I definitely think Kotal's large assortment of buffs and heals induces some fun mindgames, but the problem is that I don't think that is much of an advantage against someone who actually knows how to play. Mind games are fun, but when you are blood god and your opponent is rushing you down without mercy, there isn't much time to intimidate your opponent.
My perspective is if players aren't actively utilizing a character's moves, then it shows that something is wrong with them. Wrong can mean many things though, that they don't function at all, that they function but not working as intended or they function but they are underwhelming.
Yeah, this is the quintessential problem with most parries in most fighting games. A risk/reward analysis generally tends to mitigate against their use. Why risk whiffing a parry (and getting full-combo punished for your troubles) when you can just block and get the same punish (or better) without taking any of the risk?
Yeah, I basically agree with this. The only time I find Blood Offering worth it is when I have a large life lead and my opponent has very little life left (This can make a comeback extremely difficult). The essential problem is that, as a blood god player, I almost always prefer to set up any of the totems or sun ray over blood offering.
