I'm sure you all remember this quote: (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=15211806501&;pageNo=1&sid=1#18)

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Q u o t e:
As a few players have suggested, we think the solution here is just to make sure that hunters and rogues aren't so good versus priests simply because of the lack of poison removal. We don't think that needs to be giving Abolish Poison or the like to priests.

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To reiterate:

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Q u o t e:

the solution here is just to make sure that hunters and rogues aren't so good versus priests simply because of the lack of poison removal

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Well. I'm also sure you're all aware the 3.1 PTR notes (or even the undocumented changes) did not address this in any way.

So....about that "simply because of lack of poison removal"?

Viper Sting is now undisputed in its supremacy against all other "hard-counter" mechanics. Plague Strike, a former contender, now no longer removes HoTs. Slow no longer functionally exists in Arena, and was nerfed anyway. Rune Strike was nerfed becaue it was a "rogue killer". Hell, according to the undocumented changes, Maim is now a stun (so that Mages can blink out of it).

So. What gives? Blizzard actually seems to be trying (kinda) to correct some of these hard-counters, and yet Viper Sting against Priests (the hardest of the hard) *STILL* exists.

Viper Sting vs. priests is something we plan to address.