Half of my PM's are "How do I play Dairou like you?"I'm tired of it so I decided to write a little strategy thread here for interested people to view...

Before I start,though,a little request...

Administrators of Mortal Kombat Online,can we please get some kind of strategy forum dedicated to characters and analysis of their gameplay?Sites like www.tekkenzaibatsu.com and many,many others have such forums dedicated only for strategies.I am honestly sick and tired of seeing good strategy threads,such as Doomsday's,getting flooded with mostly less inferior threads.People like Doomsday put a lot of work into posting their strategies,so it's only fair if it remains in some other part of the forum un-flooded.It's not required that you have a strategy section for every Mortal Kombat game,but how about just the most recent one?In addition,if you need moderators,there are a LOT of knowledgeable people on this forum who are suitable for the job.Thank you for considering

Update: Thanks to Crow,we now have a sticky thread reserved for strategy threads.Thanks,man.

As for some rules for this thread,moderators,I want this thread closed if:

1.This comes down to Dairou being a "cheap" character and numerous people complain about him.

2.This comes down to a flaming fest.

3.People who don't contribute or suggest corrections,but rather spam for the sole purpose of interrupting our Dairou strategy discussion.

Now,let's start with the good stuff...

Dairou is considered by many one of the best characters in the game.He's part of the three "God Tiers" in MK:D.However,picking him will not guarantee a victory if you don't know how to utilize his strengths.Thus,let's take a look at his three special moves followed by a break-down of his stances.

Tombstone Drop (TS Drop) - Dairou's signature move and quite possibly the best special move in the entire game.It's unblockable,hits full screen,juggles and cannot be avoided at all besides jumping away from it.It's done by f,b,d+1.
HOWEVER,you cannot block CONSTANTLY for at least 3 seconds after you execute the move.You can side step,backdash,jump,execute another move,etc. BUT not block.The best way to block is to mash the block button constantly.You will block like every 30-40 (?) frames.In between those times,though,you will remain vulnerable to all attacks.Remember,that doesn't mean you can't duck,side step,or jump over your opponent's projectiles.Keeping that in mind,MOST characters can't do anything if you do a TS Drop full screen away.
Lastly,you can never do a TS Drop when the opponent is on the ground or tech-rolling.Remember this!Don't put yourself at a disadvantage and get 1,1 (in Escrima,for example) just because you did the TS Drop at an inappropriate time.

Fireball/Star Projectile - Dairou's projectile attack.It travels quite fast for a pojectile and hits people who jump.It's NOT safe up close,so it should be used for distance fighting ONLY.The move is done by d,b+2.

Teleport - Some of you don't realize how important this move is to Dairou against certain characters.The teleport avoids all projectiles in the game assuming you do it before the projectile actually hits you.The teleport also has priority over other teleports (Jade's,Raiden's,Kenshi's,etc.);that means,if they do their teleport and you do yours with Dairou,your teleport will take effect and NOT theirs,which usually means they'll be standing next to you giving you a free 50/50 mix up.As for some cons,Dairou's teleport can be BLOCKED and even PUNISHED up close,so watch out when you do it.

STANCES

First Stance - His first stance is USELESS.No mid pop ups and no damaging dial-a-combos.There are two good moves in it though since you'll always start your first round with this anyway...

-d+1 ~ great low poke;quick recovery;very good to start the round with

-1,1,1 ~ I do this sometimes only;it's high,high,high;pretty quick and the recovery after it is alright

Second Stance - His second stance (Escrima) is great BUT very slow.Here are the good moves in there...

-b+1 ~ quick mid pop up that juggles;very good move;you can do this very quickly ONLINE (ONLY) kind of like Darrius' 3 in weapon stance

-d+1 ~ quick low poke;very good recovery

-d+4 ~ a low kick;I rarely use it but it's nice

Basic Combos in Escrima ~
-TS Drop, u+2, CS, 1,1,f+3
-TS Drop, u+2, 3,4,4
-b+1, 3,4,4
-b+1, d+1, 3,4,4
-b+1, CS, 1,1,f+3
-2,3,1,u+2, CS, 1,1,f+3 (for punishing ONLY)

Third Stance (weapon stance) - quicker than Escrima,but this stance lacks a mid pop up.However,it doesn't matter that much as you'll see.Important moves...

-1,1,f+3 ~ high,mid,mid.Very good move,but very punishable on block.This should ONLY be used when your opponent jumps at you or after the TS Drop as an easy combo.When you hit your opponent with this when they jump at you,it will do significantly more damage than usual

-b+2 ~ a mid pop up that has a huge recovery and little range;why use this then you may ask;use this when people JUMP at you.It works so WELL.Follow with 1,1,f+3 after it for a damaging combo

-d+1 ~ another great low poke;very useful

-f+3 - a mid move that does a lot damage (I think it's like 19%);use it to mix it up with your throw.NEVER throw out randomly

Combos in Weapon Stance ~
-TS Drop, 1,1,f+3
-TS Drop, d+2
-TS Drop, d+2, CS, dash in, 1,2,4 (hard as fuck;don't even try )
-b+2, 1,1,f+3 (as a punisher or when people jump at you)

Dairou's Throw
Dairou's throw is actually quite pathetic.Very low damage and nothing guaranteed after it.However,the only good thing it does is create distance between you and your opponent,which is what ultimately Dairou needs

-----BUFFERING-----

If you don't want to be another Dairou TS Drop/Fireball scrub you have to utilize this with Dairou.First of all,buffering refers to executing another move (in Dairou's case the TS Drop) while you're recovering from another move (I'll list these below).Buffering allows you to perform the TS Drop as fast as possible,or as I'd like to call it "iTS Drop" (Instant TS Drop).Here are the moves from which you can buffer your TS Drop very well...

Universal - full screen blocked fireball,full screen connected fireball (extremely hard;if you ever hit a TS Drop after a connected fireball,it's most likely an inconstant glitch),after teleport connects,backdash,then do TS Drop
First Stance - d+1
Second Stance - d+1,a blocked b+1 (mix it up with another b+1 or TS Drop of course;won't work Vs. all characters that well)
Third Stance (weapon stance) - d+1, 1,1 (buffer TS Drop here or do 1,1 again as a mix up)

These are NEVER guaranteed but create a great mix up and constant pressure.Again,remember,do ANY of these moves and while you're recovering,buffer the TS Drop (in other words,just do it).If they ever jump,just do b+2 (in weapon stance) or simply a fireball.

Other TS Dropping Wonders
-Side step TS Drop - simply do the TS Drop motion (f,b,d+1) and input the "d" that way that you SIDE STEP and don't duck.If done correctly,Dairou will side step slighty to the right on P1 side or left on P2 side,and then immediately do a TS drop.

-Crouching TS Drop - simply do the TS Drop motion (f,b,d+1) and input the "d" that way that you DUCK and hold it a little bit and then press "1".If done correctly,Dariou will duck after the "d" input and then when you hold it a little bit and press "1",he will basically do a TS Drop from a crouching position

-Mid-air TS Drop -simply jump at the opponent and buffer a TS Drop;when you do this ONLINE,it will look like Dairou did a TS Drop shortly before he landed on his feet

Dairou's INFINITE COMBO (ONLINE ONLY) This infinite combo takes advantage of a glitch DF-Thug and I discovered recently.However,Konqrr and he have pulled off the actual Dairou infinite combo to my knowledge,so they get the credit for it.Anyway,here's how i's done...in CORNER ONLY...
In Escrima, b+1, b+1, b+1, 2,3,1,u+2, b+1, b+1, 2,3,1,u+2,etc.
For some crazy reason,they can't block the "2,3,1,u+2" when they recover.That's how it works basically.Dairou will suffer from damage reduction from this combo at some point which will ultimately result in a time infinite combo.Seriously,I would NEVER do this unless someone used their infinite combo on me first.Hopefully,you'll do the same.

Dairou Vs. (a few hinters Vs. the characters of MK:D).I've tried to make this list in a particular order;order of difficulty for Dairou to beat.Please let's not discuss which character is the hardest to beat,but rather let's take a look at the problems Dairou faces when fighting these specific characters.

BRC - one of the most broken characters in MK:D and the best example of the MK team's poor testing.Anyway,when fighting BRC,STAY AWAY at all times.You simply can never afford fighting BRC up close,not even at sweep distance.f+3 (in BRC's weapon stance obviously) will hit you at very ridiculous distances (it can even prevent you from doing TS Drops because it's relatively fast).His Puke Puddle is also some bull shit you will have to deal with up close.His throw gives him very easy 50/50 mix ups.From my experience,after his throw simply hold "u/b" (so you jump back and avoid another throw) while simultaneously you need to be ready to break f+3 if the BRC player intends to go for it.However,that's not all.More experienced BRC players will also do some nasty guaranteed combos on you after their throw (68% of damage is possible) or they may also simply do b+1 (which is breakable by the way) and force their 50/50 mix ups on you when you recover.How do you deal with all of this then?Stay away by using your teleport and use your weapon stance (TS Drop, d+2, backdash and let them guess from far away).Watch out when the BRC player comes close to you because f+3 will connect even when he's at 1/3 a screen away.Keep in mind,however,that when BRC is full screen away,he cannot do anything to you since he poses no threat due to his non-existant,long-range projectile.However,he does have the Stomp which can be seen on REACTION.Jump,and you get a free TS Drop into a combo. Remember,stay away from this fool or you will die quickly by lame and repetitive 50/50 mix ups.I lose against BRC (and N/S) the most out of all the characters in MK:D.

N/S - Noob-Smoke.Mr.Infinite Combo/Mr. 50/50 mix ups...*sigh*.I hate N/S not because he has many infinite combos but because of f,f+4 with Smoke.This is the move that will kill you if you're not careful.This is one of the ONLY moves Dairou's TS Drop doesn't have priority over.It will connect when you try a TS Drop,Fireball and Teleport.Smoke's f,f+4 will simply beat you everytime.Fortunately,a blocked f,f+4 gives Dairou 50% of damage due to its huge recovery on block.Thus,make sure you punish it properly.But still,remember,from far away,NO random TS Drops,Fireballs,and Teleports,you need to be careful and read your opponent's mind.If they want to throw out f,f+4's,let them.Just punish it.Also,keep in mind that Smoke is quite a poor rush down character.If they ever want to rush you,they'll need to use Noob who is considerably easier to deal with than Smoke.Noob can't do f,f+4,but Smoke can.In addition,don't worry about their other teleports that hit you from behind;the TS Drop will always beat them.f,f+4 is your main concern whn fighting Smoke.Against Noobe,simply stay away or you'll have to deal with the lame 4, d,b+2, Throw mix ups.In closing,play careful.Watch how you play against Smoke.If they ever come close,use one of your buffering tactics and let them guess (many people think Dairou is weak up close;that's not true.he may be weak up close compared to BRC and Darrius,but who isn't?).Anyway,and as for Noob,stay away and let them guess from far.

Dairou - Dairou Vs. Dairou.Who will win?Use your weapon stance for this one.This is a MUST.If the other player is smart enough,he'll do the same.Basically,this match will come down to who can buffer the TS Drop faster and land 1,1,f+3 in weapon stance after it,so you use up their breakers or do considerable damage to them.Really,this is ALL this match comes down to.Whoever tries fighting up close will lose badly.Thus,play smart and make sure you outmsart the other Dairou player from the distance fight.

Kabal,Darrius,Kobra,Scorpion,etc. coming soon!
Comments,suggestions,corrections,etc. please do post.