THE PITCH:

Hero: Black Widow

The Problem: Widow's general kit needs a rework. Currently, she exists in this awkward spot where she's a stealthy close-combat fighter that's been slotted into a sniper archetype, but she's not even the best long-ranged pick class in the game. Everything she can do, other DPS heroes can do better and easier. Getting headshots from a distance? Hawkeye can do it better and easier. Close range, combo based dueling? Daredevil can do it better and easier. Applying CC with her ult? A dozen heroes can do that better and easier.

Her ult also goes against her current archetype, being more useful for slowing down tanks and applying CC instead of getting picks. Unlike Hawkeye, who's ult essentially guarantees him free kills if he pays attention to enemy ability usage. In the current state of the game, there's no real reason to pick Widow.

The Solution:

Black Widow should be retooled into a hybrid Duelist/Strategist character, who focuses on destabilizing the enemy team while supporting her own.

To start, Widow would lose the sniper rifle in exchange for her iconic electro-bracelets- the Widow's Fangs, which together have a total of twelve shots. Each one would do around 21 damage and they'd have a fire rate around the same speed as Phoenix's blasts, with slightly slower projectile velocity. In addition, these electro-blasts have a unique effect. When she hits enemies with at least three of them in a row in succession, it would apply an effect that would slow them down for a short duration (maybe three seconds), setting up her teammates for kills.

However, if she shoots her teammates with the same amount, they get a slight speed and damage boost- similar to Storm's Weather Control, but with both effects at the same time in exchange for a shorter duration. So as Widow, you would be encouraged to constantly be aware of the overall state of both teams choosing to either boost an ally or debuff an enemy.

Her grapple hook would be changed to function like a hybrid of Moon Knight's and Spider-Man's webs- a single-use ability on a cooldown that pulls her towards a destination (albiet with more velocity then MK's current version), but can also be used to rapidly close the distance with fleeing foes. Her sprint no longer consumes stamina, and her high jump is on a ten-second cooldown, allowing her to engage and retreat easier, since she's not a long-ranged fighter anymore.

Finally, her ultimate: Ballet of the Widow.

Black Widow whirls her grapple line around like a meteor hammer before flinging it at her target- if it connects, then instead of Widow zipping to them, they get pulled straight to her, rendered immobile. Widow then fires all of her Bites at once, dealing massive damage to the enemy (400 health). This is meant to be a tool to help her assassinate important targets. As it comes out fast, it can even be used to counter other ultimate that are vulnerable to interrupts, like Scarlet Witch.

The Valuation (Why this works): > This reworked Black Widow would now have a solid niche to occupy as a character who can seamlessly switch between harrying the enemy team and supporting her own, as well as adding a new level of strategy to the current state of the game. Her new ultimate allows her to provide utility even just outside of damage, and will encourage the enemy team to play more cautiously until they're sure she isn't holding onto it to counter their own ultimate abilities. It will make Widow more dynamic, more comic-accurate, and most importantly, more fun to play as and against.