JWA Opinion: Omegas - The New Meta?

Looking at recent tier list discussions on the meta-relevant and Omega creatures, as well as a feedback survey by JamCity, I have been debating whether Omegas would have a chance to replace the current meta-relevant roster. From first glance, Omegas have rather diversified moves, and with the introduction of their training points, players can now creatively boost them in every aspect however they want. As a result, they’ve completely ruined the fun of Common and Rare format tournaments, where most creatures that fall in these categories are mainly used by beginners. Apparently, Epic and Legendary formats aren’t far behind either. The higher level Omegas get, the more insane moves they get to unlock, and so only the top tier would continue to survive in this bloodbath. In today’s community article, I’ll be uncovering the truth on whether these new features on Omegas will have them rule a new meta, or continue to strive in a pesky situation?

As mentioned above, Omegas have the unique ability of having training points to boost their widespread stats. This way, it’s no surprise that someone could be using a Clever Girl or a Yutyrannus with 100% critical chance. The rising trend of using Omegas can also be attributed from the map, where 90% of them can be discovered and darted. Although there is a weekly darting limit to these creatures, a variety of them occupy local areas, so players can obtain their DNA even quicker than fusing meta-relevant hybrids with exclusive ingredients like Moros Intrepidus, Pulmonoscorpius, and Marsupial Lion. Right now Pteranokyrie is pretty much the only viable raid-exclusive Apex creature due to constant power-creep, but it requires a team of hard-to-obtain creatures like Thylos Intrepidus or a high levelled Rexy to beat it. Well certainly practice makes perfect, and so did the creatures themselves. With almost every update comes new creatures that everyone is excited about to learn how to use. And then Omegas popped up out of nowhere, and then battle mechanics changed swiftly as well. But to truly understand how they perform in battles, I listed out the two main objectives of a PvP battle. In the next section, I’ll be explaining the mechanisms and versatility on how the creatures from the meta and Omega categories would work.

Mechanisms and versatility in hybrids refers to how a creature could inherit elements of their original components into advanced moves to successfully make way for more powerful tools to adapt and fight different opponents. This is a crucial part of a creature’s kit, as the lack of coordinating mechanisms will be one of the stumbling blocks in a battle. For instance, there are some cases that have reversal effects where the component itself is better than the hybrid it fuses into: Funny how Indoraptor doesn’t even inherit most of Indominus Rex’s kit and resistances, and Dilophoboa is a cunning Titanoboa but with a less bulk and arguably worse moves. To answer that more and to provide a successful explanation, here’s an example:

Pyrorixis may have fallen into a filter choice in the meta-relevant category, but it's still a dangerous hybrid to face against, thanks to its successful mechanism and move versatility making it a threat. It’s a so-called giga/ultra hybrid, and so it’s fused with five different components. Its five original components have different usages and come in different classes, so all the inheritance can be mixed into hot spice and provide everything in a single creature, allowing its moves to be used smoothly in battle. Combining everything, you get it as a Cunning Fierce combo with all their abilities to work everything they have all at once, thus making it one of the better Uniques in the game.

All Omegas, on the other hand, obviously aren’t made from hybrid components (as of now, we have no idea if Omega hybrids could be a thing) but as totally original creatures themselves and hence the new rarity they’re in. Usually they have exclusive moves dedicated to the creature’s classes themselves, or some just simply put the moves out of other creatures across rarities. Therefore they have really diversified usages: Fukuiraptor mainly as a huge damage dealer with that turn one Distracting Devastation, Megalania focusing on cunning affliction, Homalocephale being a stunning shielded defender, and Olorotitan as a ferocious healing supporter. This is what makes Omegas so reliable in their mechanics when facing anything on the opposing class, as you could choose all of them to fit your playstyle even with the slightest details that make the littlest differences, and so it’s rather straightforward to know whether their moves could be paired up in vertical methods. But to be reminded that their moves can be used in a variety of ways depending on your position, so you really have to pay extra attention before making the best move possible.

With the idea of mechanisms and versatility explained, which one, meta or Omega will come out having the more superior competitive advantage than the other? To answer that, we’ll have to list 40 different creatures to do probability calculations: 17 from the meta-relevant category, and 23 from the Omega category. Since having to put every result here would occupy a relatively HUGE space, I had already done it by the time I’ve completed this community article. It’s pretty easy to know which 23 Omegas are featured, but 17 meta-relevant creatures? And so here are the five main groups as of update 3.3 to make reference before I unveil the results:

Atrociraptor hybrids: Pyrorixis, Atrocodistis, Atrocimoloch and Constrictoraptor.

Spicy M-Lion Hybrids: Aenocyonyx, Indolycan, Thylos Intrepidus and Pantherator.

The Non-Hybrids: Dracovenator, Ceratosaurus, Styracosaurus Lux and Nomingia.

Rivals of the 2.19 Update: Dsungascoprios and Tyrannometrodon.

Apex Dictators: Geminideus, Pteranokyrie and Skoonametrodon.

By comparing 17 meta-relevant creatures and 23 Omegas, it surely looks hard to determine what team suits your playstyle on combating your opponents. But considering how the meta shifts nowadays and through experiences from various members from our Discord server, the results for a most relevant and balanced team possible would be like this:

You’d see a common pattern of having the winners with different creature classes in a balanced way, and so it further elaborates on how mechanisms and versatility does build up an important factor on the difference of their moves. Without further ado, here’s the explanations on why these eight creatures stand out amongst the others in terms of every aspect they have:

1. The Raptor Behind the Slaughter: Atrocimoloch

The purple and cruel Atrocimoloch, or William Afton I shall say, could wreck house if you can't stop this Tiger hybrid in terms of versatility. It’s more of a dodge and shield counter-attack-punisher along with a high damage output, especially when you could boost it with a turn one Rampaging Cloak, therefore I consider it as a more offensive version of Atrocodistis. Despite stun immunity being locked on by most top tiers within the meta, Instant Stunning Impact would be a safe pick to be paired up with that nasty cloak and deal 3.5X damage. Along with Decelerating Team Heal, this hybrid will always come back and slow you down to handle its newly gained advantage soon after. The only downsides though are its resistances, and being a bit underrated by its seemingly bland kit compared to the other Atrociraptor hybrids that have more crazily built moves. Despite all this, it’s rather successful at top teams, and could definitely see more usage in the near future.

2. Enfeebling Arachnid Terror: Dsungascorpios

I guess most of you already saw it coming, as these arachnid hybrids are too steady to even fall off the meta tier list for once, and so most of the time they could cling on top of the tier list as priority placements. This can be proven when their moves have different usages in many cases: Shielded Lockdown for setting up yourself and Dispersed Ferocious Impact to be paired up with Enfeebling Rampage? It's too poisonous for most creatures to handle the aftermath: Nullification, bleed, swap prevention and stun all together in a single move? Certainly a certified hooded classic. Even after testing multiple creatures to take on them, their future still seems stable and would occupy a significant spot as your number one pick in this relevant team as well as in Unique tournaments.

3. Oviraptorid Successor: Nomingia

Originally I would have placed Dracovenator here instead of this oviraptorid, but with a clear explanation of its moves through different experiences from our Discord server members, Nomingia could dethrone Dracovenator as the best pure Unique cunning creature. The resistances aren’t the best, but it’s the different moves that made this thing a major threat. Devious Strike itself is already one of the best strikes in the game, and yet it received the priority treatment, so you could spam it anytime. Alongside a critical boost from Critical Sidestep and Cunning Decimate, it sure is one heck of a cunning cannon. If you think Diloracheirus is annoying enough with Darting Counter, get ready for this guy’s Critical Counter-Strike. Hence its name, you’ll probably know what it does, right? But that’s not all, as the trump card here is its rather different critical boost multiplier. Instead of the 125% treatment, it received the 150% treatment like some Omegas! Meaning every time it gets hit, it gets the horrendous counter right off the bat. So if the opponent isn’t a tank or a flock, they gotta say their prayers. Besides, they can’t even escape from it safely. Why? Try it out yourself and you’ll regret it.

4. Tank Busters of JWA: Thylos Intrepidus

If you told me a year ago that Thylos Intrepidus would be even included in a meta-relevant team, I wouldn’t have believed you. But now here they are, they truly have turned from zero to hero. A single buff in the 3.1 update had turned them from gingerbread men into tank busters. You see, Crushing Prowl and its new Dual Rending Assault could smack any tank out of existence, hence it does a better job of eliminating tanks. With Wounding Devouring Rampage being a reality, it’s why these little guys are the superior choice to Aenocyonyx in terms of the turn 2 prowling damage output as well. Its two new swap-in and out moves are also what captured everyone’s attention. With Swap In Shattering Prowl and On Escape Reversal, the survivability for Thylos have been improved significantly. Although anything with distraction, nullification and stun would stop them in their path, everything new it receives truly helps them even further no matter in fighting tanks or initiating attacks, and so they have become a significant part of having Thylos be the best pure fierce creature in the game.

5. Top Banana: Geminideus

The top banana is here, and I am not surprised to see Geminideus continuing to stay here. If the meta to be introduced would be shifted cunningly, this sauropod would see a more increased usage. With a chance of gaining 100% armour, 100% shields and cleanse, this tank would be able to stampede through every opposing cunning creature it sees. To compare with Omegas, Australotitan, Olorotitan, Yutyrannus and 93 Classic T-Rex are the only ones to compete with it. Despite the four of them having anti-tank moves, this ‘Gemigod’ is way too powerful for almost anything to evade the inevitable destruction it could cause, and so these Omegas might stand a chance, but not high enough to do so. For now, Thylos with rend and Atrocimoloch with armour, shields and counters would probably be the ones to counter this giant titan with their fierceness in the most successful way. If not, Geminideus would take the whole field all by itself.

6. Harbinger of Setups: Pteranokyrie

The air above Nublar Shores doesn’t have enough space for two fliers, and you guessed it, Pteranokyrie is our sixth and last Apex pick of this roster. What continues to make it superior to the Omega Geosternbergia? At first glance, both of them have a similar feature: Both could predict setups for their opponents. For Kyrie, it could use Alert Squall to send the opponent out and automatically activate its Total Immunity On Escape, making it hard to fool. Although Geosternbergia also has the gimmick of having a Cloak applied when the opponent swaps, not having the ability to hit flocks and the lack of high health are what hurts it the most. Kyrie on the other hand, has huge amounts of health and an adaptive counter advantage on Robbing Wing that could always pull out an UNO reverse card on the opponent, thus making it the more effective choice of the two. Again Thylos could be a counter for it, though its grudge on removing dodge still makes it a tricky Wildcard to face up against.

7. The (Really) Big One: Clever Girl

Robert Muldoon’s going to hate me on this one, as the seventh creature that could make it onto a possible most relevant team goes to 1993’s most crafty raptor: Clever Girl. Arguably one of the best Omegas in the game as of now, CG focuses on her insane damage output, critical chances and speed along with her evasive capabilities to attack her enemies on the field. From the view of how Cautious Double Impact and Evasive Hunt could be paired up, along with a possible Hunt On Escape combo to mix into the game, anything without effective armour or shields could be in great danger with this sly Velociraptor roaming around. And this time, not even Rexy could save you from her clever instincts. With such horrific moves, anything related to fierceness would hate on this ambushing predator. And for CG herself, Geminideus and smart plays from Dsungascorpios are the only things keeping her from going even further. Otherwise, she’ll rule.

8. A Defensive Boogeyman: Stegosaurus Ungulatus

Now this is truly the Nightmare before Christmas. And by all means, I believe Jack Skellington would also agree with me since the last creature on this list is also an Omega creature. Meet Stegosaurus Ungulatus, which was released just in time for this article to be published. It may seem underwhelming, but the more you discover the potential of its kit, you’ll probably freak out. Firstly, you could increase up to 100% more damage with Lingering Ferocity, a counter heal with the same amount of your damage stat with Powerful Counter Heal, and finally hit hard with the thagomizer with Defensive Rampage. What’s so crazy about Mr Unga Bunga? With the kit being 25% focused on regeneration, and pairing up with that increased damage stat, you’re looking at a creature that could potentially regenerate its health from the bottom right back on top. With formidable group attacks and defensive abilities also being part of its game, tests done by our server members revealed that this Omega is so heavy, it could demolish 95% of the current meta creatures if boosted correctly! So move aside Oogie Boogie, there’s a far more menacing boogeyman in town.

With the results being unveiled, I could announce that team meta has six successful candidates to make it into the roster of the most relevant team. But yet, two Omegas also stumbled onto the list. And apparently, it’s no surprise why we are seeing them. One reason though, is because they could sometimes outclass some choices of the meta-relevant team depending upon situations, in which I could easily tell which ones:

Right now I believe the only thing that could compare with Clever Girl’s insane abilities is Pantherator. Despite having very similar attributes, a flaw from Pantherator is why I’d have it lose to CG for a spot: A good turn one option. With CG having a turn one Cautious Devastation at level 21 while Pantherator’s only two options are Determined Strike and Evasive Hunt. If you pair it up with CG’s unusually quick speed, this devilish Velociraptor would have a slightly better skill advantage over this feline. So Shovel Chin might be strong with its abilities, but compared to CG? They might have some fierce competition over one another as CG is seen to have been rising in usage.

Stegosaurus Ungulatus on the other hand, is a rather defensive creature in contrast to Clever Girl, but as I mentioned before, its hidden abilities can all wreak havoc if it’s not stopped in time, likewise goes with its insane healing abilities being an important factor as well. And so this makes Stegosaurus Ungulatus instantly become nearly unbeatable without the right counters. Considering this is why it could rumble all its way up to the 8th slot relatively quicker than the other tanky Omegas.

But hold up! Like CG, Stegosaurus Ungulatus also has a competitor competing for its slot on the team, and that’s Skoonametrodon. Skoonametrodon is one of the more competitive Apexes this time around, as being an alert expert itself, it could frequently make the most out of its non-stopping alert and secure statuses to knock its opponents out of the park with its variety of setups. Despite all the amazing advantages it has, the defence force of this Apex tyrannosaur may not be as effective as with this Omega stegosaur when it comes to surviving multiple hits, especially when Battle Ready is sort of a risky mechanic to be used in turn one. And so both of them would probably compete with each other in many top teams for the final spot if more players get their hands on them.

Still, what do the position of these two Omegas tell us? If you look at some Omega tier lists, several Omegas also have powers to almost be on par with both of them, and some could even be potential replacements as well. As mentioned, Omega’s stats depend on how you boost them and their moves, therefore some players could decide what their teams are missing, and so whether using Omegas or not just became their main focus. Some may even at the same time power-creep certain creatures of the same class from team meta: For example with players using the 93 Classic T-Rex as a replacement for Tyrannometrodon even in lower arenas like Lockwood Library where I reside in arena battles. Additionally, most Omegas have their exclusive moves on par with these meta-relevant creatures that combine elements of some of the better moves in the game. Take Overwhelming Impact as an example: It’s essentially Fierce Devouring Impact, Toxic Quills, and Afflicting Strike combined into a single move that you can have unlocked at level 6. And this is where the problem arises: This move has zero delays, and so the combo of using affliction in a majority of its moves makes a fully levelled Megalania potentially the perfect replacement for anything with a stun and bleed combo, like Styracosaurus Lux. And so you now have an idea of how Omegas could pose a power-creeping threat towards the main meta. There are more examples out there, but through my analysis and experiences with Discord server members, this situation seems to be the most common issue that the meta has to look out for.

How would I describe the above situation? It’s pretty dire for me if you take a close look at some of the top teams. A few of the top players have already adapted to the method of boosting level 30 Omegas way beyond their preset levels and could dominate their opponents if the RNG allows it. So if you’re fighting at the top of the game, better have yourself prepared for the worst as you’ll have no idea whether you’re gonna face enhanced tier five Uniques and Apexes or level 30 heavily boosted Omegas, especially with JamCity’s murky matchmaking systems. To conclude, you can probably say that Omegas are slowly rising to challenge the best on the shores, but since time is needed to have them adapted to fight the best creatures (and emerge victorious) in the game, it’ll be fortunately some time before they would see very widespread usage in the main arena. There aren’t a lot of ways to prevent this, but I believe if you trust yourself and your instincts, you could strive in this irritating meta while adapting to this unstable future. If you have any doubts about this situation, you could seek help from our community on our Discord server for sure as an alternative to do so.

Admittedly, I’m not that one person to actually successfully determine or predict how other teams should be constructed. Your own playstyle and how you could improve it to make the most in battle are the ultimate factors in what you will choose. The team I discussed is intended as a sample of how I’d personally think of how the meta will adapt to Omegas. You could build it on your style, and so you could have a clear understanding of how much Omegas would do to affect or be dominant within the meta. I hope this community article could help you more on building a relevant and balanced team and highlight the expectations on Omegas to the meta itself after nearly a year since their release. Be on the lookout for my follow-up article on some new creative creature suggestions made by the community and me as a cheery festive special. Thank you for reading, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy playing during the holiday season!