For me I find them to be very easy.
Well heres what I do.
I just do the combo as I go along while looking at what it says and there are only 4 shapes (buttons) so it is easy to remmeber it. I thought Ashrahs was one of the easiest ones to pull off.
That probably doesn't help at alll but it was just $0.02

For me its pretty easy. All you have to do is watch and remember the right time to hit the buttons. For example ( I just finished learning Ashrah myself) Watch how Ashrah hits. Meaning if I press attack 2,2,style button,2,2 style button, watch when she hits in order to see if she has done the attack animation. attack 2,2,style,button,2,2,style button = watch her onscreen do punch,punch, style change,punch,punch,style change. Its all about hitting the right buttons at the right time.

There really is no special way to do style branching combos. You just do it. Ya know, follow the button directions precisley and you'll do it. Oh man Ashrah is one of the easy ones. What will you do when you get to Raiden in Outworld? His style branch combo wasn't that hard but I had a bit of a problem at first. Just hang in there and you'll get it.

I think they are pretty hard... not to actually do the buttons, but to make them connect!!! especially with pop-ups... u gotta time them JUST righ with JUST the right distance... I'd rather just fight streetwalker style!!! hahah

Look at the code, memorize it and do a practice run on your game pad without actually pressing the buttons.
It might help if you time your self like hum when you press the buttons.
M, M, M, M, M.......
That helps to get the timing right.
also try to break the combo down in to separate parts.
Like doing 2 small combos.

but the thing is say it is like TRI X CIRCLE TRI while the character is doing the first 2 buttons you should be done pressing all of them so you are suppost to go faster than the hcaracter but do it just in time not to slow or fast.

well buddy i know that i cant be the only person in the world who has noticed this but, all you gotta do is press the buttons in order, you dont have to wait until the character actually does the hits. For ex. barakas 10 hit combo is 1,1,3,SC,1,2,CS,3,2,2,1. if you just press the buttons in order fast enough by the time you finish pressing the buttons you can watch baraka do the last four hits without you pressing anything else! By the way this works for every character in the game, that is why I have figured out 10 hits or better with everyone in the game already, my combos are mind blowing. ( I am not sayin I have the best one's but some pretty good impressive one's if you need some homemade combos jus lemme know.

I actually find blocking more difficult than combos.. I always seem to forget to block attacks!! Either that or I dont know when they are coming...

Consiedr "L" like any other button man !

heres the trick in mk:da when performing the button combinations to do a combo you had time the button combination corectly in oder to perform and finish the combo. in mk:d they have changed this you just simply press the button combination and you dont have to time it. its allot easier if you dont look at the character or better yet dont even pay attention to what he is doing on the screen just ress the buttons like you doing a faytality or putting in a code combination. it s simple. if you dont understand what am talking about , boot up mk:da if you have it and play with a character that is both on mk:d and mk:da example: raiden is good to test this with because he has the same 3 fighting styles in both games. mk:da= timeing when you hit the buttons mk:d= just pressing the buttons. hope this helps.

Take it step by step! Just remember when Deadly Alliance came out everyone wasn't good at it but they developed and mastered it like nothing to this day. It's the same for Deception, take your time and earn your way in konquest or practice mode. You'll be a skilled warrior in time but you can't just jump from a novice to an expert without training and experience.
My little Shilling.

Can anyone tell me a twelve hit combo with any of the characters please. I'm stuck on the Johnny Cage challenge.

stare at the combo it shows in the upper right and just hit the buttons they show there... you can enter the whole combo in rather quickly and it's likely after you entered your combo in your fighter will still be attacking so there's not really any timing involved just enter it in as fast as you can.

I've always been able to pull off combos in games without really trying...I can just get the timing done right without thinking about it. So I guess I'm a lucky one.
But now in MK:D everyone is lucky, for timing really doesn't matter. Just enter the button combination and you're set.

You know that challenge where he just say hit me with a 12 hit combo. I need one.

I haven't done too much of Konquest, just enough to unlock everybody and get some stages and costumes...
But, for that mission, does it stick you with Shujinko, or does it morph you?
If it gives you Shujinko, go read the Shujinko FAQ at gamefaqs. There are some good combos there.
If it morphs you, hope you get liu kang( is it possible to morph to him?). Just do a quick jugle, then bicycle kick.

well buddy I am here to save you again I will give you one with Bo Rai Cho. It is very easy, start off in his first stance. 1,2,SC,3,SC,2,2,4,3,belly flop, 1. Oh yeah my bad first you have to do the puke puddle or else you will only get eleven hits. It may look hard to do but it is one of the easiest combos in the game, it only takes 28%, I found this to be very strange because if you do the same exact combo, but without the puke puddle it take 48%. Wierd hunh? Well that is his 12 hit combo.
Also Lei Mei has a 17 hit combo but it is really hard to do so I will give you her 12 hit also. The only thing about this combo is that timing is everything.
Start off in her first stance 1,1,2,2,up=4, then do her flying punches ( in the middle of her flying punches change styles to her sword and press back+3), that sword move is three hits with only one button press! That combo should give you 12 hits because all of her flying punches dont connect.
Another combo is with Liu Kang
Be in his first fighting stance then press 1,1,3,SC,up+2, foward+2, flying bike kicks. That should give you 14 hits but not very damaging.
well I have many more but I am tired of typing so, out of those three combos you should be able to pull atleast one of them off.

Actually... Contrary to what some have said. I have noticed that if I'm punching the next command in too soon it won't work. So first I learn the button combination and memorize it. Then I do it on an actual character to see what it looks like. I then adjust accordingly based on how fast im pressing the buttons. To each his own though.

I did that 12 hit combo challenge with Scorpion. Hapkido, Spear+triangle+X+upO then do the style branching combo that ends off with his weapon. If you do the other one that ends off with the kicks, he won't connect with the last kick and you'll fall short one hit.

I always "slide" across the buttons it has worked great on Subbys chain combos!

There just like. Fatalitys. Be for you even try pulling them off memorize the buttons. After that just do the combo on the controler with out pushing the buttons. Do this 2 or 3 times. Speed up every time you do it. Then once you got it down and can do it quick you should have no problem pulling them off.

Just think of the "Style Change" button as just another button in the combination. That's all it is, really. Press it at just the same speed and with the same timing as any other button in the combination.