The CPU is programmed to not allow you to do things to them like, run and combo or throw after a certain difficulty level is achieved so you have to depend on fooling the CPU into situations where combos are free. Sometimes even in recovery periods, the CPU will throw you out of a combo. During any special move, if the CPU miss and you try to throw them, they will throw you. In fact, if you throw them after finish him and the fatality time runs out just as you throw them, they will throw you! Anyways...I just posted this for someone else on another board:
How to beat the CPU in UMK3 (applies to MKT):
Vs Kitana, Mileena and Jade:
Walk back and right before she starts to follow you, jump back and kick right before you touch the ground. She will throw a fan, sai or boomerang, time a jump over the projectile so you land about half screen away from her still, and she will then jump forward and attack. On her way down, juggle her with the best combo you can with whatever character you use. This is the only surefire way of beating the female ninjas without using micromanagement. Watch for random rolls and telekicks with Mileena, as she does them a lot and it's a free combo.
Vs The male ninjas
Run in, at about sweep range, do a LP, block the sweep, and LK them everytime. More often than not they will walk back to the half screen stale mate, repeat this. If they run in after the LK, throw another LP, they will sweep, block it, LK. Ermac and Scorp will often teleport after the LK, block it, and punish. Watch for Reptile and Sub slide, and counter. If you don't counter fast enough they will throw you. Some characters can LP snuff male ninja sweeps, like Kung Lao, the female ninjas, etc. Just run in, LP, it will stop their sweep, and then commit to another LP right after it, they will go to sweep again. Repeat.
Vs Robot Ninjas:
Run in LP, duck and block sweeps until Sektor and Smoke go on offense, they will eventually do their teleport uppercuts. Respond with the best combo available. Vs Cyrax, throw a projectile, he will teleport, and often do the Net, block the net and counter. You can also use the jump back, kick, jump over net, anti air juggle tactic I mentioned with the female ninjas.
Vs Liu Kang, and Kano:
Run in, LP, block sweeps, force out the Bike Kick or Cannon ball, and punish. There are some specific ways to beat Liu Kang with certain charactes, just name some and I'll tell you how. Kano you can use the jump back kick, jump over proj tactic as well.
Vs Sonya:
jump back kick, jump over proj and combo before she recovers with a JP starter.
Vs Jax:
jump back kick, jump over proj, and juggle, or wait for Dash punch, duck and counter.
Vs Stryker:
jump back kick, jump over proj and combo before she recovers with a JP starter, or wait for the Baton Dash throw and punish.
Vs Kung:
Wait for teleport and counter, jump back kick, jump over proj and combo before he recovers with a JP starter.
Vs Shang:
jump back kick, jump over proj and combo before ehe recovers with a JP starter.
Vs Kabal:
jump back kick, jump over proj and combo before she recovers with a JP starter, or wait for the spin, block, and counter.
Vs Sheeva:
jump back kick, jump over proj and combo before she recovers with a JP starter.
Vs Sub:
jump back kick, jump over proj and combo before she recovers with a JP starter, or the other method of letting him jump at you with slightly different jump timing and juggle.
Vs Nightwolf:
jump back kick, jump over proj, and juggle, or wait for tackle, duck and counter before he recovers. There are also ways to force his projectile reflection and use it against him, and use it against the CPU easily as him.
There are tons of ways to beat every character with everyone and a number of ways to beat them with specific tactics using specific characters.
With Smoke, Scorpion, Robot Smoke, Sub's, after you do a combo, sweep, the CPU will run at you, and 9 times out of 10 this is a free spear, or freeze except against Jade.
With Sektor and Robot Smoke you can jump back, kick, when CPU does a proj, teleport uppercut to juggle combo.
The CPU never blocks Kung's Spin, so if you're close to them, it works everytime.
With Sindel, jump straight up, and air fireball, the CPU will either take the hit, or jump back, and then eventually run at you. This is a free scream, as they never block it if you are close enough to hit it.
With Kabal, run in, LP, as they sweep, cancel the LP to spin, free combo.
Nightwolf vs Kano, Sheeva, Kabal, and Robots, he can do his 5 hit combo as an infinite mid screen (CPU only), and his 3 hit in the corner. He can also axe uppercut many characters when in close for free everytime they get up.
With everyone vs everyone:
Anytime you land a combo, sweep, make the CPU jump back, then jump straight up, they will often run at you and with the right timing you can land a JP or JK starter, to another combo, then repeat.
If the JP or JK hits them in the air in this situation, jump up again, and JP, they will repeatedly jump into it everytime.
If you are half screen distance away when they get knocked down, jump straight up and land, they will jump, uppercut or juggle combo depending on their attack and your character.
Vs Liu Kang with Smoke and Scorpion:
jump back, kick, teleport over ducking fireball, harpoon, free combo, sweep, free harpoon, combo, repeat.
UMK3 against the CPU can be fun because of how many different ways there are to beat everyone. If you keep mixing up the micromanagement it doesn't seem repetitive.
MKT is programmed like UMK3 1.1 so you also have the option to jump back, kick, teleport punch, spear with Scorp and Smoke, or Teleslam with Ermac everytime. In UMK3, you can do the jump back, kick or punch, teleport, harpoon against Jade, Sheeva, Cyrax, Sektor, Robot Smoke, even though Jade does her projectile protection, it still hits her, and the others teleport and get caught.
MK1 Kano is the only character in MKT who doesn't use his projectile, and doesn't run either. It's like fighting Noob Saibot in UMK3. Jump back kick or punch to get him to walk towards you, jump straight up and land a starter to combo.
Hope that helps. There are other methods I left out, and I didn't get into any MKT characters specifically, but I think you can apply the other knowledge to the MKT characters with no problem.
