There are plenty of buffs in there, just look at, for example, bounce
The mechanics being outright removed (splash) are being removed because they create strange and unintuitive interactions, not because they’re overpowered

We’ve been actively working on both nerfs and buffs to keep things balanced. In our last experimental patch, we actually over-buffed Goofsder and had to dial it back a bit, which might be part of what you’re noticing.

Our goal is to ensure every element in the game has an interesting niche and a reason to exist (outside of a few PvE-specific moves/items). If we only buffed things and never adjusted anything else, we’d risk creating super swingy matches, either ending in a couple of turns or dragging on forever due to overpowered stall tactics. We want those kinds of games to be rare exceptions, not the norm. In regards to beasties you feel that aren't worth playing, I can assure you that everything that has been strong is still strong, though perhaps not as meta-warping as it once was! If we see something isn't being used, we do take note and do our best to try and address it.

Since launch, our focus has been on making a variety of playstyles viable, fun to use, and fun to play against. We base our balance decisions on a mix of in-game analytics, fan-run tournaments, feedback from players, and events like the recent Bigmoon Bash (which used skill-based matchmaking, by the way). We’ve got another Bigmoon Bash coming up soon, you should definitely give it a shot!

Also, while splash damage is no longer in the game, we’ve replaced it with a whole new mechanic, Quake, which we think is pretty nifty. We’re always open to feedback though, which is why it's been on the experimental branch and changed a little. Early Access means things will keep evolving, and we think that’s part of the fun—though we totally get that not everyone feels the same way.