Mortal Kombat came back in a back in a big way this year. Mortal Kombat 9, simply titled Mortal Kombat, is a back-to-the-roots reinvention of the franchise that ratchets up the gore level and strategy.
There are a lot of new features exclusive to the new Mortal Kombat, so long-time players will have to learn new strategies to succeed professionally. You can be assured this version of Mortal Kombat will be making the rounds at professional video game tournaments for the next few years, so I’ve compiled some strategies to give you an edge while going to-to-toe with the pros.
Choose Wisely
While newcomers to the Mortal Kombat franchise may be tempted to pick brute force characters, these typically won’t stand up at the professional level. For example, the character Sheeva has a partially invincible stomp that has to be predicted to be avoided. While it is a great move to spam against computer opponents or newcomers to the game, professional players can easily avoid it. The move leaves you defenseless if it is avoided or countered
Besides, Sheeva does not really have strong combination moves (or combos) to make her a viable option for professional play. Other characters that seem like they will plow through the competition but actually won’t include: Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, and Stryker. Like Sheeva, they will obliterate computer opponents and inexperienced players, but their moves aren’t practical for professional play.
Instead, you’re better off choosing series stalwarts like Raiden, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, or Sonya Blade, as well as “tricky” characters like Smoke, Noob, and Reptile.
All of these characters have unique moves that can set opponents up for combos, and they all have excellent long-string combos (meaning their combination attacks can dish out a lot of damage).
Stick With Your Character
Have at least two characters you are very good at in case you have to play tag battles (where each player picks two characters). But don’t spread yourself too thin trying to learn too many characters. Practice with just two or three characters until you can pull off their longer combos with ease and you become familiar with what moves work against other characters’ moves.
Unlike Street Fighter, where characters are divided into classes, learning a character in Mortal Kombat does not easily lead into learning another character. Each character often has wildly different kinds of super moves. Learning multiple characters can become problematic and confusing if you’re not careful.
This guide on Gamefaqs.com is a great way to learn longer combos with each character.
The Flow of Combat
One of the new features of the Mortal Kombat is the way the super meter works in fights. If you build it up all the way (both by dishing out damage and taking damage), you can pull off a powerful X-ray attack. Each character’s X-ray attack works differently. Cyber Sub-Zero’s attack must be done in the air, while Striker’s attack only works at close range. Learn the ins and outs of your character’s attack so you know when best to unleash it.
The super meter is divided into three sections. You can use a single section to pull off extra powerful super moves or to disrupt an opponent’s combo. If you’re playing professionally, you definitely want to save it for the latter. Successful long combos can take away nearly half of your health bar. So there is no point in wasting a portion of your super bar to pull off a powerful super when it could be used to save half your health.
You can escape throws in Mortal Kombat, if you’re quick and lucky. Light punch and light kick will escape forward throws, while hard punch and hard kick will escape backward throws. You have to press your attack button directly after the throw is initiated, and you can only guess which kind of throw it is. For more information about throw interactions in Mortal Kombat, try this guide from the fighting game wiki, Shoryuken.
Mastering a few characters, their combos, and the new combat features will require a lot of practice. If you manage to make it through the ranks of professional gamers in a Mortal Kombat tournament, you’ll want to make sure you stand out. There’s always the chance you could get signed on for a contract as a professional gamer.
But you’ll have to have a little flash and style, so be sure to learn a finishing move for each of your characters. They’re generally easy to do, and the game tells you how to do them in the menus, but they make all the difference in giving your winning match a little flair.