block capped overrated?

It is one of my goals and should be. Others here have already explained why very well but here is my reasoning.

I'm already crit capped. I have the EH to survive the next level of raiding that will provide me the upgrades I'm looking for. I can survive the bursts fine, and now I am looking to create stability with my damage intake.

My time and effort is going to be spent on getting to that goal as fast as possible. Block rating, followed by defense is still the fastest way to get there. I can't go for dodge/parry items at the same time as I am going for block rating/defense items. Since block rating/defense will get me to my goal faster, pursuing them is a more efficient use of my time.

Nothing is stopping me from getting items with more dodge/parry as time goes on if should choose to use them. However atm, unless an item is just overall poorer quality than another I am going to favor defense/block rating gear until I am block capped.
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Zeal without wisdom is folly

My armory: http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Thrall&n=Elson

It is a goal, because it's what sets us apart from warriors and makes us less spiky tanks, we get effective health from block value if we do it right.

2% unblocked = 2% (over a large number of fights) * BV extra damage per hit give or take (actually its worse since its spike damage), so assuming 2k BV that is 40 damage reduction per hit, not a lot really except that you don't take the average, that hit is 2000 more than the last one you took.

So your 2% dodge = 2% extra damage reduction, but when you hit a streak, that 5% block rating that capped you makes you not have that bad streak. That is why its better, it takes the worst case scenario and makes it better. Its not to say 2% block > 2% avoidance (2% avoidance >> 2% block since it is damage ignored rather than damage mitigated), but its the end effect.

I don't honestly think any raid tank would care about a fight that did 20k damage every 8s on the dot, no other damage etc. Constant predictable damage doesn't kill tanks, what kills us is when we take the 20k hit, following the fire that spawned under us and the small strike with no avoidance coming in. That is the scenario you want to be saved from (and on a 20k hit, 2000BV is 10% DR).
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Armoury Link

The prot paladin design at least for the first tier of raiding indicates that a block based EH build is the kind of gear we need to be striving for. Striving for an uncrittable block capped build seems initially to be the way to go.

It is still very early in Wrath and we have mechanics changes coming in the next content build so this is very much subject to change.
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Arthas, we're coming for you. (Eventually)

From an average damage taken perspective getting block-capped is worth nothing. From a EH perspective it is worth your BV (assuming no stuns etc).

So while increasing dodge over BR might be better for pure damage reduction, the BR is worth more EH if it caps you (dodge is never worth EH, well unless it block caps you too.)

This means block capping is only worth something when EH is worth something, in other words when you are at risk of being 2-3 shotted.

So when EH is important, block capping is good.

When DR is important, then its not worth anything more than the extra blocks it provides. (Which with redoubt being up a lot, isn't really that much.)

TL;DR;
Heroics: Block capping is unlikely top be that important
Raids: Block capping is good on hard hitting bosses where you can be 2-3 shotted. Or where there is healer silence, etc.

I guess I'm reading this and trying to figure out when EH wouldn't be important.

If you were CCing every mob but the one you are tanking in a heroic (totally the opposite of what are strength is btw) then I could see it.

Or if there were no bosses or mobs in the entire instance that caused party-wide damage.

It's cheap and effective I'm not sure why you wouldnt want it, especially in heroics.
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"Tanks need many stats, including No-blink crotch staring resistance" - Snake-Aes

It hasn't been my experience through 12 bosses in Naxx 10 and Loatheb that being block capped is a requirement.

While it would certainly be nice, I just can't get anything with block rating to drop, but it hasn't hurt or hampered my performance.

In fact, we one shot Loatheb last night and I only had about 18% dodge and 17.5% parry and 10.6% block without holy shield, and I never really felt like I was in imminent danger until the end of the fight when mana bars started running low (2 dps in raid that had hit 80 ~2 hours before the run, so the fight was pretty lengthy), but it was nothing that a Divine Protection couldn't fix.

Getting block capped during T7? Yes.

Raiding prerequisite? No.
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Fionneous, 80 Blood Elf Prot Paladin, Draka

http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Draka&n=Fionneous

It's our flavor and my healers love me for it.

Closing the last few points are always those that weigh in the biggest. Try seeing it from the other side:

If you are at theoretical 80% avoidance, and you increase it by 5%-points, you now still take 15% damage instead of 20% damage. That means those 5%-points were effectively a damage reduction of 25%. If you are at 95%, and gain +5%-points... you reduce the damage you are still taking by 100%. Bam, those 5%-points there were sure worth more, eh?

Of course, you still need all those previous 5%-point steps to get there first to close that last juicy gap...
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