Beat Protection Paladin

What they want to do

Plant Consecration on the Blitz node, Shield of the Righteous every global, then Divine Shield the first real go and Guardian of Ancient Kings the second. They win if you melee Divine Shield and treat the paladin as Retribution that forgot Avenging Wrath or Holy that forgot Blessing of Sacrifice. Shuffle sample is tiny — this is Blitz and battlegrounds, with the same Divine Shield rules if you ever see one in arena.

Main danger

Divine Shield plus a spellbook. Consecration makes the node theirs. Hammer of Justice on the connecting melee is how Avenger's Shield then silences the healer. Guardian of Ancient Kings and Ardent Defender are the walls — not Avenging Wrath.

Interrupt priority

1. 1 Repentance if talented

   Always first. A free Repentance on the extra DPS is a lost node. Do not spend this interrupt on a heal.

2. 2 Holy Light

   Only if Repentance is down. This is the hard-cast they sit when they own the node. Interrupt it if they plant and try to top.

3. 3 Flash of Light

   Panic heal. Interrupt it only when Repentance and Holy Light are not in play and Divine Shield is already burned.

Watch for

• Divine Shield on themselves the moment damage is real — this is not an Avenging Wrath dump. Stop damage and reposition for the exit.
• Guardian of Ancient Kings overlapping Consecration so the node does not move — sit or swap; do not melee the circle.
• Ardent Defender at execute after you already committed — a killing blow can bounce. Do not finish the go into it.
• Hammer of Justice into Avenger's Shield silence on your healer — trinket the hammer if silence is next.

Offensive cooldowns

• Shield of the Righteous. The global. Armor and damage while you stand in Consecration. If you melee a Shield of the Righteous paladin on a node, the trade is theirs.
• Consecration. The room. Walk out. Fighting in it is how a Low-threat tank flips a flag.
• Avenger's Shield. Silence plus interrupt on a bounce. Do not clump. If the healer is silenced, your interrupt never lands on Repentance.
• Hammer of the Righteous / Blessed Hammer. Filler inside Consecration. Chip, not a kill. The kill is you standing in the circle.

Defensive cooldowns

• Divine Shield. Full immunity. Stop damage. Reposition for the exit. They Divine Shield themselves to hold a node, not after a Wake of Ashes dump.
• Guardian of Ancient Kings. The big damage reduction. Sit the go or swap. This is the Protection wall — not Avenging Wrath, not Blessing of Sacrifice.
• Ardent Defender. Execute trap. Damage drops, and a killing blow can bounce. Do not finish a go into it.
• Lay on Hands. Full heal. The go is over if it lands. Force Divine Shield first so this is all they have left.
• Blessing of Protection. Physical immunity on an ally. Casters keep going; melee swap. Blessing of Protection is magic — dispel it.
• Divine Protection. Short personal damage reduction. Keep chip pressure unless Divine Shield, Guardian of Ancient Kings, or Ardent Defender is also up.

Crowd control

• Hammer of Justice
• Blinding Light
• Repentance
• Avenger's Shield silence

Dispels

• Blessing of Protection is magic — strip it and melee can finish.
• They Cleanse magic, poison, and disease. Do not leave a long crowd control sitting if the paladin is free.

Mobility

Divine Steed, Blessing of Freedom. They are plate without the horse. Root Divine Steed; Blessing of Freedom eats your snare right before Hammer of Justice. Do not chase a blessed horse off a node — they want the chase so Consecration stays theirs.

Kill windows

• Divine Shield and Guardian of Ancient Kings are both down
• After Ardent Defender, if Lay on Hands is already spent
• When they wasted Hammer of Justice on the wrong melee and sit a Holy Light in the open

When to run

Divine Shield is still available, Consecration is planted, and you have no interrupt. Walk out of the circle. Do not melee Divine Shield. Swap to the flag carrier.

When to attack

After Divine Shield. Guardian of Ancient Kings down. When they sit a heal without Consecration. Casters still hit through Blessing of Protection. Physical still works through Divine Protection. Shuffle sample is tiny — this is Blitz.

Common tricks

• They Divine Shield themselves to hold the node, not to cover an Avenging Wrath go. The first dump is bait — plan for Guardian of Ancient Kings after Divine Shield.
• Consecration is the objective. If you fight in it, Shield of the Righteous is winning the trade even while you feel busy.
• Hammer of Justice is for the melee that connected, then Avenger's Shield on the healer. You get stunned, the healer gets silenced, Repentance goes on the peeler.

Common mistakes against them

• Dumping a full go into Divine Shield.
• Meleeing Consecration plus Shield of the Righteous as if they were a damage paladin.
• Kicking Flash of Light while Repentance is being cast.
• Dumping execute into Ardent Defender.