Jonathan Sharp has released another state of the game, Guild Wars. This time it is about the best GvG tmeplate, the balanced build.Below is a snippet:

The oldest and arguably best GvG template in Guild Wars is the balanced build. Balanced builds have been around since the first BWEs, and they still make up a large portion of GvG builds. These complex builds require a great amount of tactical precision and multiple layers of synergy between the individual characters, and they demand multiple levels of offense—pressure, spike, and split. Balanced builds test individual skill and team coordination in ways that few other builds do. Ask many top teams which type of build they prefer to play, however, and you?ll usually receive the same response—a balanced build.

I caught up with Kriegar Shutdown of Treacherous Empire [Te] (currently 4th on the worldwide Guild Wars ladder with a record of 43–1), and asked him why Te has stuck consistently to a balanced build. According to Kriegar, "A balanced build cannot be countered by swapping in a skill, and it can hold its own against nearly anything." It isn?t easy to counter a balanced build in a three game set (such as the playoffs), and they can stand against multiple build templates on the open ladder. Currently there has been a trend of "Gimmick" builds on the ladder, and I asked Kreigar if he was concerned with these builds dominating Guild Wars. "Gimmicks are great for climbing the ladder," he said, "but a lot of guilds underestimate the ladder as practice for the playoffs. So if they just run the same gimmick, people stick in a few counters and they?re done."