A metagame is the population of strategies players actually bring. It evolves: winning units get copied, losing units get dropped — patch after patch.
Replicator dynamics is the math of that copying. Each unit's share grows in proportion to how much better than average it is doing — the same equation biologists use for natural selection.
A symmetric rock–paper–scissors has no best unit, so the mix never settles — it cycles. That endless chase is what keeps a competitive game feeling alive.
Buff one unit too far and the loop breaks: it — or its counter — takes over, diversity collapses, and the game is “solved.” Over-reward everyone and the meta freezes into a lifeless tie.
Real balance patches nudge these payoffs a few percent at a time, watching where the metagame's attractor moves — exactly what you're doing here.
This lab hit a snag — the lesson continues without it.