v3.4

Probably the last one for now.

---

Misc
Air FSpecial hit fx now matches Ground FSpecial.
Air DSpecial falls slightly faster after platform hits.

---

Dash Attack
Platform meteor hit base knockback 6 -> 6.5
Platform meteor hit can now be DI'd
-Previously only allowed opponents to DI after Inertia.

UStrong
Sweetspot knockback growth 1.15 -> 1.2
-Makes up for the prior inertia duration nerf.

DStrong
FAF 10 -> 11
Endlag 22 -> 20

NSpecial
NSpecial2 damage 5% -> 6%
NSpecial3 damage 7% -> 6%

Ground DSpecial
Melee hit active frames 5 -> 4
Melee hit base knockback now decays from 3 to 2 over the duration of the attack
-Platform buffs made this move better than intended. Changed to better reward accuracy.

Air DSpecial
Reduced the amount by which breaking platforms increases the duration for an opponent to escape the grab.
-Makes 'epicide' percents a little more predictable.

USpecial
Air friction during 'heavy state' reduced (0.06 -> 0.05).

Rest
Hitstun multiplier 1x -> 0.75x
-Big nerfs now that there's an actual chance of hitting this in a match.

---

Bugs
Fixed a bug where DSpecial platforms were crumbling faster than intended on-stage.
Fixed a bug where Epinel was sometimes unable to use USpecial while in heavy state.
Fixed a bug where parrying Rest did not inflict parry stun.

v3.3

BAir:
New animation. Thanks to Sprite Star for the huge assist.
Hurtboxes shifted to match new animation; hitbox and sweetspot shifted a couple pixels higher.

Jab:
Fixed Jab2 startup animation.

v3.2

Made 'heavy state' visual clearer.
Epinel now gains a weaker use of Up-Special if he is hit during 'heavy state'.

v3.1

Rolling back some nerfs that are deemed unnecessary, plus some other perks that weren't tested enough to be included in 3.0.

Stats
Max jump vsp restored to previous patch.
-This change felt correct in personal testing, but there's only small evidence suggesting the change is really needed. Tentatively reversing this until a later date.

Platforms
DSpecial platforms now crumble faster than before when near the side blastzones.

Ground FSpecial
Variable endlag restored to previous patch.
Halved initial pratfall drift.
-The pratfall change alone prevents Epinel from carelessly using this move to escape pressure. The additional endlag made it more punishing than it needs to be.

USpecial
Epinel's aerials, Jab3 and UTilt can now be cancelled early into USpecial on hit.
'Heavy state' landing lag 16 -> 15

Rest
Lockout time shortened by 52 frames.
The 'slow wakeup' animation can now be cancelled.

v3.0

One step closer to a 'definitive' balance patch. Expect a few more minor patches to clean up this initial '3.0' patch.

These changes aim to shorten how long Epinel can stall off-stage, while also giving him stronger options for getting back on-stage. Epinel's ground FSpecial has been adjusted to make it fully committal and less rewarding on whiff, balancing out its sheer strength as a superarmored teleport. Ground DSpecial platforms have been made even more useful to Epinel's gameplan, and Air DSpecial's animation has been sped up considerably. Many other moves have received 'honesty' adjustments for fairer trades, and a number of his rarely-seen options have been removed for better clarity and simpler counterplay.

---

Stats
Pratfall acceleration 0.6 -> 0.8
Reduced max fall speed during 'heavy state' (13 -> 12)
Reduced jump hsp from <dash speed> to <dash speed - 0.2>. Slightly tapers his ability to travel quickly out of a stationary shorthop.

Inertia
Wall-jumping now removes Inertia.
Inertia now has a smaller hitstun increase. (+5 frames -> +3 frames) Intended to lessen cases where an inertia attack may feel impossible to recover or DI against.
Inertia attacks can no longer be DI'd a second time (at the point when Inertia ends). Prevents players from accidentally double-DI'ing into the blastzone, and fixes a rare USpecial bug.

Platforms
Platform travel speed 8 -> 9
Platforms now lose up to half of their momentum when colliding with each other.
Colliding platforms will now drop to 500/1000 hp (previously 750/1000 hp).

Minor
Removed 'special parry' input that could freeze players and projectiles. Fixes a 'bug' involving several characters' article projectiles.
Removed the additional inertia attack on Up-Taunt (Rest).
Swapped neutral taunt and down-taunt.

---

Jab
Jab1 and Jab3 hurtbox extended slightly during active frames.

DTilt
FAF 6 -> 5.

Dash Attack
Grab hitbox damage 2 -> 4.
Throw hitbox damage 11 -> 9.
Launch angle can no longer be influenced by Epinel.
Throw launch angle 90 -> 85.
Throw knockback scaling 0.8 -> 0.85.
Dash Attack is now more rewarding on trade hits, and less confusing to DI.

FAir
Normal hit active frames reduced (3 -> 2) (Total active frames 6 -> 5)
Endlag increased by 1 frame.
Hurtbox size slightly increased during active frames, particularly above Epinel.
Normal hit hitpause scaling 0.25 -> 0.5
Meteor hit hitpause scaling 0.3 -> 0.5
-Now has hitpause equal with kragg fair. opponents should have an easier time DI'ing it correctly.

DAir
Hurtboxes slightly increased, particularly above Epinel during DAir2.

BAir
Landing lag 8 -> 7

UAir
Jump height now decays more sharply on repeated uses if the attack whiffs.

UStrong
Reduced active frames (5 -> 4). (Total animation time reduced by one frame.)
Reduced sweetspot inertia duration. Should prevent the move from taking stocks insanely early at ground height.

---

NSpecial
Sweetspot hitbox width increased by a couple pixels.
NSpecial2 hurtbox extended in front of Epinel during active frames.

FSpecial (Ground and Air)
Now has a range indicator.
Sourspot damage 2 -> 1, base knockback 5 -> 4, stun multiplier 0.15 -> 0.1.
Fixed a bug where the sourspot would sometimes launch grounded opponents instead of flinching them.

Ground FSpecial
Now goes into pratfall when Epinel ends the attack in mid-air without hitting an opponent.
Variable endlag increased 20%. (Variable endlag is based on charge duration. Minimum endlag is unchanged.)
No longer begins to fall during endlag.
Can no longer be roll-canceled.
Can now be taunt-cancelled.
Super-armor frames now cannot be interrupted by *anything*, including workshop characters that ignore super-armor.
When using Ground FSpecial on a DSpecial platform, the platform moves with Epinel.

Air FSpecial
Can now be walljump-cancelled during soft-armor frames.
Can now drift during endlag.

USpecial
Epinel's normals and strongs can now be cancelled into USpecial up to 5 frames earlier on hit.
Inertia speed increased. (7.75 on release -> 8 on release)
Air friction during 'heavy state' increased. (0.04 default -> 0.06 in 'heavy state')
Getting hit no longer removes 'heavy state'; Epinel now must land or wall-jump to remove 'heavy state'. This is an experimental change, and might be reverted soon if it hurts Epinel's recovery too much.

Ground DSpecial
Can no longer be cancelled directly into DTilt.
'Anti-projectile' hitboxes no longer have a visual effect when they touch an opponent.
Melee hit knockback growth 1.2 -> 1.3. Should now KO from ground height at the 150% range.

Air DSpecial
Gravity increased. (0.5 -> 0.6)
Jump velocity slightly increased, to compensate for higher gravity. (6 -> 7)
Upward grab third hitbox size slightly increased.
Platform impact damage 13 -> 12
Epinel no longer bounces up after breaking a platform.
Fixed several more bugs which allowed Epinel to swap direction after the attack connects.

Rest
Knockback scaling 1 -> 0.75.

v3.0

v2.8

DAir:
Now caps vertical momentum upon use.
Horizontal movement multiplier decreased. (1.06x -> 1x)

UAir:
Endlag: 15 -> 14
Hitstun multiplier: 1x -> 0.95x
Fixed UAir's cooldown on whiff lasting longer than it should in rare cases

Air DSpecial:
Made grab release and 'epicides' slightly more consistent
Cancelling into Ground DSpecial on a platform no longer skips part of the attack's startup

USpecial:
Landing lag: 14 -> 16

Bugfixes:
Attempted to fix online desync issues.

v2.7

Alright, it's done. I'll be surprised if Epinel needs any drastic changes for a while after this.

---

General Changes:
Some new particle fx and animation fixes.
Now has the 'earth' color on the character select screen.
Addressed some instances where Epinel would sometimes influence his own momentum during a traded hit.

---

DTilt
-Now has inward knockback on grounded hits, ensuring that the first hit links into the second.
-When used on a moving platform, some of Epinel's momentum will also influence the opponent.

UTilt
-Stun multiplier: 1x -> 0.9x
Previously this move could combo into itself at mid-high percents. Now it has just enough stun to chain into its intended combos.

Air DSpecial
-Increased the threshold for opponents to escape from the grab. 'Epicides' now work at a slightly lower percent than before.

Rest
-FAF: 43 -> 50

v2.6

Last minute fine-tuning for future tournaments.

DAir
-Now has less jump velocity when Epinel is parried or is touching the ground.
-Endlag: 16 -> 17
DAir is designed as Epinel's most threatening move in the air, but it has continued to have a greater threat than intended when used at ground height. The new jump height limits his options after whiffing a grounded DAir, and reduces the chance of Epinel flying above the opponent's punish options.

UAir
-Now has increased ground friction, identical to DAir.
UAir no longer glides across the ground with Epinel's high air accel. He can no longer use it for quick escapes or aggression after missing a DAir.

DStrong
-Restored move acceleration prior to hitting a target.
-Narrowed hitbox vertical reach during early active frames.
-Added a tell to alert opponents that Epinel can indeed move during charged DStrong.

Ground FSpecial
-Now has gravity during endlag.
Slightly increases the risk of using this move off-stage.

Air DSpecial
-Added a non-disjointed hitbox to the end of the upward grab, extending the grab's active time to 9 frames (previously 6).
The added hitbox makes the move more reliable, and prevents cases where an opponent would appear to travel straight through Epinel's claw without being grabbed.