Yeah, reptile still needs help. I would indeed put the forceballs high in the priority list, although I agree with
@THTB regarding the variations (lack of) as the number 1 issue.
1) Tweak the variations.
Nimble has to have more practical ways to be incorporated in combos besides f412-ex nimble. The obvious fix would be reducing startup. Maybe the regular version can have the duration reduced If nimble can be safely activated after certain selected strings. This can make the variation more pressure based, since reptile could do a block string and for a short period of time, be faster to pressure during the nimble duration. It would only be balanced if possible only from a slow string. If 34 can be safely canceled into nimble, it would allow some f412 pressure and after nimble ends (the duration would be the time for only 2 or 3 strings), the opponent would have options, since the fast strings as f412 would not be safely cancelled into nimble, and 34 is slow and can be beat. I don't now, just putting out ideas, but I think it is possible to make nimble the pressure based variation, even keeping reptile's slow normals and unsafe specials.
Deceptive is where Reptile is more lacking. Reduce startup and give him more benefits while invisible. Maybe make the ex version not go away during the whole duration AND take reduced damage (or no chip)? Make the forceballs invisible also during the trait? Something drastic gotta change in this variation, IMO. It can be the strategic, trapping variation (as the name implies), and the tools should reflect that.
Noxious: perhaps the noxious fumes damage could be slightly increased. It has to be the damaging variation, so make it more like it.
Something has to be done to give variations a more distinct feel. The above is just a suggestion to make them pressure, strategic and damaging variations. The bottom line is: the variations have to change the way reptile plays and the neutral game
2) Tweak the forceballs.
Reduce frames, allow them to be stopped without meter as soon as it leaves his hands. Allow them to be used.
3) Give him a safe special. Just one. it can be minus.
This will allow reptile to end strings with that and build meter. Maybe swipe or pounce. Pounce would be great since no one uses it and this would make it a string-ender/meter building special.
No, it is not too much. In fact, these are very modest tweaks. Just asking for things that most of the others have. Not more. In resume:
- make variations more different so reptile can have different play styles as the rest of the cast. That's what variations are for.
- tweak forceballs a bit so they can be used as a proper projectile. Just make it like subzero's which is still slower than the majority of the cast's projectile.
- give him just 1 safe special, as the rest of the cast possesses, so hen can have something to cancel to on block and not be full combo punished, and build meter at the same rate as the other characters.
The majority of the cast have all 3 features described above, with more damage and faster normals than reptile. Just to make it crystal clear: The majority of the cast
already have all 3 features (3 diverse variations, a useful projectile, a safe special). These are not OP features, far from that.
I don't usually cry, preferring to adapt and deal with what I've got (I was a Kratos main in MK9, for God sakes, I could deal with slow normals, terrible d2, no pokes), and I admit I'm crying for buffs here, but I really feel bad seeing one of the coolest and more unique characters of the franchise not being viable.
