MK2 I will leave for Konqrr.
UMK3 - Not 100% official order as I have never seen a full list of what considered to be complete, but a rough idea beyond the top 10 which is probably slightly modified, in any event, judge for yourself based on what their strengths are and compare to what the other characters can do against them that easily counters them.
Kabal - The spin is so broken it's not even funny, anti air spins = easy 42% in 2 seconds, easily used on cross ups while crouching, counter with an aaHP to spin, bread and butter combo 49%, decent damage simple combo off a ground spin adding a starter, huge damage corner multi fireballs, the air fireball is great keep away and zoning. He can also rush down better than anyone because of the run jabs to spin the very instant someone tries to counter. He beats out Human Smoke because he can jump away and fireball very close to the ground and avoid being counter teleport punched, and can easily spin the teleport punch as well.
Human Smoke - Any time you start a combo with him successfully, it's 50% minimum damage. He has a teleport, air throw, containment move, and popup combo. The formula for devastation. Essentially, 1.5 - 2 mistakes and they are done.
Kung Lao - Easy infinites, maneuverability with the dash kick and teleport, big damage ground combo, spin is broke as a joke, you can spin people if you block a jump kick that hits high and close.
Kano - Sweep to air throw trap, change up to rush down, nice damage combos, better corner damage, lots of options, the ball, the knife uppercut hits low which is helpful, upward ball is useful anti air. Try to charge his ball while being rushed down and blocking, good wake up.
Nightwolf - Fast easy ground damage, almost always 50%, more if you get a starter, the tackle is kinda broken, only a few characters can duck and block without being hit by it, including Stryker (always) Sonya and Kung Lao if they are ducking as it's moving. Mix up the shoulder tackle with his stomp, if a person ducks and blocks two tackles, chances are they will just duck to avoid a 3rd, so take a couple running steps and make it look like you're going to tackle, but don't, just combo.
Ermac - The biggest damage basic in game non-exhibition combos that aren't infinites in the game. Anytime you catch someone in a punisher it is a minimum of 70% depending on who they are, and about 40-45% off a knee lift combo. Relatively easy corner 100% combos, teleport punch, a somewhat useless easily punishable fireball but you can add it to combos. Can be played similarly to Human Smoke, without the air throw on close range jump ins and combos. In the right hands, Ermac is really top 3 cause undamage protected combos are just wrong.
Reptile - Zoning is amazing with him. The forceballs are really fun to toy with people, set up some average to decent combos, invisibility is great, learn to time his combos and do them invisibly. His slide is slow and shitty, and can be ducked and blocked as it hits by some characters without connecting, so use it for wake ups. His running elbow is excellent for mobility rather than offense, use it for mind games.
Robot Smoke - Giant range air throw, great damge punishers, teleport uppercut is ok, don't abuse it or it'll get you owned, try it on jump ins almost like a dragon punch, or fake a HK or uppercut out of them and teleport before the range. Again invisibility is good, his rush down is reasonably good because he stays in tight on run jabs.
Sindel - Scream is great anti air, stick in multiple, single HPs between screams to add damage. Heavy damage combos overall, usually resulting around 50%. Flight is crap, cancel the flight from time to time instantly several times in a row for mind games, she can block instantly. Her airfireball is good for zoning but experienced players can easily get around it if you abuse it or do it too high in the air or too close.
Jax - Another sweep to air throw tactic, use missiles for zoning, good damage ground combo off a starter, can add a standing HK or LK on many characters instead of his normal B+HP that sends them across screen, this keeps them close and you can go back to his sweep game. His ground pound is good for wakeups now and then. Gotcha grab is fast, a good way to snag someone on the way in for their rush down.
Sonya - Sweeper as well, leg grab is great to use if blocking a combo, time it to snag them after a hit finishes and before they recover, then go on offense rush down with run jabs and knees to her standard combo which does good damage. Bike kick is good for anti air, or even if they are rushing down.
Stryker - Bombs for zoning, baton dash is fast and sudden, good for wake ups, as is the riot gun. Huge damage mid screen combos, corner infinite, just somewhat hard to apply.
Scorpion - Can be played similarly to Human Smoke, only he doesn't have a pop up which makes him no where near as damaging. He can however get huge damage punish counters, in the range of 60%.
Sektor - Homing missiles are OK to keep people in place, but they can be avoided with counter tactics such as ducking LKs, or running in on sight and comboing, they will explode on the opponent without doing damage. Teleport Uppercut used the same as Smoke's. He really has no good damage basic combos, his punishers are OK.
Kitana - Fan traps/lock down are still good in this game for her, run makes her wave punch somewhat useless for escapes, but use it as anti air wake up, her fanlift crushes damage on combos in effort to balance her. Like all female ninjas, she has crazy run jabbing ability, but also stick in two hits of her kick combo, then pause and HK if they run in, it hits way too often and sets up the standard tactics.
Jade - Return boomerang your ass off, but don't get caught by containment characters. Her dash kick is fast as Hell, great wake up, and really safe in most situations, if possible try and get Projectile Protection off as you do it to make her even more safe (kind of tricky though). Her Projectile Protection is quite useful, take note of people jumping over you if you do that and rush at them, sets them up for run under uppercuts and roundhouse easily. Her 7 hit combo is worthless, stick to her 4 hit sick combo and add a ducking LK to it on most characters, then throw a dash out because people often try to get away after that.
Classic Sub-zero - Ground ice after a single run jab, or blocked jump kick is good, won't work many times though. His freeze is a little slow on start up, his combos are OK, he doesn't have too much backing him besides that. His slide is fast as Hell.
Liu Kang - Can zone to an extent with his fireballs, but not like Stryker and Jax can, his Bike kick is insanely fast with almost zero start up, a perfect wake up move, but punishable. Dragon kick is similar as well, and again punishable even by ground combo. His pop up combo is 100% worthless. You cannot get any good damage off it at all, even in the corner with a triple JK air fireball it only does in the 40%s. If you connect a starter, just do his standard 7 hit ground combo, and if you are in the corner where you could get the multi hit airfireball combo, add a ducking LK to the end for a couple more % and some mind game value.
Cyrax - Very difficult to use effectively. You can zone with bombos, and exhange a hit to get a net on someone instantly, his 6 hit ground combo with a starter is pretty decent damage for what it's worth. His airthrow can be useful but you have to know how to use it and it takes a lot of effort. Bomb combo damage is potentially high, but very hard to pull off anything worthwhile ingame.
Mileena - Her ball has a good amount of time where you can do the B,B,D motion, and the hit HK really late, so it comes off surprisingly, and hits people named Bill a lot for some reason. Her sais are not nearly as spammable as they were in MK2, her drop kick is easily scoutable and punishable, avoid using it if you dare use her at all. Her combos do very, very low damage.
Sheeva - Her ground combo does over 50% with a starter. It is vital that you connect at least one of these a round, but it is also very difficult to do. Her stomp is easily scoutable, and barely worth using because in any situation where you can hit one, chances are you could have jumped in or cross up comboed her 50%er. Her fireball is average, her ground stomp is somewhat useful for surprises, but don't abuse it or you'll get abused. Sheeva is the most vulnerable character in the game to certain types of comboing techniques.
Shang Tsung - Shang has an infinite that is very convoluted and tricky, if you can snag someone with it, you can consider yourself a God. His fireballs are lame, he is slow overall, has a good uppercut, and standing HK, but but when you have to list a characters regular moves as their pluses, you know something is wrong. Your best bet is to mix up morphing between Kabal, Kung Lao, Kano, and Nightwolf, utilizing all these characters' abilities keeps people on the move, but safe morphing is something you have to learn how to do.
Unmasked Sub-zero - I have no idea in all honesty why he is ranked last. He has containment moves out the ass, but his combos overall are pretty low damage and basic at best. You can mix up some stuff here and there with him, his freeze is nice and fast, his slide is somewhat useful, his corner rush down can be brutal if you can keep them pinned with sweep range iceclones, run jabs, and freeze. The iceclone is good for escapes, and mobility, fake outs. I guess he is kind of like Cyrax with lower damage combos, he can be used reasonably well in the right hands, but effectively not a good character. It easy to juggle him like Jax and Stryker.
Matt
