Ok for starters, this changes the metagame for lockdown. Recon was a perk that was avoided by many new players because of how frustrating it was to have your shield broken. However, now that recon is less reliant on a player's judgement and more reliant on a player's level of twitch--it is much more newbie-friendly. This is good for players that want to find a nice entry-level perk to start learning LD. I expect this buff to cause more players to become LD regulars.

The silhouette a recon shows when attacked is still great for the attacker--as his movements are telegraphed after hitting him. This then creates a situation in which the player with the greater level of judgement, not twitch, will take the win. Contrary to what others may tell you, this does not make recon a more viable option over guardian. A guardian still has the following advantages over not just the recon, but a striker as well:

-The shield is DESIGNED to take hits--the recon shield was not
-This perk can shield-cancel the fastest thereby making it a top-tier choice for players with a fair knowledge of attack frames. Coupling this knowledge with dash can make a player very dangerous if he knows what he is doing. I will explain:

Player A (recon) sneaks up on player B (guardian) on a CP (1v1 situtation). As the recon is in the process of 2hitting him with a GF/DA, the guardian makes a judgement call and dashes in any given direction mid-combo. While the recon is in the attack animation for his 2nd hit the guardian now takes advantage and punishes him. Now the recon is weakened and the guardian has taken no damage. Now, I was able to do this several times (block first hit and cancel dash as I would a sword thanks to guardian shield cancel speed)--and it has worked very easily in 1v1 situations.

NATURALLY the guardian has an advantage over a recon in terms of "twitch". A recon has -sword asi low whereas a guardian has +sword asi low. That is a total of 2 points--any UVs on that is icing. Naturally, if we're talking average level of judgement call and twitch, the guardian will have the clear advantage in a 1v1 situation. Anything that happens otherwise is the result of advanced player judgement and skill.

As for dash, it was everything I expected it to be. It's an amazing tactic for walking classes, and for strikers I noticed it was a great way for them to recover their shield. Haze bombs and polaris were easily countered by dashing, and a player with good judgement can(as I stated earlier) dodge mid-combo and punish opponents for overextending.

A dashing striker isn't redundant at all, if anything it makes him more vulnerable if he makes the wrong call on when and where to dash. Dodging is a tactic that takes time to learn, it's a double-edged sword that you have to time JUST RIGHT in order to get the full effect.

Thank you for balancing lockdown, we're now in a state where it is no longer click-time and latency--but rather a game of strategy and understanding your opponent. Not to say that wasn't entirely the case before, but now it's more apparent than ever. My statement still stands:

-Create a que for advanced lockdown players (based on new, comprehensive ranking), this way we won't have to play in an overly toxic environment.
-If all else fails make lockdown a standalone game. The audience for this type of game is huge. You are combining elements from MOAB and Fighting games that blend perfectly.