For reference, I am:
- Playing on console
- Diamond 2
- Peaked at Celestial 3
- Level 11 Black Cat (halfway to Lord)
- Lord Emma Frost, Psylocke, and Rocket (in that order of playtime)
Season 8.5 of Marvel Rivals came with a few balance changes. I’ve been maining Black Cat since the last couple weeks of season 7 and the first half of season 8. These are my thoughts on the nerfs and the community reaction.
The Black Cat Nerfs: Patch Notes Summary
A quick summary:
- Her damage is lower.
- Her costs to use her abilities are higher.
- Her ultimate ability damage and target distance are lower.
- Her survivability is lower.
In essence, she is being affected by inflation much like all of us. I’m only lvl 11 and on console, so I can only speak for myself, but 99% of these nerfs don’t change how I play Black Cat. Her damage is lower and that can be felt, but she really just went from hitting like a semi-truck to hitting like a Ford F-150.
Her abilities cost more, and I’m sure that affects more advanced players, but to be honest, I stopped using her abilities wheel after getting more experience on the character. Turn of Fortune (her hook that gives you 300 coins) is really hard to hit. I have a 50% chance of hitting a non-tank, and that’s if I’m focused. I have a 75% chance of hitting a tank, but any shield negates the grab, so Dr. Strange is a menace. It has a 5-second cooldown, which doesn’t sound like much, but it is actually an eternity.
I’m usually one of the first people to hit the battlefield, so I try to hook as soon as I see someone. If I miss or it’s blocked, by the time my hook comes back, my team is engaging with the enemy and I have 0 coins. Let’s say I miss the second hook; my team has either lost a player or is on the verge of losing one because I still have not joined the fight. I still have 0 coins. I used to go for the grab then throw out Faltine Flame Orb (UAV), but I found it was not worth waiting 15 seconds to engage, forcing my team into a 5 v 6.
Instead of relying on the hook to get coins, I would use it, then hit or miss, engage with Cat’s Cradle. I would get enough coins to claw whip, Phantom Pursuit, then claw whip. Then Cat’s Cradle again to get out of harm’s way. I wouldn’t even use Helm of Hades (invisibility), because why would I? Coming from playing Psylocke, it made more sense to leave with a bang. Get your damage, then dash out with damage to secure a kill and your life.
Now that Cat’s Cradle has been nerfed to 1 charge, I admit I was worried at first, but it hasn’t made Black Cat as dangerous to play as I thought it would. I was moving so fast before that I didn’t realize how hard Black Cat was to hit. Her hitbox is small and she’s always bouncing around rather than walking. She’s still annoying to deal with. I find myself, after unsuccessfully killing a strategist, bouncing around to buy time and not dying as easily as I thought I would. Unless there’s an anti-dive like Wanda or Thing, I don’t feel fear.
Community Reaction to the Black Cat Nerfs
It’s safe to say that most people are rejoicing with the nerfs, and I completely understand. Post-nerf, she’s still very fun to play. She doesn’t feel weak whatsoever. Which means she was definitely overpowered before. I want people to enjoy the game, so it doesn’t bother me.
I think people complaining about the nerfs have some valid points, but they’re ultimately going to fall on deaf ears because the majority of the community does not like playing against the character.
Common Player Complaints
- It is lame that NetEase puts out characters overtuned at first.
- There were and are counters for Black Cat.
- Raising the cost of her abilities makes people want to use them even less, so why give her all of these abilities in the first place?
- The issue was her damage and not her lunge attack (Cat’s Cradle), which is what makes her viable as a dive in the first place.
- There are other characters in the game just as ridiculous who need to be nerfed.
104! Good Episode b.A.A.d Finale – Weekend Weebs
Final Thoughts: Is Black Cat Still Viable?
These are all valid points to me, but at the end of the day, we can’t control how things play. We can only control what we play. So if you don’t want to play the character anymore, don’t. If you don’t want to play the game anymore, don’t.
I will still be playing Black Cat. She’s still a high-tier character. I can’t wait to be having this same conversation when Cyclops is nerfed, because he’s way too powerful.
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