Well, after a bit of a hassle concerning a failed shadow-pan attempt and the leader moving events around, I finally managed to get my last two silver cm achievements.
I almost got the Ashen phoenix but at the last second the Crimson won my heart. I really love this mount and its certainly a rewarding feeling to have it in my stables now. Its got a really pretty sound and I love the details on the feathers. (And best of all it has feet!) Can't wait to have all four awarded to all my characters. this is one of my favorite flying mounts for sure. ^.^
I couldn't have done it without Lykenlova. she got me six of my nine achievements and most runs were very smooth all things considered. If you manage to get into one of her groups she guarantees you a spot in the next one you sign up for. For any ally out there I highly recommend you look for Lyken's silver cms on open raid. (she isint doing any for the next few weeks however since she is moving.)
To those thinking of or trying to get silvers done for the mount, these are the things I learned.
1. your Ilvl will NOT matter. its not a hindrance or an excuse. if you really want to min/max for cms then just go find the gear with the most gem slots in it. aside from that there is nothing you can do since all your gear will be lowered to a certain level during the run.
2. you do NOT need to repair if you die. your armor will not take damage. you DO need to have flasks, pots, invis pots (lesser invis should be ok if you have speed buffs) and buff food. buffs should have 30+ min left before an attempt. Also bring the tomes needed to swap out talents on the go if need be.
3 cc and interrupts are a must. always spec and glyph for the max amount of cc. if you are not using your cc, you are wiping the group. (if you are a hunter this means using the frost arrow.)
4. use some kind of voice chat.
5. do not be intimidated by failure. everyone in the group caused some really hairy wipes at one point or the other. its a learning process and its normal to have to restart fairly often. especially if you are after gold.
6 DO NOT RELEACE OR USE YOUR POTS WITHOUT PERMISSION! this one can cost you the medal. if you release after death your body will disappear and you will be forced to run back. wait for the order to run back since sometimes you can pull a rabbit out of your hat. a hunter that survive with a brez (guild mass rez is disabled) a shammy with reincarnate or maybe just a druid that can run back faster than you and stealth past mobs can save what looks like a losing run. pots are also something you need to pay attention to since you can hold the whole group up by using say, a vermin's bite on the second boss in shadow pan just before you need to invis past trash. if you don't have a personal stealth the group will have to wait on you.
7. since there are a lot of hunters out there I would have to recommend BM spec if you can play it. hero is mandatory for all runs and if you can supply it, you will be chosen over those who can not supply it. quillen is another important pet to have as bm. Regardless of your spec, ask the leader what buff pets to bring. if you don't have the pet, go tame it.
8. bosses are more of a checkpoint than a challenge. they mark your progress but they are all fairly easy. the thing you have to worry about is trash. a single pack will put you through a meat grinder if you are not on top of it and don't rotate your cds right.
9.just get out and do it! time is ticking and the only time you can do it is right now. don't be intimidated, everyone starts somewhere. give it a go and don't give up!
