I'm not sure how popular Mercies were back in the day, but I remember the idea being well received. They had two problems, though. The first was that there weren't any benefits to doing them. Sure, you could now perform an Animality (yay?), but after the honeymoon phase of playing any MK game, finishers can only be so much of a reward. The second problem was that if the player actually wanted to win, it was in your best interest to NOT perform a Mercy.

I think I have a system that would solve both those problems. It goes as follows.

A mercy would now be performed under the following conditions:

1) Only performable in the first round of the match.

2) Player must have full life for a Flawless Victory.

3) Opponent must have 10% life or less.

4) Mercy input must be cancelled from a normal during a combo

If you meet the conditions and perform a Mercy, this is what would go down. Each mercy would have a unique starting sequence based on the character, and after the opponent is shown Mercy, the player would turn his/her back on the opponent, and the enemy would charge your character only to be parried into a chain combo.

This would immediately start off the next round without any prompt from the announcer, and the opponent would suffer the penalty of a 12% life reduction. All grounds are covered by this system: every mercy is now character-unique, the Mercy offers real benefits to the player, and the competitor has a reason to do them.

Other little mechanics can be added. During the Mercy sequence, the opponent may have the option to Hara Kiri. This would be awesome online because if you're a newb who just got flawlessed and you know you don't stand a chance the next round, you can end the match and prematurely and not waste any more of your time.

There's also the possibility of little Easter eggs. During the Mercy, both characters can do their Friendship inputs and perform dual-friendships. Just an idea for now.

Thoughts?