Beat Frost Mage

What they want to do

Polymorph a DPS so the remaining fight is a 2v1, freeze you with Frost Nova, pet Freeze, or Ring of Frost, then cast Glacial Spike during Icy Veins while Frozen Orb is on you. In Solo Shuffle they win long rounds if you let Polymorph chain and never hold an interrupt for the real cast.

Main danger

Glacial Spike during Icy Veins on a frozen target, overlapping Frozen Orb. Alter Time rewinds the health you just spent offensive cooldowns to remove, and often the pillar they Blinked from.

Interrupt priority

1. 1 Polymorph

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

2. 2 Glacial Spike

   If Polymorph is down, kick Glacial Spike during Icy Veins. On a frozen target this is the kill. Spell Reflection or a ground effect if you cannot interrupt.

3. 3 Frostbolt

   Do not spend the kick on Frostbolt. Interrupt it only when Polymorph and Glacial Spike are both down and they still need that Frostbolt to freeze you for Shatter.

Watch for

• Icy Veins overlapping Frozen Orb is the kill — break line of sight on the orb, or already have a defensive pressed.
• Alter Time at low health rewinds the damage you just dealt — do not press remaining offensive cooldowns into it.
• Ring of Frost at your feet is the freeze that lets Glacial Spike Shatter. Step out before the ring arms; do not trinket the root.
• Polymorph on your partner, then a freeze on you, is when Glacial Spike kills. Kick the Polymorph or the Spike, not the Frostbolt that set the freeze up.

Offensive cooldowns

• Icy Veins. Their damage window. Glacial Spike, Frozen Orb, and Comet Storm all land here. Press a defensive before the Spike, or interrupt Polymorph so they never get the 2v1.
• Frozen Orb. Applies Chill and keeps you slow so Frost Nova and pet Freeze can lock you. Walk out of the orb. If you stay in it while rooted, Glacial Spike is next.
• Comet Storm. Instant burst after a root or freeze. You cannot interrupt it. Break Frost Nova or pet Freeze before it lands; if you are already frozen, press a defensive.
• Ray of Frost. Channeled damage and a root. Interrupt, stun, or break line of sight. Do not spend this interrupt if Polymorph or Glacial Spike is being cast.
• Glacial Spike. Shatter damage on a frozen target. Interrupt it during Icy Veins if Polymorph is down. If it is already landing on a freeze, trinket the stun or root, or you die.

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.
• Ice Cold. Large damage reduction; they can still cast. Crowd-control them or swap. Do not treat it as Ice Block — Glacial Spike can still come out.
• Greater Invisibility. Drops targeting and some damage-over-time effects. Do not recast instantly; they used it to leave a stun, and Polymorph or Counterspell is next. Re-target after it fades.
• Mirror Image. Copies take targeting. Mass Dispel the images or wait them out, then swap back onto the mage. Do not stun an image.

Crowd control

• Polymorph
• Ring of Frost
• Frost Nova
• Freeze (pet)
• Dragon's Breath if talented

Dispels

• Polymorph is magic — dispel it off your partner. Do not trinket it if Ring of Frost is still available.
• Mass Dispel Mirror Image and Ice Block if you have it. Frost Nova and Ring of Frost are magic roots — strip them before Glacial Spike lands.

Mobility

Blink or Shimmer out of a stun, Ice Floes to finish Glacial Spike while moving, Greater Invisibility to drop targeting. They get one Blink, not a rogue reset. Root the landing, cut the doorway they Alter Time from, and do not chase through Frozen Orb.

Kill windows

• Alter Time is burned and Ice Block is down
• They already spent Icy Veins and you have a stun for Ray of Frost or Glacial Spike
• Greater Invisibility fades and they are still in the open without Ice Cold

When to run

When Icy Veins is up, you have no interrupt, and they have a freeze on you (Frost Nova, pet Freeze, or Ring of Frost). Break line of sight on Frozen Orb. Do not stay in melee to finish a cast.

When to attack

After you have forced Alter Time and they have used Ice Block. Best if they already spent Icy Veins. During Ice Cold they can still be crowd-controlled — stun the Glacial Spike, do not dump caster cooldowns into the damage reduction.

Common tricks

• They fake-cast Polymorph to steal your interrupt, then Glacial Spike the remaining target.
• They press Alter Time in a doorway so the rewind also puts them back behind the pillar.
• They start the round behind a pillar with Polymorph already casting so your interrupt is late. Check line of sight at gates. During Icy Veins they Counterspell your healer, not you.

Common mistakes against them

• Dumping your offensive cooldowns into Alter Time without forcing it first.
• Kicking Frostbolt instead of Polymorph.
• Standing in Frozen Orb while rooted or stunned.
• Trinketing Ring of Frost instead of Polymorph.