The era of 2 ability characters should end.

Pwuz_

Ok, I know there was once upon a time an argument that the characters with only 2 abilities were designed as such as part of the learning process for new players. Considering how the meta has shifted though, the 1* - 2* transitions has been nearly eliminated.

If you wanted to even keep that misguided step, only offer their 3rd ability as a PvP reward for battles like Bagman covers. Ok, so here are my proposals for 3rd abilities for the final 2 ability characters.

12 AP Tackle
Juggernaut plows through the enemy team doing x damage to enemy team and x damage to himself.
(Honestly one of the hardest characters to come up with. Juggs is already top tier for 1*, and giving him more abilities is just going to make him better. Damage wise I'm figuring this should be on par or just shy of the damage of Headbutt, but with a bigger kickback as well. I also considered making this do friendly team damage as well, but decided against it. Another idea I had involved a cheap ability doing damage and placing a countdown tile each time the ability was cast, if you could match the countdown tile the next casting would increase in damage to a certain point. It was kinda embodying the increased momentum that Juggs can get going, but ultimately it just sounds too advanced for a 1* ability.)

15 AP Symbiote Steal
Venom uses his tendrils to entangle and throw anything in reach at his foe. Transforms x random special tiles into web tiles and deals x damage for each.
(I suggested this one back in November right after his big nerf took effect. Levels would increase the damage and number of tiles converted. It's intended to give Venom a chance to get his full power Devour off. Not that it doesn't specify who's special tiles get converted. It can and will convert his own friendly special tiles as well as enemy tiles. This gives a strategic advantage to not bringing special tile users against him as he'll be forced to cannibalize his own team's special tiles as well.)

8 AP Misinformation
Yelena strategically leaves "valuable information" for her enemies to find, causing them to fall into her trap. Creates 2 strength x enemy Protect tiles and 1 strength x friendly Strike tile.
(I've been considering this one for a while as Yelena needs to have some ability that gives her opponents a special tile she can use with her Payback Mission. I'm figuring the protect tiles would be on par with Electra's Strike tiles, and her friendly Strike tile would be more than double them at first, perhaps 10x stronger at max level.)

12 AP Trick Shot
Hawkeye fires a shot that ricochets around the room hitting his foes when they least expect it. Deals x damage and creates a Yellow countdown tile. When the countdown tile reaches 0, deals x damage & changes a basic yellow tile into a new Trick Shot countdown tile.
(Does this sound at all like Daredevil's Billy Club, but with damage rather than stun? It should! I've always liked that ability in it's current form, and wondered what a damage dealing version would be like to play with. I even considered the AP boost for matching it like Billy Club, but decided against it as it's just a 1* ability. Levels would change the number of turns it takes the countdown tile to go off and increase the damage.)

10 AP Covering Fire
Black Widow sprays the battlefield with a semi-automatic pistol, causing her opponents to dive for cover. Destroys a selected tile and x other tiles of the same color, but do not generate AP, and drains the enemy of x AP of the selected color.
(Now I know someone is going to be like "whoa, you can't steal moves from Maggia Muscle!" You mean the same Maggia who share 2 of their abilities with the 3* Black Widow? Pistol, Sniper Rifle, and now Covering Fire...why not? So level wise 1-3 should increase the color choices like Hawkeye's Take Aim. 4 can increase the AP drain and tiles destroyed, Level 5 should also be able to destroy enemy special tiles but not select them.)

Ok, those are my suggestions. I intentionally chose their 3rd strong color for these abilities if anyone is wondering why these color choices. Anyone have any better ideas? Critiques or tweaks to my own?

simonsez

Pwuz_ wrote:

Ok, I know there was once upon a time an argument that the characters with only 2 abilities were designed as such as part of the learning process for new players.

I thought the argument was that 3rd abilities on these characters would make PvE even worse than it already is.

carrion_pigeons

As long as these characters scale as unreasonably as they do in PvE and are as common as they are in PvE I have zero interest in buffing them.

Vhailorx

Nah, I like having a few fossils around for nostalgia. It's fun to see how the game used to work. And none of these characters really impact the meta after a players first few weeks (even juggs is of limited value in bop now) so they don't really do any harm.

udonomefoo

I thought this was going to be about how so many new characters have conditional abilities that do one thing or another depending on ap or transform into something else and how annoying it is that the character ability descriptions in game don't tell you what that other thing is until you're already there.

SpecSpecter

simonsez wrote:

Pwuz_ wrote:

Ok, I know there was once upon a time an argument that the characters with only 2 abilities were designed as such as part of the learning process for new players.

I thought the argument was that 3rd abilities on these characters would make PvE even worse than it already is.

Makes sense to withhold from the villains, but Hawkeye and Black Widow I think at least deserve a little more...

Jaedenkaal

Vhailorx wrote:

Nah, I like having a few fossils around for nostalgia. It's fun to see how the game used to work. And none of these characters really impact the meta after a players first few weeks (even juggs is of limited value in bop now) so they don't really do any harm.

He still has a whopping 140k hit points, same match damage as any 4*, and a damn cheap board shake. But yeah, I know what you mean.

The nice thing about BOP is that characters with non-scaling abilities are just as good as anyone else (assuming their abilities don't suck). I'm imagining a 3/5/5 1* spidey performing pretty well.

ZootSax

simonsez wrote:

Pwuz_ wrote:

Ok, I know there was once upon a time an argument that the characters with only 2 abilities were designed as such as part of the learning process for new players.

I thought the argument was that 3rd abilities on these characters would make PvE even worse than it already is.

Pretty much this. For Juggernaut, Venom and Yelena, the only third ability I would want them to have is the following:
Bad Teamwork (Passive):
At the beginning of each turn, your opponent gains one for each other Dark Avenger/Juggernaut/HAMMER Agent on your team. The strength of this tile is equal to the sum of the three character's levels.
Level 2: tile equals twice the sum
Level 3: tile equals three times the sum
Level 4: tile equals five times the sum
Level 5: tile equals ten times the sum

If they're going to make me fight the same few jerks every PVE, at least cripple them for me

Unknown

I agree with all your power stats, but since there is no passive abilities at level 1 tp teach new players, I suggest a different power for Juggernaut that would make him and his parties more formidable and reflect his powers in universe.
Avatar of Cyttorak (Passive)
Level 1- If a power is launched by friendly team and there is 8 or more team up tiles on the board. Generate one random 12 strength defense or strike tile based on color used in launch power.
Level 2- If a power is launched by friendly team and there is 7 or more team up tiles on the board. Generate one random 17 strength defense or strike tile based on color used in launch power.
Level 3- If a power is launched by friendly team and there is 7 or more team up tiles on the board. Generate two random 22 strength defense or strike tile based on color used in launch power.
Level 4- If a power is launched by friendly team and there is 6 or more team up tiles on the board. Generate two random 27 strength defense or strike tile based on color used in launch power.
Level 5- If a power is launched by friendly team and there is 6 or more team up tiles on the board. Generate three random 33 strength defense or strike tile based on color used in launch power.

Pwuz_

PMRoadie wrote:

I agree with all your power stats, but since there is no passive abilities at level 1 tp teach new players, I suggest a different power for Juggernaut that would make him and his parties more formidable and reflect his powers in universe.
Avatar of Cyttorak (Passive)
Level 1- If a power is launched by friendly team and there is 8 or more team up tiles on the board. Generate one random 12 strength defense or strike tile based on color used in launch power.
Level 2- If a power is launched by friendly team and there is 7 or more team up tiles on the board. Generate one random 17 strength defense or strike tile based on color used in launch power.
Level 3- If a power is launched by friendly team and there is 7 or more team up tiles on the board. Generate two random 22 strength defense or strike tile based on color used in launch power.
Level 4- If a power is launched by friendly team and there is 6 or more team up tiles on the board. Generate two random 27 strength defense or strike tile based on color used in launch power.
Level 5- If a power is launched by friendly team and there is 6 or more team up tiles on the board. Generate three random 33 strength defense or strike tile based on color used in launch power.

I don't disagree with your logic. With the TU tile restriction, and the AI's perpensity for matching TU's anyway, this could be useful but not OP. I stand by the ability should be Black though.