This is a much healthier change as opposed to 30 dmg shurikens. I’ve done a workshop mode created by a pal of mine (Credit goes to Franki here from the forums if you know him) to do some testing around the changes between his live version of 28 dmg shurikens vs the workshop mode increasing his damage to 29 and I gotta say, it’s not as game breaking as 30. Ik some folks here want 30 but honestly guys, 30 enabled way too many breakpoints that made him a bit way over the top. 29Dmg shurikens is only fair.
29 dmg shurikens does the job right by making him more reliable against squishies while not creating far too many easier breakpoints for all hp pools like what 30dmg shurikens has done. For example, a genji against a widowmaker with her current 175hp, 3hs of shurikens with 28 or 29dmg shurikens will NOT instakill the widow and will either leave her at 1 or 7hp. Usually you will follow up with a swift strike or melee to finish her off. 30 however, flat out deletes the widow with 3hs leading to 180dmg shurikens.
Another example would be for a 200hp target with 28, 29, and 30 dmg shurikens:
Typically it takes around 8 shurikens to kill 200hp targets with 28 dmg shurikens. Now that amount of shurikens is reduced to 7 when its 29 or 30dmg shurikens? Sounds good! Now add some comboes into this scenario:
- Typically it takes 3hs and swift strike to kill a 200hp with that combo with 28dmg shurikens. Now with 29, does the same with 28. However, it adds a threshold with 3hs to melee. Might sound scary to some of you, but in reality, the genji has to be essentially hugging your face to pull that off. In practice, that combo is just as uncommon to pull off with 3hs to swift strike since majority of head hitboxes in this game for 200hp targets are generally small, and youre more likely to hit body shots than hit all 3hs consistently. However, with 30, thats not the case. 30 adds a rather more forgiving combo that allows you to delete targets even if you hit 2 hs, 1 body shot, and a swift strike. Sounds too much right? 29 prevents a scenario such like that happening where even missing a headshot into swift strike guarantees a kill on 200hp. as long as you hit 2 hs and a body shot.
Furthermore, for those who know me, you all know how I’ve advocated for better base kit and nerf in ult charge? I was right that the 29dmg shurikens didnt make a a huge difference! Even though on paper that sounds like his dps has increased which it has, the charge rate between 28 and 29dmg shurikens is still roughly the same with his 15% ult charge nerf in his live version! It may have charged his ult like 1s quicker or so but, the ult charge nerf is still impactful even with his 29dmg shurikens!
So i would like to conclude that 29dmg shurikens is the only logical and fair buff for him and THATS IT. 30dmg shurikens pushed far too many thresholds that allowed genji to delete squishies a bit too easily if i do say myself. Only if you can give him 30dmg shurikens to make his spread wider to prevent it from being too consistent. Allow genji to still have some room for counterplay while still making his dps reliable, which is why 29dmg shurikens is the next step. With how the game’s current power level is, 29dmg shurikens is only fair to him, on top of some of his bug fixes in deflect, dash, wall climb, and even dragonblade. For those who are concerned about nerfing stronger heroes, I’m more of an advocate of small buffing genji and heroes weaker than him and also nerfing the stronger heroes so they all can be at similar power level.
Other than that, 29DMG shurikens with bug fixes is all theres left for genji. He doesnt need spread buffs, he doesnt need deflect buffs, nor does he need ult buffs or any other ridiculous thing like that. Just 1+ dmg to shurikens, still gives him fair play but makes him only more reliable against squishies but still not much against tanks which is fine. Thats the only fair buff thats fine for him. Any other change than 1 more dmg to shurikens is literally just bug fixes. If genji were so happen to get 29dmg shurikens, only changes left are just bug fixes. no buffs, no nerfs. just bug fixes. For any person who wants to try the Workshop mode that Franki has made, use:
4JZGZ
Thanks 
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TLDR
29DMG Shurikens is the only fair buff to him with the game’s current power level along with bug fixes. 29dmg shurikens still had a very similar charge rate as opposed to 28dmg shurikens. 30DMG shurikens caused way too many forgiving breakpoints as opposed to 29. Nerf stronger heroes and buff heroes that are similar or weaker than him to make all heroes useable again.
u gonna make me act up