Jab Opener

[Friendliest]

Most openers aren't meant to be good (with exceptions), and especially not as good as Jab.

I want to preface this post with the fact that looking at each opener objectively, not trying to disprove or undermine your opinion by any means. 


Opening trees we will leave out for obvious reasons.
Race Trees
Fire 
Wind
Water
Illusion
Earth
Energy
Nature

The remaining openers 


God Openers
Cosmic Dash (cosmic) -Homing, Literally the best skill in the tree...as the opener
Field of Ice (Ice) -AOE, slows, increases incoming, probably the second best skill in the tree as the opener
Mist form (Mist) -Utility,  Literally the best skill in the tree...as the opener.

High Openers
Dash Strike (armed) - Homing, If you're hardline melee, Dash strike is core and amazing, a powersmash mage build can let this one go.

Plasma Strike (Plasma) -Homing, increases incoming damage,  Literally the best skill in the tree...as the opener. (Maybe debatable with Tesla)
Light Orb (Holy) -Skill shot, Core for standard holy mage builds
Shadow Orbs (Occult) - Skill shot, Core for standard Occult mage builds
Bone Lance (Bone) - Skill shot, The main stun of the tree, second best skill in the tree (IMO)
Magma Slide (Magma) - Wave, procs MUD...enough said.
Bang (Explosion) - Homing, Slows...I don't need to say much about bang...it's very good.
Decay (Time) - skill shot, increases incoming damage...pretty strong.
Pond (wellspring) - Aoe Pretty standard for wellspring magi
Compression (Gravity) - Homing stun...enough said.
Shadow Claw (Shadow) - This is debatable, but this skill is core for shadow skills and the tempo shift that it has is VERY fucking valuable. The community might lable this mid, but I personally will put it at high



Mid Openers
Prism Beam (Light) Skill shot, does ok damage but the blind would make it lowest in the high tier for me. core for Light Mage builds.
Shardshot (Crystal) - Pretty good, generates a cystal which is actuall busted, this might be a bordline high opener, like bottom tier high opener.
Golden Bolt - Skill shot, I have this in mid, but this skill does like fucking 10 damage on a 12 second cd...its only held back by its speed
Aoelian Cascade - Homing, pretty decent,  not like the best but core for tempest mage
Metal Lance - Lierally the same as golden bolt


Bad
Blood Siphon (Blood) - Homing...meh
Poison Dart - Skill shot, its not bad but...well, it is what it is.


As for Flying kick....it does slow and it is gcde, the main problem that I see is that Unarmed is NOT a main damage tree, its a supplimental tree. A majority of the builds that will unarmed have better options in their kit to fill the role that Flying kick does. It's not a bad skill...its just NOT an opener, like, personally. That being said, the argument against Jab as the opener is pretty effing sound, I cannot lie about that. Jab is bonkers...but that being said, I don't think thats a bad thing at the moment. With removal of unarmed stances, dipping for the pow stacking is pretty much gone. Jab, while I agree, is the best tree skill in the tree, I don't think it is a good enough reason to make *flying kick* the opener, I mean, even Axe kick is a better option, or even weighted punch. But FLYING KICK? Fuck man, it's SOOOO bad.

I forgot sound, it's high, a homing slow is always great