[Crystalline Conflict] So what's happening in games like this one?

[Jonesybunny]

I've had PLD's focus on me before as well and what works some of the time (depends on your own teammates of course) is basically kiting the PLD back into the group fight. I use the (1) marker or X to point the PLD out and hope for the best. As an MCH you can also Air Anchor / Shotgun them to keep them away for a bit while you shoot someone else.

This isn't guaranteed to work but unless the "pest" is another DPS, they can be ignored up to a certain point.

[Histrio]

As someone said, "you just need to play better as BLM"! Unlike melee's that can charge-stun towards you while you're casting, bind, combo you and jumped back to safety when you're dead! You can't expect them to buff BLM again! Because outside LB, you can instant kill a player with one skill!

[Novani]

I was being killed 3v1 in front of our spawn the entire game, their tank almost solo pushed the crystal the entire game. Was really nothing I could do. The only reason I even have damage dealt and a kill is because I'm invulnerable when I first jump down, but dying 6 times I guess was better than just not playing and sitting up on the platform. Really was an oddity of a game.

I'm playing MCH now and it's a little better as far as getting focused is concerned and it's a much better job to be if you're getting focused (amazing at 1v1 and mobile damage dealing). Though I had this gem of a game just last night where their Paladin did the same thing, just stayed on me and only me and my team had no coordination to do anything. We basically dueled in front of our spawn until the game was over. I tried to be present in team fights for my AoE abilities like Wildfire and my turret to do work but because of the paladin on me I just didn't have any mana and his team was smart enough to pressure me further if I got in range of anyone else. My teammates felt like just passing right on by us when they rezzed and ignored the Paladin keeping their MCH out of the fight. /shrug

It is unfortunately a pretty common thing for some ranged players to go through, Black Mages and Mechanists both have extremely strong potential for damage but unless they're actually protected from the retribution savvy players on the other side are going to dish out, you will just end up in a cycle of hurting over and over anytime you're spotted, this is particularly true with the former as ice magic still remains utterly broken with very little consequence beyond stunning the mage through coordinated attacks.

If you have a tank, they should be doing their utmost to keep an eye on you and other fragile fighters, double so if they're a paladin as you might be spared a ninja assassination with their help. Otherwise stay grouped, while server tick can frustrate people trying to end you (hello monk) it shouldn't be relied on. Position yourself with your team around you and hope they support you whenever danger comes near, focus your fire if at all possible. If you're being attacked right out the gate, run to support so you don't get embroiled in a duel: remember there's no such thing as zone of control, run through them if you must. Anyone fighting you there is trying to keep you away from the fight more than anything, so the sooner you can rejoin the easier it'll be to get them off your back.

Any case, good luck!

[Nikoto]

As someone said, "you just need to play better as BLM"! Unlike melee's that can charge-stun towards you while you're casting, bind, combo you and jumped back to safety when you're dead! You can't expect them to buff BLM again! Because outside LB, you can instant kill a player with one skill!

schizophrenia in action

[Elfidan]

I was being killed 3v1 in front of our spawn the entire game, their tank almost solo pushed the crystal the entire game. Was really nothing I could do. The only reason I even have damage dealt and a kill is because I'm invulnerable when I first jump down, but dying 6 times I guess was better than just not playing and sitting up on the platform. Really was an oddity of a game.

I'm playing MCH now and it's a little better as far as getting focused is concerned and it's a much better job to be if you're getting focused (amazing at 1v1 and mobile damage dealing). Though I had this gem of a game just last night where their Paladin did the same thing, just stayed on me and only me and my team had no coordination to do anything. We basically dueled in front of our spawn until the game was over. I tried to be present in team fights for my AoE abilities like Wildfire and my turret to do work but because of the paladin on me I just didn't have any mana and his team was smart enough to pressure me further if I got in range of anyone else. My teammates felt like just passing right on by us when they rezzed and ignored the Paladin keeping their MCH out of the fight. /shrug

Sometimes those games happen where you feel like you're being held down, but if three people are focused on you and at your spawn it means you guys are trickling in which is a terrible idea. Did you just jump down to your death, or did you wait for the rest of the respawns?

[Runeslayer]

If I see a BLM, it's on sight.
They're far too troublesome to be left alive and casting with impunity.

[Geryth]

Did you just jump down to your death, or did you wait for the rest of the respawns?

I always wait to group up, the game gives us a regroup macro exactly to avoid that and I use it liberally

The formula for that game was this:
* I show up, at least 3 enemy players stop what they are doing in their tracks and focus me
* After casting sleep and doing my best (in vain) to burst one down and keep distance, I start to retreat once I have to start spamming recuperate/purify/guard/grabbing health items. I'm chased back to our spawn, no teammates attempt to help or peel, and I'm killed.
** I do try to just stay with my team a couple deaths instead of retreating but it's absolutely not the way to go (for this game) - they aren't helping peel or counter CC at all and if I don't retreat or keep distance I just die faster
* The fight goes back to the crystal and the rest of my team is wiped
* I respawn, but wait on the platform for my team
* We all go in, and rinse and repeat me having to retreat and chased back to our spawn

[Elfidan]

I always wait to group up, the game gives us a regroup macro exactly to avoid that and I use it liberally

The formula for that game was this:
* I show up, at least 3 enemy players stop what they are doing in their tracks and focus me
* After casting sleep and doing my best (in vain) to burst one down and keep distance, I start to retreat once I have to start spamming recuperate/purify/guard/grabbing health items. I'm chased back to our spawn, no teammates attempt to help or peel, and I'm killed.

So you tried to one versus three on the most paper bag job of all. Hell, you can't really two vs one on most of the "strong" jobs. The arena is a big old loop you got to run if you're getting focused and nobody stops to help you.

** I do try to just stay with my team a couple deaths instead of retreating but it's absolutely not the way to go (for this game) - they aren't helping peel or counter CC at all and if I don't retreat or keep distance I just die faster

Yeah you can't turret that just screams 'kill me I'm free' you got to know when to back up and go for a jog. It takes practice.

* The fight goes back to the crystal and the rest of my team is wiped
* I respawn, but wait on the platform for my team
* We all go in, and rinse and repeat me having to retreat and chased back to our spawn

Momentum is hard to break if the enemy team is moving as a unit but if someone is on the crystal its five to four and there's nothing but lack of synergy causing that to be a failed engagement. This all really just smacks of the major complaints most people have about communication sucking in general. Without seeing the match, I don't think anyone can definitively tell you what's going wrong. As it stands You don't seem to be retreating effectively and your team isn't peeling but Those are rare to find anyway. You should try using Shadowplay or similar recording software if you have it to review your play. It helped me break a lot of bad habits.

[Geryth]

snip

This was a bronze game and my team was simply outmatched, it was a lost game and there was little to nothing that I could do to change the situation. That's not to say I'm rejecting advice or absolving myself of blame (your analysis and attempts at offering help are welcome), but the purpose of this post was me just trying to gauge from others on why they would stop dead in their tracks and aim for a specific player the way I was targeted that game. Me being on BLM was the answer to that question and after playing a lot more both on BLM and other jobs, I can confidently say it really is as simple as that. The meta is "kill the black mage or get rekt".

I'm having a lot more fun with MCH because I find that I do still attract a lot of attention and grab focus MCH is much better equipped to deal with it and is better at punishing players for over-extending to get you.

[Nav_Fae]

I was convinced last season that there was a secret discord for the Crystal DC just to find me in CC games and either sandbag my team or focus me down. If you are playing well and your team is not great, they will find you pesky and you can likely tilt them. I have found that grudges last long on Crystal, especially when you get stuck in a rut playing with same 8 players over and over. One of the worst though is just a troll, and I can tell from my blacklist he has changed his name 3 times in 3 months- so sometimes you just run into d-bags that will needle you. For the most part, if you are getting noticed it is because you are doing something right, and you can always just /dance on the head of their dead body after a kill if you really want to wind them. Haha Don’t really do that, because that will get a secret discord dedicated to you

There is a secret discord, it does in-fact exist, I know people personally within it. However, the chances of you running into those people in it are very low outside of Crystal rank as it's mostly consisted of those within top 100. It's a very data analytical discord to make ranking up easier. If there is any targeting going on, it's less because they have a bone to pick with you and more because you have been identified as an easy kill. Teammates play styles are recorded and record kept so people can study and learn what sort of play styles they are dealing with when they are paired with who. You'd be surprised just how much detail the top players are paying attention to when they really want to be the best. These people don't have grudges, you're just identified as the weak link for an easy kill based off the knowledge they have at their disposal. If they happen to be randomly paired up to being on the same team, they will often at times hop on voice call for that match.