I understand that youre trying your best to avoid the Z- sensitive topic so that players will have a fair judgement here. I agree with everything you said. All shield effect pre-mitigate damage for your dps specially in hard content like abyss. Believe me, no one will disagree about everything you discuss here. Now, lets talk about Zhong Li. Based on his kit, he is screaming support unit. Massive Shield, High Burst. While he can provide a very potent shield with proper build, he can also be outclassed by other units shielder units that provides the same effect, albeit lesser extent. For example, Diona can provide shield, heal, cleanse and boost your shielded unit with her talent passive. Xinyan also has a similar effect. Xinqui doesnt provide shield but his Q has damage reduction and heal. Ningguang can get you elemental shield which is more reliable compared to Zhong Li's E which is a bit unreliable if the enemy is not in range of the pillar. My point is, there is nothing wrong with anything you wrote. Shield is a great damage mitigation utility. Its just people are complaining about the state of Zhong Li, a 5* unit, almost outclassed by every other 4 star units when it comes to utility. His utility is locked behind his constellation. Which most of us cannot unlock due to paywall.