These are LOST Strategies. Strats there were not put into this thread, but other threads instead. Please try to direct all strats in here..thank you.Versatile
Listing can sometimes be confusing as far as tiers go, so I think its better to do it this way.
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Tier 1
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Scorpion
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Tier 2
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Bo Rai Cho,Reptile,Drahmin
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Tier 3
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Sonya,Shang Tsung,Hsu Hao
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Tier 4
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Frost,Jax,Kenshi,Quan Chi
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Tier 5
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Kung Lao,Raiden,Mokap,Sub-Zero
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Tier 6
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Li Mei,Mavado,Kano,Johnny Cage,Blaze
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Tier 7
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Nitara,Cyrax,Kitana
That's that. Basically, Tier 2 - 4 can compete with each other just fine. Tier 5s are the pretty good, but not great character who can annihilate Tiers 6 and 7, can hang with Tier 2-4, but get killed by Tier 1. Tier 6 are the average characters who can compete with tiers 3-4 with hard work, but get killed by tiers 1-2. As for 7..well..they really can't compete with anyone cept maybe tier 6.
well because of my computer ill only be around here ocasionally. Its cool to see that vanquier is becoming better in MKDA and he did a good job explaining why Sub isnt as good as Hsu Hao,Frost and reptile.
Everything Vanquier said is correct. Sub can take all 3 of those characters, but its always hard works. Sub-Zero vs Reptile is almost impossible,though. Sub has to space,turtle, and set up moves just to get them down to 50% life, while they're threatening you with 40% combos that are hella easy to set up.
Frost is iffy IMO. I think frost is hella overrated, and I actually think shes mid tier(around number 12-15) like Sub-Zero, but there is no doubt in my mind that Hsu Hao and Reptile are a lot better than Sub-Zero. Heh..take it from me, Sub-Zero is my best characte..not to mention my favorite vg character ever : ), but the truth is the truth. Ah wellz, im sure they'll tone him up for mk6
First and foremost guys..lets direct all this stuff towards the high level gameplay thread instead of spreading it throughout the whole board..thx.
Ninjitsu is probably Cyrax's best stance because of jab set ups. Ninjitsu: 1,1 is 100% safe on block and does ok damage. So training them to block 1,1 then doing 1,1,b+1 is a very nice set up. Then after that you can branch into sambo for the bomb set up.
Sambo can be played kinda the same way. If my mind serves me correctly(haven't played cyrax in a while), sambo: 1,1 is pretty safe on block as well.
So basically, Cyrax is forced to play a stand and block style sort of like Sub-Zero only not nearly as effectively. Cyrax needs to take ever oppurtunity he can to interupt fast jabbers like Kung Lao can jax. Against people like Kitana and Li-Mei this is quite easy, but when you get higer onto the tier list Cyrax slowly but surely gets fucked in the ass. Unlike solid stand and blockers like Sub-Zero and Kenshi, Cyrax has no other options but stand and block. Sub's spacing game is decent, and his low poke out of dragon is one of the fastest moves in the game. Kenshi can always threaten the fact that he can kill you with 2 simple juggles, and tai chi: b+4 is an awesome low attack. Cyrax on the other depends strickly on stand and block..which screws him since he can't space.
Enough with the con talk..onto pulse blade. Now this is probably Cyrax's most important stance. Sambo can substitute for Ninjitsu, but with Pulse Cyrax would be even worse than he already is. d+4 is essential for sealing the deal. It does good damage,is backcancelable and has good range. Don't forget to universal track before doing d+4 so you don't get side stepped. b+3 is identical in every way to sub-zero b+4. Hits low, does about 10 damage and is relatively safe on block. If the opponent does not tech roll back Cyrax has a guaranteed low/mid mix up. I like to either do pulse blade: b+2 for an extremely damaging mid launcher or another sweep. If you are really trying to play it safe don't do anything..just get back to turtling. See with Cyrax its all about wearing the damn 60 second clock down to win. It's rare that you're gonna win with Cyrax by straight beating the opponent..so once you have the lead get to pulse blade.
As for Kitana, her impale sucks as just as much as the other impales. Actually, it sucks even more since Kitana cant use her sweet fan lift without the FRICKEN FANS!!! Trust me, no one has reaction time insane enough to impale the opponent when he powers up. Against slow power uppers like quan chi and frost..maybe, but definately not against fast power uppers like kung lao and kenshi.
As for projectiles, most are safe enough to avoid it(sub's freeze,nitaras blood spit and cage's force ball just to name a few), so that never really works either unless it's against a retarded scorpion who uses the spear out side of after hapkido: u+4.
Taunts is pretty much the only way her impale is gonna hit. I mean..vs a good Jax it's not gonna happen, but I can definately see it happening against sneaky Kung Laos and Li Meis. Just don't forget that if the opponent has less than 40% life left that it's best to just branch from eagle claw to end the match instead of fucking with them by impaling. THEN AGAIN Kitana's branch has a bad knack for no longer being guaranteed from first hit around the 2nd or 3rd ba gua hit, but if you lose because of that don't blame yourself. Just remember she sucks ass
A lil Anti-Sonya. 3 is safe on block not because it recovers instantly, but because when its blocked it nots the opponent back a considerable amount of distance. However, I discovered(i use it lightly since someone else might of known about this but never posted it up) that if you let go of block right after the move is done you will not be knocked back and you will be right in sonya's face..ready to punish. This open's up gates for other characters who previous had trouble VS Sonya. Jax and the rest of the fast jabbers can now handle Sonya's more easily, and Frost gets plenty of infinite oppurtunities. Even characters not nearly as good as Sonya get shit off of quick release blocking 3. Sub gets Dragon: 1,1,2 and Kori:3, and Quan Chi gets 3:4 if I remember correctly
Snakes sucks. Never use. Also, never use the style branch either. Not only is 1,1,2,cs very interuptable, but depending on how the opponent is positioned the last hit can sometimes miss. VS Quan Chi this happened a lot, and was one of the main reasons Spazz always owns my Shang..so I stopped using Snake. Simply stick with Crane:2,d+4,reversal and all the other shit crane has to offer.
As for kano...well hes not much of a juggling kinda character. Kano is 100% set ups 100% of the time. This is a curse more than a gift , however, for kano is always unsafe with his set up. Anyways, the whole point is to land 1,1,2,cs,power up and go for the low mid mix ups out of akido(d+3 or 4,4,3,cs,b+2). Either way they will lose over 25% damage..so it's all good. Just don't forget if 4,4,3,cs,b+2 is blocked you are gonna get owned.
and I just realized I read the kano part of your post wrong. So to answer your Q..nope. Xing Yi is pretty damn unsafe. If your opponent sucks ass at interupting then 1,1,2,cs is safe on block ,but against a good player you have to stick with aikido for safe ness. However, a great way to assure that your 1,1,2,cs wont be interrupted is to throw in a 1,1,2,b+1 everynow and then. Is it still interuptable? I think so, but the window for interruption is so friggen small that a smart player wont bother. Once they start to expect the 1,1,2,b+1 thell block the entire combo so they can punish you afterwards. This is when you start doing 1,1,2,cs.Aikido: b+3..while slow is 100% safe on block along with d+3.
the best combo off of kori is 3~cs~b+2~b,d+2,cs~sm,1,2,cs for 25%.
Vanqueir
I'll try to explain it very simply without making this another round of pointless flaming by the veterans and their usual opponents.
Frost is "better", mainly because of her infinite. However, her infinite is not in the PAL version, so the tier list for PAL will look slightly different.
Hsu Hao beats Sub-Zero because he packs a lot more punch, is easier to handle and has a few moves (such as his throw) that can be abused with no end. Plus, he has more combos that are relatively safe on block than Sub-Zero.
Reptile is one of the best out there, if only for his speed. His crab style is safe on block with most of its moves and his main combo in hung gar can work confusing. His ground roll move is very quick and can be pulled off to dismantle a solid defence at any distance (kind of like Scorpion's Hellfire).
I think that's about it, yes :).
Peace,
Q
MK_Legend
frost:
very basic. ground freeze, slide repeat. now u can start this from a few ways. either freeze them first then go into the infinite, or slide them first then freeze them and continue with the infinite, or u can launch them with no more then 2 hits and still get the ground freeze then u can go into the infinite. just remember that doing the infinite off the launcher really reduces the damage on the ground slide by A LOT so keep that in mind if u r down on life and time is running out. also remember that after the slide hits u cannot freeze right away u must wait untill frost has recoverd from the animation of the slide b4 u freeze. frost has a nice reset to the launch infinite to reset the damage. its a way to reverse their controlls. i posted this in another thread but just in case there r any frost players who didnt read it and would like to know then just ask here.
the tier list is as follows.
1.Scorpion
2.Bo' Rai Cho
3.Reptile
4.Drahmin
5.Sonya
6.Shang Tsung
7.Hsu Hao
8.Frost
9.Jax
10.Kenshi
11.Quan Chi
12.Kung Lao
13.Raiden
14.Mokap
15.Sub-Zero
16.Mavado
17.Johnny Cage
18.Kano
19.Blaze
20.Nitara
21.Li Mei
22.Kitana
23.Cyrax
Bo' Rai Cho:
also a simple infinite. branch, puke repeat. to do it from drunken fist just do the full branch(2,2,1,1,cs,2,cs) then i do 1 more hit with b+1 then puke and go back into drunken fist and repeat. u can also start it in Mi Zong a few ways. u can do 2,2,cs then add a b+1 for more gdamage then puke and then go into the infinite, or u can 2,2,b+4 or u+4 then cs and b+1 quickly and then puke and go into the infinite, or u can just do b+4 or u+4 by itself then quickly cs b+1 and puke then go into the infinite. in the weapon stanace use b+1 then b+1 again then puke and go into the infinite, or use 2,4,b+1 then b+1 again then puke and go into the infinite. what i like to do is after the b+1 ender i then switch into drunken and puke. this way the timer resets(cuz u cant puke right away) and when u puke in drunken it adds a back dash to it so they r right in the middle of the puke and there is no chance of the puke going just past them. remember that u cannot puke instantly after the b+1 u maust wait a sec b4 u do it. Bo has several tricks with the puke that no one uses if there r any Bo users who would like to know just ask here.
ok heres a few good Bo setups. after the branch if u dont want to go into the infinite what u can do is switch to drunken fist and then take a step forward and hold block and do the puke, that way to avoid u walking back at all. if done right the puke will go past the opponant. when they get up use 3,2. it will push them onto the puke when they attempt to block then u get the combo again without the reduced damage of the infinite. another trick is when people r playing defencive vs drunken fist. at mid range wiff the d+4 and then at the end of the wiff animation puke. the puke will come out and if they try to punish the wiff they get caught on the puddle. remember this only works when the d+4 wiffs, it wont work on hit or on block. another thing u can do when people r trying to make Bo chase them while in drunken fist is to throw the puke then jump over it and do 2,3 then mix them up with d+4 or 3,2. even though u can interupt the follow up after 2,3 if they do then they will move forward with their interuption attempt and end up on the puke and even if they r a fast jaber and block the 3,2 they still cant respond because if they do they will still end up on the puke. what u can also do is do the puke and after u jump over it then do a move that is unsafe like drunken d+3. if they block it and try to retaliate they will move forward onto the puke. or if they dont take that bait then try throwing the puke and then do drunken b+4 then quickly mix up with d+4 or d+3. again if they try to punish the b+4 then they end up on the puke but heres the best part, if they guess d+4 and low block the d+3 will launch them on the puke. now while these puke then jump traps r good they struggle to work on characters like scorpion or hsu hao that can punish the puke attempt.
if there r any Bo players who would like more overall in depth strats dont forget to ask here.
reptile is a very overpowering character. in hungar hes got f+4 which is really fast and keeps them stuned for a follow up, a 40% branch that u can cut short of the juggle at the end doing only 34% but u get a free crab mixup after it and crab is devestating!!!!!! in crab use b+3 and b+2. b+3 is low, safe on block AND DOES 13%!!!! b+2 is a launcher and is good for hitting u when u try to low block the b+3, its also safe on block and it leads to a damaging juggle not to mention that both these moves r light speed so u dont even have time to think while u r being mixed up with HIGH damage. he's also got a reversal and a low ball which comes out VERY fast and up close they need to low block then immediately high block if they want to punish it otherwise its safe up close. Hungar really sets up crab. u cant fight in crab alone, u need hungar to set it up because its hard to get in close in crab. i dont really poke with the branch because it is soooooo easy to interrupt after the 2nd hit but i use the threat of the branch to free up f+4 because if they try to low block or even breathe the wrong way the branch hits then i cut it short and then u get stuck in the crab rush and once that happens its basicaly over. once Hungar f+4(also a light speed move) hits then i switch to crab and pressure with either b+3 or b+2. since b+3 is so damaging it adds up fast, i mean 3 of them and u r out of 40% life. but if u crouch then u get a launcher in the mouth so its a very tough decision to make while being mixed up at light speed. using crab's high damage mixups r the key to reptile. learn how to use Hungar to get in then go to work with crab up close. it is literally impossible to win against crab when hes in close. he does so much damage so fast, only a few characters can survive vs crab when up close. also u dont really need hungar to set up crab all the time but good players will know to keep crab far away so then u will need to make use of the low ball(untechrollable so u get a followup if it hits) and Hungar to get in.
this is y reptile is so good and #3 in the game. if anyone wants some is depth strats with him just ask here.
hookswoards 3, abuse it. thats the bread and butter of mavado. light speed, hits low, 15% damage, when it hits u can mix up with either another 3 or go for damage with 2,4,4,b+2 and even if that hits u still can follow up with another mix up, and u can bd after it making it almost safe because when u block it the high hit wiffs due to the low block so u have a split secon to punish it B4 the bd comes out but the window is small.
Kung Lao is all about jab pressure in mantis. mantis 1 is VERY fast. side step and apply pressure with mantis 1 and 1,1 and u need to power up when u can and then counintue the pressure. see Kung Lao works off the jab game which is very much a mind game at the highest level. at mid level something thats really good is to abuse the fact that Kung Lao is hard to interrupt. u can interrupt ALL branches after the 2nd jab but kung laos jabs r so fast that unless u have really good timing the 3rd jab still hits u when u attempt to interrupt. so u can do 1,1,1,cs,4 then if it doesnt hit u can back dash to safety otherwise if it does hit then just continue the branch. NEVER poke with 1,1,1 and stop once its blocked, u r just begging to be combod that way. if u wanna poke past 3 jabs go ahead and continue the branch like i said above. as far as how to jab........well that depends on your opponent its hard to explain exactly how to jab right in MKDA because its such a mind game but look at this vid
http://www.mk5.org/content/News/texas5/DabMKL2.avi it shows how Kung Lao shoud be played. also keep in mind that if u side step and jab that since there is no frame advantage in MKDA that if your opponent knows that u will side step and jab again that they can jab u out of your pressure. knowing when to jab when, to jab twice and backdash, knowing when to follow through with a branch attempt, and knowing when to side step and block instead of jab is key with kung lao.
ok...........
Scorpion vs BRC:
this match is brutal. scorpion KILLS Bo. Bo cant use ANY specials on scorp. he cant puke, stomp or life up. puke and life up eat a hellfie and the stomp is a free spear no matter where scorpion is on the screen. Drunken fist is toatally worthless in this match. u can hellfire him most of the time even if hes walking/sidestepping. to avoid the hellfire Bo would need to use the tap up then hit block side step to avoid it or be walking forward B4 the command for the hellfire is done or by jumping aroind like an idiot. Pi Gua Moves way to fast for Bo so he will never catch scorpion uless he goes into Mi Zong and when he does this then hes very weak as Mi Zong is not a very good stance.
Stand and Block:
this is a technique that is used to fight fast jabbers like Hsu Hao, Jax, Kung Lao, etc....see characters like this have VERY fast jabs that basicly beat out everyones moves(with the exception of 1 or 2 characters) especially when they pressure u with jabs. so when u approach u stand and block. now keep in mind that all jabs can be interrupted after the 2nd punch. if they try to jab u with 2 jabs then VERY quicky start your branch. if they try to jab then side step jab repeatedly then remember than in MKDA that there is no frame adv or guard stum thus if u block a jab and they try to side step again u can interrupt the pressuse with your side step jabs. no Hsu Hao is the best jabber caz he has some decent low moves so hes very good at beating stand and block. just remember that with the exception of wrestling d+4 none of his low moves r safe so by doing stand and block he can bait him into useing unsafe moves but remember that in MKDA when u go to low block that high hits(branches) will hit u on the way down to crouch.
Kitana being rated so low:
ok heres y she sucks. her branch is SUPER easy to interupt. she has terrible and unsafe pokes and she ahs terrible specials. her fan vortex move is almost worthless her double kick special is ok but nothing more. so in short she cant jab, poke well, or make much use of her specials
kenshi works of stand and block. u dont attack or poke. bait with 1 jab(2) in tai chi and only counter attack/counter jab. thats the best way to play him. his best combos are either (all in tai chi)2,2,2,3~bdb+1,b+1,bdb+1,b+1,bdb+1,3,bdb+1,qcb+4 or 2,2,2,cs,1,cs,bdb+1,side step 3,bdb+1,d+1,bdb+1,qcb+4 or 3~bdb+1,b+1,bdb+1,b+1,bdb+1,3,bdb+1,qcb+4..............i advise fighting mainly in tai chi as it is his best stance katana is a decent stance but i only use it if my opponant is doing moves that i cannot punish because my jab doesnt reach(wich isnt many) so like i said stay in tai chi. his best weapon combo is 4,1,1,3,bdb+1,side step 3,bdb+1,d+1,bdb+1,qcb+4. also sometimes using bdb+1 at its max range by itself because it catches people off guard OCCASIONALLY so dont abuse it just use it and remember to do it from its max distance to take advantage of the lack of a forward dash in MKDA thus making it hard to punish for some characters.
Sonya vs Reptile:
well its fairly obvious that the match is in reptiles favor. Sonya should only fight in TKD. first she needs to stay away from crab by spacing well and zoning with the kiss at decent ranges. if he starts getting too close mainly use TKD 3 or sometimes switch up with b+3 but make sure to make it track and make sure that u do these moves from their max range to keep him spaced. if he does get in and puts the crab rush on u then u can use a reversal which is VERY risky or if u block something just back dash away and space yourself out. remember to ALWAYS be aware of the low ball at all times during the match. now, once u have neutralized crab the opponant should realize that its fairly difficult to get in by staying in crab so they'll probably switch to hungar. hungar is fast but VERY unsafe. beware of f+4 and when u block it be sure to punish it with TKD 3 VERY quickly then follow up with a mixup. if he tries to poke with the branch remember to interrupt it with TKD 3 after the 2nd hit then follow up with a mix up. again remember to be aware of the low ball. if u block the low ball up close then u need to low block then high block right away otherwise it rolls past u and is safe, when u block it punish it with TKD 2 VERY quickly then proceed to do the 47% combo. now i do believe that reptile wins this match but if u were to fight reptile with sonya then this is what u need to do to win.
Cage vs Jax or Hsu Hao:
well i feel that both Jax and Hsu Hao win this match. while i dont feel that its toatally impossible for cage to beat Jax i do feel that vs Hso Hao that its very close to it. to win this match u need to play stand and block, this is how u fight fast jabbers. use JKD 2 and occasionally 2,2 as pokes, try to bait them to poking with 2 jabs or trying to side step jab repeatedly. when this happens u can interrupt with a branch. also u need to use the sweep in JKD but u must place it right. jab twice as much as u sweep this keeps the sweep from being blocked too much. also remember that sweeps go under jabs so if u r having trouble interrupting jab pressure with a branch then use the sweep, and also remember that if u r having troble interrupting with a branch but want a more damaging move then a sweep then try to play defencive in karate and interrupt with f+2. its very fast, leads to a decent juggle, and the window to punish it is very small. like i said in an earlier post that in the jab game knowing when to side step jab, when to side step double jab, when to use the branch/interrupt, and when to side step and block intead of side step and jab is key.
Sonya VS Scorpion:
this match is also bad but not as bad as vs Bo because at least now if u get blocked scorpion could possibly mix u up for infinity but its not guarenteed like with Bo. Scorpion can make any character feel helpless(except reptile). u cant rush him down, and when u try to run he just hunts u down. Pi Gua 3 will beat all of sonyas moves EVERY LAST 1. when he rushes u down if u even think about hitting a button just remember that Pi Gua 3 will hit it and when u say ok, i'll block 3 then u eat 4 instead. after 3 hits then if u dont techroll then he hellfires u and then goes into a damaging mixup if u do techroll then he walks in as u roll and follows up with a damaging mixup as well, and if u try to block the mixup he always has the option to hellfire u when u block then go into a damaging mixup. dont try to zone scorpion with the kiss cuz u will need to do it from the magic distance which is hard to get. u cant do it too close cuz then he can punish it but u cant let it wiff, not even barely, because then he just hellfires u from anywhere on the screen and if hes close enough he can follow up with a damaging mixup. dont get caught in the corner cuz then u must deal with the corner trap. once u get caught in the corner vs scorpion its over.
so in short, u cant really get in on Pi Gua 3 at all and when u start blocking high then he hits u with 4, u cant run cuz he just rushes u down with it and if u try to use the kiss to zone him u eat a hellfire and by trying to space u may get caught in the corner. if i were to play this match i would try to get in on the forterss(Pi Gua 3) and then mix him up with TKD b+3 or 3 when either of them hit then i would mix up with either b+4,cs or 3 again. i would only use 3, b+3, and b+4,cs. getting in and placing these moves properly is the key to attempting to win this match.
well quan chi's best combo is his branch from TSD. in TSD poke with the jabs(1 and 1,1) and d+4. Quan Chi can use a 2 jab poke because even though every branch can be puinished after the 2nd jab quan chi's 1,1,1 cannot be interrupted at all so if they try to interrupt then they get jabbed in the mouth. 1,1,1 is only punishable after the 3rd jab is blocked, use this to your advantage because now u can poke with 2 jabs giving u a better chance of finishing the branch when u see the jabs connect. now as far as d+4 goes while it does little damage its a setup for the branch. use d+4, the idea here is u want them to low block. mix up the d+4 and a 1,1, poke. if they try to low block then u can jab them and go into the branch. make sure u hold up when u jab so the jab tracks because u can ss or low block to avoid the d+4. by holding up even if they try to ss to avoid the d+4 the branch will still hit. now the best way for people to escape this trap is not to low block or ss but to BD out of the trap. when people start doing this use more then 1 or 2 d+4's. throw a few more, remember the idea is to force them to low block. see they can BD if u branch after a d+4 or pause in between the d+4's however if u use a series of d+4's quickly then the only way to stop being hit by it is to either low block or ss. the key here is to know when to d+4, when to jab, when to jab after a d+4, and when to do a series of d+4's then jab and that comes by practice and a lot of vs play. broad swords is also a great stance. good pokes that r safe r 1(if u Bd after it),d+2 and d+3(both must be spaced right to be safe). d+4 is good also but its not safe and it must be done close to them. now onto 3 and 4. first i want to say plese dont make the mistake and try to use 3 and mix up with 3,4 because its interruptable after 3 so there is no mix up there. 3 is the best move in this stance when used right. space yourself correctly when u do it and they cant punish it. when they block it Bd and keep your space. when it hits then finish the combo with off with 4. if they begin to get too close use d+2 or d+3 or 1(remember to bd after this move) to slow them down. using 3 correctly will really give people problems. as far as escrima goes...........this stance sucks, its only good for the power up. i use the power up whenever i am a decent distance from my opponant or if i ss a projectile when i am 1/4 screen away or farther.
in short, use the jabs and the d+4 trap in TSD and remember that he has a reversal in TSD but only use it occasionally. in Broad swords space yourself correctly and use 3,d+2/d+3, and 1(bd)also after u branch them u end up in broad swords. your opponant cant tech after hes been hit by the branch so u r left with 2 options. option #1 is after the branch, switch into TSD and pressure with the jabs(jab game that i posted somewehere in this thread) or go into the d+4 trap. option #2 is to remain in broad swords and space yourself and chop them down with well placed 3's and d+2's/d+3's, or 1(bd). Quan Chi is a VERY good character.
So this is all the stuff that was missing from this board. If you feel you've contributed to the community and you are upset because I didn't post your stuff, don't sweat it. It's because your best shit is already in this thread.
NOW LETS GET THIS THREAD BACK UP TO...ALIVENESS
Just kidding. but SS Zero is next up for me. Peace and love ya'll.
Ghostdragon - Fan Submission Director ghostdragon@mortalkombatonline.com 
