The Mercy PTR nerf is too harsh and yet it doesn't resolve the core issue. (Suggested changes included)

If you only care about the suggestion itself and don't want to read my reasoning as to why I am making it, skip the next block of text. Although, it may still be beneficial to at least read the first sentence in order to gain some perspective on where I'm coming from.

Full disclosure, I am a Mercy main, I think Mercy is too strong on live right now, and I think the nerf on ptr is too harsh (for those that don't know, on the ptr, rez is always on a 30 second cooldown and valk doesn't reset it; in return, valk doubles rez range). Additionally, I don't think the ptr nerf resolves the main reason (whether people realize it or not) as to why there is so much frustration with Mercy right now. In my opinion, the reason is the fact that rez is available at the start of the game for free. This nullifies the effectiveness of a quick pick since Mercy will rez it almost every time. It also means that if you don't re-engage within 30 seconds and get another pick, rez will be available again for free. It can be much more difficult to score a second pick since cooldowns have been used and the surprise factor is gone, giving the enemy team time to adjust. Even killing Mercy doesn't prevent her from getting rez in later engagements since the cooldown timer still ticks while she is dead. From a gameplay perspective, at times, Mercy may choose to play more passively while she waits for her rez cooldown. Below, I have a suggestion for how Mercy can be changed to alleviate this issue while making her more dynamic to play.

Mercy:

(E) Resurrect:

• Resurrect no longer has a cooldown (don't freak out just yet).

• Mercy now has a resource meter (similar to others in the game such as Torbjörn's scrap bar) storing a resource called Hope. (Maybe it's called that because everyone is hoping that they will be rez'd or because a rez gives hope for winning a team fight? idk, I'll leave naming it to the creatives. It could just be called the "rez bar" storing "rez points" for all I care.)

• Hope is gained only by healing and damage boosting allies. (I guess the idea is that the beam is a two-way connection that buffs allies and fills Mercy's rez tank. From a gameplay perspective, it encourages Mercy to actively support her allies.)

• Use of Resurrect costs 100 Hope.

• Up to 125 Hope can be stored at one time. (It was difficult for me to define this number. If it's set to 200, then rez can be used twice in quick succession under normal circumstances; I think this could be too strong and may encourage players to bank two charges of rez all the time in order to swing a fight. On the other hand, if it's set to 100 capacity, it may encourage use of rez at inopportune moments to avoid "wasting" Hope. I think having a bit of overflow is warranted from a QoL and gameplay perspective, so I'd set it between 125 and 150.)

(Q) Valkyrie:

• Reduce duration to 15 seconds from 20 seconds. (With a healing/damage boost generated resource, 20 seconds is too long; I think it may even be too long on live. It should be anywhere between 12 and 15 seconds I'd say. Absolute minimum is 10 seconds.)

• Gain 100 Hope upon use of Valkyrie. (This could potentially be eliminated since Hope would be generated more rapidly during valk due to the chain beams.)

More reasoning/conclusions:

The ptr changes, as harsh as they are, still allow res to be used immediately out of the gate which nullifies the potency that a quick pick should have. With this suggestion, rez would have to be earned, making early aggression more viable. It also forces Mercy to be aggressive in supporting her team if she wants to be able to rez. A Mercy player who has good target priority and beam selection decision making will be rewarded with more rezes if they can stay alive; I believe this will help the better players stand out more.

This suggestion enables and encourages a more dynamic, involved, and aggressive playstyle (which is what I believe Blizzard was going for with the rework) whereas the nerf on the ptr makes her much more passive (and imo boring).

Edit: Formatting

Edit2: Someone suggested I post this on the Blizzard forums as well. Here is the link to that post if anyone is interested: https://us.battle.net/forums/en/overwatch/topic/20759268315#1

Edit3: See the following comment from u/Rangeless for another method of utilizing Hope. It could be a way for Blizzard to keep the GA momentum bug in the game in some manner: https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/comments/75c307/the_mercy_ptr_nerf_is_too_harsh_and_yet_it_doesnt/do5ibh0/?context=1

Maybe there could be more ways of expending Hope in order to make it a managed resource rather than simply a rez resource.

Edit4: Regarding Hope as a managed resource, I think it would be extremely cool if Mercy could use it for other functions. It would distinguish hope more from a ult meter (due to the singular use of hope, some people have rightly pointed out the similarities) and give Mercy an added layer of complexity (I believe for the better). The issue is there has to be an intuitive control scheme for both keyboard/mouse and controller. I'd be interested to see if anyone can come up with something viable.

Edit5: Several people have commented saying that this is very similar to charging an ult, so I thought I'd put one of my responses here.

Yeah, I know it's a lot like charging a second ult meter (maybe hope could be given other uses as well), but rez is way too powerful of an ability to be a basic ability on a cooldown. Overwatch has many characters with unique mechanics and one even has two ults, why couldn't there be a character with something like a "mini-ult?" If it's staying in the game, I think rez is an ability strong enough to warrant that title and treatment.