Also this thread where I put Ret/Rshaman as A-tier
Ret/Rshaman is a great comp. I don’t put too too much emphasis on Pserver metas going into S1 because most of the Endless play was using far better gear than we’re going to be starting with. But yeah, Ret/Rshaman is the best Ret 2s comp and the best Rshaman 2s comp.
Shaman get significantly better the larger the team sizes because of the heightened impact of Bloodlust and Totems. In 3vs3 Rshaman fare far better than 2vs2 and in 5vs5 either an Elemental or a Rshaman is mandatory imo. But none of that changes the fundamental issues with Rshaman going into 70s arena - Earth Shield is effortlessly dispellable, they have no other instant healing options than Nature’s Swiftness (which gets dispelled like crazy on Pservers btw), totem stomping with pets or rank 1 spells, or actual macros (hopefully not possible with the new retail API) is rampant and they’re extremely susceptible to training by things like RMX.
Resto shaman are probably going to have a pretty miserable time of it. I can see them exceling in something like Shadowplay where they can hang back, bloodlust and wait for arena points, sure. But Rshaman are meant to be offensive. 20 yard shock range, purge etc. They should be in the action. And that’s exactly where they die. It’s a catch-22 that isn’t addressed for a long time - an “offensive” healer that hides 40 yards back behind a pillar.
They’re definitely the 3rd tier healer.