I’m most hyped to see Erron Black, for sure. They did a great job with him in MKX and I’d like to see what else they could add to him or how they’d change him.
I’m hoping they’ll still keep his tarkatan stab, his slide and his sand grenades the most. After that, I’d like to see some new trickeration with his guns, especially up close as blunt objects. I think he has some of that stuff in MKX, but combing more spinning guns with gunshots in combos is always welcome.
I also wouldn’t mind seeing his combos extend to long range with sand traps and gunfire combos. I think there’s a lot of stuff they could do there.
Lastly, I’d like to see him get different gadget type stuff, and perhaps more of them. The caltrops weren’t overly exciting and the rifle, while useful in utility, again, wasn’t super fun to use. Perhaps he could use more hunter-ish type stuff, like metal traps, nets, maybe a bowie knife he can spin in his hand, etc. Just a nice variety of survivalist items.
As for the unlikely characters, I’d say Sareena.
She still has a great backstory even in spite of the new timeline, and being a demon opens up a world of possibilities.
I could see a style that focus more on acrobatics, flashy kicks and strikes. I think it’d also be cool if she could summon Kia and Jataaka in for some moves, such as a command throw, or as assist-type specials.
Another style could feature a more assassin-like approach, with a variety of ninja weapons that we don’t really see in MK such as a dire flail (two sided ball and chain), torinoko (firecrackers), and a moveset that makes heavy use of a kasurigama (sickle and ball/chain).
Lastly, I’d love to see a moveset based around her being a demon. Razor mentioned this at one point, but a demonic, claw-like arm would be great. Perhaps she even gets to power herself up in to a full on demon form that does more damage and has more reach, but takes more damage. Or perhaps it’s more like a style change, where she simply gets more unique and special moves.
As a demon, she could maybe do stuff like ground pound, a long claw grab that extends a third of the screen, shoot fireballs, breathe fire, etc.
I know variations don’t work the same way as they once did, but I think mixing various elements from all three ideas could create some really fun and cool combinations. I doubt she’ll make it in, but I really hope she does!
