Handling multiple characters

[ArsonX]

I used to be a charactet loyalist in injustice,but now i cant settle for learning just one. However,i notice that after i start concentrating on more characters,my skills become lets say dilluted. I mess up my timers and for a while i have to spend time on relearning everything for my already known characters. Still havent mastered anyone fully. Does learning more characters 'dillute' your skills with your already mastered ones? I notice that i need serious warmups after not playing someone for a while. What are your guys experiences? Id love to hear something on this from the pros and seasoned players

 

[stamatis]

I can handle about 12 chars,it sucks,you have to main someone, or else your excuse will be that you did not chose the right one and what would have happened if you picked another one,so don't bother yourself with multiple choices!

 

[Arzumis]

I usually narrow it down to 3-5 characters and master them

 

[Vigilante24]

I personally would say stick with 2 and learn all 3 variations. Depending your characters (lol Reptile) you are technically learning 6 characters. If you branch off to more and you have an army of characters, eventually some of them will get rusty as you play them less. Mastering 2 is your best bet imo.

 

[funkl3]

I have 4 characters that I love playing, but I started off with Kitana on launch and that's the only one that still sticks. I go in and out with Shinnok, Predator and Ermac, but I find that I'm not nearly as able to balance multiple chars in this game as I could others (umvc3). I think 2 is the magic number for most people, but it all depends on how much you play/practice.

 

[STB Sgt Reed]

I like having about 3 characters at a decent level. B/c when I'm playing long sets or just for funsies in koths or whatever... I like playing other characters besides my main.

Edit: you can only d4 ice clone so much before you're bored.

 

[TamedLizard]

(lol Reptile)

I've familiarized myself with every character for the most part. That, in no way, shape, or form means I've mastered everyone. I just like having multiple options when in player matches for fun, or when a noob filled KOTH room begins getting irritated with my 45 win streak.

Overall, I've got four characters that I know the ins and outs of. Reptile, Erron, Shinnok, and Kitana. On occasion though, I'll switch up Shinnok and Kitana with Ermac and Mileena. Fairly adept with them too.

I still really enjoy playing with Kotal, Raiden, Tanya, and D'Vorah though but I still have a lot of learning to do with them.

 

[ArsonX]

I've familiarized myself with every character for the most part. That, in no way, shape, or form means I've mastered everyone. I just like having multiple options when in player matches for fun, or when a noob filled KOTH room begins getting irritated with my 45 win streak.

Overall, I've got four characters that I know the ins and outs of. Reptile, Erron, Shinnok, and Kitana. On occasion though, I'll switch up Shinnok and Kitana with Ermac and Mileena. Fairly adept with them too.

I still really enjoy playing with Kotal, Raiden, Tanya, and D'Vorah though but I still have a lot of learning to do with them.

Do you play multiple variation? I did some more practise and i realised im having alot more trouble with different variations on a character than with multiple chars

 

[ArsonX]

I personally would say stick with 2 and learn all 3 variations. Depending your characters (lol Reptile) you are technically learning 6 characters. If you branch off to more and you have an army of characters, eventually some of them will get rusty as you play them less. Mastering 2 is your best bet imo.

I think my magic number might be 3. Though learning more variations does actually mess up my mind when i choose a character. Im having some trouble adapting from cry sub zero to grandmaster back and forth,though i like cryo alot better

 

[STB Sgt Reed]

I just pick one variation from the character. Grandmaster Sub Zero, Pumped up Jax, Hollywood Cassie. I find it easier that way. Idk why.

 

[ArsonX]

I like having about 3 characters at a decent level. B/c when I'm playing long sets or just for funsies in koths or whatever... I like playing other characters besides my main.

Edit: you can only d4 ice clone so much before you're bored.

Just one minor question...how do people like sonic fox know so many characters that good? I bet that requires being in front of the screen 24/7 which i wouldnt really do tbh

 

[funkl3]

Just one minor question...how do people like sonic fox know so many characters that good? I bet that requires being in front of the screen 24/7 which i wouldnt really do tbh

Yeah, that's what I've gathered, the more time I put into the game, the more characters I can adapt to , bu twhen I stop playing for like a week, I forget how to play some of the lesser played characters I use.

I just pick one variation from the character. Grandmaster Sub Zero, Pumped up Jax, Hollywood Cassie. I find it easier that way. Idk why.

I do the same thing. The only character I can flip variations on is Shinnok, but both Boneshaper and Impostor are really simplistic.

 

[John Grizzly]

Just one minor question...how do people like sonic fox know so many characters that good? I bet that requires being in front of the screen 24/7 which i wouldnt really do tbh

Players who understand the game well/have great fundamentals can easily pick up new characters. Sure, they're still putting the time in, but it's their overall skill that lends to their ability to pick up a character so quickly.

Honestly, for anyone trying to pick the game up (one of my buddies just bought it recently) I always tell them to choose one character and stick to them until you understand how the game works. Once you understand what MKX is, you can translate that knowledge to other characters pretty easily.

For the first several weeks, I played no one but Kotal, for the most part. Now that's I'm more comfortable with the system, I jump around a bit.

 

[I GOT HANDS]

I'm the opposite way, I find swapping variations harder than swapping characters, I forget that I don't have specific buttons and throw out the wrong moves all the time. Swapping an entire character fixes me, so I stick to 1 variation per character.

As for learning multiple characters, yeah I'd pick the one you want to be best at or the style you want to show off the most or the one that suits you the best, and learn the ins and outs of the game with it. All the knowledge you've picked up won't get wasted and you can still have a secondary or two, but I'd stick to a main all the way through if I was you, everything will become sharper universally as a result

 

[Perdition]

I use about four characters very well and just rotate between them regularly throughout every session. I play one character until I lose, then I switch to another.

When learning a new character, you still have to keep up with maintenance on your mains. I think your issue is dedicating a bit too much to a prospect. It's okay to take your time in learning a character. There is no rush. Take your time in the lab with a new character, but when you go online try using your mains until you are TOTALLY comfortable with that new character. Then add that new character to your competitive rotation.

 

[MrProfDrPepper]

I usually have a 3 man team that I put a lot of time into and then a bunch of side characters I don't really take seriously and just learn for fun

 

[ArsonX]

I'm the opposite way, I find swapping variations harder than swapping characters, I forget that I don't have specific buttons and throw out the wrong moves all the time. Swapping an entire character fixes me, so I stick to 1 variation per character.

As for learning multiple characters, yeah I'd pick the one you want to be best at or the style you want to show off the most or the one that suits you the best, and learn the ins and outs of the game with it. All the knowledge you've picked up won't get wasted and you can still have a secondary or two, but I'd stick to a main all the way through if I was you, everything will become sharper universally as a result

I play for example mileena piercing,then i decided to learn ravenous but you know,its pretty damn confusing to swap between them so ill just stick to 1 variation and a couple chars...i dont really like variations tbh. Somehow doesnt make me feel complete knowing one variation,yet learning more is too damn confusing. I wish mk 10 didnt have variations

 

[lm Tweakk]

I still haven't found a main. Im not shitting you when I say I play at least 70 percent of the cast , including variations.

 

[ArsonX]

I still haven't found a main. Im not shitting you when I say I play at least 70 percent of the cast , including variations.

How doesnt your brain explode lol?

 

[I GOT HANDS]

I play for example mileena piercing,then i decided to learn ravenous but you know,its pretty damn confusing to swap between them so ill just stick to 1 variation and a couple chars...i dont really like variations tbh. Somehow doesnt make me feel complete knowing one variation,yet learning more is too damn confusing. I wish mk 10 didnt have variations

I enjoy the option, and it lets you find a variation of that character most suited to your playstyle, even if you are only going to play 1 character


For example, when I picked up Lao I decided I enjoyed Hat Trick's set up game and flashiness the most, but the option of Tempest is still there for those who want a more footsies / pressure based character, and Buzz Saw for those who enjoyed Kung Lao's signature mix-ups. We all get to use the same character and share core trade secrets about the guy, all the while having a variation more custom and suited to us personally.

I think the variations are awesome it's disappointing how little effort they put into some of them (Jason, Ermac and Reptile for example all pretty much have one very similar variation, and plenty of other characters just have really sub-par alternatives, like Sub-Zero).

 

[Schuyler]

I want to learn just about everyone and am close to doing so.Just hit the lab before you go online with a random character you play and the one you plan on playing. Hit it with multiple if you have too. But I usually just need to hit the lab if I lay a character I haven't in a while and im all set. But stick with a main 2-3 everyone else would just be for fun. But remember the adv of knowing multiple characters. In injustice this aquaman was destroying me. I cycled through most my best charterers with no hope. I haven't messed with doomsday in a while and i use him as my final choice. He could not stop it worth a damn.

 

[JJV Phoenix]

The variation system threw a wrench in things, but since IGAU I've juggled at least 6 characters, with one identifiable main that I usually find really early.
Been a Superman fan since I was a kid, so he was the natural choice. Cassie came pretty naturally and felt right since I mained Johnny in MK9 and didn't really like his play starting out (I have since come around, but Cassie remains my main). Just gotta put the time in practice and playing games to keep your play sharp with each. TYM is a great resource for learning a lot about a character you're clueless about in a very short span of time, and you can take that knowledge (assuming you have solid fundamentals) into games and figure out what works.

 

[TamedLizard]

Do you play multiple variation? I did some more practise and i realised im having alot more trouble with different variations on a character than with multiple chars

I do and for the most part, I've gotten used to it. Take Mileena for example, her and Kitana were the first characters I learned when the game came out. I always found myself trying to press UU2 instead of DD2 to extend in Piercing and vice versa for Ravenous, so it just took practice.

I hate Deceptive Reptile. At least, aesthetically. The maskless face kills me, but I've still labbed it regardless. Noxious is my favorite (I couldn't tell you how many times that chip damage has saved me), but I'll occasionally switch to Nimble.

I play all of Shinnok's variations. It just depends on the MU. Same with Kitana. Although with Erron, I have a bad habit of sticking with Marksman even when I know Outlaw's NJP would be better suited for a MU (or jumping bean players) so I'm trying to get better with that lol.

 

[ArsonX]

I do and for the most part, I've gotten used to it. Take Mileena for example, her and Kitana were the first characters I learned when the game came out. I always found myself trying to press UU2 instead of DD2 to extend in Piercing and vice versa for Ravenous, so it just took practice.

I hate Deceptive Reptile. At least, aesthetically. The maskless face kills me, but I've still labbed it regardless. Noxious is my favorite (I couldn't tell you how many times that chip damage has saved me), but I'll occasionally switch to Nimble.

I play all of Shinnok's variations. It just depends on the MU. Same with Kitana. Although with Erron, I have a bad habit of sticking with Marksman even when I know Outlaw's NJP would be better suited for a MU (or jumping bean players) so I'm trying to get better with that lol.

Mileena and kitana were also my first characters...i quit ravenous as soon as i entered practise mode. As for kitana,i only did royal storm. However since the patch i notice some combos cannot be done anymore and now she is all about stupid fan tossing all day which is something i refuse to do. So i quit kitana,now im with sub zero,mileena,tanya and i have almost mastered jason. I dont bother with multiple variations anymore too

 

[ArsonX]

The variation system threw a wrench in things, but since IGAU I've juggled at least 6 characters, with one identifiable main that I usually find really early.
Been a Superman fan since I was a kid, so he was the natural choice. Cassie came pretty naturally and felt right since I mained Johnny in MK9 and didn't really like his play starting out (I have since come around, but Cassie remains my main). Just gotta put the time in practice and playing games to keep your play sharp with each. TYM is a great resource for learning a lot about a character you're clueless about in a very short span of time, and you can take that knowledge (assuming you have solid fundamentals) into games and figure out what works.

I personally think variations shouldnt exist. Id like the game far better without them