Would Arena Be Better Off Without The 2v2 Bracket, Time To Merge Dead Battlegroups?

Removing 2v2?
I can't find the exact quote anywhere, but a long while back, Blizzard once stated that the 2v2 bracket really shouldn't even exist and that they would much rather have a 4v4 bracket instead. In addition, in the same post, they said that game balance should never be affected by or attributed to 2v2 arena. Where exactly has that train of thought gone?

The 2v2 bracket is by far the biggest source of complaints from arena players these days and, in turn, Blizzard ends up balancing the game around these complaints as a result. Mana burn wasn't overpowered in 3v3 nor 5v5 ever since WotLK launched yet it got nerfed. Blind and fear on separate DR's was never a huge issue in other brackets outside of RMP. Hand of Freedom was one of the least overpowered things paladins had access to yet is being nerfed primarily due to 2v2 complaints. The list of things that have been nerfed or altered goes on and on.

So what options does Blizzard have here? Well, let's start by weighing the pros and cons of outright removing the 2v2 bracket:

Pros:
-Less design changes and class-altering nerfs due to a bracket that will never be balanced
-Less whining from people about being counter-comped (this exists in 3v3 but to a much lesser extent)
-Less domination from an overpowered comp
-Promotes participation in 3v3 bracket which is Blizzard's eSport bracket
-Far less 45-minute turtlefest "no decision" games
-Faster paced arena that emphasizes execution and allows for less mistakes typically

Cons:
-More difficult to coordinate everyone being online to play bigger brackets
-Slightly more effort involved in getting rating requirements for gear
-Hurts the viability of certain drain classes/specs working together
-Less casual-friendly forcing them to play 3v3 and larger brackets that require more attention

So what are the potential solutions here? Well honestly, if Blizzard would quit tweaking game balance the way they have as a direct result of 2v2 issues like they said they wouldn't, none of this would even matter. But because Blizzard's word is about as much of a facade as Jasi actually playing WoW, I think the better solution would be to completely remove the 2v2 bracket as well as the 5v5 bracket and implement a 4v4 bracket.

Everyone knows 5v5 is strictly a points bracket that almost no one ever plays, a pain in the ass to get everyone on for, and takes absolutely no modicum of coordination or skill to play. So why not nail 2 birds in one stone and add in a new bracket that people would actually be interested in playing for a change? People may think that 4v4 may not be far off from the description I just gave 5v5, but it really is. 4v4 would allow for much more unique comps (such as 2dps/2 healer, 3dps/1healer, 3 healer/1dps, etc) instead of your bread and butter "66% dps" comps (2dps/1healer 3v3, 3dps/2healer 5v5). Thoughts on this?





Cross-Language Battlegroups
Blizzard recently unveiled their newest idea of creating better competition in PvP arena and battlegroups with their Cross-Language Battlegroups. In their words,

After successful testing on the PTR, we are pleased to announce that the first Cross-Language Battlegroups have been created today. This new feature combines Battlegroups from different languages into one, expanding the pool of players keen for PvP action in both Arenas and Battlegrounds.

Players from realms of different languages will only ever face each other as opponents in battle and will not be playing on the same faction in Battlegrounds, ensuring that those playing on your side will speak the same language as you. Please note that not all Battlegroups will be joined into Cross-Language Battlegroups, and this feature will not be affecting the Russian language Battlegroups.

So far, 2 battlegroup "merges" have happened and I honestly think this is only the beginning. I came from Dark Age of Camelot, a game that was eventually forced into "clustering" many servers in order to provide sufficient RvR action due to a declining playerbase. However, because WoW doesn't have the population problem that Mythic does with DAoC, the situation would be slightly different. That said, I feel that combining battlegroups with less competition together would be a huge step forward for the game, as these battlegroups are often seen as complete jokes at the top ratings and many people actually transfer to these terrible battlegroups (Retaliation, Whirlwind, Cyclone, and Emberstorm mainly) to get end-of-season titles just before the season finishes. Just pairing together those 4 battlegroups into 2 clusters would help immensely and I'm sure there are many battlegroups like this in other regional areas, as well (such as EU, etc). Hopefully it's something they're considering.





Update from BG5 Stormstrike
After farming many low-point teams to regain #1 in Stormstrike battlegroup for last week's rankings, Brewkz, Tugget, and Gordonbombay were once again passed by TSG earlier this week. As of last night, after the Mal'ganis crew attempted to regain the crown, they inevitably tanked 7 games and over 60 points down from their previous rating. But it gets even better. The games and points lost were to none other than Billian, Rexsteele, and Versica's RMP team (who also has a 2-1 record vs. TSG and supposedly TSG has been dodging). Apparently Gordonbombay refused to keep queueing because Tugget and Brewkz were raging on each other so hard. More to come!