JWA Patch Notes 3.5: Creature Adjustments!

Explorers! As the patch notes of update 3.5 have arrived, it has also brought us some unexpected surprises on some of the existing creatures. Therefore this article will be focusing on some new brand new creature adjustments, which in fact are all buffs! Let’s break em down!

Please be noted that the patch notes mostly didn’t include descriptions of how the new abilities actually behave, so anything relevant shall be double confirmed once the update goes live. For now, ability introductions and how they behave are simply through our speculations from their icons and for the hybrids, via the history of their creature components.

• Cunning Strike becomes Crafty Strike

• Rampage becomes Cautious Cunning Rampage

• Added Swap In Nullification 

• Critical chance changed from 5% to 15%

• Gained 50% speed reduction resistance

Troodon has never really been a very good Epic to be fair, but it finally received the buff it should have gotten since Troodoboa came to the game. Now it can pierce through armour with Crafty Strike, while maintaining its original abilities from Cunning Strike, and now the Epic meta might have to be wary of its instant Cautious Cunning Rampage to deal even more distraction onto you. Even saying so, Swap In Nullification and a critical chance boost could help starters to get a hold on this swift carnivore. How would this buff affect the current Epic meta though? Probably not much, but still I’m glad Troodon finally got the attention it deserves as a cunning creature.

• Defense Shattering Rampage becomes Group Revenge Shattering Rampage

• Damage increased from 1000 to 1250

• Health increased from 4200 to 4400

• Speed reduction resistance from 50% to 75% 

When compared to its hybrid Albertocevia, Edaphocevia wasn’t really as viable as it was in the battlefield ever since release. But having a slight buff in its revenge moves could help a bit to its advantage over resilience this time around. You see, Edaphocevia was originally a creature struggling against flocks, but now its new revenge move could deal 2500 damage to any flock remaining on the field on revenge. The health buff also seems to increase the gap between it and other fierces. Would this make it a viable opponent to square off against? Probably still a no-go. When accounting with fierce creatures in Legendary tournaments, you have the prominent Rexy ruling this format, Concakuisaurus and Thylaconyx at the upper-quartile position, Alloraptor and Megalosuchus in the middle, and finally you also have Tarbognathus in the lower-quartile position. So unfortunately, this buff might help those running Edaphocevia in lower arenas now, but it would have no effect on the Legendary tournaments.

• Cunning Strike becomes Devious Strike

• Raking Claws becomes Foul Raking Claws

• Rampage And Run becomes Disarming Decimate And Run

• Evasive Stance becomes Instant Buff

• Added Minor Critical Counter (Which now increases the critical chance by 30% for 3 turns and 3 attacks from the previous 10 each)

• Critical chance changed from 10% to 30%

• Critical damage changed from 125% to 150%

• Gained 50% critical chance reduction resistance

• Swap prevention resistance increased from 67% to 75%

Just in time after Grypolyth got its huge buff, now this is an enormous improvement for this second Gryposuchus hybrid. This one buff alone might make Grylenken become viable once again in Legendary tournaments. Devious Strike replacing Cunning Strike means it can now be more effective with distraction and dodge combined. And now with Instant Buff paired with Disarming Decimate And Run, we’re perhaps looking at Aenocyonyx in a Legendary format, especially when one considers that Grylenken has some quick speed. We aren’t sure what Foul Raking Claws does in replacement for Raking Claws, but if it were to be better than what Raking Claws was, I’m totally all in for it. Minor Critical Counter plus the increase in critical chance, looks like the right thing to pair up with an increased critical damage output! Like Nomingia and Megalosuchus right now, if it were to get a critical hit, it could do some humongous damage output along with its already high damage stat. All of these new features on this crocodilian terror bird could definitely make it a worthwhile opponent on the field once more, and I’m looking forward to it!

• Group Cleansing Strike becomes Bulwark

• Lesser Group Heal becomes Precise Decelerating Rampage

• Resilient Rampage becomes Resilient Group Rampage

• Counter Power Heal becomes Minor Healing Counter

• Added Swap In Resilient Strike

• Damage increased from 1250 to 1400

• Armour increased from 0% to 15%

• Added 75% stun resistance 

• Added 75% swap prevention resistance

• Added vulnerability immunity

Like Grylenken above, Parasaurolophus Lux FINALLY deserves the buff it should have gotten. Looking everything from top to bottom, I’m thrilled to see all of these changes towards this bioluminescent hadrosaur. As I mentioned in the previous article that Hadros Lux should have gotten a group rampage, and it seems that treatment has given to Parasaurolophus Lux. Resilient Group Rampage really helps it a ton when it comes to defending itself. Losing Group Cleansing Strike in turn for receiving the arguably better Bulwark? Checked. Losing a group heal for a Precise Decelerating Rampage? Checked. Got a Swap In Resilient Strike? Checked. To those who were complaining on how Panthera Blytheae beats Parasaurolophus Lux even if it’s on a class disadvantage on resilients, here’s your good news. With a pattern of using Bulwark to tank the feline’s rampages, 2 rampages focusing on precision, as well as a swap in, the pattern of classes between the 3 original non-hybrid Legendaries is finally balanced! Now even if this hadrosaur has lost a majority of healing moves, the counter heal was also slightly adjusted to be a bit more efficient in the battlefield, and all its new resistances look amazing to begin with too. So it’s definitely another well-appreciated buff for it to be used in raids, and this time also within the battlefield too. I feel like the community is already cheering for its glory after noticing this buff.

• Killer Instinct now has a cool-down of 0 (Applies to both)

• Minor Critical Counter now increases the critical chance by 30% for 3 turns and 3 attacks from the previous 10 each (Applies to Albertospinos only)

• Health increased from 4200 to 4500 (Applies to Albertospinos only)

• Distraction resistance increased from 0% to 25% (Applies to Albertospinos only)

JamCity really likes buffing Albertospinos after its initial release. By all means, even Albertosaurus itself is affected by this buff this time, so let’s talk about the Rare one first.

Killer Instinct is an insanely good Fierce move in the Rare meta, and seems like after a delay of 1 with this move, Albertosaurus can now use it infinitely on tanks like Dreadnoughtus forevermore. Will it change its position on the Rare tournaments? Probably not much due to Omegas roaming around, but then it has definitely become an even fearsome predator in that region.

Moving onto Albertospinos, Killer Instinct paired with speed reduction immunity on this ‘river dragon’ is formidable, and so with a buff on this priority move, chances are that it has become more powerful as a fierce creature. Now the critical chance increase for Albertospinos’ counter could probably make it an even more terrifying creature to deal with. As with a 30% critical hit chance increase everytime it gets hit, along with its already decent 15% critical hit chance, it could receive a 45% critical chance on the second hit, and may as well get that to 75% on the third hit. Probably helping it in being a tank buster in the Unique format through a bloody way, especially when the slight health buff could aid it a bit. But then you realise it still struggles with stuns, flocks and Pantherator, it’s actually a bit of a shame it cannot really unleash its full potential on them unlike it’s Rare component.

Overall, this buff is practically more worthy than the one Spinotasuchus got last update, so it’s fair.

• Critical Escape becomes Collision as it’s Level 16 unlockable ability

Yutyrannus is a total beast in Common to Rare tournament formats, but then you realise that its level 16 move Critical Escape wasn’t really that great and could potentially mess up your own game strategies. Now the wait is over, because Yutyrannus received a buff on Collision to make it more reliable on its opponents. This, along with its insane critical hit chance and damage with decent speed, allows this feathered tyrannosaur to stand an even chance against anything that dares leave the field without its permission. With that being noted, Yutyrannus perhaps just became one of the top Omegas in the game, and probably even the best Fierce creature within the rarity as well. Although still heavily countered by Clever Girl and Fukuiraptor, chances are that Yuty could perform even better than before. Isn’t that yutyrannic?

• Precise Impact becomes Precise Distracting Impact

• Slippery Alert now inflicts 33% affliction for 2 turns when in secure state

• Fabled Fangs now has a delay of 0

• Damage increased from 1350 to 1450

• 50% speed reduction resistance now becomes speed reduction immunity

Hydra Boa was the first Apex I ever unlocked, and till this day I still hold a special spot for it. With this new buff here, it might see a resurgence from its lair. Precise Impact got the update it deserves to the distraction side, and Slippery Alert getting an affliction update on secure state is also a win. Affliction should be a very useful feature on this gargantuan snake, because Fabled Fangs now has a delay of 0, meaning that you can use it starting turn 1! Making the effectiveness of bleed with it even more powerful than before. With an increase in damage output, as well as speed reduction immunity to pair up with that Instant Nullifying Strike, the meta might have to look out for this kaiju snake’s return, especially when Hydra Boa can be considered as one practical counter towards Pantherator, as well as anything that isn’t resistant to bleed.

And those are all the new creature adjustments of update 3.5. To conclude this article, I’m glad to see some of the more underused creatures seeing buffs that they should have received long ago.

Likewise, I’m most excited to see Grylenken and Parasaurolophus Lux being used properly after being revitalised, as well as Hydra Boa finally getting the buff it deserves to be used for Apex starters. Let's hope to see these new buffs help these creatures being reintroduced again to be used once again formally on the battlefield and raids. What’s your favourite creature adjustment in this update? Join our Discord server and let us know in the comments! Thanks for reading and happy playing!