Well in that case Mira’s self-damage still stands as an example of implication.[quote=“GalacticGeek, post:21, topic:13097”]
I attack you, you take damage. You attack me, we both take damage. Do you not see how broken that is?
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It’d be more like Tusk attacks Character X, aims for a 30% damage combo, each receive 15%
Character X attacks Tusk (let’s go with the low damage character @TheWeebSkeeb suggested) for a 15% combo, each receive 7.5%. But as all instincts work it would only last what, 10 seconds? It would give said character breathing room to maybe set up traps, do no-damage stat-increasing command grabs (Ala Mira’s bite, Eyedol’s roar), or if he wants to risk it rush in & do some combos, all the while making the opponent second guess if he should attack or not, as Character X is building up resources for a later payoff. It would create a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation, similar to attempting to close in & break Aganos’ armor or sitting in the corner blocking portal punches from Gargos while he’s gaining meter & setting up minions.
Besides, As I heards someone else describe KI, every character is broken in some way or another. But how it’s balanced with weaknesses is what makes then all not broken. If nothing else I’m merely presenting the “broken” part of a possible future character. Surely they could give a character weaknesses to balance it.
It’s an interesting idea, but I can’t say I see it as a particularly good one. Generally speaking, I think someone on offense shouldn’t be punished for breaking through the opponent’s defense. I “earned” my opening, so why am I the one being punished here? Comparison to Raam or Gargos is inapt, as even with two minions out, I still (situationally) have ways to put the hurt on Gargos while avoiding McStabby and The Fat One. Minions must be adapted to, but they are not completely unavoidable like the ability you describe here. That kind of forced penalty tends to make people upset.
On the other side of the coin, the instinct mechanic is at its core more or less a comeback mechanic. The degree and manner to which it is that varies for each character, but in general, they provide some sort of offensive bonus that makes it easier for them to get in, or perhaps makes them more effective once they get in. The mechanic you described is probably the first purely defensive instinct I’ve heard proposed, where the only benefit is that it encourages the opponent to lay off you for a moment. But to be honest, I don’t think it would actually serve that purpose outside of very situational instances.
Think about the circumstances under which instinct gets popped. If you have instinct, it’s because I’ve hurt you already, so you’re probably low on life. Unless I’m lower than you on life (and consequently, will kill myself by attacking you), then I’m just going to keep going in and take the remainder of your lifebar. My options are take damage killing you, or take damage trying to run away from you or by trying to get back in after your instinct runs out. That’s not really much a choice to be honest - it will almost always work out that finishing off the opponent’s lifebar is worth it to me. This means the big “hook” of the instinct, “get away from me” is probably not going to wind up being served most of the time. In truth, I think an instinct that granted some super ridiculous offensive resource for the opponent as he took damage would probably be a better version of this idea.