I feel really mixed about this patch. Some of the stuff makes sense and was elegant. Catwoman, Atrocitus, Black Adam, Ivy, Deadshot, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, etc. were all handled pretty solidly. Some of them I'm not super clear on, but it sounds like characters such as Canary might have been overbuffed slightly? I'm also not clear whether Grodd still needs his stampede cancels to survive in matches. If so, I'm not pleased with that at all.
But the thing that really frustrates me is the number of obvious changes that should've been made but were avoided.
-Aquaman: Why on earth would AM's tentacle strike be a better nerf target than trident rush? Trident Rush is hands down the most annoying, skill-less move in the game. Rename it from "Trident Rush" to "Hype Crush" if you want to be accurate. And it gets a token damage nerf. Delete that move (or make it severely negative on block, do almost no chip, whatever) and AM would be fine. And it's not even part of his actual game plan. If he's supposed to be a "defensive wall," why would he need a pressure move like that? Who at NRS loves that move so much?
-Wonder Woman: Why does her trait have to be random? What RNG-based move in any fighting game ever has been a hit with the players? I appreciate that they shortened the startup and cool down of the move, but why not give us some ability to control it? Why withhold control from the player?
-Superman: F23 is fine? And F23~breath is also fine? Why do some characters get such simplistic tools with no downsides? Should I believe that it's coincidence that those tend to be headliner characters? I appreciate the nerf to his wakeup game, but why is it so easy for him to dominate the neutral? Shouldn't that be a key challenge in any match?
-Batman: Same with J2. Why is the hitbox on this move ok?
-Swamp Thing: He can't get a decent wall- or ground-bounce combo with meter still? Does he really need to have such tight links on his BnBs? Do his F3/B3 really have to come from another zip code before they reach the opponent? These are so obvious and such QOL fixes as well.
-Captain Cold: This character could be so good (but not broken) with some decent mid-hitting strings. Why adjust arctic trap and full-screen ice wall but not consider the fact that his basic strings are mostly garbage?
-Joker: He really needed nothing? Are you sure?
-Cyborg: See "Joker."
As I said, some of the changes in this patch seem really solid and well-thought-out. It just seems to me that the devs are in some ways being deliberately obtuse to needs and shortcomings that are readily apparent to anyone with a few days' knowledge of the game. The other possible explanation is that the devs are trying to enforce their own agenda for how the game should be played and only want to remove impediments to that goal. If they've decided that spammable moves are something they want to see in the game, then no amount of common sense is going to get rid of trident rush and F23 and J2. Same with WW's trait if they like the idea of randomness being part of a character's core tool set. And while their vision is certainly something they can enforce, I can't say I as a dedicated player can condone that level of big-brother-esque control. It's unpalatable as a player, and it leads (and has lead in game after game) to unpleasant experiences for players and spectators and overall a game with a shorter lifespan and a dissatisfied fan base.
