Amplify Magic (removed mage ability)

Amplify Magic was a mage utility buff.

Second iteration

 * Lasted from Patch 6.0.2 to its removal in Patch 6.2.0.
 * The buff stacks with the Amplify Magic buff of other mages.

First Iteration
Prior to the spell's first removal in Patch 4.0.1, Amplify Magic was a mage utility buff that increased a party or raid's healing received by 10% for 6 seconds with a 2 minute cooldown. The opposite of Dampen Magic, it increased the healing a target group member takes from each healing spell, but also increased the amount of damage the target takes from each enemy spell.

This first iteration of Amplify Magic (removed mage ability) differed in two key ways; This earlier spell contrasted with Dampen Magic which had the opposite effects (reduced magic damage taken but simultaneously reduced healing).
 * First, it was cast on individual raid members before the fight with a ten minute duration that allowed the buff to remain active throughout the entire fight.
 * Second, it amplified magic damage taken as well as magic healing.

Damage taken and healing taken was the same effect as the spell power stat found on some gear. For example, a healer casting a heal on a target buffed with Amplify Magic rank 6 would have the same effect as if they had 240 more +healing on their gear.

Talent improvements
Magic Attunement increased the damage taken and healing taken of Amplify Magic by 50% at max rank.

Tips and tactics
Like Dampen Magic, this spell had benefits and drawbacks and it was important to choose the correct spell. This spell could be very dangerous if used incorrectly, magnifying an enemy spell caster's power. Amplify Magic was useful in group situations where players would take mostly physical damage. In these situations, it could save your healer some mana, and increase their healing per second. Against casters, this spell could hurt much more then it helps, since damaging spells would be cast more often than heals.

When deciding whether or not to use this buff, consider the number of damaging spells likely to hit vs. the number of heals. In raid situations, when a tank had multiple healers on him at a time and would get many more heals per second than damaging spells per second, the net healing increase would be greater than the net damage increase. Even when fighting most magic-damage bosses, Amplify Magic was still often more beneficial on the tank than no buff or Dampen Magic would be.

When to use Amplify Magic:
 * When fighting a boss such as Deathbringer Saurfang or Gruul the Dragonkiller, where only physical damage is taken, always have your mage(s) cast Amplify Magic on the entire raid; it will increase all healing done, making healing much easier.
 * Usually beneficial on the Tanks.
 * Don't use Amplify Magic if it presents a danger of tanks being one-shot, or if there is a good reason to use Dampen Magic.

When to use Dampen Magic:
 * On a fight with a steady stream of magic damage, such as the Twin Val'kyr or Sapphiron encounters, always have your mage(s) cast Dampen Magic on the entire raid; it will vastly reduce damage taken, making healing much easier.
 * Usually beneficial on the DPS and Healers.
 * Don't use Dampen Magic if there are relatively few magic damage hits, or if there is a good reason to use Amplify Magic.

When to use neither spell:
 * While many will claim that it's often best to use neither buff, this is actually untrue, and very rarely will there come a time when it is optimal for any player to have neither buff active. This is easy to see, because removing one buff is the exact same effect as applying the other, and if it was beneficial to do one, then it must follow that is beneficial to do the other, which is almost always true. However, if you risk picking incorrectly and using the wrong buff, it may be "safer" to run without either.