Okay, I’m aware that I sometimes come of as a bit of a whiner but I do think I have decent reason to be annoyed when the meta shifts so throughly into a direction that is completely counter to my playstyle, to the point where I can say without exaggeration that there is no point not using an unbuffing team.
So, for the sheer sake of curiosity, I’m gonna go through previous examples of meta that I can recall over my time of playing and I’m curious what people think.
First thing that comes to mind was Quorra. Remember when SHE was worth anything? Probably the prime example why percentage based abilities need a cap because she would effortlessly instant kill almost everything.
Olaf used to be a pain. Didn’t even really get an answer so much as powercreep away from. Ducky and Bunny were in a similar boat but at least Baymax’s sheild was enough to fend off the laser. Bo Peep was basically a Zurg that could actually defend herself, and again, she didn’t get an answer so much as other options just being better (there’s a difference. Being powercrept isn’t an answer, it’s just making someone else the problem)
Merlin used to be a forced to be reckoned with. Interestingly he actually got a legitimate answer in the form of T&P.
I don’t even think I need to explain why Randall and Jafar were problems, Cheshire Cat, Maximus and Mulan were classics for similar reasons. Another case of characters defining the meta and being removed not because answers were found but because they simply got powercrept out.
Slink and Fear was a combo that kept showing up because someone again didn’t seem to realise having a percentage based ability without a cap is just utterly unbalanced, they had to fix that.
Zeus was an interesting case in that he GOT answers. Pretty much the immediate following patch we got Mary, who you didn’t even have to max, you just needed her disk… then he got nerfed. TWICE. When at that point he wasn’t even the worst offender of what he represented.
And what did he represent? Massive start-of-fight whole party damage. C&D still running rampant there. Baymax was buffed to an absurd degree that if you’re not running T&P or Shank there’s basically no surviving his entry.
And now we’re at the current meta, the Auroras, Cinderellas, Gothels, Collettes, Skinners, etc, etc.
Want to try and face an enemy team using slightly lesser heroes, hoping to equip them with the buffs they’d need to survive an attack and hopefully stand a chance at wining? HA! No, buffs aren’t worth a darn anymore. Which might have actually been interesting if it wasn’t for the fact that the buff removers enviably have the strongest offensive options on top of that.
SERIOUSLY! WHY THE HECK ARE THE CONTROL HEROES THE HEAVIEST HITTERS?!? Isn’t half the point of them that they’re supposed to just make things more difficult for the enemy but they aren’t likely to win by themselves?
But, that’s my particular rant. My playstyle was a very specific one. I used buffs. I used them alot. I carefully choose what buffs I stacked on who to make the heroes I wanted to use be able to take a stand against the meta. You want to make shield that block several billions worth of HP? I’d boost Dash’s damage to the point of overwhelming it. You want to keep me stunned until time runs out? I’m throwing Anger and letting his stacks buff him enough to win by himself. ANYTHING that you could have thrown at me, I could figure out with old heroes and smart thinking.
But alas, it’s reached the point where I doubt it’ll be the case for much longer. Because what’s the point of buffing if Auroa can just remove them all with her basic. What’s the point of healing if Skinner kills you for trying? What’s the point of trying to defend yourself with hardy when they’re all gone in an instant?
The meta is now not one hero you would have to think around, it is an entire concept. “I have the stronger heroes, and they will remove any attempt to even the playing field”.
And who knows, maybe you all like the new meta, but I wonder how you all will feel when it shifts again, and the heroes that stand atop the mountain fall and become worth less than the dirt at your feet. Because each time it happens, it’ll take more and more resources to catch up. How sustainable is that, I wonder. This game has survived on the nostalgia of Disney. Is this nostalgia unending, or will they overplay their hand one day? Who knows? I just know that I’d probably be happier if I could just bring myself to stop caring about this game.