Well, here we are again. We’ve had a couple of updates since my last review in March, so let’s have a fresh look at the creatures in the Top 100 teams! (caveat: 3 teams were not visible so teams 101-103 were included)
Ankylos Lux (96%) and Refrenantem (94%) build on their entries last time out and are now on virtually every team. Indotaurus (33%) is still clinging on to a top 10 spot but has fallen dramatically from 85% in March.
There are 4 new entries in the most common 10 since March. Albertocevia (82%), Imperatosuchus (71%), Giganyx (41%) and, as of 2 days ago, Diloracheirus (40%) have all entered the meta.
Consigned to the scrap heap in exchange are Monolorhino (0% !!), Mortem Rex (again) (7%), Skoona (23%) and Scorpios Rex G3 (13%):
Since January 2022, 8 of the most common 10 creatures in the Top 100 are new to the meta, compared to 5 across a similar period in 2021 (Jan to June), highlighting just how quickly the meta is changing.
However, if we use the Top 25 as an indicator of where the meta is going, given their ability to react most quickly to meta changes, we can see further changes compared to the rest of the Top 100.
In the Top 25, Rexy and Tarbognathus are also new since March, meaning that at the very top, 6 of the most common 10 creatures have changed in 4 months and 9 out of 10 have changed since January. Only Parasauthops remains but that too is on its way out.
Other creatures being dropped by the Top 25 compared to the rest of the Top 100 include Arctovasilas, Indotaurus and Skoona - all of which have nearly disappeared. Then we have Hydra Boa…. That’s Hydra Boa - High Tyrant last patch - which is being dropped because it’s no longer strong enough!
In some ways, the meta is more diverse than before with a broader spread of creatures in the Top 100. However, this is likely being driven by the speed of meta change, making it hard for teams to keep up, as opposed to choice.
Of the most common 11 creatures used in the Top 25, only Diloracheirus and Tarbognathus have all their components available to hunt in the wild. The other 9 are either raids (or store-bought incubators) or require an exclusive component. I expect we’ll see Compsoraptor appear on this list soon too, probably in place of its parent, Tarbognathus, meaning yet another exclusive-component creature at the top.
What do you think about the way the meta is changing? Is a constantly evolving meta is a good thing to avoid stagnation? How do you think this list will change with the new creatures from 2.17?
My Opinion
When doing these reviews over the last couple of years, I’ve tried to remain neutral and present things objectively, however, I want to include some of my own thoughts this time.
When boost resets were a thing, looking at the meta fluctuations was fun as I always felt there was a way to get there myself (I hit seasonal top 200 once as F2P). However, with the very clear change of direction since the Jam City takeover, it’s become increasingly demoralising. Considering the pitiful Boost Token roll-out, it’s hard to get excited at seeing how much is required to compete without parting with $1000’s a month.
This might be the last look I take at the Top 100 as, for me, the game feels less fun with each update. The continued lack of access to boosts to change my team is getting boring, whilst fipping exclusives and running raids on autopilot to get the best creatures is just not engaging. We’ve not even touched on the tournament metas either - I’ve no idea how players can expect to compete in advantage weekends without spending big money.
So that might be it from me but we’ll see. Cheers for reading!
