Soul-Boards

[leaderfirestar]

Noteworthy Game Mechanic Stuff:

 - Instant Skills

• Instant skills are now properly detached from the caster
  
• A while back, I "fixed" a few bugs where skills were not getting bonus damage calculated (positive or negative). These skills, however, are instant skills. Instant skills on the initial cast receive bonus damage, but after that, are independent from the caster, and cannot be raised or lowered unless the skill specifically states that it would be. Check out the handy table I made, and consider that this balance's helpful tip. My apologies as well, I should have caught myself making that mistake
  
• Also Check out the "The Basics" page (where this whole issue is described). That hasn't been updated I don't think since Gametester put it out however many years ago
  
• I'm aware this will undoubtedly hurt some characters, but given that the meat and potatoes of this balance took a bit of time, I've elected "fuck those characters" for the short term, and I will compensate buff those characters at a later date, should they need it
  
• https://www.soul-arena.io/the-basics
  

Buffs

 - Arturo Plateado

• "The Immortal Fenix" permanently increases Arturo's damage by 5 per stack
  
• Getting this guy's skills cycling as intended was a big step in the right direction. Having played this guy a bit since the last patch, I can safely say he can get his hand on these stacks throughout the match. As he stood before this, his survivability scaled, but he didn't do enough damage to the point where he could still lose a 1v1
  

 - Final Aizen

• "4th Dimensional" now grants bonuses to his effects if he uses the same colored energies: The skill's text was updated to the following:
  
• (White) Aizen will heal for 5 health plus 5 additional health for each white in the skill's cost for 2 turns.
  (Blue) This skill stuns its target for 1 turn for each blue in the skill's cost.
  (Yellow) This skill makes Aizen invulnerable to non-strategic skills for 1 turn for each yellow in the skill's cost.
  (Red) This skill deals 15 additional damage for each red in the skill's cost.
  
• "Finally" Yeah shut it. I was overly cautious releasing this guy, especially after the butterfly fiasco. If this ends up being too strong, I can tweak numbers. He's all random though, so I don't think he will be. Then again, y'all love making me wrong, so we'll see
  

 - Fullbringer Sado

• "Heavy Cannon's" damage will apply immediately if used on a target countered by "Bluff Strike" on the previous turn
  
• On the Same train of thought as my previous buff, bluffing his attack hasn't had a substantial downside really. The last buff helped synergize his kit a bit, this should do the rest
  

 - Hebi

• Hebi's passive "Two As One" is now her fifth skill, with her fourth skill now being a generic invulnerability skill
  
• Something something, "finally"
  

 - Hisagomaru

• Infusion Cannon: Targeting all enemies, the enemy team will take 15 energy damage plus 5 damage for every time an enemy healed. The ally team will heal 15 health plus 5 health for every time an ally healed. (NOTE: This no longer uses stacks that an enemy Hisagomaru has tracked. I recognize that was "intended" or whatever, but I think that was stupid, so that doesn't happen anymore)
  
• "Embrace" can be used more than once
  
• There's probably more I need to do to this guy. His original kit was too toxic, I had to put him down in the dumps until I could think up a decent buff for him that wouldn't be complete cancer
  

 - Hollow Muramasa

• "Bala Scattershot's" duration starts the following turn (and the text has been updated to clarify)
  
• Previously, you would use this skill, and because it was used on you, that was one turn of it being applied on you, meaning you really only got to use 1 turn of this skill. This just gives you an extra turn to take advantage of it
  

 - Kirikaze

• "Surge" now heals an additional 10 health for every enemy killed by "Sword Absorption." If 2 enemies have been killed, he will also gain an additional random energy
  
• "Gale Force's" cooldown has been lowered by 1 to 3 turns
  
• I kind of dig the idea of this guy being an executioner. It goes with his whole shtick in the show. I'm not 100% sure how beneficial these changes will be. Asking to kill 2 enemies with your first skill is asking a bit, but if you can manage it, you can snowball
  

 - Narunosuke

• "Corruption" self damaged lowered to 5 per turn
  
• "Float" no longer triggers corruption
  
• I'm a little afraid of the potential this guy has. up until now, he could be stunned, and you'd just watch his self damage kill himself. Now, not so much. I've also fixed a slew of bugs with this guy, so he should be much more useable now. I'm going to keep an eye on him
  

 - Saru

• Saru's passive "Two As One" has been moved to her ninth skill, and her fourth skill is now a generic invulnerability
  
• "Heavy Bite's" base damage increased to 30
  
• "Maximum Baboon Bone Cannon's" base damage increased to 60
  
• "Coiled to Strike" now grants 10 destructible defense per turn, as opposed to only 10 destructible defense initially
  
• Okay, there's a bit to talk about here. For starters, Invulnerability skill. Yay! Her alternate form (which reminder, you need Hebi on your team, and she's permanently stunned while Saru is in this form) did not a lot of damage all things considered. Certainly not enough to justify being down a character. And her "defense" skill didn't giver her hardly any defense
  

 - Sasori

• "Needle Shot" energy cost changed to 1 random energy
  
• "Tail Strike" reverted, deals 20 physical damage initially and 5 affliction damage permanently to a target. Energy cost lowered to 1 red
  
• "Iron Sand" cost changed to 1 blue, 1 random
  
• Hopefully, this is the last I need to touch this guy. His og NA kit doesn't flow well here, and as y'all have pointed out over and over, he's sucked. This should make him suckn't
  

 - Wonderweiss Margela

• "Wild Scream" now lets him ignore all harmful effects (except damage, energy cost changes, and executes) for 3 turns. During this time, "Backstab's" kill threshold is increased by 5
  
• In the category of I don't really want to rework this guy, here's a buff to arguable one of the worst skills in the game. His execute and piercing s1 damage has its place, but they're on very niche teams
  

Nerfs

 - Bankai Gin

• "Heedless Charge" cooldown increased to 2 turns
  
• "Null Step" cooldown increased to 2 turns
  
• "Killing Stance" cooldown increased to 2 turns
  
• "Distance Fighting" cooldown increased to 2 turns
  
• After buffing this guy from his original Soul-Arena form (each prep costed 1 random, and was visible), this guy has sat very happily in a lot of teams, and hasn't been addressed. His tenure is over in that regard. I like the damage he does, and I like the utility he brings. This change is mostly to make him a bit more difficult to play, forcing you to prep the skills carefully as opposed to swapping back and forth between the 2 skills you want
  

 - Child Nel

• "Healing Drool's" cooldown increased to 2 turns
  
• When it comes to heal skills, there has up to this point been no better heal in the game. 1 random to heal 20 + 5 for each 25 health missing, and making the target ignore most harmful effects. It's been crazy strong. With my kensei team running amuck, people discovered that, and she found her way into a lot of teams. All that said, I don't think it's a bad cost for the skill, just that it's available way too often
  

 - Choe Neng Poww

• "Titanic Assault" now deals 25 damage to the target, and 10 damage to all other enemies
  
• I can say the samage this dude has been dealing is crazy good. since it was 25 to target and 10 to all, he was chunking hard. That said, I think part of it is that you, the player, do not read things. When his third skill is used on you, it says "If this character uses a skill, it will be countered." That is visible, provided to you. That means any skill. If it were only damaging skills, it would say "If this character uses a damaging skill..." If you read, you will get much better at this game
  

 - Lilynete Gingerbuck

• "Light Cero's" bonus damage lowered to 5
  
• I'm very happy with what my last buff for her did. I think she's just a smidge too strong now, but very near to where she should be. I suppose we'll see
  

 - Luppi Antenor

• "Strangle, Trepadora" invulnerability decreased to 2 turns. Her other effects will still last 3 turns
  
• With how the last few metas have been, it's entirely possible you've been on the recieving end of playing against luppi and never been able to target him the whole match. I think he does the right damage, and aside from being a pain in the ass to hit, is fine
  

 - Tobiume

• "Snap's" base damage lowered to 15
  
• We've come back to where I started with her. I nerfed her to 15, then slightly reverted to 20, and now I've decided I was right the first time. She rips through teams a little too easy. Should I need to buff her in the future, I have a few other avenues I'd like to explore
  

Reworks

 - Di Roy Stinker Rinker

• Hand Stab: This character deals 20 piercing damage to one enemy. For one turn, the first strategic skill that enemy uses will be countered. This skill is invisible.
  
• Aerial Cut: This character deals 20 piercing damage to one enemy. For one turn, the first non-strategic skill that enemy uses will be countered. This skill is invisible.
  
• Frenzied: For 3 turns, this character will deal 5 more damage and have 5 points of damage reduction. Whenever this character successfully counters a character, this skill's duration will refresh, and the bonus damage and damage reduction will be increased by 5. This skill stacks, and is invisible.
  
• Arrogant Block: This character becomes invulnerable for 1 turn.
  
• He was originally designed to be bad, because he got 5 minutes of screen time, and got wiped by rukia of all people. That said, my mission is to make all characters at least playable, where at their worst, they're just not the flavor of the month character. I won't release a character like pre-work Di Roy again
  

 - Isshin Kurosaki

• Agitowari: This character deals 15 physical damage to all enemies. For 1 turn, the first new harmful skill an enemy uses that deals damage will increase the damage of "Getsuga Tenshou - Isshin" by that skill's original damage to its main target, and half that amount to all other targets, raised to the nearest whole number,  for 2 turns.
  
• Burn, Engetsu: For 3 turns, this skill will become "Getsuga Tenshou - Isshin" and this character will become invulnerable to all strategic skills. (Cost reduced to 1 red)
  
• Realm Fixation: For 2 turns, one ally will be unable to be killed. During this time, "Getsuga Tenshou - Isshin" will heal that ally for half of the damage it deals to its main target, raised to the nearest whole number.
  
• Getsuga Tenshou - Isshin: This skill deals 30 energy damage to one enemy and 10 energy damage to all other enemies. This skill cannot be countered nor reflected.
  
• Yeah, it finally happened. With the characters buffed in this patch, I wonder who the community will decide is the worst character in the game now. My guess is Base Unohana
  

 - Ruri Iro Kujaku

• Split and Deviate: All enemies without a bulb gain 1 bulb (white, blue, yellow, red). Enemies who already have one will have their bulb re-rolled. This skill becomes "Harvest" for 1 turn.
  
• Bloom: Ruri deals 30 damage to one enemy. If that enemy has a bulb, it will be removed and Ruri will gain 1 energy of that bulb's color.
  
• Rip and Tear: Ruri steals 15 health from one enemy each turn for two turns. If the enemy has a bulb on them when this skill is initially cast, it will be removed and that enemies skills will have their cost increased by 1 of that bulb's color for 2 turns*.
  
• Defensive Blossoming: This skill makes Ruri Iro Kujaku invulnerable for 1 turn.
  
• Harvest: Ruri targets all enemies, performing different effects depending on what bulb color the enemy has:
  
  White: Steal 1 random energy
  Blue : Enemy will ignore helpful effects for one turn
  Yellow: Enemy will be stunned for one turn
  Red: Ruri steals 10 health from the enemy
  
• Rounding out the reworks, this dude. Complete shift from what he was doing, but much needed changes. Him, Isshin, and Arturo have been the crown bearers for "worst cahracter in Soul Arena" for a while now (Di Roy too, but not nearly as long. Then again, I suppose Isshin probably is the longest. Kostas and Spirit In Black set him into the wild and left him to die)
  

Helpful Tip

• In case my masterfully crafted table at the top wasn't enough: Some characters will allow you to see what invisible skills are being used. Some work directly, like Kyoko Haida's passive and Nanao's s3, while others work more indirectly. Bankai Mayuri's "Poison gas" and Sasakibe's "Pierce, Gonryoumaru" all have tooltips that pop up in some scenarios when your opponents use skills. Be sure you're reading all tooltips. (Reading is the actual tip, but I think some of you would ignore that tip if I just said that. I promise though, if you read, and ask questions if you don't understand it, you'll become a much stronger player!
  

Noteworthy Bug Fixes:

• Renji's "Cry, Zabimaru" now checks if he's ignoring helpful stacks before applying itself to an attacking enemy.
  
• Renji's "Coil, Zabimaru" (For real this time) should no longer be able to be used on enemies no longer marked
  
• Ascended Aizen's "Soul Dissolution" now correctly removes when he dies
  
• Removing Shinji's "Collapse, Sakanade's" self effect from a Muramasa who has stolen and used the skill no longer crashes the game
  
• Avirama Reddar's "Scalp, Aguila" reverts to the correct cost if it is removed from him
  
• Muramasa can now use Sasori's skills if he steals them
  
• Hakuda Yamamoto's Damage reduction now refreshes after each turn
  
• Bankai Byakuya No longer increased the cooldown on enemies that weren't hit by "Massacre Scene"
  
• Broly's Damage reduction in his evolved state now refreshes after each turn
  
• Wonderweiss Margela's "Wild Scream" no checks if the enemy is ignoring harmful effects before increasing the cooldown of their skills
  
• Zomarri Leroux's "Suppress, Brujeria" now correctly makes his targets invulnerable to friendly skills
  
• Tobiume's "Snap" is no longer aoe if she's ignoring the helpful effect from "Blazing Bells"
  
• Hueco Mundo Kenpachi can be used for Bankai Kenpachi's Mission
  
• Numb Chandelier's "Seed Control" will only deal bonus damage if she actually hits the person affected by "Viral Seed"
  
• Several tooltips fixed
  
• Narunosuke's "Meditation" now actually removes his stacks of corruption as advertised
  
• Mila Rose's "Devour Everything, Leona" is now removed from all enemies if the helpful effect on her is removed
  
• Yamamoto Genryuusai's "Reduce all Creation to Ash, Ryuujin Jakka" now checks if the enemy is ignoring harmful effects before lowering their destructible defense
  
• Reflecting AOE skills will no longer transform your character into the person who's skill you reflected
  
• Mila Rose's "Lion's Feast" now correctly ends when she dies
  
• Zommari Leroux's "Amor" no longer ends when the enemy he targeted is stunned
  
• Kidou Kira's "Binding Spell #73: Inverse Mountain Crystal" no longer heals allies that are invulnerable to friendly skills. It also now only ends on new damage, as advertised
  
• Inner Ichigo's "Inner Ichigo Combat" now checks the skill's caster correctly (only reduces duration of skills used by the target, rather than skills used by and on the target)
  
• Grand Fisher is now correctly assigned as the caster of "Hollow Bait" rather than his target
  
• Bankai Byakuya's Damage reduction from "Bankai Scatter, Senbonzakura" now last the correct duration
  
• Yamamoto Genryuusai's "Destructive Spell #96: Single Blade Cremation" now checks if the target is ignoring harmful effects before ending their stuns
  
• Findorr's "Hydro Jet" now checks if the enemy is ignoring harmful effects before damaging the person using a skill on them
  
• Resurreccion Yammy's "Be Enraged, Ira" can no longer be removed, as advertised
  
• Ayon's "Power Conversion" now correctly damages allies that are invulnerable
  
• Bankai Mayuri's "Superhuman Drug" now checks if the owner is ignoring helpful effects before applying to attacking enemies
  
• Arturo Plateado's "Close-Range Reiatsu" damage corrected to 10
  
• Zaraki Kenpachi's "Taunt" now checks if his allies are ignoring helpful effects before reflecting skills to him
  
• Energy stealing skills now check if the enemy is ignoring energy drain effects
  
• Tsukishima can steal Resurreccion Yammy's "Self Rage" without crashing the game
  
• Fixed visual bug where some destructible defense skills would not show that they gained bonus destructible defense from Senna's "Call Forth the Twilight, Mirokumaru"
  
• Fixed several instances where Tsukishima stealing skills would crash the game
  
• Fixed Soskue Aizen's "Black Coffin" self buff being tagged as harmful