Bluffing Riposte - Hey Valve, please reward Heavy-Melee feints!

[gamerlocale]

Context: Currently, the item "Rebuttal" acts as a direct counter to melee-oriented characters like Abrams, Billy, and Calico. Being that it's a tier-1 item, these characters are heavily punished in their ability to deal damage right from the start, should an opponent choose to invest in it. A new item, "Bluffing Riposte" is designed to solve that problem without overly skewing the dynamic in the attacker's favor. This item effectively rewards you for baiting out parries by whiffing heavy melee attacks.

Bluffing Riposte is a Tier 1 Weapon Item that grants additional Bonus Health. Its passive effect causes the next Heavy Melee attack to deal double damage if the enemy hero fails to parry your heavy melee attack. It can be purchased from the Shop for  800. Bluffing Riposte is a Component of Melee Charge.

Cost:	800
Tier:	1

+125 Bonus Health

Passive

If an enemy within 18 meters fails to parry your heavy melee, your next heavy melee deals double damage.

 

[isleafon]

i feel like it'd be too easy to activate this while hiding behind a wall. i'd also tune it down to 1.5x dmg. how would it interact with uppercut/slash/puddle though?

 

[gamerlocale]

i feel like it'd be too easy to activate this while hiding behind a wall.

I don't see the problem.

i'd also tune it down to 1.5x dmg.

I'm flexible on the damage, but remember that Rebuttal guarantees two heavies, heals you, AND returns the original melee damage to sender. AND it's online within two seconds after a whiff. Very punitive, which means that Bluffing Riposte needs to have a corresponding power level.

how would it interact with uppercut/slash/puddle though?

Good question. I'd imagine it would have similar interactions ala Crushing Fists, insofar as certain buffs aren't transferred to abilities, only the damage.