This is an analysis of the current meta in the competitive environment. Here, I will lay out the popular trends happening within the Arena and Coliseum. I’m a high ranking player in Server 1 and I’m placed within the top 100 players of the Arena Legacy rankings of my server.
It will take a while before players can start integrating Belle, Goliath, and the Evil Queen in the competitive meta so I will mostly be leaving them out. For next long-ish while, players will still be mostly using heroes that came before them.
I must stress that Red Skills can really make a massive difference for most characters that have them. As such, this discussion may not necessarily apply to players within servers that don’t have access to them yet. But even then, this can still be an enlightening thing to go over.
WHO ARE THE VERY BEST?:
These are some of the most notorious characters at this time. Watch out for them, because they’re the ones that make the biggest impact.
Mulan
- This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone, but she just might be the actual “number 1” hero of the current roster. Her shields give her massive crits and she is ridiculously hard to pin down because of her insane Evasion stat. Her green skill is currently wonky and remains unfixed but that doesn’t stop her from blowing up everything faster than anyone else can at the moment. She doesn’t necessarily need her Red Skill or her either of her Friendship Disks to start making an impact either, so players can take advantage of her as soon as she’s unlocked.
Shan-Yu
- Much like Mulan, Shan Yu can also effortlessly nuke entire teams by himself in most cases. But unlike Mulan, Shan Yu uses Tenacity instead of Evasion. This is important because this means there are ways to consistently shut him down. That being said, Shan Yu is an event-exclusive so very few players have harnessed his power. He is a decent choice to go up against players who think they can get away with abusing Mulan. He is especially worrisome for Li Shang and Animal.
Kristoff & Sven
- Kristoff & Sven is the freeze meta 2.0 and this shouldn’t even be surprising given how powerful it was in the beginning of 2019. This year, they provide longer freezes and great utilities. Red Skill is extremely important to them! Without it, Kristoff won’t be able to bring back Sven! And yes this matters because having Sven around makes a huge difference. Kida’s disk should be the first choice when it comes to friendship. The invincibility this gives Sven allows him to stay longer and gives Kristoff and other healers the chance to keep Sven topped up.
Winnie the Pooh
- Pooh Bear is the new and improved Olaf. His presence can slow everything down to a crawl and although he may seem passive, his white skill can potentially nuke teams with enough honey stacks. The special thing about Pooh is that even when he is stunned or frozen, this doesn’t actually stop his Balloon Delivery from happening anyway. This means he will always be able to slow things down and this happens often enough that he can make a counterattack.
Powerline
- Powerline is a ridiculous chracter in his own right, blessed with one of the most destructive fantastic-damage type white skills the game has seen until now. Even before can can use his white skill, his insane freezing is also almost too good. There are players who have figured out a sweet and nasty combo with him. He’s a dancer, so he’s gonna need a very specific tempo. Step 1: Tron removes buffs as soon as the match starts; this causes most enemies to flinch. Step 2: Hank & Dory follow up immediately with blinds to buff Powerline’s white skill and use Whale Call for AOE stun. Step 3: Powerline enters to clean up and score a few KO’s. Any survivors will be finished off by his white skill. Step 4: Profit.
MOST POPULAR PICKS:
Perhaps they’re not quite as notorious as the others above them, but trust me, they are not very far behind at all.
Randall Boggs
- Let’s just get this out of the way. This guy is still super strong even after the nerfs, but at least he’s actually more reasonable to deal with these days. He is now eclipsed by Mulan but he’s as deadly as ever since he can still wipe out most teams without heavily relying on energy to do it. I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again: he HATES the cold. Freeze teams give him the hardest time because they can stop his shenanigans even after he revives.
Elsa
- Very few hero refreshes are as much of a success story as hers is, and she has since become one of the greatest Fantastic Damage users currently. She is legitimately the biggest beneficiary of Kristoff & Sven and Pooh Bear’s introductions. Actually, she has since started to synergize extremely well with a variety of teams soon after her refresh. That said, the difference between a good Elsa and a mediocre one is the strength of her red skill. It’s her ability to spam her White Skill over and over again is what makes her so powerful. The more quickly she can gain Energy, the more she takes advantage of bonus damage from freezes and slows.
Magica De Spell
- Magica has made it very hard for healers to do their thing and her ability to essentially “remove” an important character out of the fight makes her very annoying. She also has really high Evasion to elude disables so she remains quite safe at the back too. As long as she has the energy to spare, the enemy team will essentially be missing a teammate and that in itself is a powerful trait to have in this meta. High damage and high value, what’s not to love (or hate)?
Tron
- Tron is the very antithesis of the Support role. In particular, most players that invest in him will very quickly upgrade his friendship disk with Kevin. At maximum stars, Tron will start at full energy to instantly wipe out any buffs enemies have in the beginning of every fight. This is a huge momentum grab because he can severely weaken popular heroes like Rapunzel, Li Shang, Joy, and Timon & Pumbaa. He is also great for maintaining hardy stacks as well, but it’s really his ability to force enemies into neutral is what makes him so special.
Hades
- Hades is perhaps the best example of how much good a red skill can do to an old character. By just unlocking his red skill, he is now guaranteed 16 in-game seconds to be present in the battlefield. If both teams are spamming white skills during his invincibility, they are also artificially extending his invincibility up-time! This is a really cheap way to stall as a defense team or stealing rounds when attacking in Coliseum. This power was cut in half due to a bug, but with that getting fixed, he will be back in power and ready to cause more frustration.
Animal
- Animal is still the best speed-booster of the game and that makes him one of the most important support characters even now. BUT, Animal fans, if you haven’t already done this, now would be a good time to invest in WALL-E’s disk. Only because Shan Yu now exists. If you use Gonzo’s disk, Animal starts the team off with shields. Shan Yu’s passive gives him 200 energy every time his enemies are shielded. Since Animal shields 5 characters immediately, this instantly gives Shan Yu 1000 energy. He will rain his arrows down upon Animal’s team for an easy team-wipe. This is honestly just a concern over Shan Yu, who isn’t too common yet because he’s an event exclusive. Otherwise, stick with Gonzo’s disk.
Rapunzel
- With Tron becoming more prevalent, Rapunzel now has a real definitive counter. However, this doesn’t change the fact that she’s still one of the best healers around. Unlike Joy, who provides similar defensive support, Rapunzel is normally very difficult to shut down thanks to her hardy stacks. Rapunzel is at her absolute best when wielding the full power of her red skill though. With it, she becomes one of the best anti-CC heroes and her healing and Reality boost become even more valuable. As long as she avoids Tron, she can accomplish great things.
Captain Hook
- Hook is still one of the best defensive forces in the game. Almost nothing can get past him when he starts flailing that sword around but his true value is how quickly he can shut down hyper-offense. In particular, he’s a massive threat to teams that heavily rely on speed. Don’t be too intimidated though. While is Evasion is decent, it’s nowhere near as good as Magica’s or Mulan’s. This means he can be shut down for long periods of time and he’s particularly weak to freeze.
Hank & Dory
- Hark & Dory are yet another high-value frontliner unit. Their ability to blind enemies makes them a favorite team choice for Powerline and they also handle CC very well for themselves. That said, Whale Call is straight up one of the best CC skills currently and is one of their greatest selling points. There are holes in their defenses though, and sometimes they can be caught with a timely freeze or charm. Still, there’s no denying they’re a major threat especially to backline characters.
Other Popular Characters
Strong Meta Picks
Support:
- Megara
- Launchpad
- Gizmoduck (rare but powerful)
- Linguini & Remy
- Li Shang
- Joy
- Timon & Pumbaa
Control:
- Collette
- Minnie Mouse
- Donald Duck
- Huey, Dewey, & Louie
- Jasmine
- Jafar
- Dr. Facilier
Tank:
- Gerald, Marlin, & Nemo
- Oogie Boogie
- Goofy
- Bo Peep
- Gonzo
- Baymax
- Eeyore (rare but powerful)
Damage:
- Miss Piggy
- Peter Pan
- Scrooge McDuck
- Kida
- Duke Caboom
- The Beast
- Megavolt
- Tigger
- Stitch
- Mushu (rare but powerful)
OFF-META & ANTI-META:
Flynn Rider
- Flynn is somewhat popular but more players need to know about him. His sapping and energy stealing gives him a really good match-up against Hook, Beast, Duke, Kida, and even Mulan. He needs to be careful though. He’s really easy to shut down and he has no self-preservasion so he’s gonna need the help of reliable healers like Rapunzel.
Kevin Flynn
- Kevin is the type of character who goes “under the radar”. His healing is weak and players find his kit to be less effective in PvP because of auto. But actually, Kevin thrives pretty well even on auto! His cleansing is a game-changer more often than players give him credit for and his red skill can be insane (but only when at max). He is outclassed by Rapunzel a lot of the time, but he still is a great response against freeze, charms, stuns, and curses. Unlike Rapunzel, he is never bothered by disabes.
Rafiki
- Rafiki should be used more often in a meta like this one. But realistically though, most of his value comes from Jack-Jack’s disk. It must be at 5 stars so that he can keep up with the insane damage output of the current meta. But if it is at max, his healing is even capable of keeping up with Duke Caboom! He’s still a great way to steal a cheap round in Coliseum for stalling the clock.
Mickey Mouse
- I’ve done a lot of testing on this and by numbers alone, Mickey actually has the highest healing output of any healer in practical application. However, this is only accomplished by unlocking his red skill. Admittedly, the situations of which his healing is being used can be a bit skewed, but it’s actually the damage boost of Tooned Up that makes him special. With enough HP mods, he can survive and heal off most sources of damage. The damage boost is a godsend, and deserves more attention.
Ursula
- Hex is the name of the game. Seriously, her ability to suppress devastating white skills is a major selling point and more players should take advantage of her skills. But there are good reasons why she’s not getting picked enough. As a midline character, she’s really easy to shut down. She’s also terribly fragile, especially against Normal damage. She struggles against teams that use a lot of hardy to block her Hex. She just needs a little TLC with the right teammates and generously invested HP mods. I’ve seen her stop Mulan, Beast, Duke, and others from making a team-wipe and it is no short of game-changing.
The Queen of Hearts
- The Queen of Hearts is yet another character who benefited immensely from red skills. Her newfound healing ability is a godsend and she works so well with speed-boosters. She biggest niche should be to counter Minnie and Meg. She also has a decent match up against Miss Piggy, but only if she has that red skill to quickly heal off damage.
Violet
- Violet is a very interesting pick who is also blessed with a wonderful red skill. Her red skill makes her shields beefier and when she goes invisible, she will always use use Force Field instead of her regular attacks. She works extremely well with popular characters like Randall and Hank & Dory thanks to her red skill. She will provide layers of shields almost relentlessly, but that also means she stands no chance against Shan Yu.
Dash
- Dash is a very powerful Normal damage user and he is often capable of just KO’ing one target almost immediately when the battle starts. He has also accumulated a ton of Evasion like Mulan, so he’s really hard to shut down. With Violet’s disk, he also holds a niche of being a lethal shield punisher. Admittedly, Shan Yu is better at it, but Dash is much more accessible to all players. He could pose a threat to popular shield users like Pooh Bear and Mulan, but he is especially devastating to teams that rely on Li Shang.
Elastigirl
- Yet another Incredibles character, like Violet, Elastigirl was also gifted with a shiny new red skill. With 4 stacks of hardy, Elastigirl no longer struggles as much with standing in the midline and getting shut down. Should the player manage to substantially invest well in to her red skill, her Iron Fist can all but guarantee an OHKO and she also becomes a bit of an off-tank too!
WALL-E
- WALL-E was recently blessed with a fantastic refresh. Besides the obvious buffs to his stats and skills, it’s his newfound ability to block saps that allows him to carve his niche. When facing Captain Hook (and also Flynn and Eeyore), having WALL-E in the team makes a huge difference! That and the fact that he gives a huge energy boost makes him a powerful momentum grab.
Genie
- Now that he no longer accidentally freezes his teammates, Genie works really well in freeze teams too. In particular, the speed boost he provides along with the healing is a godsend. Aside from freeze, he also works really well with other healers like Timon & Pumbaa, Rafiki, and Mickey Mouse.
Olaf
- With Kristoff & Sven now being top tier, Olaf can once again combo with Elsa to put everything on ice. He’s admittedly not as good as Powerline or Pooh Bear, but he still holds his own. Most of the damage will have to come from Elsa, but now that Kristoff & Sven can group enemies together, it’s easier than ever before for Olaf to keep entire teams frozen.
Jessie
- Not many players seemed to have picked her up even after her refresh. Thing is, she has great stats to work with. Aside from her beefier HP and Basic Damage, she’s got high Normal crit and she even has Tenacity and Evasion. Her Buzz disk allows her to dive the backline immediately and this combos extremely well with Yzma using Ursula’s disk. She can usually just blow up teams that don’t have the protection of Hakuna Matata. Jessie can also be made even more vicious when linked with Meg.
COMMON META TEAMS:
Rocket Woman
- Most teams will have Mulan as their main superstar. There are many variations, but many of these teams also feature Li Shang. Not because they’d make a cute couple (which they do), but because he can provide her with shields so she keeps her insane crit bonus. Other variations might have Meg to link up with Mulan, Kristoff or Rapunzel for healing and spatial control, or Timon & Pumbaa as a countermeasure against an opposing Mulan.
Freeze Team
- While it is true that Kristoff & Sven can serve as the only freeze users since they have other utilities to provide, pairing them with at least one more freeze user will turn the team into a legitimate freeze team. At absolute minimum, It’s Kristoff & Sven + one more freeze user. The best choice for this Elsa, without a doubt. Her damage potential sky rockets with Kristoff around, and she essentially becomes the actual win condition. Adding other freeze users like Olaf or Powerline is optimal, but a slow user like Pooh Bear is also extremely powerful.
Blind Team
- This team centers on blinds. More specifically, it centers on Powerline. This team’s goal is to set up as many blinds as possible for the strongest possible hit off of Laser Light Show. Powerline only needs one more blind user. Although he can easily accomplish this on his own, having another blind user gets the job done more efficiently. Goofy and Hank & Dory are prime choices, but Donald and Minnie will do just as good. WALL-E makes for a great choice because of the energy boost.
Greek Motorcycle
- This is the tried and true partnership of Meg and Duke Caboom. The key to success is to heavily invest in Duke’s red skill. If the red skill is weak, then only thing Duke is doing is feeding the enemy team lots of energy. A healer like Kristoff can easily recover from Stunt Spectacular. But a well-developed (preferably fully developed) red skill will allow him to break through almost any defense. No amount of healing or shields can stop a link-powered, red-enhanced Stunt Spectacular. The other team slots can be filled by anyone, as long they allow Meg to link with Duke on auto.
Immovable Object
- There are defensive teams out there that specializes on blocking knock backs and negative statuses. These teams often have Tron as the glue that holds it all together, providing hardy stacks to himself and his front-most ally to ensure that the team stays safe. The goal is not always to out-muscle the enemy team, but to simply out-last them for a timeout. Tron is often paired with Liguini & Remy to help maintain the hardy stacks. Rapunzel has also been seen as an emergency cleric that removes negative status effects that makes it past the cracks. A particularly powerful variation made use of Gerald, Marlin, & Nemo. With so many layers of hardy protecting them, they were never knocked off from their rock.
That’s it for now. What are your thoughts on the current meta?
she doesn’t have armor negation
