A patch is not just a list of numbers. Each line item — a cooldown, a damage value, a hitbox — pushes one role up and another role down. The order in which the patch notes are read matters as much as the numbers themselves, because the meta pivots around the largest deltas, not the longest lists.
Boost reads every patch in three passes. First pass: identify the largest deltas in economy, utility, and a single named character or weapon. Second pass: look for the smallest deltas — these usually indicate a developer trying to push a specific play style. Third pass: check what the community has already shown works, because some patches take a week to find their real effect.
The editorial discipline is to wait a week before declaring a meta shift. Early patch takes are usually wrong; second-week patch takes are usually closer to right; second-month patch takes are usually definitive.
