Handling multiple characters

[ArsonX]

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).

And some variations are useless...i mean ethereal mileena...who thought that was a good idea? She doesnt have knife attacks,bites,only has the knife throw teleport which is completely predictable...i wish more was done

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).

 

[CoolChameleon]

I'd say 3-4 characters is fine, 5 is pushing it a lil bit.

 

[I GOT HANDS]

And some variations are useless...i mean ethereal mileena...who thought that was a good idea? She doesnt have knife attacks,bites,only has the knife throw teleport which is completely predictable...i wish more was done

I agree some are very useless... Not Ethereal though, that's arguably her best variation and has one of the best variation specific tools in the game

 

[Olcadan13]

I can play somewhat good with 14 characters and I still want to learn more but nobody else really interests me as a character.

 

[dwz_mk9]

In mk9 I had 3 characters: Smoke, Cage, and Kenshi. I feel those characters gave me a balance that I could counter pick accordingly. I didn't play injustice so I cant comment on that game. But as for MKX, the only character I like using is Erron Black Outlaw. When I tried learning other characters in MKX and then I went back to EB, I felt at home. But as for the diluting of skill, learning multiple characters don't do that. I think when when you pick up a new character your mind is being conditioned to how the character plays and how they play against other characters. Then when you go back its like you forgot everything with your main! That's how it was in mk9 for me until I got so good with them it was like second nature. So my advice is either give it time, or just be a character loyalist seeing as I have been through both scenarios. Hope this helped!

 

[JJV Phoenix]

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

I like the variation system for the most part (though I think that's because I play several characters with 3 solid variations). It allows me to keep the character I'm comfortable with but still switch my options around. If someone counterpicked my Johnny in MK9 with Sub, my options were to lose or go to Kenshi, with whom I was not totally comfortable. In MKX if someone chooses GM Sub against Brawler Cassie and lames out after a life lead and takes the match, I can switch to Spec Ops or Hollywood for a different set of options that may give me the edge in the matchup. Maybe those IAGs or missile setups are just what I needed to get around the guy's space control. Alternatively, I could choose my alt Quan Cheesy, and risk getting edged out again because I didn't get a warmup with him or maybe my opponent knows the matchup better than I do. The new variation allows me to keep the base of Cassie's play and tweak it slightly around the new tools the different variation offers me for the matchup, and that slight edge may help me take the set if I was struggling before.

 

[Undergroundepict]

Pumped Up Jax is the only character I main, and use competetively.


That said, I have spent significant time learning other characters in the game on a basic level, in part because it is fun, but also because I believe it really helps me understand the MU's better than if I hadn't played them.

For example, I have a much better understanding of how to play against an Ermac because I also play as him from time to time. I know his strings, have a basic understanding of his frames, can predict his general gameplan, and understand his spacing and range such that I can predict whether an overhead or a low is coming, and potentially out footsie him far more effectively than I ever could had I not picked him up.

Ultimately, I plan on putting time into every character, but Pumped Up is the only one where I feel I know how to respond (or at least, how I should have responded) to almost any situation. I do not plan on taking every character to that level.