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Match-up Discussion Skarlet Vs. Mileena

Johnny2d

Xbl: Johnny2Die
Lets talk the Skarlet Mileena matchup. These aren't complaints, I'm not looking for a patch to fix these, I just want to discuss with the community to see how others are handling it, and to find ways to get better.

I find Milleena to be a very tough match for Skarlet and I'd like to have other opinions from this board on the matter. I've heard (usually from the mileena player that beat me) that the match is heavily in Skarlet's favor, but but I just don't see it.

1st. Daggers can be rolled underneath or teleported by mileena ON REACTION. This makes typical Skarlet zoning a risk.

2nd. Slide gets beat by roll hands down every time. In most matches I can throw daggers, cancel and dash slide and catch them just after their block or hit stun. With Mileena my tactic have to change to, throw dagger to cancel (hoping she blocks it or it hits rather than her just teleporting or rolling) then dash block to bate out a tele or roll.

3rd. Her tele beats Skarlet's every time. It usually hits in her favor high on the screen, and if the Mileena player is smart, they can follow up if they have meter.

4th. Mileena's wakeup attack nulify Skarlet wakeup pressure, although I find this to be the most predictable time to block and punish, so this one isn't high on my list of difficulty.

5th. Mileena's moves beat Skarlet's moves without meter, forcing Skarlet to use meter to get any setups going. This is usually the case in any fight but seems to be more the case in a millena confrontation, no meter, no combo. In most cases that's not a problem cause I can zone safely to get as much meter as I would ever want, however, for the reasons listed above, meter becomes an issue too.

Skarlet has three big advantages over Mileena that I have found, but they don't seem to be enough to stack things in Skarlet's favor.

1. Skarlet footsies, d1,d3,o4 d4 canceled into red dash then mixups is beast and relatively safe. I also use the low pokes canceled into Ex dagger cancel to create major frame advantage, then blockstring or highlow mixup of choice. Skarlet IMO has the best footsies in MK.

2. Blocking and punishing leads to major damage. Skarlet is going to get some easy big damage combos if she blocks a roll or regular tele. The problem is here though is that its so rock paper scissors against milleena, that you can get beat by random choices that she makes. Obviously you can't just stand there and block, that's a guaranteed way to lose. Typical zoning doesn't work, I've covered that problem.

3. Skarlet's Ex dash goes through everything. However, you can't get enough meter to use the Ex version every time, so its use in a Mileena fight has to be fairly limited.


I'm interested to discuss any other problems against Mileena that I have missed, or Skarlet advantages over Mileena that I have missed. Also, what kinds of safe offence do people use to defeat her?
 

xenogorgeous

.... they mostly come at night. Mostly.
haha, I think this matchup is pretty funny, 2 quick ladies , of course, hehe


Skarlet can teleport in reaction to Mileena's sais too, so both nullify each other, if projectile spam is abused

Mileena has a 50/50 option with her back 3,4 or U+4, but so Skarlet, with her dash slide or overhead dash+back2 .... so

Mileena has IAS, and that is a huge advantage, while Skarlet projectiles do little damage. Mileena probably will win most of time in air projectiles war

Mileena U+4 is better than Skarlet U+3, because the follow combo string , in Mileena case, set up better combos with more damage

Skarlet F+4,3 is a hell of good string, much better than Mileena's 3,4
 

ryublaze

Noob
I don't have much Mileena matchup experience, but I think it would be better to forget about the 1, 1, 2 string and just end with 2, 3, Red Dash, Red Slide for more damage. Then you can bait Mileena to use a wake-up attack so you can full combo punish.
 

Johnny2d

Xbl: Johnny2Die
haha, I think this matchup is pretty funny, 2 quick ladies , of course, hehe


Skarlet can teleport in reaction to Mileena's sais too, so both nullify each other, if projectile spam is abused

Mileena has a 50/50 option with her back 3,4 or U+4, but so Skarlet, with her dash slide or overhead dash+back2 .... so

Whats up yautjared. Lumpy Moo Milk said I should get in touch with you as you are one of the best Skarlet's out there;)

Do you think that Mileena's 50/50 and Skarlet's slide to b2 are equal? I find myself needing to use meter to make it a true 50/50 by using the Ex b2, this gets into the meter usage against mileena issue. Also, to make sure that I am able to even get to her with out being punished I am spending a bar of meter to use the ex dash... obviously I don't do that all the time but I feel that in order for the two to be comparable, skarlet has to use her meter.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I'd love to discuss all of this further.
 

Johnny2d

Xbl: Johnny2Die
I don't have much Mileena matchup experience, but I think it would be better to forget about the 1, 1, 2 string and just end with 2, 3, Red Dash, Red Slide for more damage. Then you can bait Mileena to use a wake-up attack so you can full combo punish.
Yes, Baiting wakeups is one of the more consistent tactics I've found against low and mid level players. Anyone with more than 2k wins online won't do it more than once though unfortunately.
 

Ninj

Where art thou, MKX Skarlet?
While my experience vs Mileena is completely online, here are some thoughts that are focused more on offline play but can be used online as well:

1) Never jump. Skarlet's natural advantage of not having to commit to a jump is nullified with Mileena, as she wants to catch you jumping with a teleport kick into sai's into a roll combo. If Mileena is abusing Sai's, use Skarlet's teleport slash.

2) Block low a majority of the time. You should be able to see Mileena's U4 coming and block appropriately - otherwise I'm not aware of any standing overhead hits. I say block low because a good Mileena will try to link her 2-part Low kick into a Ball - any Mileena looking to do this should roll right into a hefty U3 combo starter from Skarlet

3) Hit hard. Like RedRaptor said, I agree, I try to hit Mileena as hard as possible. That said, keep in mind that a reset into :enDownslash is a powerful tool.
 

xenogorgeous

.... they mostly come at night. Mostly.
Whats up yautjared. Lumpy Moo Milk said I should get in touch with you as you are one of the best Skarlet's out there;)

Do you think that Mileena's 50/50 and Skarlet's slide to b2 are equal? I find myself needing to use meter to make it a true 50/50 by using the Ex b2, this gets into the meter usage against mileena issue. Also, to make sure that I am able to even get to her with out being punished I am spending a bar of meter to use the ex dash... obviously I don't do that all the time but I feel that in order for the two to be comparable, skarlet has to use her meter.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I'd love to discuss all of this further.
No way, man .... I'm far from being the best Skarlet here, I'm just medium level ... I'm just an admirer fan of the character, and since Mileena and Skarlet as both my favourite characters in MK9, it's nice to see a thread dealing with that .....

Ninj is one of the best Skarlet player, and Red Raptor seems to know much better her too, so, they are who you gotta to be in touch, hum ? :D

In fact, without meter, both Skarlet and Mileena 50/50 mix up game has not much difference regarding damage, but, while Skarlet slide cannot be linked to a good combo, Mileena B+3 is deadly once hits, cause automatically, you gonna eat a roll ball, and the rest , you know, is pain coming ... hehe :D

Mileena Up+4 is safe on block, and the best juggle starter of her, if not, of the entire game ... a simple U+4 that connects/hits can go for a BnB 32% easy as hell to pull off , so, Skarlet Down Slash from Red Dash, if blocked, can cause problem to Skarlet due the frame disadvantage

Honestly, I like both , because both has a gameplay a bit similar : Mileena has sais/air sais, while Skarlet has dagger/air dagger more or less with the same trajectory ....

Millena has a roll back, and Skarlet, a Red Slide, both moves, work more or less the same, with advantage for Mileena move seems more hard to predict, while Skarlet can go for 3 options with the Red Slide, including 2 that juggle the opponent in the air

Mileena has a telekick, one of the fastest teleport in the game (maybe only Smoke and Raiden teleport are faster ?) , than can connect with air sais, and be used as reaction against zone pressure .... While Skarlet has a teleport with more or less the same trajectory (dropping from above), that , despite being a bit worse than Mileena's one, serve as the same purpose , to escape zoning pressure .... while Mileena teleport if hits, stun the enemy from a little time and surely give Mileena some advantage, Skarlet teleport, if hits, send enemy to a distance that allow Skarlet to have a safe spacing distance to recover herself and position again, for some dagger game again. Of course, if not glued to corner, this way, this advantage is null.
 

Johnny2d

Xbl: Johnny2Die
While my experience vs Mileena is completely online, here are some thoughts that are focused more on offline play but can be used online as well:

1) Never jump. Skarlet's natural advantage of not having to commit to a jump is nullified with Mileena, as she wants to catch you jumping with a teleport kick into sai's into a roll combo. If Mileena is abusing Sai's, use Skarlet's teleport slash.

2) Block low a majority of the time. You should be able to see Mileena's U4 coming and block appropriately - otherwise I'm not aware of any standing overhead hits. I say block low because a good Mileena will try to link her 2-part Low kick into a Ball - any Mileena looking to do this should roll right into a hefty U3 combo starter from Skarlet

3) Hit hard. Like RedRaptor said, I agree, I try to hit Mileena as hard as possible. That said, keep in mind that a reset into :enDownslash is a powerful tool.

[MENTION=2268]yautjared[/MENTION] For the record, Downslash is DB2, not B2 - saying Red Dash into B2 is confusing - at first I thought you meant Red Dash into nothing then do a standing B2 :p

I agree that blocking low is the best way to go. Also, the never jump makes sense too, Skarlet has enough tools to work on the ground.

In terms of the Downslash being DB2, not B2, are you talking about for written purposes or are you actually inputting that when doing the move? After a red dash the only required input for a downslash is B2. The guide here on TYM confirms that it is just B2. Brady has it listed as B2 on the living guide. Is there a reason for wanting it phrased DB2? Not trying to be picky, I'm just curious.
 

xenogorgeous

.... they mostly come at night. Mostly.
While my experience vs Mileena is completely online, here are some thoughts that are focused more on offline play but can be used online as well:

1) Never jump. Skarlet's natural advantage of not having to commit to a jump is nullified with Mileena, as she wants to catch you jumping with a teleport kick into sai's into a roll combo. If Mileena is abusing Sai's, use Skarlet's teleport slash.

2) Block low a majority of the time. You should be able to see Mileena's U4 coming and block appropriately - otherwise I'm not aware of any standing overhead hits. I say block low because a good Mileena will try to link her 2-part Low kick into a Ball - any Mileena looking to do this should roll right into a hefty U3 combo starter from Skarlet

3) Hit hard. Like RedRaptor said, I agree, I try to hit Mileena as hard as possible. That said, keep in mind that a reset into :enDownslash is a powerful tool.

[MENTION=2268]yautjared[/MENTION] For the record, Downslash is DB2, not B2 - saying Red Dash into B2 is confusing - at first I thought you meant Red Dash into nothing then do a standing B2 :p
Good advices as always, bro ! :D
 

Johnny2d

Xbl: Johnny2Die
Its interesting, I've been focused on trying to beat the character, but haven't really seen the similarities until now. It does seem that they have a lot in common. I wonder if people get as frustrated playing against me as I get when playing against Mileena lol.

It still seems that people are feeling that while they are similar, Milleena wins on a move by move basis.

I haven't heard thoughts on the meter usage yet. I still feel that in order to get in, play her usual game, Skarlet uses meter fast while Mileena doesn't have to. Thoughts?
 

xenogorgeous

.... they mostly come at night. Mostly.
yeah, Mileena has no reason to burn meter bar for Ex Sais, Ex ball roll, and, using Ex telekick is pure optional in this match .... so, Mileena has the edge regarding that

Skarlet, well, if you intend to use Ex Red Slash and Double Dagger cancel, it's unavoidable to manage your meter bar .... a patient player maybe will try to win without being so dependent of bar meter burning, but in this case you should be very skilled, and lucky, to stand and overcome Mileena crazy pressure without having to resort to meter bar 2 or 3 times per round ....
 

Johnny2d

Xbl: Johnny2Die
Yeah, well that's what the meter is there for, to use when you need it. I find it tougher to build it back against Mileena though, maybe its just me.
 

ryublaze

Noob
Yes, Baiting wakeups is one of the more consistent tactics I've found against low and mid level players. Anyone with more than 2k wins online won't do it more than once though unfortunately.
Like Ninj said, you just hit Mileena hard. In my opinion, it's better than 1, 1, 2 in this matchup because of the higher damage and makes the Mileena player afraid to use wake-up attacks. After that you can continue on the offense as if you just ended with 1, 1, 2.

Btw, I'm not that good or know much about Skarlet. I'm just an average player.
 

Johnny2d

Xbl: Johnny2Die
Btw, I'm not that good or know much about Skarlet. I'm just an average player.
No need to disqualify your discussion... I'm sure you are fine or you wouldn't be on this board talking as much as you are. I appreciate any and all discussion.

Nothin but luv in the Skarlet Klub.
 

xenogorgeous

.... they mostly come at night. Mostly.
This Mileena x Skarlet match often develops ultra fast paced , with no room for major mistakes from Skarlet player side .... if you burn your meter bar, and miss, or Mileena player dodge it, avoid it, block it , you have disadvantage, and normally, you are in trouble.

Personally, I love Skarlet 114 string , due the spacing created for a next move, I think is an underused combo string that should be more explored.

I think Mileena x Skarlet, coud be a 6-4 in Mileena's favour
 
Does anyone here want to play me on PSN today? maybe in the next hour? I play Mil, but I've never faced a Skarlet so I don't know if I can break down the matchup like that. Also, I'm not too familiar with when alot of Skarlet's strings end... so it would help me as well to see the matchup from Mileena's side.
 

Johnny2d

Xbl: Johnny2Die
This Mileena x Skarlet match often develops ultra fast paced , with no room for major mistakes from Skarlet player side .... if you burn your meter bar, and miss, or Mileena player dodge it, avoid it, block it , you have disadvantage, and normally, you are in trouble.

Personally, I love Skarlet 114 string , due the spacing created for a next move, I think is an underused combo string that should be more explored.

I think Mileena x Skarlet, coud be a 6-4 in Mileena's favour
I think you are right about the meter used, I might have been over aggressive with it when maybe I should hold back.

I agree about the 114. I find it to be reliable to end with online, also unexpected to begin a combo with. 1 is just 10 frame startup so thats her fastest standing move. I sometimes use 114 to ex dagger cancel to a meaty b2 starter, seems to catch people off guard. That or mixup like 114 regular dagger cancel, d3,ex dagger cancel to b11,f4. Stuff like this mixes up well.
 

Johnny2d

Xbl: Johnny2Die
Does anyone here want to play me on PSN today? maybe in the next hour? I play Mil, but I've never faced a Skarlet so I don't know if I can break down the matchup like that. Also, I'm not too familiar with when alot of Skarlet's strings end... so it would help me as well to see the matchup from Mileena's side.
I'd love to but I only have Xboxlive :(
 

ryublaze

Noob
Does anyone here want to play me on PSN today? maybe in the next hour? I play Mil, but I've never faced a Skarlet so I don't know if I can break down the matchup like that. Also, I'm not too familiar with when alot of Skarlet's strings end... so it would help me as well to see the matchup from Mileena's side.
I can play but I will most likely lag.
 

ryublaze

Noob
I love 1, 1, 4. If the 4 hits then it's kind of like her 1, 1, 2. My favorite thing to do is 1, 1, 4 Red Dash, 1, 1, 4 Red Dash, Red Slide or mix in a throw.
 

Ninj

Where art thou, MKX Skarlet?
Also keep in mind that Mileena likes to believe her D4 protects her from crossups - this is where Skarlet breaks the rules in that she can land a deep jump kick into air dagger in order to grab an opponent into a reset combo. If you can predict the D4 attempts (they usually come in pairs) then you can time a DJK into air dagger quite easily, into 2,3,DF1- xx 2,3,DF3,4 or into 1,1,2 after the 2,3,DF1-.