Styles wrote:
This is just wrong. If you take a non-MR barb and put him up solo against a MR barb, the non-MR barb wins. AoN doesn't negate all buffs every time, and even if it did, the non-MR barb still hasn't had to spend training sessions on MR to make his AoN worthwhile. He has spent them on other stuff, which presumably makes him tougher in an unbuffed vs. unbuffed fight. What's more in this scenario the non-MR barb always gets to open with a bash because he can be invisible and the MR barb can't see him.
I disagree with your conclusion. I think in most fights a MR barb would beat a non-MR barb because MR barbs can wear much higher armor protection on their gear than non-MR barbs. Although non-MR barbs need to enchant fortitude and willpower on their gear--and some may argue mp--MR barbs do not. All of the stat train cost of making a MR barb can be easily made up for in one jewelry piece, so I don't buy the argument that MR barbs are stat deprived since the enchant changes. A MR barb can wear full AP on all upper/mid slots. A non-MR barb cannot wear full AP on both slots or else they will get owned by spells. This reduces melee damage against the MR barb substantially. This advantage is far more significant than the spells remaining after a AoN.
The only place I would want a non-MR barb with me rather than a MR barb is if I were doing PVE or CRS.