Rogue Subtlety Rotation & Opener
Built from the current top-100 Mythic parses on WarcraftLogs — the real opener sequences, casts-per-minute and buff uptimes of the best Subtlety players, not theorycraft.
AI coach — raid
How to play: Backstab builds (top players: 10.8/min), Shadowstrike replaces it inside Shadow Dance windows (9.7/min), Eviscerate dumps at full combo points (19.1/min). Shadow Dance on refresh (3.3/min), Shadow Blades aligned with burst. Watch: Find Weakness (86.2% uptime) — near-permanent coverage means top players chain Dance and Shadowstrike with no gaps; Shadow Techniques energy feedback (95.3% uptime), never cap points or energy.
Real Opener Sequences — Vorasius
First ~12 casts of actual top-ranked kills. Trinkets and racials vary by setup; the skill order is what to copy.
Jonewrld — Ravencrest (EU)
1.
Backstab
2.
Charge!
3.
Light's Potential
4.
Shadow Dance
5.
Shadow Blades
6.
Secret Technique
7.
Shadowstrike
8.
Eviscerate
9.
Shadowstrike
10.
Coup de Grace
11.
Shadowstrike
12.
Eviscerate
Snigernox — Ravencrest (EU)
1.
Backstab
2.
Charge!
3.
Shadow Blades
4.
Shadow Dance
5.
Secret Technique
6.
Shadowstrike
7.
Eviscerate
8.
Eviscerate
9.
Shadowstrike
10.
Coup de Grace
11.
Eviscerate
12.
Shadowstrike
gwicheonmagaek — ajeusyara (KR)
1.
Shadowstrike
2.
Charge!
3.
Shadow Dance
4.
Shadow Blades
5.
Light's Potential
6.
Secret Technique
7.
Shadowstrike
8.
Eviscerate
9.
Shadowstrike
10.
Coup de Grace
11.
Eviscerate
12.
Shadowstrike
Casts Per Minute — Raid Benchmark
| Ability | Top-player CPM |
|---|---|
| Eviscerate | 19.1 |
| Backstab | 10.8 |
| Shadowstrike | 9.7 |
| Coup de Grace | 3.6 |
| Shadow Dance | 3.3 |
| Black Powder | 1.6 |
| Shuriken Storm | 1.0 |
| Shadow Blades | 0.8 |
| Charge! | 0.8 |
| Feint | 0.8 |
| Vanish | 0.5 |
CPM = median casts per minute across the sampled top kills. If you're far below on a core ability, that's usually the first thing to fix.
Buff Uptimes to Watch
| Buff | Top-player uptime |
|---|---|
| Shadow Techniques | 95.3% |
| Ebon Might | 91.4% |
| Silent Storm | 86.4% |
| Find Weakness | 86.2% |
| Escalating Blade | 77.1% |
| Arcanoweave Insight | 69.9% |
| Alnscorned Essence | 63.7% |
| Might of the Void | 62.4% |
| Hasty Hunt | 62.2% |
| Alnsight | 48.0% |
Mythic+ Differences
AI coach — Mythic+
How to play: Build with Shuriken Storm and finish with Black Powder on packs; priority singles still get Eviscerate. Keep opening Dance at high frequency, aligned with peak pack density. Feint stays routine. Watch: switch Black Powder/Eviscerate by target count; dump combo points inside Dance windows — finishers outside them lose real value.
Casts Per Minute — Mythic+ Benchmark
| Ability | Top-player CPM |
|---|---|
| Black Powder | 10.0 |
| Shuriken Storm | 9.0 |
| Eviscerate | 7.9 |
| Shadowstrike | 5.0 |
| Backstab | 4.1 |
| Coup de Grace | 2.9 |
| Shadow Dance | 2.9 |
| Feint | 2.8 |
| Crimson Vial | 0.6 |
| Shadow Blades | 0.6 |
| Charge! | 0.6 |
| Shadowstep | 0.5 |
| Sprint | 0.4 |
| Stealth | 0.3 |
Mythic+ Buff Uptimes
| Buff | Top-player uptime |
|---|---|
| Tricks of the Trade | 97.0% |
| Shadow Techniques | 96.3% |
| Find Weakness | 92.9% |
| Flawless Form | 91.3% |
| Escalating Blade | 79.7% |
| Ancestral Vigor | 69.8% |
| Arcanoweave Insight | 62.1% |
| Earthliving Weapon | 60.7% |
| Elemental Resistance | 59.6% |
| Might of the Void | 58.0% |
Compare yourself in-game, live
The GearInsight addon overlays your own CPM and buff uptimes next to these benchmarks during combat.