Working with SuperTank!

Hi! I'm coming to you with an interesting, ah, situation, pleading for help.

I tank with a blood DK in a fairly laid back guild. There's 11 raiders out of some twenty odd people (the rest think we're nuts for wanting to raid), and for the most part everyone is A) either retired and can play all day, B) works full time, C)is a full time student or D) some combination thereof. However we do have some players who don't fit that mold. My fellow tank is one of them. He raids with at least two other guilds we know of, both of which are doing heroic modes. Normally this isn't an issue - our retired lead healer also raids like this.

However it's come to a head between us. Our gear is fairly equal, and I would argue our skill is as well. The boiling point is how we act towards one another while tanking. It's fairly well known that despite our cordial dislike of each other, we did at least work together even if we mutter dire things at each other. This is no longer the case.

As of about three weeks ago, my fellow tank has decided to go with 'Me Tank, Me Tank All Time!' attitude and I am at a lost at how to deal with him. The healers are in agreement. From taunting before his debuffs fall off, to pulling bosses to the strangest locations, and constantly offering his version of 'helpful hints'..well. There's only so much bop'ing and salv'ing I can do, even if I have a macro just for him. I believe part of the issue is that our DK tank does have a very thick accent and sometimes have trouble understand me, the GM/raid leader and our healer lead, just as we sometimes struggle to understand him.

That doesn't help me or anyone else in tanking with him. I'm at my wits end. I can't think of anything else I can do at this point. I'm tired of gritting my teeth and doing what I can to mitigate his recklessness for myself and the healers, but I'm also sick of this turning into a taunt war. I need a new approach and I need it desperately. Can anyone offer some advice?

The obvious way would be to meet with the raid leader and yourselves and ask the raid leader to spell out specifically what he wants from his tanks.

The less healthy way is to play "Your threat is your problem, not mine" in which you taunt every time, on time, when it's your turn to tank. If he takes it back, it's his fault. If it causes a wipe, it's his fault. You would have to have the raid leader on board for that one as well, so that the right tank gets blamed. You would stay quiet while the raid leader explains how taking aggro when you still have stacks is a Bad Thing.

If you are beyond the healthy solution, then you can use the passive-aggressive way, or you could simply find another tank to replace him. Just no Monks. The threat on those guys is so incredibly OP it's ridiculous.

Find a new tank.

It's one thing if SuperTank is doing everything right. It's another if he's taunting before debuffs roll off or dragging the boss to strange places, or doing anything other than making the fight as easy as possible for the rest of the raid.

If your cotank requires bops and salvs I'm of the opinion it's already a lost cause. Tell him to shape up, give him one strike, then just find someone who is actually interested in playing as a team member and doing his frooding job.

Doesn't sound like SuperTank to me, more like InNeedOfAttentionTank. You really should get rid of him.

Having a healthy understanding with your co-tank is really a good thing. You have to work together a lot, and if you dislike each other, that's just going to annoy the both of you. Keep in mind you're doing this for fun. I can keep up with annoying co-tanks for something like LFR and old world runs, but beyond that, if the other tank doesn't sit well with me, one of us has to go. Especially in a guild environment, where you would otherwise be working together a lot during the future.

You should discuss it with the guild leader. You might also want to install an addon that announces when your co-tank is taunting, so the entire raid is aware that he's taunting at the wrong moments. As a last resort, you could stop bothering to taunt back, and let his actions wipe the raid. It'll help the rest of the raid understand where the problem is.



On a sidenote, I really wonder what the average age is in your guild, with so many retirees.

At the end of the day, the raid works best when everyone is on the same page. Having a showoff is just as bad as having to carry someone.

If the tank was dragging things all over the place because there was an advantage to where he was placing the boss based on his experience with his more progressed guild, and if he could express that to the raid, then I am sure it wouldn't be a problem. But it sounds like he doesn't communicate well, which is Strike 1 for a tank, is going off-strategy (Strike 2) and really doesn't fit the rest of the raid, which is lethal no matter how many strikes.

It could be that he's moving the boss because you have some fire-standers who aren't moving out of things, so he's moving the boss to force them to move out of things. On paper, that's the right thing to do, but in a social dynamic, you either fit in with what the group is doing, or you're out.

Koatanga wrote:Having a showoff is just as bad as having to carry someone.

I'd rather carry someone. Odds are I LIKE them, and I'm willing to work extra hard to make things work so they can be a part of it. If you've got a tank who's not cutting the mustard and isn't even TRYING to improve, then it really doesn't matter... they're going to drag you down. If they've stopped caring, or their ePeen has grown sufficiently that they no longer care about doing the job right... you're better off without them.