There has been a lot of talk of Corrin being "significantly" nerfed after the patch, and while that seems to be the case due to the large numeber of nerfs, the total negative effect they had Corrin were fairly minor. I'll be going over every change, point by point, and explaining why that is the case.
Uair: Uair has had its damage (and consequently its knockback nerfed), but it received a minor boost in base knockback growth, which noticeably mitigates the nerf in knockback. Its safety on shield is unchanged.
Verdict: A nerf, but a light one. (Here is an example of how much later Uair will KO).
Nair: Nair has received a slight reduction in damage on both hits, but the side effect of doing so has made it easier to combo opponents. To put it more precisely, I was able to string Nair -> Fair on characters at higher percentages than before (I personally tested this on multiple characters between versions). Its safety on shield is unchanged.
Verdict: A damage nerf, but with clear benefits. Opponents aren't launched as far after being hit, making it easier to perform follow up attacks on them.
Fair: Similar to Nair, Fair has had its damage reduced. This also has had the side effect of making it easier to combo opponents for the same reasons as above. Its safety on shield is unchanged.
Verdict: Damage nerf with clear benefits. See above.
Dragon Fang Shot: Charged DFS has received damage nerfs all around, but it's important to keep a few things in mind. Charged DFS wasn't that great of a tool to begin with due to its large commitment and how easy it was to block/intercept. Regardless, due to how the move functions (stun is based on how much damage they've taken) it IS harder to get followups, though it becomes less noticeable at higher %.
Verdict: A clean nerf, but the best aspect of this move (uncharged DFS to bite) is completely unchanged. DFS --> DL no longer works at lower % (ie charged DFS won't connect 50% at the center of battlefield) which is something to keep in mind, but it's still effective at % where it will cleanly net the KO. Again, this wasn't a move you wanted to throw out at mid range due to how punishable it is.
Counter Surge: Counter Surge has been nerfed tremendously, but anyone who was remotely familiar with how Corrin was played at high levels of play should realize that this is a basically non-factor.
Verdict: It's no longer a crutch for desperate Corrins to fall on in order to get a surprise skill. It's still good at getting KOs near the top of the stage, however.
Walk, Run and Air Speed: Before I comment any further, you absolutely need to watch this video, which compares Corrin's mobility between version 1.14 and 1.15.
As you can plainly see, Corrin's mobility nerfs are almost completely inconsequential. And this is a point that needs to be especially stressed because I have seen countless players (even commentators!) claim that Corrin's mobility nerfs were noticeable, or that Corrin has lost out on combos.
Verdict: People are experiencing a clear placebo effect, as Corrin largely controls the same and there are very, very, very rare instances were Corrin cannot follow up on a DFS. The nerf to air speed is more significant due to how important air speed is in general, but even then it's not that important in practice. 0.97 is still average, and fairly decent for Corrin.
Front/Back Roll: Both of Corrin's rolls have lost 2 frames of invincibility at the end, but this should have next to no effect in an actual match. For reference, Corrin now shares roll frame data with Greninja.
Verdict: Corrin's rolls haven't noticeably changed.
Item Toss Strength: lol
Verdict: lol
In conclusion
Notable changes
- Uair was strictly nerfed, but BKG was slightly compensated. Still a very solid combo tool/KO option
-/+ Fair and Nair were nerfed in damage, but now grant more follow up opportunities at higher %
--Charged DFS is generally weaker and has less stun time. Can no longer perform follow ups at lower %
Not really important
-Air speed nerf
-Counter Surge isn't a crutch anymore
Largely irrelevant
-Ground mobility was nerfed by an inconsequential degree
-Item toss
-Roll changes
That's literally it. When you break it down, Corrin's changes barely have an effect on how the character is played at high levels of play. If you were worried about Corrin post patch, then you should breath easy. They're essentially the same character.
Uair: Uair has had its damage (and consequently its knockback nerfed), but it received a minor boost in base knockback growth, which noticeably mitigates the nerf in knockback. Its safety on shield is unchanged.
Verdict: A nerf, but a light one. (Here is an example of how much later Uair will KO).
Nair: Nair has received a slight reduction in damage on both hits, but the side effect of doing so has made it easier to combo opponents. To put it more precisely, I was able to string Nair -> Fair on characters at higher percentages than before (I personally tested this on multiple characters between versions). Its safety on shield is unchanged.
Verdict: A damage nerf, but with clear benefits. Opponents aren't launched as far after being hit, making it easier to perform follow up attacks on them.
Fair: Similar to Nair, Fair has had its damage reduced. This also has had the side effect of making it easier to combo opponents for the same reasons as above. Its safety on shield is unchanged.
Verdict: Damage nerf with clear benefits. See above.
Dragon Fang Shot: Charged DFS has received damage nerfs all around, but it's important to keep a few things in mind. Charged DFS wasn't that great of a tool to begin with due to its large commitment and how easy it was to block/intercept. Regardless, due to how the move functions (stun is based on how much damage they've taken) it IS harder to get followups, though it becomes less noticeable at higher %.
Verdict: A clean nerf, but the best aspect of this move (uncharged DFS to bite) is completely unchanged. DFS --> DL no longer works at lower % (ie charged DFS won't connect 50% at the center of battlefield) which is something to keep in mind, but it's still effective at % where it will cleanly net the KO. Again, this wasn't a move you wanted to throw out at mid range due to how punishable it is.
Counter Surge: Counter Surge has been nerfed tremendously, but anyone who was remotely familiar with how Corrin was played at high levels of play should realize that this is a basically non-factor.
Verdict: It's no longer a crutch for desperate Corrins to fall on in order to get a surprise skill. It's still good at getting KOs near the top of the stage, however.
Walk, Run and Air Speed: Before I comment any further, you absolutely need to watch this video, which compares Corrin's mobility between version 1.14 and 1.15.
As you can plainly see, Corrin's mobility nerfs are almost completely inconsequential. And this is a point that needs to be especially stressed because I have seen countless players (even commentators!) claim that Corrin's mobility nerfs were noticeable, or that Corrin has lost out on combos.
Verdict: People are experiencing a clear placebo effect, as Corrin largely controls the same and there are very, very, very rare instances were Corrin cannot follow up on a DFS. The nerf to air speed is more significant due to how important air speed is in general, but even then it's not that important in practice. 0.97 is still average, and fairly decent for Corrin.
Front/Back Roll: Both of Corrin's rolls have lost 2 frames of invincibility at the end, but this should have next to no effect in an actual match. For reference, Corrin now shares roll frame data with Greninja.
Verdict: Corrin's rolls haven't noticeably changed.
Item Toss Strength: lol
Verdict: lol
In conclusion
Notable changes
- Uair was strictly nerfed, but BKG was slightly compensated. Still a very solid combo tool/KO option
-/+ Fair and Nair were nerfed in damage, but now grant more follow up opportunities at higher %
--Charged DFS is generally weaker and has less stun time. Can no longer perform follow ups at lower %
Not really important
-Air speed nerf
-Counter Surge isn't a crutch anymore
Largely irrelevant
-Ground mobility was nerfed by an inconsequential degree
-Item toss
-Roll changes
That's literally it. When you break it down, Corrin's changes barely have an effect on how the character is played at high levels of play. If you were worried about Corrin post patch, then you should breath easy. They're essentially the same character.
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