Catalyst Discussion

[Jhosvi]

Catalysts should be taken into account when matchmaking, and/or its strengths (specifically the top catalysts) be tuned down so that players whom doesn't have the optimal collection for rifts or the compatibility with the enemy's roster have a chance to atleast complete the map. Due to factors affecting player collection (Being, taste and RNG) most of the players on the lower parts of the ladder doesn't have such optimal collections and will need to adapt to it (Which can take a long time depending on the previous collection) , subsequently one of the negative views on catalysts.

 

[TonyPartridge30]

If I had a Death Note, I'd write these catalyst names:

• Darknut
• Futile Resistance
• Armor Rating
• Frost Armor

Pretty much any catalyst that has to do with armor is a super annoying guarantee for a time-out defeat. It makes it worse when someone combos with Autoimmune catalyst or Surgeon General Valentine to stop armor-break attacks.

I've taken the implausible stance of leading by example and not using awful catalysts. I've seen them in the Cabinet of Curiosities and not bought 'em. I want my opponent to have a difficult challenge, not despair.

I don't think Darknut is as bad as the others, as it's negated will a single, well-placed Armor Break move, of which there are plenty. Frost Armor surprised me this update as it didn't get a rework like Armor Rating, yet it's arguable as potent and as commonly used as Armor Rating. Gold Frost Armor grants 20% chance to gain armor for at least 5 seconds? Again, that already makes any node leagues better than the Reactive Armor node, and Catalysts were only supposed to represent a lateral shift in difficulty.

While I do not take a no-use stance with all of these armor-based catalysts, I do restrict myself to using only one catalyst type per name on my defense maps. So for me, you won't find 2 Armor Ratings on my map, or 2 Darknuts, or 2 Frost Armors, etc. Because I think variety is the spice of life and just filling out defense maps with Armor catalysts is boring. Hopefully the devs consider my idea of giving point bonuses to defense maps for Catalyst diversity.

 

[fanghoul]

While I do not take a no-use stance with all of these armor-based catalysts, I do restrict myself to using only one catalyst type per name on my defense maps. So for me, you won't find 2 Armor Ratings on my map, or 2 Darknuts, or 2 Frost Armors, etc. Because I think variety is the spice of life and just filling out defense maps with Armor catalysts is boring. Hopefully the devs consider my idea of giving point bonuses to defense maps for Catalyst diversity.

There's also probably some wisdom in this since the policy with this game seems to be to make sometimes big changes, and players just have to deal with the fact that the thing they invested in now it does something new. I'm sure there's some people that invested all they had in Armor Rating and Blockbusted that are regretting it.

I'm certainly feeling some pain that I took a Into Thin Air to level 10, back when that kicked in every 11 seconds, instead of 21.

 

[BallotBoxer]

I don't think Darknut is as bad as the others, as it's negated will a single, well-placed Armor Break move, of which there are plenty.

True, but not all armor-break moves are created equal. Compare Parasoul's Egret Moto special move slowly puttering across the screen to maybe catch an unguarded enemy to Squigly's Drag 'N Drop blockbuster that cracks and shucks more shells than a canned clam factory. Some characters are pathetic at armor breaking while others excel, which is really crummy when so many catalysts are armor related.

My current opponent's boss node is the norm:

DARKNUT
[Dark Element Defenders]: Begin the match with 5 stacks of ARMOR. Each stack is removed when HIT with a COMBO COUNT at any multiple of 10.
Gain a 10% chance to inflict BLEED for 7 seconds when HIT while benefitting from ARMOR.
AUTOIMMUNE
35% chance when suffering a DEBUFF to gain IMMUNITY for 7 seconds.
ARMOR RATING
12% chance when HIT to avoid all damage and gain ARMOR for 7 seconds if the opponent has over 10 COMBO HITS.​

With fully-upgraded diamond versions of Bloodbath Eliza, Bio-Exorcist Squigly, and Wulfsbane Beowulf, naturally.

So it is like, this is the boss node, use your best characters, but oh wait, none are Light or have convenient armor break moves. Incoming defeat. On the bright side, the recent nerfs have diminished the above catalyst combo from IMPOSSIBLE to IMPLAUSIBLE victory, so that's nice.

 

[fanghoul]

True, but not all armor-break moves are created equal. Compare Parasoul's Egret Moto special move slowly puttering across the screen to maybe catch an unguarded enemy to Squigly's Drag 'N Drop blockbuster that cracks and shucks more shells than a canned clam factory. Some characters are pathetic at armor breaking while others excel, which is really crummy when so many catalysts are armor related.

My current opponent's boss node is the norm:

DARKNUT
[Dark Element Defenders]: Begin the match with 5 stacks of ARMOR. Each stack is removed when HIT with a COMBO COUNT at any multiple of 10.
Gain a 10% chance to inflict BLEED for 7 seconds when HIT while benefitting from ARMOR.
AUTOIMMUNE
35% chance when suffering a DEBUFF to gain IMMUNITY for 7 seconds.
ARMOR RATING
12% chance when HIT to avoid all damage and gain ARMOR for 7 seconds if the opponent has over 10 COMBO HITS.​

With fully-upgraded diamond versions of Bloodbath Eliza, Bio-Exorcist Squigly, and Wulfsbane Beowulf, naturally.

So it is like, this is the boss node, use your best characters, but oh wait, none are Light or have convenient armor break moves. Incoming defeat. On the bright side, the recent nerfs have diminished the above catalyst combo from IMPOSSIBLE to IMPLAUSIBLE victory, so that's nice.

But using Light is the worst element to use in this situation, because it would make the enemy's meter fill insanely quickly?

The other way to attack Dark Nut is using outtakes. It will take a little bit, but each outtake removes all 5 stacks of armor from that character.

I'd personally use my standard boss node cracking combo of Diamond Primed / Harlequin / Surgeon General in this case, with Primed equipped with three Napalm Shots, her outtake, and Silent Scope.

Admittedly not available to everyone, which is your point, but it's not impossible to crack these defenses. Both Harlequin and outtakes are pretty common, and once you have Darknut out of the way, the defenses aren't too outrageous.

 

[TonyPartridge30]

True, but not all armor-break moves are created equal. Compare Parasoul's Egret Moto special move slowly puttering across the screen to maybe catch an unguarded enemy to Squigly's Drag 'N Drop blockbuster that cracks and shucks more shells than a canned clam factory. Some characters are pathetic at armor breaking while others excel, which is really crummy when so many catalysts are armor related.

My current opponent's boss node is the norm:

DARKNUT
[Dark Element Defenders]: Begin the match with 5 stacks of ARMOR. Each stack is removed when HIT with a COMBO COUNT at any multiple of 10.
Gain a 10% chance to inflict BLEED for 7 seconds when HIT while benefitting from ARMOR.
AUTOIMMUNE
35% chance when suffering a DEBUFF to gain IMMUNITY for 7 seconds.
ARMOR RATING
12% chance when HIT to avoid all damage and gain ARMOR for 7 seconds if the opponent has over 10 COMBO HITS.​

With fully-upgraded diamond versions of Bloodbath Eliza, Bio-Exorcist Squigly, and Wulfsbane Beowulf, naturally.

So it is like, this is the boss node, use your best characters, but oh wait, none are Light or have convenient armor break moves. Incoming defeat. On the bright side, the recent nerfs have diminished the above catalyst combo from IMPOSSIBLE to IMPLAUSIBLE victory, so that's nice.

I'd break out emergency Xenomorph for that node, probably. Use an outtake to keep Bio-Exorcist off the field until the other two are dead, and hope that I could keep Xeno alive long enough to Doom all three and then swap in a tank to wait out the storm. I usually reserve that tactic for the Reactive Armor node but the Armor-catalyst meta going around sometimes forces me to use that tactic twice in one Rift, at the cost of points, of course.