@Youphemism.
Personally I do think he needs a redesign. We can't keep looking at this character in a vacuum. He isn't just a bad character because he has terrible hitboxes and frame data, he's bad because of his comparative tools.
Why shouldn't 1123 be a launcher when Liu Kang a character who can currently zone better than Shinnok has 113 which is -4 and a slow start STRING which can be made safe? That is actually a suggestion to bring his meterless damage in line with most other characters.
312 should have a Hitbox adjustment as well as the things I suggested because this character has like 4-5 full strings and this is one of them and the other few are normal better option in every situation anyway.
The Hell Spark/Blasts on block enhancement isn't to make the move safe it's suggested so that he can make it advantage. There are so few zoning/space control specific characters and Shinnok is getting the raw deal. Why shouldn't he be able to sustain his screen control if he pays for it with meter?
B3/F31D2U2 launching will up his variety among his variations and also buff his meterless damage.
The character dishes out terrible damage and actually doesn't have a safe wakeup, can I do some damage without having to use my meter that should be used for contingency like Breakers or Block Breakers?
I agree with what you were saying about the EX imposter moves, and you are right..
No no no no no. He does
not need a redesign. He needs better frame data in general and better tracking on his Necromancer moves. His tools as they are are fine and would do their intended job had they received better frame data/tracking from the beginning but what NRS have done is created the character with the intention of making him mediocre on purpose. It is better to buff the low tiers than nerf the top tiers, that way instead of everyone sucking everyone is good but the matches are still competitive.
What Shinnok is right now is a mediocre version of what he could be. If you look at his tools on paper, without the frame data, they are good tools. They just haven't come together properly yet but they will if he gets buffed (which lbsh, he will since he needs it).
So your logic for making 1123 a launcher is that one other character has it and that's apparently not fair? I don't think that's a good enough reason. 1123 being a launcher would be nice but I don't think it's necessary. He's not meant to be an in-your-face combo character, he doesn't have the frames for that. He's a zoner, a whiff punisher, a meter builder and an anti-airer (which is useless for a game with shitty jump arcs, ie noone jumps). You keep them out with Hell Sparks, Amulet Strike, even Shoulders to push them full screen. Then keep them there. But because Hell Sparks are so unsafe it makes it hard for Shinnok to do this which is why we feel he needs buffs.
312 is his most damaging combo starter so no not every other string is better. It only needs a hitbox adjustment. You don't
have to use every tool the character has you know.
But what's the point in making it advantage? You're already safe with normal Hell Sparks by your request and you need meter to combo and breaker so you're doing nothing of use by enhancing it for advantage unless it's so plus that they can't move for 20 seconds and you get to whiff a bunch of moves for free and build meter in the process. If it's safe as it is and the other character is full screen you can keep using your newly safe non-EXd Hell Sparks to hold them full screen just fine.
"B3/F31D2U2 launching will up his variety among his variations" How? How does making
one string ender in
one variation "up his variety in all variations"? That doesn't make sense. And he arguably already gets the most meterless damage in Bone Shaper as it is so again, useless/unnecessary.
Yes his damage isn't the greatest, in fact Green Arrow is probably laughing at him, but he's not a damage character by design. He's a keepaway character. Do you know what you get when you put 40% damage with good keepaway? Zod.
Having a safe wakeup is stupid, you shouldn't just be getting up for free. That's why they took away wakeup invincibility too. You should be making good reads on knockdown and getting punished for making a bad one. It's risk/reward and albeit Shinnok doesn't have the greatest risk/reward but that doesn't mean he should be an exception to the rest of the cast. I agree that having to use meter all the time in combos is a pain especially if we need them for breakers or block breakers but that's where your keepaway game and zoning game has to excel. If he had great keepaway
and meterless combos there would be complaints about how characters can't get in but when they do they're sent back to the start again. Look at the complaints about Jacqui right now for example, good meterless damage and good keepaway.
