not trinket it if Ring of Frost or Dragon's Breath is still available.

Mobility

Blink or Shimmer out of a stun, Alter Time rewind back through a doorway. They get one Blink. Root the landing and cut the pillar they rewind to. Do not chase through Meteor as Combustion starts.

Kill windows

• After Combustion without a kill
• After Ice Block, with Alter Time already forced
• After Cauterize is burned and they are still in the open

When to run

When Combustion is up, you have no interrupt and no defensive, and Dragon's Breath is coming. Break line of sight on the Pyroblast queue. Do not stay in melee to finish a cast.

When to attack

After you have forced Alter Time and Cauterize is burned. Best if they already spent Combustion and Ice Block. Keep hitting through Cauterize — that is not a stop.

Common tricks

• Cauterize makes the first kill fake. Stopping there is how they live the round.
• They Polymorph the extra DPS, not the kill target, so Combustion looks like it is hitting a fair 3v3.
• They fake-cast Polymorph to steal your interrupt, then hard-cast Pyroblast inside Combustion.

Common mistakes against them

• Stopping your go after Cauterize.
• Kicking Scorch instead of Polymorph during Combustion.
• Dumping offensive cooldowns into Alter Time without forcing it first.
• Trinketing Ring of Frost instead of Polymorph.