Coliseum

The Smash community has been abuzz the last few days with speculation about the 1.16 patch. Some may have had their hopes up for surprise additional content, but most were just looking forward to balance changes. And, oh boy, did we get balance changes.

The most controversial character in the game right now has got to be Bayonetta. Excitement for the umbra witch and her impeccable style upon her reveal started to look more like resentment and frustration with how strong she really ended up being upon release. While the community has made a big push recently to discover and share counters to some of her stronger options, it looks like they won’t have as much to worry about moving forward; Bayonetta is the sole recipient of any balance changes in the 1.16 patch, and unfortunately for her, it’s not pretty.

First uncovered by reputable Smash dataminer Random Talking Bush, the folks on SmashBoards quickly began doing some research and have a comprehensive list of changes Bayonetta is set to receive. The list includes lower damage, slower attacks, and smaller hitboxes that are guaranteed to leave as many players rejoicing as crying. But without seeing the new Bayonetta in competition, the question of how potent these nerfs really are, as well as what effect they’ll have on her place in tournaments, remains to be seen.

While this information does currently appear to be all the update includes, more data may be uncovered in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Sources: Random Talking Bush, SmashBoards