Start with one clear hypothesis
A substitution test should answer one question. “Does cleanse solve this control chain?” is testable. “Is this random five-hero team better?” is not.
- Add anti-heal against sustained healing.
- Add control immunity against repeated stun or disable.
- Add backline pressure against a protected carry.
- Add mitigation when area damage overwhelms the team.
- Replace duplicated utility with missing damage or control.
Control the test
Keep the stage, enemy, four other heroes, and positions fixed whenever possible. A one-hero substitution produces evidence that can be compared. Multiple simultaneous changes produce a result but not a clean explanation.
Preserve required utility
Before removing a hero, list what the team would lose: healing, Defense, control, anti-heal, vulnerability, frontline durability, or a specific target pattern. A higher-stat replacement can still fail if it removes the effect that made the original formation work.
Examples of useful experiments
| Problem | Controlled change | What to observe |
|---|---|---|
| Enemy healing outlasts damage | Replace one damage hero with anti-heal | Whether the target dies before the next heal cycle |
| Carry dies before casting | Move or replace one protector | Whether the carry reaches its first and second cast |
| Repeated stun interrupts the team | Add cleanse or control immunity | Whether the key hero completes its skill |
| Front right collapses immediately | Use a stronger anchor in front right | Whether back middle and back right gain enough time |
| Enemy backline controls the fight | Add a backline hunter | Whether pressure reaches the carry early enough |
Repeat and record
A random proc, critical hit, or low-health trigger can create a one-off win. Repeat the same controlled test before treating it as a rule, then submit both wins and losses with exact positions.
Interpret the result
- Consistent improvement supports the hypothesis.
- Mixed results may indicate battle variance or a power wall.
- A worse result may prove the removed utility was essential.
- A win near equal power is useful for progression but weak evidence of formation quality.
- A lower-power win is stronger formation evidence when it is not instant or overpowered.
Conquest conclusions use the current raw Conquest Lab dataset. Arena conclusions are preliminary projections unless a section explicitly says otherwise. Exact private rows, lineups, powers, and ratios are not published.