does Gangplank's new E lack counterplay?

Especially in a melee lane?

GP's barrels provide a massive zone threat because of their huge damage and decent radius. They are hard to play against as a melee because to disarm them you have to be in their range, and GP has a ranged attack that can detonate them before you reach them. If you don't disarm them, they keep you from CSing, and GP will usually just drop a barrel on you, Q the original, and you've eaten the damage anyway.

Even if there is some obvious counterplay I'm missing (besides "pick ranged"), I don't think GP is punished enough for failing to use his barrels well. If he blows it up and doesn't hit anything, he still gets the passive refresh and movespeed boost. It costs no mana, and the recharge rate and charge capacity are generous enough to him that he really doesn't have to worry about having large downtime without barrels. If the enemy manages to destroy the barrel, they only get a measly ten gold, which, while of course useful, doesn't really justify the risk taken to disarm them and any resources they may have used to get to the barrel without GP detonating it.

If you got any tips, I'll be happy to take them, but as it stands playing against GP as a melee feels terrible to me.