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I think most people are aware that there's been talks and memes about Big Band being the worst character in this game. I've made a video that breaks this down and suggestions/ideas on how to buff Big Band's kit, from his abilities to his moves. I wanted to share some of the ideas here in this forum where the devs can take a look and hopefully consider some of the suggestions. Here's a short written version of what Melon and I thought about for Buffs on Big Band's kit.
WHY IS BIG BAND BAD?
Big Band is the archetypal 'tank' character with tons of HP, Defense and plenty of abilities that grant ARMOR. His huge bulk makes it harder for the opponents to take him down through direct damage. However, RPG elements in the game allows him to be taken down via other routes such as BLEED, DOOM, etc. This was probably an intended weakness to allow characters like Filia or Valentine to have a chance against him. However, the introduction of PIERCING as a new sub-stat have substantially increased the amount of damage one can deal in a fight, and was a direct nerf to Big Band's viability as a defender. I briefly also mentioned the nerf to the catalysts: Futile Resistance and Armor Rating which made Big Band very strong in the past in the video, but I'm not going to discuss them here. While there has been substantial changes to the game and offense is much stronger now than ever, there has not been any compensatory BUFFS to Big Band's defensive kit. I personally think Big Band's not that far off from being a good defender again and a few small BUFFS (and new variants) could go a long way.
The part of Big Band's kit that needs a lot of work though is his 'offensive kit'. This is a fighting game and being a defender alone is not enough. Big Band has a very small ATK stat and needs some offensive pressure so people can actually use him in fights. Other characters with a similar ATK paradigm is Valentine (which has access to BLEEDS/HEAVY BLEED) and Squigly (which has access to WITHER and CURSE). Big Band's offensive kit comes in three forms: long combo-hit count, STUN and empowered dash attacks. I personally think these are fine tools for Big Band and I don't have a big problem with any of them. However, I do think that Big Band could use more tools to compete with the current roster, namely ARMOR BREAK, Meter Control, BUFF Control and Regen. Melon has some suggestions on moves that would make sense to provide these tools (see below). I personally think ARMOR BREAK and Meter Control are the critical ones out of the four.
IDEAS ON CHANGES TO BIG BAND'S KIT
I just wanted to very briefly highlight parts of Big Band's kit that feels very old and could use a fresh new look:
1. Marquee Ability: Soloist is largely unused as an ability and only useful in very niche situations. I would like to see both abilities combined to just one ability, a straight 15% less damage without any needless condition. This could be that small BUFF to his defensive kit. And then have a second Marquee Ability that can either be an offensive one (15% more damage?) or another defensive one (15% HP and Resistance?) to double-down on his tank archetype.
2. Prestige Ability: The latest new mechanic in the game but not one without problems. My issue is in the charge condition which is impossible to activate on defense by the AI. I suggested in the video to change it from COMBO HITS to KNOCK DOWN instead, keeping everything else the same. Big Band is already a strong defender against multi-hit characters (you never want to use Valentine if Futile Resistance is a catalyst). Big Band's weakness comes from characters that can deal huge burst damage like Parasoul and Cerebella. These characters tend to knock down enemies a lot through grabs/dash attacks/etc. I think the charge rate for the Prestige Ability should be geared to countering these characters.
3. Moves: see Melon's Twitter Thread
4. Variants: Two variants stuck out in mind. Private Dick and G.I. Jazz have not gotten any significant BUFFS since they were released and their age are clearly showing. I also talked about some ideas to BUFF these two variants and the reasoning behind my choices in the video. Here are the biggest problems for these two variants:
-Private Dick: Resistance only works against Signature Abilities, but not modifiers or catalysts. STUN feels redundant when Big Band already has a lot of moves that can inflict STUN. Personally, I don't have a problem with the STUN itself, but would like to see some kind of additional pay-off or reward for STUNNING the opponents (see Star-Crossed's second Signature Ability).
-G.I. Jazz: Relies too much on BUFFS that can easily be removed through a lot of ways (CURSE, BLEED, ARMOR BREAK, Tag Out). Big Band's defensive bulk has been nerfed from PIERCING so taking down G.I. Jazz has been significantly easier, even with his massive HP. Personally, I would like to see his two abilities combined into one (and make it permanent for a few seconds), and then gain a second new ability that doubles down on his defensive bulk. My idea is to have 2 stacks of permanent ARMOR when above 50% HEALTH.
LAST THOUGHTS
There's a lot more that I talked about in the video but I think the ones I wrote down here are the parts of Big Band's kit that needs to be prioritized. I know that reworks on character's old kits are being looked at. We've seen changes to Filia and also Valentine's blockbuster move. Hopefully, we can see one for Big Band soon. He's a cool character but his age is really showing!
WHY IS BIG BAND BAD?
Big Band is the archetypal 'tank' character with tons of HP, Defense and plenty of abilities that grant ARMOR. His huge bulk makes it harder for the opponents to take him down through direct damage. However, RPG elements in the game allows him to be taken down via other routes such as BLEED, DOOM, etc. This was probably an intended weakness to allow characters like Filia or Valentine to have a chance against him. However, the introduction of PIERCING as a new sub-stat have substantially increased the amount of damage one can deal in a fight, and was a direct nerf to Big Band's viability as a defender. I briefly also mentioned the nerf to the catalysts: Futile Resistance and Armor Rating which made Big Band very strong in the past in the video, but I'm not going to discuss them here. While there has been substantial changes to the game and offense is much stronger now than ever, there has not been any compensatory BUFFS to Big Band's defensive kit. I personally think Big Band's not that far off from being a good defender again and a few small BUFFS (and new variants) could go a long way.
The part of Big Band's kit that needs a lot of work though is his 'offensive kit'. This is a fighting game and being a defender alone is not enough. Big Band has a very small ATK stat and needs some offensive pressure so people can actually use him in fights. Other characters with a similar ATK paradigm is Valentine (which has access to BLEEDS/HEAVY BLEED) and Squigly (which has access to WITHER and CURSE). Big Band's offensive kit comes in three forms: long combo-hit count, STUN and empowered dash attacks. I personally think these are fine tools for Big Band and I don't have a big problem with any of them. However, I do think that Big Band could use more tools to compete with the current roster, namely ARMOR BREAK, Meter Control, BUFF Control and Regen. Melon has some suggestions on moves that would make sense to provide these tools (see below). I personally think ARMOR BREAK and Meter Control are the critical ones out of the four.
IDEAS ON CHANGES TO BIG BAND'S KIT
I just wanted to very briefly highlight parts of Big Band's kit that feels very old and could use a fresh new look:
1. Marquee Ability: Soloist is largely unused as an ability and only useful in very niche situations. I would like to see both abilities combined to just one ability, a straight 15% less damage without any needless condition. This could be that small BUFF to his defensive kit. And then have a second Marquee Ability that can either be an offensive one (15% more damage?) or another defensive one (15% HP and Resistance?) to double-down on his tank archetype.
2. Prestige Ability: The latest new mechanic in the game but not one without problems. My issue is in the charge condition which is impossible to activate on defense by the AI. I suggested in the video to change it from COMBO HITS to KNOCK DOWN instead, keeping everything else the same. Big Band is already a strong defender against multi-hit characters (you never want to use Valentine if Futile Resistance is a catalyst). Big Band's weakness comes from characters that can deal huge burst damage like Parasoul and Cerebella. These characters tend to knock down enemies a lot through grabs/dash attacks/etc. I think the charge rate for the Prestige Ability should be geared to countering these characters.
3. Moves: see Melon's Twitter Thread
4. Variants: Two variants stuck out in mind. Private Dick and G.I. Jazz have not gotten any significant BUFFS since they were released and their age are clearly showing. I also talked about some ideas to BUFF these two variants and the reasoning behind my choices in the video. Here are the biggest problems for these two variants:
-Private Dick: Resistance only works against Signature Abilities, but not modifiers or catalysts. STUN feels redundant when Big Band already has a lot of moves that can inflict STUN. Personally, I don't have a problem with the STUN itself, but would like to see some kind of additional pay-off or reward for STUNNING the opponents (see Star-Crossed's second Signature Ability).
-G.I. Jazz: Relies too much on BUFFS that can easily be removed through a lot of ways (CURSE, BLEED, ARMOR BREAK, Tag Out). Big Band's defensive bulk has been nerfed from PIERCING so taking down G.I. Jazz has been significantly easier, even with his massive HP. Personally, I would like to see his two abilities combined into one (and make it permanent for a few seconds), and then gain a second new ability that doubles down on his defensive bulk. My idea is to have 2 stacks of permanent ARMOR when above 50% HEALTH.
LAST THOUGHTS
There's a lot more that I talked about in the video but I think the ones I wrote down here are the parts of Big Band's kit that needs to be prioritized. I know that reworks on character's old kits are being looked at. We've seen changes to Filia and also Valentine's blockbuster move. Hopefully, we can see one for Big Band soon. He's a cool character but his age is really showing!
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