So the new Patch just got released, and there are some very significant changes there. For instance, the Matryorbshka now is one big ball that splits into smaller balls, and the boss relic does the same thing but loses the -2/-2 damage penalty.

There are also new combats. I haven't played all of the new ones yet, but one of the forest ones, with the ranged plants, has potential to be relatively fast since it's only got two purple slimes waiting to spawn, so two bombs being activated or a solid AoE should clear it quickly. The Mines one with the three big purple spiked slimes seems like it might be a bit slow for mantle users since they have quite a bit of health.

What do people think about the patch overall? Will the Matryorbshka still be an S-tier orb, or does this nerf its potential slightly? Do you think the new combats will be a benefit or detriment to speedruns? Do you think the changes will be substantial enough to even warrant a board wipe further down the road?

Overall, I'm glad to see the patch, it's fun to explore things for the first time again!

Don't think the changes are substantial enough to warrant a board wipe (especially since old versions can be accessed on steam), but I do think the new version is worse both because of the matryorbshka nerf and also because of the addition of new boss relics, which dilutes the pool and makes the odds of getting molten mantle/sapper sack worse in unseeded.

Agreed on both counts!

I'll probably try a bit more to get runs going on the current patch, but might downpatch later if I find it's a lot harder to get a solid run going.