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The Bazaar Guide

The Bazaar Meta Builds (Patch 0.1.9)

Overview: State of The Bazaar's Meta

Patch 0.1.9
While the new patch didn't come with that many item changes, a handful of the reworks certainly made an impact. The first day of the patch was Beast of Burden returning with a reign of terror.
The Cargo Shorts rework also added scalable Cooldown reduction which is absurdly broken, leading to a near immediate hotfix. Alongside we got to say goodbye to Truffles, as it no longer functions as a continuous Value stacker.
Aside from those obvious outliers, the one item that truly stands out is undoubtedly DJ Rob0t. Dooley mains rejoice as there's now another end game viable build, and also a new way to play Friend-centric builds when the Companion Core is unavailable.
Starting Income NerfThe Gold/Income start-of-run option had its starting Income reduced by one, which is a considerable nerf. This has pushed many players towards selecting the Gold skill option instead, increasing the likelihood of stronger early game setups.
While it's hard to really say just how much of an impact this has had, there are builds which greatly take advantage of having specific skills even beyond the early game (ex. Force Field with Defense Grid). It's even to the point where their viability can depend on it. 
By simply increasing the rate we see skills, more of these opportunities will inevitably present themselves. It's a much more defined path than just having a solid early Economy, and you know, there's nothing wrong with that.
Or you're like me and none of this matters because you always pick the Enchanted item every run. I see you. :)
Skill ChangesOnce again after many past iterations, we've received even more nerfs to Freeze skills. In fact, many of them have been reworked entirely and no longer apply Freeze at all (RIP Coolant Leak).
Additionally, the common existing Freeze skills (When you do X, Freeze an item) had their durations reduced yet again, lowering their overall impact. Overall this is probably a healthy change given how strong Freeze is, and despite nerfs they will still be very strong.
The other most notable change was reworking "on-start" effects to now trigger the first time you use an item. This is very notable for skills like Oceanic Rush and Quick Ignition which helped kickstart their respective builds.
There are workarounds such as using Clamera alongside Oceanic Rush, or even just ensuring you have a low Cooldown item to activate it at a reasonable time. However, if you want that original power, there's still the chance to get Rush and Rigged.
Overtuned EnchantmentsIf you've been playing for a while you may remember the insanity of a Fiery Lemonade Stand, which allowed players to stack up insane amounts of Burn onto a single item (usually Matchbox). It didn't take long for this mechanic to be completely removed, and for a good reason. However, guess what, it's back...
Items that generate other items such as Gumball Machine and Tropical Island now pass on their enchantments. Combined with the enchantment changes to Loot (and Loot-like) items allows players to stack up a ridiculous amount of stats or effect duration.
This is clearly an oversight and definitely will be changed in the future. If it somehow survives after the next patch I'd be shocked, so if you're enjoying the absolute insanity it provides, you better enjoy your limited time with it now.
Hero BalanceDespite the wild shenanigans with enchantments, overall Hero balance is in a pretty decent spot. Every Hero has multiple viable builds, and most notably Dooley now has options outside of Power Drill.
A lot of the existing builds from last patch still remain just as strong, so there hasn't been a huge shakeup in terms of the top. However, given the relatively low quantity of changes, it's pretty solid.
Now let's take a closer look at some of the best builds of the patch, along with a closer look at the individual Heroes!
Disclaimer:Builds are often included based on their end game potential, or on their consistency to snowball to an earlier victory. There's almost always going to be far more builds than we can realistically include. This is merely a snapshot of some of the best options out there.
Please note that the items and positioning can vary greatly depending on skills/enchants. Oftentimes our examples may match a board from one of our build guides. 
We generally try to exclude off-Hero items as they are not common finds that can be relied on. Overall, please consider these boards examples of their archetype, and not the definitive best-in-slot setup.

Vanessa

Vanessa feels very well-rounded right now, as she has a variety of archetypes that specialize in Damage, Poison, and Burn. This is great considering the strength of Gold starting skills, allowing players a wide array to choose from without feeling punished for picking the "wrong choice".
While the usual contenders remain present (One-Weapon builds aren't going anywhere), there's still potential to see some wild off-meta contraptions including the likes of Powder Keg or The Boulder.
In terms of meta builds, Lighthouse is one of the standout newcomers, breathing life into the Slow Burn strategy that's been on the sidelines for so long (see below for more details). It's nice to see another Vanessa Burn build outside the usual Trebuchet and Weather Glass setups.

#1 One-Weapon Silencer

One-Weapon builds are still as powerful as ever. Their flexible nature combined with their late game viability allows for the freedom to build into them early, or pivot into them later on. Often all it takes in the early game is a Shadowed Cloak and Crow's Nest to quickly accelerate ahead of the competition.
Among the various options, Flagship is one of the strongest especially alongside Dive Weights, enabling a lot more freedom with what it includes on the board. As a Large Vehicle it can take advantage of some of the strongest skills such as Big Guns and/or Flashy Pilot, giving it an edge over other Weapons.
Speaking of Vehicles, Submersible has emerged as another top single Weapon setup, in particular if combined with Shipwreck. Its Medium size greatly works in its favor, as it opens up more space on board to take advantage of the Multicasting madness.
Build Guides:Cutlass Vanessa
Flagship Vanessa
Sniper Rifle Vanessa
Submersible Vanessa

#2 Aquatic Poison

Aquatic Vanessa builds now come in a variety of options, specifically because of two changes.
Now that we can start with an enchanted item, it opens the door to powerful combos such as Toxic Pearl or Fiery Seaweed. There are multiple viable combos, and they can be strong enough to where you don't even need Pufferfish.

Shipwreck now exists at gold, making it far more accessible than before. This adds overall consistency because you can now go with either Shipwreck or Figurehead depending what you find.
This flexibility is a great benefit, while still having highroll potential. You can still aim for the usual Fishing Rod plan in hopes of acquiring multiple Pearls and/or Jellyfish. Pearls are generally best, but you really can't go wrong with either.
If you've enabled the Mysteries of the Deep Expansion, you can also assemble a Primordial Depth Charge variant, but due to its long Cooldown it's not quite as consistent as the usual Pufferfish core.
Build Guide:Figurehead Pufferfish Vanessa

#3 Lighthouse Burn

Lighthouse is finally getting its chance to shine. The Slow Burn archetype has been available for a while, but it generally hasn't been consistent enough to make a real appearance. While the latest patch didn't actually change any of its items, there were a few changes which helped push it into the spotlight.
Starting Income has been reduced from three gold to two, leading players to more commonly opt for the Gold starting skill instead. Burn skills are notoriously strong especially in the early game, and Lighthouse gives Vanessa a more viable later build path.

Conflagration, an already powerful Burn-scaling skill, was actually buffed and made available at Silver tier. It's now way more accessible while retaining all of its original power, plus it gains a higher ceiling at Diamond.

Shipwreck becoming available at Gold with the previous patch definitely helps as well. While Lighthouse builds can certainly be built without it, there's no denying the power spike that Shipwreck provides.

Many Freeze skills were either nerfed, or reworked entirely to not be a true Freeze skill at all. With the game's strongest form of disruption far less available, Slow builds certainly look a lot more appealing.

Pygmalien

Pygmalien probably received the least from the patch out of the three, but given his already incredible build diversity, this is absolutely fine. Pyg has a huge amount of viable builds that can compete in the end game, potentially more than Vanessa and Dooley combined.
In addition, although Cargo Shorts were quickly hotfixed, the current iteration is still a very respectable item. Beast of Burden is a viable and unique archetype, and this redesign makes it play very differently from Pyg's normal game plan.
The way Cargo Shorts is designed requires you to hold multiple items. This limits the amount of Economy items you can hold, and also prevents Chocolate Bar events as you will rarely have five available slots at a time. A brilliant choice in terms of design!

#1 Fixer Upper

Property builds have excellent late game potential since they can convert gold Value into absurd offensive power. Fixer Upper does this best with its Shield stacking, and generally uses Spiky Shield or a Fiery/Toxic enchant to overwhelm the enemy in seconds.
The rework to Ledger (formally Deed) offers the build an incredible way to stack Value in the late game. This particularly helps in cases where Fixer Upper is acquired really late and doesn't have the time to scale with Rewards Card.
It's the perfect combination of offense, defense, and speed, while still having the flexibility to adapt the build depending on what's available. Building an Economy naturally fits into Pyg's game plan, making Fixer Upper always an option worth considering.
Build Guide:Fixer Upper Pygmalien

#2 Double Whammy

Health-stacking Double Whammy builds have become a lot more consistent after the Ledger (formally Deed) rework. Previously you needed to acquire a Pawn Shop early, otherwise you wouldn't have the time to stack enough Value.
Now with Ledger, this build has become a much more reliable pivot option. It's a lot easier to make up the Value disparity as long as you build a decent enough Economy in the meantime.
While Balcony is a bit of a non-bo (the doubled Value only increasing Max HP, but not current HP), it represents enough power to ensure that a single swing of the hammer will usually defeat the opponent.
The only noteworthy nerf with the recent patch is the rework to Defense Grid. While the change from on-start to first-use is fine (or even beneficial) for other builds, it's significant for Double Whammy.
Before it provided a huge Shield buffer, helping ensure survival until the hammer goes off. While it technically can still be utilized after the first swing, the majority of the time you should defeat the opponent with one attack, meaning it won't do anything.
Build Guide:Hammer Exodia Pygmalien

#3 Double Matchbox

Double Matchbox is the prime example of why Upgrade Hammers can be easily abused. While it's not always possible to pull off, 1-2 Burn skills alongside the Double Matchbox can easily snowball a run, or at the very least make the first 6-8 days a breeze.
However, it's late game viability can vary greatly depending on the skills and/or enchants you acquire. It generally needs some additional scaling to keep up with some of the end game contenders.
Starting with an enchanted Matchbox is often a key indicator towards attempting the build, and one of its benefits is that few specific items are necessary. It's all about finding the lowest Cooldown non-Weapons, allowing the build to capitalize on powerful skills like Healthy Hoarder and/or Minimalist.
Build Guide:Double Matchbox Pygmalien

Dooley

Dooley received some much needed love this patch, getting a strong new archetype with the rework to DJ Rob0t. While Dooley wasn't exactly struggling before, the end game build diversity has been lacking since Power Drill eclipses most other builds.
Fun and unique builds around Robotic Factory and Bunker were unfortunately still too rare to come by, and so there weren't many builds that stood up to compete in the late game.
Force Field is also making a comeback thanks to the Defense Grid change, allowing for a more consistent insta-kill setup. It plays very differently from past iterations that could scale with Duct Tape, but the power is certainly there.

#1 Power Drill

Power Drill is still one of Dooley's best and most flexible items. You can slot it into a number of builds, and because of the nature of enchantments, what you end up with can greatly differ between runs.
With the majority of the game's items receiving the Bonk, it's pretty easy for Power Drill to stand out with its insanely broken Charge speeds. Unlike Atlatl (one of the fastest Weapons), Power Drill remains untouched.
Burn builds are one of Dooley's strongest early game options, but they generally fall off later on. However, thanks to the inherent synergy with Power Drill, they have an extremely consistent pivot that can contest with the best.
Build Guide:Power Drill Dooley

#2 DJ Rob0t

The rework to DJ Rob0t gives Dooley players a new way to invest in a Friends build, beyond having to start Companion Core or luckily encounter a Robotic Factory later on.
Nanobots were buffed considerably, getting reduced Cooldowns and scaling Damage based on all Friends, not just Small ones. In fact, it's even possible to find success running more than three Nanobots, provided you can find another DJ Rob0t to buy.
Given the unique structure of these builds, DJ Rob0t becomes a great new pivot option since half of the build comes from a single item. In fact, just tossing together a bunch of miscellaneous Friends is generally good enough in the mid game.
Overall, DJ Rob0t has helped expand Dooley's viable build options, allowing for more than just Power Drill builds to exist and compete in the late game. Bill Dozer, Robotic Factory, Race Carl, Bellelista; all are viable in their own right.

#3 Force Field

Force Field was one of Dooley's staple archetypes for a long time, but has become far less prevalent with the shift to Silver tier, and the incredible loss of Duct Tape. However, under the right conditions, it can now exist as a powerful one-shot build.
Just like Lighthouse, having more incentive to choose a Gold starting skill has created a higher likelihood of Force Field. This is also thanks to the changes to Defense Grid.
Now that it triggers after your first item use, you can set up a board state which triggers the Max Health Shield immediately before Force Field goes off. For example, Battery goes off first, triggering Defense Grid and Charging Force Field to fire right after.
It should be noted that this setup relies on powerful skills like Defense Grid, and to an extent Reserve Shield. The specific supporting items don't really matter, as the build's best bet is a bursty insta-kill instead of a scaling Shield arrangement.
Consider approaching a Force Field build when you happen to encounter Defense Grid early on (at least Silver tier or better). Otherwise, it generally isn't worth investing into.