JWA Opinion: The Unexpected Fall of Compsoraptor and What It Tells Us?

If you have to use five words to describe how quickly the meta shifts in JWA, it will probably be: Faster than a speeding bullet. And there can be only two answers to why this happens. Firstly, powercreep is everywhere. This can especially be found in the lower arenas, where Rexy and Panthera Blytheae ruin the fun for most newer players when they were just getting a taste of their fury using their freshly unlocked Epics. The second reason is because the buffed old creatures can find their way back into the meta that they once strived for. Two prime examples here are Diloracheirus and Pterovexus. The latter recently got a buff in the most recent content update, which involved it getting a huge overhaul mostly consisting of Afflicting moves. As for the green chicken, I guess it’s obvious to see how a single buff back in the 2.17 update made it a total beast in both PvPs and raids overnight. For now, the meta is basically survival of the fittest. But for today’s topic, I’ll instead be talking about a creature that has been affected the most by the constantly shifting meta in the most recent updates. It is being dropped by players slowly so that you may potentially see its final days if matters keep getting worse. Behind all of this is a not-so-secret reason of why this happened to this creature.

A little background of this Unique flock that got introduced back in update 2.17. Compsoraptor is the hybrid fused from Tarbognathus and Beta, our little star child of Jurassic World Dominion. When it was first released, it surprised many players. With the fresh memory of Tarbognathus being a top-tier flock at that time, the kit of Compsoraptor shocked everyone beyond their expectations.

What made it superior to other Unique creatures released before it? Starting from its stats before the June 2023 Unique creature rebalance, Compsoraptor had a decent 3450 health and a 1450 damage output, along with a quick 131 speed and a 30% critical hit chance. It was a menacing flock to deal with. Again a priority on Alert Surge that guaranteed a critical hit every time. Two Rampage moves: One with a cleanse, dodge and speed increase, and the other utilizing the traditional hit-and-run move. Both of these moves, Playful Pounce and Rampage And Run had successfully made the raptor flock harder to hit than any other member of its Unique category. Not to mention that it could also rally heal in Alert Shattering Impact and through swapping in, as well as prepare for a guaranteed Armor Piercing Impact that locked the opponent and dealt immense damage when it tried to escape. At this point, Compsoraptor was what you could expect as the most extreme case of how a flock could behave in this game. With all of those capabilities combined into one single creature that was already in a format that not many players were a fan of, it was one of the most impactful creatures that had ever been introduced to the meta.

When you mention the top creatures of the meta at the 2.16 update, you would have to recall some familiar names that you may have forgotten: Ankylos Lux, Hydra Boa, Imperatosuchus, Refrenantem, Albertocevia, Allodrigues, Giganyx and Parasauthops. From the perspective of the above list, you notice that flocks weren’t the biggest problem at that time. But then, Compsoraptor rolled in, and almost everything changed within a week. More players began to discover the hidden potential in its moves, how it could change the flow of a battle, and some even started placing it on their teams as a test. The results? Well, it perfectly outmatched half of the creatures I mentioned above. With this flock roaming around, Hydra Boa just could not impose bleed on it as it could just cleanse with Playful Pounce. With the overwhelming escape impact, Parasauthops, already in the blink of being outclassed by Albertocevia as the best swap-in abuser, just could not be used for the better threat as it could simply be locked down and even potentially killed in the process. Finally, the one that suffered the most: Giganyx. Giganyx was the so-called Tyrant of Fierces during this period, and by all means, even the top Apex creatures like Refrenantem and Imperatosuchus had problems taking it out entirely with a deadly combo of Ferocious Restore, Fierce Devouring Rampage and tons of resistances! But with the introduction of Compsoraptor, immediately everyone took note of its main weakness: Flocks. Despite that high damage output and health pool, Giganyx just couldn’t keep on eliminating it as Compsoraptor could just continuously nip at its health right off the bat. When more and more players finally got their hands on this flock, it completely pushed Giganyx to the edge of hardly ever returning to the meta. This was Compsoraptor’s first attempt at powercreeping something successfully. And with almost everyone running it on top teams, it was almost certain that this was the new threat the meta had to adapt for over the next few months. And clearly, it was the absolute tyrant of update 2.17.

As Compsoraptor continued to take on the meta, more creatures began to fear its existence. Not only was this the period when it finally overtook Refrenantem as the most used creature in the top meta, but anything that couldn’t counter it just got destroyed into bits, therefore we can say powercreeping with it was the main issue at that time. That was also the time when update 2.18 was released, in which a long-awaited Apex creature was introduced to the meta: Indonemys. With its Prowling Revenge Cloak, Debilitating Rampage And Run and different swap-in and out moves, it was a formidable Apex hybrid for sure. But could it counter Compsoraptor? Unfortunately, it didn’t do much. Despite having a high damage output, none of its moves target all opponents, and so it fell from predator to prey with Compsoraptor’s existence. It’s hard to imagine that it couldn’t stand up to a flock so much smaller than it, but size doesn’t really matter here, because update 2.18 also brought us two brand new Unique creatures that followed Indonemys into the battlefield.

Up next is Thylos Intrepidus. When first released, it was called, ‘The Bane of Every Tank.’ As before the 3.1 update, a combination of both Crushing Prowl and Rending Takedown could demolish anything without rend resistance, making it one of the more useful creatures in raid strategies. But could it take on Compsoraptor? Well, it couldn’t. As flocks are guaranteed to gain rend resistance and the majority of Thylos’ moves consist of Rend, it proved too hard for Thylos to even get a strike on Compsoraptor. So, it just got hunted by these raptor flocks instead.

Finally, we have the last candidate, Lystrosavis. Lystrosavis, being the most underrated of the trio, it didn’t receive much attention as if it was just a simple creature. But as more players began to see their way of fighting Cunning creatures, some started to place it on their teams. With Evasive Resilient Impact and Evasive Restore, it had some potential in beating Compsoraptor. But were they right? Sort of, but still in a risky way. Although not many players had high hopes of Lystrosavis being able to defeat Compsoraptor, for those who know the flow of a battle well, Lystrosavis could become one of the first ever possible counters to Compsoraptor. With the same speed, both of them could just stall around the timer and see which one’s faster for a better fight. Still, Lystrosavis could lose if it was not quick enough, but at least it could show its usage and why it was overall the third best flock creature in the game.

Therefore, out of the three new hybrids that were introduced in update 2.18, only one could possibly defeat Compsoraptor. And that was it. Not many players had high hopes as they continued battling in a pesky meta. Compsoraptor was still going strong and unstoppable. But things were about to change, as what JamCity released next was gonna make things change even further, so when the calendar hit 14th October 2022, everyone saw some serious changes.

The above image is the JWA Toolbox meta tier list from update 2.18. It is clear that Compsoraptor had overtaken Refrenantem as the most used creature in the meta.

One and a half months later came the release of update 2.19. This was a relatively huge overhaul, as JamCity released the last thing we’d expect to appear in a game filled with prehistoric life: Scorpions. And boy they sure were strong, and I mean, VERY strong. And with Dsungascorpios being the new Unique baddie, it was only a matter of time until we saw it jump into the fray of the Unique meta. We then discovered that its moves, Enfeebling Rampage, Dispersed Ferocious Impact, and Shattering Antidote would ruin any creature's day. For its biggest hit, it can give most things a guaranteed stun, bleed, swap prevention, and nullify as a whole. With Compsoraptor having none of these resistances in its kit, it soon became clear to everyone that the existence of Dsungascorpios was Compsoraptor’s canon event. This issue even started becoming meme material when someone placed a level 21 Dsungascorpios on their team and used it in a PvP battle, which proved capable of handling even a level 30 Compsoraptor with ease. And soon came the flocks of scorpions being used in Nublar Shores just for two goals: One for targeting and defeating Compsoraptor, and the other for testing it on different creatures and see if it can dominate the meta. But still, one perfect counter for Compsoraptor wasn't exactly enough for it to continue wreaking havoc, so update 2.19 also introduced two more Unique creatures.

Tyrannometrodon and Alankyloceratops soon came to the meta as well and were prepared to be made use of by top players. But to fully take on Compsoraptor, they do need to test out these two new creatures. After testing the oppressive Tyrannometrodon, it proved that this Rexy hybrid needed to be lucky to fully defeat Compsoraptor despite Group Devouring Impact being truly a menace to flocks, as dodge and distraction are T-Met’s weakness. While Alankyloceratops, on the other hand, succeeded. With Group Resilient Strike, Stunning Rampage and heavy armor, Compsoraptor just couldn’t defeat it with all those counters, and soon it wouldn’t have any better moves to defeat this flying dragon as it slowly killed every member of the flock.

So then we had three creatures that were meta-relevant and could succeed in defeating Compsoraptor. But apparently update 2.19 was just the beginning of Compsoraptor’s nightmares, because from the next update onwards, it would truly be tasting its own medicine like it did to others before update 2.17.

As late November arrived on the scene, so did update 2.20. And like update 2.19 was released before Halloween, this update was a huge one due to it being before the winter holidays. While everyone was in the mood for a cosy winter and jamming to festive songs, JamCity not only introduced us to whole new battle mechanics, but new creatures too. In this category and hence the title, you’ll probably know which creatures I’m probably talking about.

Geminideus at this point is what you would call a true Apex creature. This towering titan was an unstoppable force like Godzilla ever since its release. Let’s see: Slowing Resilient Strike is basically an upgrade to Resilient Strike, and that was just the appetizer. Group Disarming Rampage and Shielding Alert Rampage are next, both being huge group hits meaning that no flock could survive the footsteps of this giant sauropod. Compsoraptor was no exception and was immediately crushed by it. For extra security measures, Geminideus also has Harden and Precise Group Counter to increase its armor, while hitting everything with its counter. Meaning Compsoraptor could potentially be taken out by this Apex in merely one turn. This sauropod brought a sense of deja vu over how Compsoraptor once was the terror of the meta but now Geminideus totally rules. Since its hybrid components were pretty easy to get, many players created it on the first day, making matters for Compsoraptor worse than ever. And as Geminideus became Compsoraptor’s second true nemesis after Dsungascorpios, the air above Nublar Shores was also home to another Apex creature. It too was able to beat Compsoraptor into the ground.

Although released at the same time as Compsoraptor, Pteranokyrie, unlike Geminideus, was a raid-exclusive Apex. Therefore it makes sense that players finally got a hold of this ‘Wing Chooser’ along with update 2.20. Its main abilities, Alert Squall and Total Immunity On Escape had been the main issue noted by players, but the true weapon against Compsoraptor here was Dispersed Raking Impact. Being a Wildcard, Pteranokyrie’s moves are more widespread than most other Apex creatures. Therefore, it could effectively play tricks on flocks, and take them out entirely with its two impacts. As Compsoraptor is a creature that utilizes dodge and speed increase, Pteranokyrie’s Dispersed Raking Impact instead reduces it to nothing while attacking every single member in seconds. Thus, turning our dear Kyrie into a harbinger of the end for Compsoraptor.

Other than the Apexes, starting from update 2.20 onwards, lurking on the dark side of the shores were the Atrociraptor hybrids. Looking more berserk than anything in the meta, it was guaranteed that they would make good use of their various abilities to decimate their enemies. First up on this list we have the obscure looking Pyrorixis. Whenever this Ghost hybrid wasn’t turning itself into a suicidal nuke and going Kaboom with Berserk Decimating Wound to end everything in sight, it was probably spamming Dispersed Cautious Strike and Ferocious Counter Stun to abuse any flock it fights without stun resistance. And since Compsoraptor fell into this category, it became nothing but casual breakfast for this ultra-hybrid. The Red hybrid Atrocodistis also didn’t really mind if Compsoraptor used dodge, as with its Precise Counter and Berserk Resilient Rampage, it did the job even better. Plus the 1.5X healing impact really is a threat to the meta, as it can just stay around as long as it wants to. All of this meant Compsoraptor had a low chance of surviving with both of them around.

But wait, like update 2.20 before, update 3.0 and 3.1 also brought us not one but two more Atrociraptor hybrids. Next we have Constrictoraptor, which was hailed as the perfect revenge killer of the meta — I mean for a raptor its size, dealing 3375 damage at the first turn is no joke. As with the Atrociraptor Panthera it fuses from, the revenge moves on this raptor hybrid are basically a major upgrade, especially when one of its revenge moves attacks everything. And this time, with a better Retreat move and an On Escape Lockdown Impact, Compsoraptor couldn’t just attack or run away from Constrictoraptor.

Finally, we have the newest addition in the name of Atrocimoloch. Despite being underrated and me being disappointed at the initial design, the hybrid components and the lack of group attacks and full immunity to some negative effects unlike her packmates, she is still a formidable opponent. A Berserk Rampaging Cloak paired with Precise Shattering Counter, a healing move with some of attacks being protected with shields, and an Instant Stunning Impact does pack a punch if boosted correctly. Being focused on precision and cleansing distraction, Compsoraptor's Playful Pounce cannot save themselves from this eagle-eyed Tiger hybrid, or I should say, 'Cruel Demon’, or 'Cruel God’? And what I could imagine is just the raptor flock being slowly struck and getting heavy pressure caused by these 4 mighty and atrocious predators. Although there are only four Atrociraptor hybrids right now, we are uncertain if JamCity will release more. But if they decide to do so, I think the shores are gonna be more savage than ever.

In 2023, we were introduced to three non-hybrid Uniques. Although all three of them seem underwhelming at first glance compared to the amazing looking hybrids in the same rarity, in fact, they were mightier since they all have their different purposes through different roles given by their moves: Dracovenator having a Cloak-based move, Ceratosaurus being an anti-dodge creature, and Styracosaurus Lux using the stun and bleed combo. Which coincidentally, are all counters to Compsoraptor. Since all three of them can just attack with divergence, it really depends on how the flow of a battle goes to determine if Compsoraptor should live or not. But luckily for Compsoraptor, the downside of these non-hybrid Uniques is that they are relatively harder to obtain: Dracovenator is a short-range spawn with only one dart attempt per week, whereas Ceratosaurus and Styracosaurus Lux are both event exclusive. Therefore Compsoraptor would certainly take a short break from them.. or can it?

At the moment, training Omegas and unlocking their moves are the newest trend of the game. And with 11 Omega creatures and more to come, there’s always one that could potentially fit in the meta. One particular Velociraptor, Clever Girl, is perhaps the perfect example of this. All of her moves can rival that of a mid-tier Apex. If not, a high to top-tier Unique. If counting from her stats unsettled, she is just your average punching bag. But if you boost her stats beyond the preset levels, she is a huge force to be reckoned with. If you take a closer look at her main move of choice, Cautious Double Impact is basically a turn one Cautious Devastation. Since Clever Girl is the faster creature compared to Compsoraptor, if her stats are preset in a tournament format, Clever Counter is the best tool for removing the dodge from the flock if it uses Playful Pounce afterwards. Again Evasive Hunt doesn’t rely on upcoming damage RNG, therefore even a Clever Girl at a disadvantage state could just use Upper Claw to finish the last flock member due to the speed increase. Despite these, Clever Girl is not the only Omega creature that could beat Compsoraptor if the stats are preset. There are more examples out there, like Megalania’s affliction and Diabloceratops’ Instant Crush. Although they weren’t released for a long time, with more events and them being available to dart in the map, it is only a matter of time until they might even replace the current meta-relevant roster if players decide that they have the time to do so.

If all of that wasn't hard enough for Compsoraptor, in June 2023, we were told that a Unique creature rebalance had occurred when the game was updating. One of the creatures that got rebalanced, or I meant nerfed, was Compsoraptor. Not only did it get its health reduced from 3450 to 3350, it even got its attack and speed reduced from 1450 to 1350 and 131 to 130 respectively. In fact, after some fact-checking, lying at 3350 health right now will make Compsoraptor never safe from a revenge state Constrictoraptor as it could deal the immense 3375 damage, which is just enough to take it out. And so, with all those creatures and upgrades roaming around, the terror reign of Compsoraptor is over.

The above image is taken from JWA toolbox once again, and this is the meta tier list from update 3.0. You can see that Compsoraptor has dropped out of the list of top-tier creatures. Its usage is slowly decreasing while also being overtaken by multiple creatures that were introduced in recent updates. It is noted that all of the original creatures you see in the above image are already nowhere to be seen.

After reading the entire section above on this community article, you would wonder, even after all the explanations of how the meta shifts between update 2.19 to 3.1, why did Compsoraptor fall so badly? The main reason behind all of this, is powercreep. And why does this happen? I have to admit it: JamCity is hungry for money. This is a topic that has been discussed for a pretty long time, and still nothing has been changed despite JamCity being aware of this issue. Firstly, in almost every creature that could counter Compsoraptor, 90% of them have at least one reliable group attack. Secondly, in the June 2023 Unique creature rebalance, JamCity nerfed Compsoraptor just for it to be taken out by the new Constrictoraptor in one hit and to make it less effective against the creatures that have more chances to be used in the meta. Instead, not only were nerfs made, but a buff too. In the same rebalancing order, Dracovenator got a buff. Now with an Instant Evasive Cunning Impact, it could take out Compsoraptor easier than before.

Back to the topic, you would have to take note that almost all creatures that you need to fuse in order to make the best hybrids in the game, are event exclusive. Since you would never know the event rotations right now, what is the best way to obtain those precious DNA? Cash incubators and passes. Or I meant, basically a pay-to-win method to do so. As most players would want to get their hands on those new and meta-relevant creatures quickly, they would spend as much as they want to get them, thus, abandoning those original creatures on their own team just because the new creatures can overshadow and defeat them. And that’s where the problem arises: There are some players out there, like me who use time and dedication to obtain those meta-relevant creatures and their hybrid components. But then you have some players that just feed the company hard cash and they get the new creatures that could potentially be powercrept once a new update comes. This is the reason why the game is unbalanced. To be honest, Compsoraptor is just a metaphor, and an example of a creature being affected by this issue. If the future continues like this, this is no joke to anyone that would soon be affected by this issue, therefore I can hardly even think of how 2024 will be if it continues on like this.

With update 3.1 and recent buffs to Dracovenator and Thylos Intrepidus, as well as the four new Omegas, Atrocimoloch and the strange Segnotherisaurus with the component being a bear, the time for Compsoraptor will certainly be hard, and that unfortunately refers to the meta as well. Right now there isn’t really a most effective way to stop or prevent this from happening, but you can hear from our Discord GamePress server that there sure are some opinions shared by our helpful community. Once again thank you all for reading this community article as well as reaching the end. For the future, I really hope that the powercreep of the meta could slow down, as it certainly is no fun for those who are just adapting to it. If you have any questions or opinions of this article or the meta, feel free to discuss it on our Discord GamePress server. Stay tuned for future updates and have fun playing!