Juggernaut Buff: Definitely a Banger But...
Hello forums (and Kabam),
So I've been hoping for a Juggernaut buff for a while now, (yes because he didn't fit anywhere in the meta, but also because I thought the champ deserved better seeing as he's such a beast in the comics). I'm THRILLED with his buff, but there is literally one issue I have that's a pretty big problem overall for the champ.
Things I like:
- Big Damage
- Simple to Use
- Excellent Buff Control
- Free intercepts thanks to using block + Unstoppable as a Counterpunch.
- FUN
The one thing I don't like is that his Gem gets removed too easily and in situations that realistically he should run right over.
If you're unfamiliar with how his new kit works, it's all centered around his Gem. The Gem gets removed when Juggernaut is inflicted with ANY Non-Damaging Debuff.
This includes (but is not limited to):
- Armor Break
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Slow
- Petrify
- Exhaustion
- Dark Tide
- Living Abyss
- Decelerate
- Spectre
- Disorient
- Taunt
- Infuriate
- Heal Block
- Power Drain/Steal/Burn
- Wither
- Trauma
Some of these make sense; common top Science champs are meant to counter him. The problem is that Non-Damaging Debuff is so broad that it makes him really hard to use in certain situations and against champs his class is meant to counter.
A quick list of Cosmics that even when using Juggernaut perfectly will either stall or completely ruin his rotation:
- Air Walker
- Angela
- Annihilus
- Captain Marvel (Movie)
- Cosmic Ghost Rider (Starts without the Gem, will regain after a Special Attack)
- Hercules
- Ikaris
- Knull
- Silver Surfer
- Super Skrull
- Terrax
- Vision Aarkus
Several of which are common War Defenders OR in several people's Battlegrounds Decks
Now, the argument could be made that you can just use basic combos and Special 3s, but let's face it; a Mystic who can't use their ideal rotation against tough Cosmics is a deterrent to most players looking for their next R3/R4 candidate.
WHAT I PROPOSE IS ONE OF TWO THINGS
Number 1: Change it so that only certain Non-Damaging Debuffs remove the Gem (such as, ones fairly unique to Science champs). My personal choices would be Slow, Decelerate, Fatigue and Exhaustion.
Number 2: Change it so that the Gem cannot be removed when Juggernaut has Class Advantage (Rxkid75 in Vega's Discord suggested this).
I honestly think Option 1 would make Juggernaut an actual relevant defender as well as attacker, but I can absolutely live with Option 2 as it means he's strong against the tougher defenders of the Cosmic Class.
To end on a positive note, I'll just say this. If I ever get the 6 Star, I will use my Mystic 3 to 4 Rank Up Gem I've been saving from Act 7 Exploration back in March. He's that much of a fit for me.
I hope this reaches the right people's eyes, because the buff is really good but that one drawback is so limiting.
P.S. People struggling to maintain Max Momentum, I've found it's really easy if you Medium, Light, Light, Light, hold block until the opponent dashes in and use your Unstoppable to counter their hit, repeat until Special 2.
