Aside from the addition of amiibo to online play, the 3.1.0 update buffed and nerfed a few characters. Most of the changes only affect the characters that are top tier in human play, so the important changes to the amiibo metagame are small. Let’s go down the list and discuss the largest ones.
- Lucina had two minor nerfs, one against her forward smash and one against her forward air. This isn’t a major nerf but many Lucina amiibo relied on those two attacks.
- Ivysaur and Charizard received minor buffs, although the larger buff was Charizard’s jab. Charizard carries the Pokemon team, so any buffs that affect him affect the Pokemon Trainer amiibo.
- Diddy Kong as a character received some good buffs. While Diddy is sitting in D tier at the moment, and it doesn’t appear that his AI has improved, the character buffs may help him out somewhat.
- Olimar’s smash attacks got crushed by the increased vulnerability. They’re no longer very safe for him, removing one of his few KO options. I expect this nerf to possibly drop Olimar half a tier or more.
- Lucario received even more buffs than Diddy Kong. Lucario, who has just been placed in C tier, is not an amiibo with good AI or tournament results. Most of the buffs are on his KO options and will only get better with his Aura. This could shift Lucario up to B tier if a good trainer took him on.
- Rosaluma has been made a bit faster and less vulnerable, but Luma has been shifted to be more disposable. Rosaluma amiibo will probably need to be trained to focus on Rosalina instead of Rosaluma.
- Little Mac has been buffed arguably more than anyone else relevant in the amiibo metagame. Little Mac is at the top of B tier currently, but the improvements to his specials and the added super armor on his Up smash may bring him up to A tier. I personally haven’t had success with Mac but it seems to me that the most important parts of Mac that amiibo rely on have been buffed.
- Mii Gunner had a very small buff to her Up smash that causes it to hit multiple times more often. It’s small, but Gunner is highly relevant to the scene.
- Bayonetta had a smattering of relevant buffs, particularly towards her side and up specials which are now safer on a miss. If Bayonetta misses she’ll have an easier time once she’s back on the ground.
That’s about it! The C variable of these characters hasn’t shifted around too much, but a change is a change.
As for the I variable, it seems to me that the CPU AI has changed. I haven’t been able to confirm or deny this as most everyone else is focused on the online additions. If the CPU AI has changed, then the amiibo AI may have changed as well. We’re not sure.
Amiibo Doctor 