Boombox is a support Phighter who specializes in controlling the battlefield with his intense knockback and shield-based abilities. Perfectly timing Pulse Wave allows Boombox to increase his own damage or the supportive effects of Shielding Amplifier through gaining charges. Protecting Overtone grants Boombox a forcefield that blocks incoming projectiles, allowing for him and his teammates to close the gap against the opposition. His Phinisher, Raining Tacos, can turn the tides of the battle with a powerful crowd control, as well as granting his teammates a huge overshield, making them nearly invincible for a few seconds.
Abilities
Charging Blitz
Type Passive
Ability Type N/A
Perfectly timing your primary boosts your primary, grants you and allies short burst of speed, and grants you a charge if you hit an enemy. Being late or early only grants a charge.
Timing between perfects: 1 second Haste: 20% for 1 second Max. charges: 4
Ability Demonstration
Details:
The player must damage at least one enemy to obtain a charge.
Perfectly timing Pulse Wave has various texts.
COOL!
GREAT!
NEAT!
PERF!
PERFECT!
RADICAL!
Pulse Wave
Type Primary
Ability Type AoE
Fire a pulse wave forward.
Damage: 6 + 2 * no. of charges Range: 20 studs Fire rate: 0.9 seconds Ammo: ∞
Ability Demonstration
Details:
The ring is centered around Boombox's upper torso.
Shielding Amplifier
Type Secondary
Ability Type AoE
Fire a soundwave that shields allies and grants haste depending on your charges.
Damage: 5 + 2.5 * no. of charges Shield: Allies: 10 + 10 * no. of charges Boombox: 10 + 5 * no. of charges Overshield duration: 6 seconds Max shield restored: 50 Haste: 10 * no. of charges for 3 seconds Range: 15 (At 0, 1, and 2 charges), 20 (at 3 charges), 25 (at 4 charges) Cooldown: 8 seconds
Ability Demonstration
Details:
Bass Boost / Beat Drop
Type Q Ability
Ability Type AoE/Mobility
Jump in the air and pull enemies in, reactivate to slam down and push enemies away.
Boombox cannot cast any abilities during Bast Boost until he lands.
Protecting Overtone
Type E Ability
Ability Type Utility/AoE
Deploy a forcefield that follows you for 15 seconds or until it is destroyed. Reactivate while the forcefield is up to destroy it and push any enemies back.
Instantly grant shield to nearby allies. Jump high into the air and slam the ground. Allies nearby are granted a rapidly decaying shield, haste, and 50 shield.
Damage: 5 + 15 * airtime duration, max. 40 Knockback force: 20 + 7 * airtime duration, going up only, max. 50 Shield: 75 on cast, 300 decaying at 1 per tick after landing, 50 permanent Haste: 50% decaying at 0.25% per tick after 3 seconds Slow: 25% for 3 seconds Radius: 200 Shield on cast cast radius: 100 Phinisher cost: 150
Ability Demonstration
Details:
The landing effects of Raining Tacos is cancelled if Boombox dies before slamming the ground.
Raining Tacos will grant 50 permanent shield in addition to the 250 that decays, which will stay until it is removed by damage.
Multiple instances of Raining Tacos' shield and slow does not stack. If the player is provided a second Raining Tacos' shield, nothing happens.
Strategy
Pros
Versatile support, with charge allowing for greater offense and defense simultaneously
Boombox excels when he can consistently hit his Charging Blitz. Not only does it give anyone around him a 25% speed boost, but it also allows him to constantly deal damage and then bring his team's shields back up. Boombox is best played around his team or at least one teammate.
Charges stay even if you stop hitting Charging Blitz unless you die, so you can use other abilities to create combos with Pulse Wave and Shielding Amplifier.
Protecting Overtone's knockback on activation and reactivation is powerful enough to throw Phighters out of bounds on maps such as Rocket Arena and The Iron Cafe when given the opportunity.
Pulse, Sound Wave and Protecting Overtone can be used during the end-lag of the reactivation. Use it to squeeze in additional damage.
Ranged Phighters with any source of mobility can outrun a Boombox. Maintaining distance from Boombox prevents him from gaining charges for Sound Wave and doing damage with Pulse and Jump Smash Move. On smaller maps, the player should be mindful to avoid backing themselves into a corner/dead-end.
A significant weakness to Protecting Overtone is its lack of aerial coverage and semi-cylinder shape. Ranged Phighters such as Rocket or Slingshot can take up a higher elevation and damage Boombox and his teammates without issue. In addition, shield piercing and AoE damage can pass through the forcefield. Without Protecting Overtone, Boombox is frail and can be taken out from the fight with ease.
Furthermore, recasting Bass Boost / Beat Drop leaves Boombox vulnerable on the ground for a few seconds, giving opportunities for other Phighters to land powerful attacks during the downtime such as Sword'sLunge or Skateboard'sBASH 'EM!!.
Raining Tacos is extremely telegraphed and risky to use in the middle of a teamfight. The player should take a moment to kill any Boombox attempting to use it at low health. Ranged Phighters with hitscan projectiles such as Hyperlaser and Slingshot have the opportunity to shoot down the mid-air Boombox. If Boombox is too healthy to kill in this state, the best option is to back out or seek high-ground to avoid the damage.
The "bass drop" badge condition was changed from "be airborne for 3 or more seconds while using your phinisher" to "land directly on an enemy during your phinisher and kill them".
REWORKED: Damaging at least one enemy with Pulse grants you a charge, max. 4 charges. On activation, consumes all charges to release an AoE that heals allies and damages enemies. Each charge increases the damage, healing and knockback force.
Damage changed from 10 to 5 x no. of charges.
Healing changed from 0 to 10 x no. of charges.
Knockback force changed from unknown to 5 x no. of charges.
REWORKED: On landing, allies in the AoE are granted a 200 HP shield that starts to decay after 2 seconds. Damaged enemies are slowed by TBA% for 4 seconds.
REMOVED: No longer creates an 12 HP/sec AoE heal on landing. No longer heals allies.