Table of Contents
Welcome to our weekly edition of The Bazaar State of the Meta series! This is an attempt at giving a global picture of the current state of The Bazaar metagame.
In order to understand these reports, I feel like I need to share the way I approach The Bazaar. At the moment, the game feels extremely volatile in the last few days, meaning the hardest wins to get are the last three, to get from a Silver to a Gold run. Then, I will prioritize a good start, and the ability to lock in 7 wins on all my runs, rather than risk a gimmicky build to shoot for 10.
Sure, the only way to climb the ladder sort of fast is to go for 10 wins. Yet, the only thing better than two Silver runs is a Silver and a Gold. With that in mind, I'd rather make sure I will lock those two 7 wins journeys rather than ruin one of these runs because I tried to go for 10 twice and ended up with a 4, or worse.
I am a big believer in how momentum plays a role in our ability to enjoy something, and how sound fundamentals are the most important part of building said momentum. Once I feel confident in my ability to consistently put up 7 wins, the Gold victories are only one step away. A step, I now have the baggage to take.
Version 1.0.0 Metagame Overview & Hero Rankings
This philosophy will be reflected in how I rank the Heroes in The Bazaar. I prefer those with the ability to start strong and either scale, or transition into the late game rather than aiming for a home run or an unfortunate journey.
Dooley is first, and it doesn't feel close. Power Drill is an insane item, while the expansion is incredible as well. It helps that both are perfect together to form the best build in the game. Plus, Dooley always gets a decent start when you pair a core with an enchanted item. This ensures to be competitive in PvP in the early days while being able to take on elites quickly in PvE.
Mak just got its best build nerfed, but still has a remarkable early game thanks to its mix of regeneration and poison. Also, the alchemist has a great scaling ability thanks to the Reagents build or Vat of Acid. Lastly, there is a slow build picking up momentum, and possibly something to consider in this Dooley Bugs metagame.
Although I believe it is one of the best in order to shoot for 10 wins, I find Pygmalien lackluster in early game compared to the other characters a big drawback at the moment. There are plenty of strong things to do, but it will too often cost you the first days in PvP before you can get there.
Vanessa is back to being the queen of weapons with Poppy Field weakened, but still lacks a super consistent build through the entire course of a run. Multi-Weapon is great to secure 4 or 7 wins but will run out of gas eventually. Mono-Weapon is great, but easily disrupted once we reach the later stages, especially as there is a lot of Dooley with both Slow and Freeze right now. Finally, the Aquatic Build kind of feels eclipsed by Mak's ability to poison for more, and Shielding lost some value with more poison around since Mak released.
Best Starting Kit
The enchanted item is my pick for all four characters at the moment, mostly because not picking it typically means losing early to most players who chose that starting kit.
Mak probably is the most flexible one, with the nerf to Spider Mace and most foundational items for other builds being either medium or large. There is a chance the gold skill is better depending on the offers we get, although many Poison skills were nerfed on April 2nd.
I could understand why picking something else with Pygmalien would make sense, as you expect to struggle in the early days anyway. However, there are plenty of great small items to pick up and build around, such as Matchbox, Marbles, Yo-Yo…
Dooley
The robot does its best work with Power Drill in the mix. That item is both versatile and strong, it can be paired with a variety of things. At worst, Power Drill will serve as a Core charger, and a good recipient to many enchantments. With the right support, such as Dooley's current expansion, you become an unstoppable monster.
There are other builds available, but they all feel too fair compared to what you can accomplish with Power Drill and the new Bugs.
Would not be surprised to see the next hotfix be about Dooley's current power.
| Build | Early | Late | Projected Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Drill & Bugs | Good | Great | 7-10 | A+ |
| Non Bugs Friends | Below Average | Good | 4-7 | B+ |
| Tech items | Great | average | 4-7 | B+ |
Example Best Builds
Power Drill and Robotic Factory tend to be the best way to use the five spots alongside your bugs. Yet, you could also have Dooltron in there, or even Bill Dozer as the large item. As for the medium one, your core, especially the Companion one, will be just fine. Core plus Power Drill plus another small item is also strong.
Bellelista can still pack quite a punch if you haste it enough, while Race Carl gets extremely fast on the same condition. Together, they represent a decent, non expansion based, way to build around Companion Core.
Mix the ability to charge your tech items with the disruption provided by the various effects of those same items to create a replica of what the bugs can do, except it is more difficult to accomplish. At least, a Burn enchantment, or a beefed up Ignition Core can make this build a menace.
Mak
Poppy Field remains a solid build, but I chose not to feature it here due to the nerf of Spider Mace mostly. Most of the time, it is the first item we find and build around until Poppy Field shows up and we fully dedicate to it. Since the hotfix, the early game feels much weaker, hence why I tend not to invest into Spider Mace too much unless I also have other items to support it early on.
As for the potions, I find they are a great support mechanic, but require too many things to go right to be reliable. If the stars align, I'll happily follow that route. Otherwise, I'll often already have started on something, and will use the potions as a way to enhance it.
| Build | Early | Late | Projected Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vat of Acid | Below Average | Great | Inconsistent | A |
| Slow Hit | Poor | Good | Inconsistent | B+ |
| Reagent | Above Average | Below Average | 4-7 | B- |
Example Best Builds
I'm not really sure if there is a clear better way to build around Vat of Acid at the moment. Cauldron is great as it grows with your signature item to give you even more Burn and Poison, but it might be overkill. Still, a Boiling Flask or Hourglass in between the two is simple and effective.
The other direction is to make Vat of Acid as fast as possible through Haste or Charge, but that will typically come in the form of a skill or a late days item. Indeed, until the very late game, Mak doesn't shine with its ability to go off early in a fight.
In the build above, Mothmeal is just to indicate you want a slow item, ideally as fast as possible. Sleeping Potion is only 4 seconds, but you might get lucky with Mothmeal.
The slow build is picking up momentum, with Dooley being a bigger part of the metagame as more players unlock the Dooltron expansion. Against a Friends heavy build, Thrown Net is just insane to charge Magnus' Femur.
The trick is to be able to land one or two huge hits because it's too late, so the other items should be geared towards making Thrown Net or Incense as fast as possible or granting some survivability.
I don't think the Reagents build is particularly strong, and probably not top 3 for Mak in terms of sheer power. Yet, I still would pick it when it falls into my hands early in a run. Indeed, it is fairly simple to achieve a 7 wins run with some good scaling early on and an enchantment granting extra damage (Obsidian, Fiery, Shiny) on Calcinator.
I consider this a worse Vat of Acid, but the large item isn't always around, and worse in the early parts of a run.
Pygmalien
If you can win the early days with Pygmalien, which are typically the hardest part of a run for that character, you are looking great to go all the way. However, the fact we typically get one to two fewer chances at a loss in the later days is a big limitation in my opinion.
| Build | Early | Late | Projected Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charging Items | Below Average | Great | Inconsistent | A- |
| Medium Weapons | Average | Good | 4-7 | B+ |
| Fixer Upper | Below Average | Good | Inconsistent | B |
Example Best Builds
If we consider the early days are a necessary sacrifice, then the Jabalian Drum build likely has the best chance to turn the tables once at full force. Plus, this tends to be able to use the enchanted item from the starting kit the best.
Pepper Spray is the flexible item in the build, the rest being harder to replace without weakening one of our synergies. Yet, I really like the emergency slow to all opposing items in case an opponent would be too fast for us to be able to charge our weapons.
Mak's hotfix has tilted the alchemist towards looking for fewer and bigger hits, which makes Caltrops worse. I still believe it is a fantastic item, definitely worth investing into, and great against Dooley's Power Drill. Plus, the medium build has the best early game for Pygmalien in my opinion, as you scale the power of your weapon from the very beginning. You can get nice power bursts through a Crook upgrade, or just maximizing the value of Dog or Regal Blade.
In the late game, I love the Belt and Lion Cane pair in order to gain some survivability while landing a huge hit for the kill once Caltrops dealt a big chunk of damage already.
Fixer Upper remains a strong direction to pursue if you find the property early, and one you can't really mess up. However, when you had a shot at winning some PvP fights early on through sheer amount of shield, the arrival of Mak's poison builds means Fixer Upper typically will have to win a lot in the later days to put up a good win-loss record.
Spiky Shield is typically considered a staple, but I rarely need it once Fixer Upper is enchanted, hence why it isn't part of my default build. It is easier to consider this a 6 spots builds (Fixer Upper, Balcony, Abacus) and be flexible with the remaining four.
Vanessa
Less of Mak isn't good news for Vanessa in my opinion. Indeed, the pirate had a good shot against the alchemist, bursting it down early in a fight. With Dooley taking over, there is more freeze, which limits the Mono-Weapon build's effectiveness, and possibly more shield as well, to contain weapon damage early in a fight.
At least, the Aquatic build feels a little better now that Mak doesn't automatically make it look like a worse way to poison. Still, I feel like this is the hero without a clear build to chase in order to consistently post strong performances.
Look for high rolls when playing Vanessa, be it a skill, enchantment or an opportunistic Whether Glass you could build around.
| Build | Early | Late | Projected Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquatic | Good | Average | 4-7 | B+ |
| Multi-Weapon | Good | Average | 4-7 | B |
| Mono-Weapon | Average | Average | 4-7 | B |
Example Best Builds
Mak still feels like a superior Aquatic build, but the ability to build shield offers superior survivability. If we can find some skills or enchantment to enhance our damage ability, the Aquatic build still feels fair.
This is probably the most flexible build in the game, as the goal simply is to create damage one way or another. Then, be flexible with the skills you pick up on the way to optimize this build to your best assets.
Cannonade is often the preferred way to build around this concept. I find Trebuchet to be more reliable since you find it early, but Zoarcid and Incendiary Rounds are needed to make it click. Without the expansion, Cannonade alongside swift items is probably preferable.
Captain's Wheel and Catfish are flexible items here. Both synergize with Flagship to grant it multicast. Yet, a potion could also do the trick as it is an ammo item, while Captain's Wheel has multiple potential replacements available.
Closing Words
Thanks for all the feedback we got about the first piece of this series last week. I did my best to improve it and account for the various comments I saw. Let me know in the comments if you feel this is closer to your expectations.
If you have any questions or would be looking for coaching, feel free to reach out on Discord @den_ccg.
Good Game Everyone.
