Man.....
too many people sleep on the block button potential.
It opens up your entire control scheme map for use. The block button is essentially a stance, so other inputs can be done to make a more deep defense game.
Let me use Smash bros Melee as an example here because they also have a block button and they made that shit deep.
First off start off with Smash Brothers basic shield.
you can aim 360 degrees around the character. up down left right, diagnals. everything.
However doing so exposes another part of your body open up for an attack. If you aim down, your head is poking out of that circle shield and it can be hit.
So it's more than just overhead/low. It has precise precision strikes to break someone's block and attack their openings.
you can slide in shield during shield stun to gain distance, or get a little closer most effective against multi-hit moves. you must mash the control stick direction while the hits connect with your shield Smash DI.
aiming your shield toward the opponent when they are approaching from the air, will make them hit your sheild sooner. thus making the distance from hitting your shield to the ground, longer, which means a bigger opening for punishment or escape.
If they delay their aerial attack to avoid this shield aiming then they have to fly at you w/o an attack and open themselves up to really easy anti-air or approach.
And this is all just aiming shield.
You can power shield (reflects projectiles) (jump out of shield) (counter attacks like upsmash out of shield) (grab out of shield if there's an opening making people have to space properly on your block to avoid grabs.
You can light shield which covers more of your body to prevent shield pokes (where they hit exposed limbs to knock you out of guard. But at the cost of more shield stun so you can't retaliate. But you also get the benefit of sliding further when in pressure.
Shield over time degenerates, and each hit diminishes it a little quicker. Making it so people can't just turtle, they have to make a read sooner or later under pressure.
There is ALOT more you can do like do a quarter circle forward to down motion while in shield on a platform to drop through it while your blocking.
Not saying Mortal kombat should incorporate any of this.
I'm just tired of people thinking back to block is superior.
Just wait til netherrealm expands on the block button. It has more potential than back to block.
you can still have cross-ups with a block button, it just so happened MK9 chose to not take that route.
