I am going to attempt to set the record straight, to the best of my abilities.
For two months before the run, we attempted to recruite people on the Stonemaul forums. We became the laughing stalk of Stonemaul. Riduculed because we were a christian guild trying to get a MC run together, and we barely had three priests to our name at the time.
For a month before the first official MC date, we would go into MC after the Holicron Knights clear it, with 20 people and learn how to deal with trash mobs. We learned how to take down Firelords, back then we would have 10 to 12 lava spawns during the time it took us DPS the firelord down. It took us 5 minutes to take down the giant groups. We would go to the double destroyes and practice having tanks pick up loose destroyers when tanks died.
The friday group, knowns as Team Eternity, has been running together for 5 months. TE's first hurdle was that on the first scheduled night, the guild didn't even have 40 of its own member sign up. Only about 25 signed up even though some 60 people said they were insterested. Thankfully, the night before I was running a MC run and bumped into Redscorpion, who belonged to Sword of Fate at the time. His guild managed to scratch together the remaining 15 people we needed to actually start running MC. SoF has since disolved and many of its members have been absorbed into Redeemed or Sanctification.
The first official week, on the first Friday, we scheduled 4 hours. That was the max amount of time we would spend in MC on a Friday night. It took the whole 4 hours to take down Magmadar. Thats only the second boss in MC. On Saturday, we scheduled 6 hours to continue in MC. During that 6 hours, we could only clear the third boss, that being Gehannas. We made 5 attempts on Garr that night then the warriors said enough is enough, please stop asking us to fight the fights we have no hope to win. 10 hours of MC and only 3 bosses to show for it.
The next week, we spent the same 10 hours in MC and managed to down Baron Geddon. We were feeling good. The next two weeks, we stumbled on Garr and couldn't get him down. And that was after spending 10 hours each week. Finally, the third week after downing Garr the first time, we managed to down him and take down Baron Geddon and Shazzrah as well.
The next week, we had a spectacular week and not only managed to down the first six bosses, we managed to down the next two bosses as well. This is 6 weeks now into our MC run. For the next two weeks we struggled with getting Sulfuron down. One week we could, the next week we couldn't. Finally, like Garr, we had a breakthrough and got past that hurdle only to run into Majordomo. By this time we've spent 7 weeks in MC. Little did we know at that time, that the amount of time it took us to get this far would be the amount of time it would take us to learn the Majordomo fight.
We spent 7 weeks on Domo. Each week we would spend 6 to 8 hours clear to him only to spend the next hour wiping on him, over and over and over and over again. We would wipe 3 to 4 times a week on Majordomo. That means over the 7 weeks, we somewhere between 21 and 28 times. About half the wipes we experienced in MC happened right here on this boss. I can't even begin to describe the immense frustation I and the team was dealing with. And then finally, on the eigth week, we broke through the roadblock, just like we did on Sulfuron and Garr before. Upto now, we have spent 14 weeks in MC.
The next hurdle was Rag, and Rag made it painfully clear that if you didn't have the FR, stamina or DPS, he wasn't going to die. Our first attempts only got him to 60 to 70% before the sons were spawned. Most people were to tired to make any real attempt. We tried doing the first 8 bosses on Friday to leave on domo and rag on saturday. But the people who signed up for Saturday had no clue about how to defeat domo, so saturdays run was as if we had gone 8 weeks into the past. Eventually, we did take him down, but we had some good help from the Holicron Knights. The week after though, we couldn't take Rag down.
At that time, I had a brain storm. We couldn't have the new to MC people come in on the Domo\Rag fight. They were not geared for it nor were they experienced. They also had not chance to get the gear, because all the bosses prior to these last two were downed the night before. So, instead of having the new people come in late in the game, I decided to have a way for them to come in earlier. That is, have them come in Wednesday and start clearing the bosses appropriate for their gear and experience. The idea was that this new Wednesday team, which has been dubbed, Team Infinity, would eventually take over all of MC. Also, what TI couldn't finish on Wednesday, TE would come in and finish on Friday. This put the experienced and geared people right at the forefront of being able to take down Rag. They wouldn't be too tired to be effective and it was on the one day they said they were willing to raid on.
TI is starting where TE started but with alot of help from experienced TE members. As people turn 60, gain their pre-MC gear, the will move into TI and take the place of an experienced TE member. Before that happens, TI itself will start MC with experienced TE members at the helm, ensuring early success. This would ensure a gradual moving away from MC of the people ready for BWL while ensuring that MC will be there for the new to 60 and new to MC people. Eventually, in the future, the same transition will happen as TE moves to AQ40 and TI into BWL. New level 60 rogues will replace the experienced rogues on Wednesday. New level 60 warriors will replace the experienced. TI will eventaully be its own team without or with very few TE members.
In all fairness, to whom do todays Ragnoras fights belong to? I would argue that the honor of the current Rag fights belong to those who spent 7 weeks wiping 30ish times on Domo. I would argue it belongs to those who wondered on the night before our first official MC run, if it would happen because we only had 25 people signed up. I would argue it belongs to those 20 who went into MC to learn how to deal with trash and handle crises and face 10 to 20 gold repair bills without any chance of recouping them.
Does this mean that Schmeea, or Wallawinski, or Badwinn will never see a Rag fight? No, by no stretch of ones imagination does it mean that. If a new to MC person is asked to step aside, its not because we wish to dishonour them. Its because we are looking to honor those who have fought a very long fight for many months to be where we are today. I'd hope that those who would be asked to stay their sword (so to speak) would be honored to allow those who have yearned for these fights for 5 months their chance.
Schmeea and Julienne and many others, you have all just started your journeys in MC. In the journey is where the fun is. In the melding and meshing as a group is where you will find joy. I hope you will find understanding as to why people are asked to step aside. Do not worry about stepping aside for somebody who is just waiting in the side lines because they didn't want to do the work to get to Rag and then be pulled in at the last moment so they can get this piece of loot or that piece. Goblit and I have no time for those people and would never ask you to step aside for somebody who was not willing to put forth the effort. (we are human and sometimes somebody does slip through the cracks, but believe me, when that happens its not because we wanted it to.)
Most of what has been responded I agree with. (I should say that I am not angry at what happened, I do understand and would not want to stand in the way of people who have earned the time and right to be there at the end) People with more time into MC should have the opportunities that they've earned. Hence the dkp and the way you've set up the runs. Frequently I've passed on items so that people with the sets can work to complete them, so it's not necessarily the items I'm there for. I enjoy the company, the learning, the fun being with a large group and playing the game. I did agree to leaving the raid and would do so again. It doesn't mean I can't be disappointed.
