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 on the long run, 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 1.0.1 Metagame Overview & Hero Rankings
Patch 1.0.1 followed by the typical hotfix to round out the edges have been released, and mostly focused on nerfs rather than giving us new builds to explore.
Overall, I think this update was a solid one, closing the gap from a character to another. Each of the four heroes has a very strong build at the moment, so knowledge feels more influential than sheer power. I gave a lot of credit to the flexibility of each character this time, as I feel each of the top builds are pretty close to each other. Then, the ability to complete your build, or play something else if what you targeted didn't show up, weights the most in the rankings for this report.
Mak feels like the biggest loser this time, as its Reagents' ability to scale was severely nerfed in the hotfix. He is ranked third thanks to an incredible slow based build alongside other solid options. Yet, I could definitely envision Vanessa being much higher for those who unlocked this season's expansion.
Dooley's main build is slower in the early days with three of the insects not available in Bronze rarity anymore. This particularly hurts the enchanted item starting kit, now less consistent. Plus Robotic Factory now increases the cooldown of our friends in exchange for the Multicast, pushing other large items (Bill Dozer, Dooltron) to be more interesting now.
Dooley did get a few buffs however, such as the Tech build, with Arc Blaster and Laser Pistol both getting faster. Even with those changes, the expansion themed build still feels superior.
The other huge change has been how we access our Core, now the Level 3 reward, which naturally made Dooley much worse on Day 1, and sometimes Day 2 if we can't find enough experience on the way to our second fight.
While this feels like a big deal until we get our core, the fact they were improved, and we get them at the silver rarity immediately largely makes up for it in my opinion.
With everyone getting a little slower, Pygmalien has more time to enter a fight, and more time to leverage its large health pool. This makes the Jabalian Drum particularly good in my opinion, but also means Fixer Upper or heavy hitting weapons will typically feel faster compared to before the update.
The reagents build was never the best thing Mak could do, but finding a core item early gave you a very simple route to follow, and typically net good enough results not to overthink it. Following the hotfix, this direction is still available, but will typically run out of gas unless you can constantly improve your Calcinator. Plus, the item is now 7 seconds so it will also require some haste to really be effective.
Fortunately, Mak has several great niches to explore. Magnus' Femur, Staff of the Moose and Plague Glaive are all solid foundations, while Poppy Field remains solid even thought it was nerfed in the previous patch. Vat of Acid still exists as well, but Boiling Flask now adding some cooldown makes it significantly slower. Overall, Mak wants you to dig for large items early on, and then build around the one you found.
Shipwreck suffered the same treatment as Robotic Factory, limiting the power of the Aquatic build although Pufferfish got some extra poison for its trouble. Even with that compensation, most of the Vanessas I've seen on the ladder are weapon based, with the latest expansion gaining momentum as more people unlock it.
Vanessa probably is the hardest character to gauge at the moment. I will happily recognize I'm wrong with her ranking this time around, as her builds have been evolving lately, and will continue to do so as more player get their hands on the new items.
Best Starting Kit
The enchanted item still feels like a good move for Dooley, although it is a little less consistent now that three of the bugs aren't in the pool anymore. Plus, the lack of a core over the first few days will make this pick far from a guaranteed win until you hit level 3. I would also pick the enchanted item with Pygmalien, as the pool is typically pretty good, especially if we get a charging item.
Mak and Vanessa don't rely on small items much, or at least, we don't need them to be enchanted nor super early in a run. Then, the Gold Skill can often prove more effective, especially extra damage with Vanessa or Regeneration for Mak.
Dooley Builds
| Build | Early | Late | Projected Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friends | Good | Great | 7-10 | A+ |
| Hybrid Tech items | Great | Average | 4-7 | B |
| Non Expansion Friends | Below Average | Good | 4-7 | B- |
Example Best Builds
The nerf to Robotic Factory made that way to build slower, and weaker to disruption as a result. Bill Dozer really feels like the ideal large item now.
The last two spots in the friend's build are flexible. Most of the time, I try to use those to accelerate the start of the build as much as possible. First Aiden will be great in that role, especially if enchanted with either burn or poison to pair with BLU-B33TL3 or YLW-M4NT1S. Yet, it then requires finding another item to fill the last spot.
Sat-Comm will feed us friends all run long, so a Zoarcid or a Catfish can happen eventually to serve as the 10th slot. Otherwise, the Companion Core in between BLU-B33TL3 and Bill Dozer is simple yet very effective. The Ignition Core on the far right will serve as a second burn item for YLW-M4NT1S and a source of damage. An enchanted Power Drill can also be a great complement.
Arc Blaster will mostly be a part of this when we find it as our starting enchanted item. Then, it will be able to synergize with Power Drill, while there is still enough in the build to chare it quite fast.
This build can do great against mono item builds, as you pack quite a lot of disruption with your combined freeze and slow. The item on the other side of Metronome can be Isochoric Freezer, but also Nitro in order to charge other item fast. Rarity will play a role, but also Coolant, as you can burn yourself if you don't have it and make Nitro trigger too often.
Note that this concept can work with a different core than Ignition, but then maybe Power Drill won't be as effective and should be replaced as well.
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.
Pygmalien Builds
| 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
This feels much harder to force as a build compared to the best ones for Dooley or Mak. Indeed, not only you need to find the items, you also have to find a bit of power scaling. If you don't, I recommend removing Atlatl from the equation and simply focus on finding fast weapons instead.
When things align however, this build feels as strong as it gets in The Bazaar. Indeed, Dooley, Vanessa and Mak typically don't have enough health to sustain the constant hits. Other Pygmaliens or swift disruption will be annoying, but if we can also build a large health pool, this build often feels unstoppable.
Other builds are getting a little less reliable with that patch, which only improves the relative power of Pygmalien's secondary strategies. Plus, Oinkment now feels like a decent protective item for poison strategies in the Fixer Upper build. As for the medium items build, Silk Scarf early can grow to huge amounts and be a decent addition to buy time while Caltrops beat up your opponent.
Mak Builds
| Build | Early | Late | Projected Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slow & Hit | Below Average | Great | 4-10 | A |
| Poppy Field | Below Average | Good | Inconsistent | B+ |
Example Best Builds
I consider Thrown Net a great item in this metagame with Dooley running friends while Vanessa and Pygmalien's best build are weapon based. Yet, you could also very well build with Pendulum or Scales in order to focus on Incense triggering as often as possible.
As for the last spot in the build, Mak has many good small items to fill that slot. A few potions (Invulnerability, Energy, Runic), Amber, Earrings, or something enchanted with slow through a transformed Mothmeal.
With things getting a little slower, the nerfs to Spider Mace and Floor Spike don't feel as impactful as they once were. However, the change to Smelling Salts does force the build to adapt a little. Incense will charge Spider Mace and trigger Smelling Salts, making for a decent hybrid build with some slow items.
Otherwise, you can give Magic Carpet a try alongside weapons that will 100% crit to reduce its cooldown. Plus, you get some lifesteal from the Basilisk Fang in that build for sustainability. Feel free to include Runic Potion in either build to improve resiliency if needed.
It is difficult to recommend a stable third build for Mak. The Reagents are still available, but their nerf feels quite impactful. Large items such as Vat of Acid, Staff of the Moose or Plague Glaive are all valid directions, but will be opportunistic builds when you find those at a large items vendor. Magic Carpet gained momentum lately as a build around item. We've seen it in a Poppy Field variant, but here it is alongside Runic Great Axe:
Vanessa Builds
| Build | Early | Late | Projected Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-Weapons | Good | Good | 4-10 | A- |
| Lighthouse | Good | Average | 4-7 | B |
| Mono-Weapon | Average | Average | 4-7 | B- |
Example Best Builds
As Vanessa's latest expansion is slowly being unlocked by the community, more builds featuring those items are emerging. Amongst those, a new way to play around Trebuchet is looking great at the moment.
Just like previous builds, the goal is to punch your opponent in the mouth early in the fight in order to punish low HP opponents. However, the arrival of Old Saltclaw also gives the build the possibility to land a big blow in order to finish the job. Now, the build does not get stuck against builds able to heal, regenerate, or shield after the first wave of damage was inflicted.
The third build for Vanessa is hard to pick, but the change to Shipwreck is too big to ignore, so the Aquatic build gave its spot to Lighthouse for this report. This is pretty niche at the moment but not so difficult to assemble. Plus, Dock Lines can replace Tripwire so it is really only about finding lighthouse since the rest isn't so difficult to get your hands on.
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
Following the update, I feel like every character has a great build and a few niche one in case Plan A wouldn't be available. Then, apart from Dooley still feeling slightly ahead of the rest, I feel like the rankings can be up to everyone's preferences and knowledge about each character.
Most of the top builds for each hero are fairly simple to understand refine, so it is our ability to adapt and pivot when the run doesn't go according to plan that will mostly impact our results at the moment.
If you have any questions or would be looking for coaching, feel free to reach out on Discord @den_ccg.
Good Game Everyone.
