Hero Meta: A Guide

Wards are slow, clunky and promote bad play. However, that isn't always what Meta builds try to avoid, but on this occasion Wards are still ignored. What make wards slow and clunky
Is it because you can't move them? Well, then what about spirits on heroes (who don't have access to Summon Spirits)? Are they slow, clunky and promoting bad play? Anyway, go to Sacnoth Valley with just PS, SoA and two party heals, and go fight the Burning Spirit groups. Then try again with Ward Against Harm. Then see for yourself if wards are bad. Of course this is a specific location where the ward will really shine, but you face fire AoE against multiple foes, so if you want/need to take an elementalist hero with you, you might as well make him run WaH.

Of course I'm not saying they are the best build out there, given the choice I will NEVER take and elementalist hero with me, but we are just trying to suggest decent builds for each profession here, as far as I've understood.

Apart that ward are quite useless and plenty of drawbacks, a hero will never use it worthy(like happens to spirits anyway:but they so OP that u can ignore that...).

1-The problem ins't "Heroes balls toghether, let's put a ward on them" is that if u put a ward, they will try to stay in as much as possible. Which means that you'll surely be protected against Sh and SF, but your heroes will take it for amolst the full duration (and almost all heroes will do).
2-Why use wards when u can:-use imbagon or meele to keep up as much as u can SY!(+100AR)?I know that is viable for a little part of prof combinations(and played by human), but still...-As said, if u can't use SY!, prots>wards(shelter is an example, but if most of team is protted Spirit bond and Prot spirit are awesome).
3-As for spirits, is matter of field placement, cause wards are (atm) static. If they are dinamic(centered around caster, for example), they could be a little more desiderable. Generally heroes will cast wards(like spirits) quite random, compared to the human behaviour(4 spirits summoned all times you face a mob, even if alone, and then not ready when you'll face a large group).
4-Apart all this....how many times you'll face so much fire dmg to justify taking an elite slot for a ward? Kath, the burning forest in sacnot valley, and myba some place in nf with ruby djiins. Ward of Stability is okay. Wards work best with EBSoH/EBSoW anyway. Ward Against Foes can be occasionally useful in PvE. The main thing is that they're unremovable and have no counters, so they're good versus metagame enemy builds like Mallyx.

That being said, in nearly any situation where you'd use Ward Against Harm, I think you'd prevent more damage if you just used Technobabble and Complicate. I don't even know why people still complain about Ruby djinns, the only times they're seriously annoying is when they're with Roaring Ethers and that's definitely more because of the Ethers than the Djinns.

@the OP: Don't leave out Banishing Strike. It should be part of the Dervish Meta.