Nerf Wedge's Leadership already
I'm just gonna say it: Wedge's leadership ability has completely obliterated arena balance. With all of the critical chance bonuses available to Rebel characters (Biggs, who is naturally in every comp...
Forum Discussion
You make some good points, but I think you're both underselling the potency of the healing/turn meter combo that is given, as well as overselling the ease of getting Palpatine.
Yes, there are plenty of rebel toons to farm and, unsurprisingly, the Wiggs build in question would be a great way to get Palp.
Problem is, this December will be the first time there's been an Emperor's demise event since August and the event itself is described by the developers as "extremely rare." So to say that it is a simple task and/or easy counter is simply inaccurate. In fact, it only furthers the point that the Wiggs build is imbalanced when the "simplest" counter requires having a 7* character that is the fourth most difficult to acquire in the game, depending on who you ask. (Gen. Kenobi, Grievous and raid Han Solo being the only ones ahead of him).
As to healing not being a relevant part since Sidious was meta, I don't buy it for one minute. Healing Immunity is always applied to an individual target (unless its from Grievous, in which case, see my earlier point). Furthermore, with regards to the meta, the only toons in circulation that really apply it are JKA or IG-88.
Personally, I would love it if Clones were a solid counter to this, but they are not; I know from experience. While they have excellent turn meter synergy and decent self-healing with an omega'd Echo, there is simply not enough damage output to take down a Wiggs team before a storm of crits has said team completely healed up, and I would argue that the Double Down + Red Squadron strike combo presents a far more dangerous AOE setup than anything provided by clones/Jedi, especially since both have the potential to recover full health and half turn meter with each use. Combine that with the high speed of this build and you have your second double down much sooner than later and with almost twice the damage.
Meanwhile, the taunting STHan is soaking up enough damage and, by design, giving everyone else on his team enough turn meter that if you, the attacking player, haven't one-shotted the defenders (made all-but-impossible with tier 11 gear, as you pointed out), you're going to have one turn for every two the Wiggs team gets.
Shoretrooper synergy with this particular team also shines for very similar reasons: the inability to target real threats until your buff cleanser can have a go, whereupon his taunt returns with team-wide crit avoidance and, unless you brought Sun Fac.
The ability to counter this team is extremely low. High-speed, high damage with absurd recovery on both health and turn meter (more extreme when you consider the fact that not one of the characters is a support or healer), and the strongest assist punch in the game (again, no damage reduction on any of the assisting characters) is just too much.
You are correct that it is not impossible to beat this team, but I never said that it was; I stated that it is hilariously imbalanced. When one build dominates the vast majority of the other builds, with its only counter requiring extremely rare, very specific characters, then, by definition, there is no way it can be considered balanced. The sheer number of these teams in the top 50 speaks only proves that further. It needs adjustment, plain and simple.
Yes, there are plenty of rebel toons to farm and, unsurprisingly, the Wiggs build in question would be a great way to get Palp.
Problem is, this December will be the first time there's been an Emperor's demise event since August and the event itself is described by the developers as "extremely rare." So to say that it is a simple task and/or easy counter is simply inaccurate. In fact, it only furthers the point that the Wiggs build is imbalanced when the "simplest" counter requires having a 7* character that is the fourth most difficult to acquire in the game, depending on who you ask. (Gen. Kenobi, Grievous and raid Han Solo being the only ones ahead of him).
As to healing not being a relevant part since Sidious was meta, I don't buy it for one minute. Healing Immunity is always applied to an individual target (unless its from Grievous, in which case, see my earlier point). Furthermore, with regards to the meta, the only toons in circulation that really apply it are JKA or IG-88.
Personally, I would love it if Clones were a solid counter to this, but they are not; I know from experience. While they have excellent turn meter synergy and decent self-healing with an omega'd Echo, there is simply not enough damage output to take down a Wiggs team before a storm of crits has said team completely healed up, and I would argue that the Double Down + Red Squadron strike combo presents a far more dangerous AOE setup than anything provided by clones/Jedi, especially since both have the potential to recover full health and half turn meter with each use. Combine that with the high speed of this build and you have your second double down much sooner than later and with almost twice the damage.
Meanwhile, the taunting STHan is soaking up enough damage and, by design, giving everyone else on his team enough turn meter that if you, the attacking player, haven't one-shotted the defenders (made all-but-impossible with tier 11 gear, as you pointed out), you're going to have one turn for every two the Wiggs team gets.
Shoretrooper synergy with this particular team also shines for very similar reasons: the inability to target real threats until your buff cleanser can have a go, whereupon his taunt returns with team-wide crit avoidance and, unless you brought Sun Fac.
The ability to counter this team is extremely low. High-speed, high damage with absurd recovery on both health and turn meter (more extreme when you consider the fact that not one of the characters is a support or healer), and the strongest assist punch in the game (again, no damage reduction on any of the assisting characters) is just too much.
You are correct that it is not impossible to beat this team, but I never said that it was; I stated that it is hilariously imbalanced. When one build dominates the vast majority of the other builds, with its only counter requiring extremely rare, very specific characters, then, by definition, there is no way it can be considered balanced. The sheer number of these teams in the top 50 speaks only proves that further. It needs adjustment, plain and simple.
