Is the Current DPS Meta Ruining Arena Variety? Discuss.

I concur with your assessment regarding the current state of Arena meta. The escalating power creep, particularly with recent Ascended Cookies like Crimson Coral or Frost Queen post-buff, is indeed creating a significant disparity that diminishes strategic diversity. While power creep is inherent to gacha mechanics, the rate and magnitude we're observing are problematic.

The issue isn't solely about raw DPS numbers; it's also about the utility and survivability packed into these new units. For instance, the sheer burst potential combined with often self-sustain or crowd control elements in recent releases means that older cookies, even well-invested ones like a maxed out Hollyberry or Pure Vanilla, struggle to find a niche beyond highly specific counter-comps. This effectively narrows the viable team compositions to a "whoever pulls the latest meta DPS first wins" scenario, as you articulated.

The game design seems to be incentivizing a brute-force approach over nuanced team synergy, which was a hallmark of earlier metas (e.g., the strategic placement and timing required for Cotton Cookie's summons and heals, or the precise timing for Sea Fairy's stun). If Devsisters intends to maintain player engagement in competitive modes, a re-evaluation of scaling, perhaps through more impactful buffs to older Ancients or a rebalance of counter-mechanics, would be beneficial to restore strategic depth