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The Zoning Academy (Mortal Kombat 11 Edition)

M2Dave

M2Dave

Zoning Master
Cashual said:
I like fighting games that have multiple viable play styles and strategies. Gimme grapplers, pressure, zoning, whiff punishing/footsies, all of it.
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I think a fighting game with a wide variety of gameplay styles is what players ultimately want. Players tend to become bored of fighting games in which one strategy is considered predominant such as pressure and 50/50 mix ups in Mortal Kombat 11 or space control and zoning in Injustice 2.

Mortal Kombat 9 is a highly flawed fighting game with a horrendous character balance, yet the game kept competitive and casual gamers entertained for several years because of its diverse gameplay styles. You can use Kabal if you want a versatile but high execution character, Kenshi for unstoppable mid range space control, Cyrax for absurd combo potential, Freddy for full screen zoning and frame traps, Smoke for resets (and of course cowardly) anti-zoning, Cage for relentless pressure and footsies, Kung Lao for pressure and "bird-like" mobility, etc. As a result, the player base was generally very content with the options.
 
M2Dave

M2Dave

Zoning Master
So...

Jacqui... no more machine gun. She has been turned into a rush down fool. LOL. In fact, she has special moves that are similar to Cheetah. WTF?

I have also added Pig of the Hut to the "Zoning Players Watch List". He said he would play Mortal Kombat 11 competitively.
 
Juggs

Juggs

Lose without excuses
Lead Moderator
Premium Supporter
General M2Dave said:
Players tend to become bored of fighting games in which one strategy is considered predominant such as pressure and 50/50 mix ups in Mortal Kombat 11 or space control and zoning in Injustice 2.
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Assuming you meant “Mortal Kombat X”, correct?
 
DragonofDadashov24

DragonofDadashov24

Let’s see whose fire burns hotter
General M2Dave said:
So...

Jacqui... no more machine gun. She has been turned into a rush down fool. LOL. In fact, she has special moves that are similar to Cheetah. WTF?

I have also added Pig of the Hut to the "Zoning Players Watch List". He said he would play Mortal Kombat 11 competitively.
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Don’t rockets provide her with zoning potential even being high? I know beginners will have tough time with her but air and ground rockets can really explore her zoning game
 
Kroaken

Kroaken

Life is a block string with no gaps.
DragonofDadashov24 said:
Don’t rockets provide her with zoning potential even being high? I know beginners will have tough time with her but air and ground rockets can really explore her zoning game
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They only go straight after being amplified, as I understand it. Initially, they fire downwards or upwards. Burning a meter after that will fire a secondary straight rocket.
 
SaltShaker

SaltShaker

In Zoning We Trust
Sooooooooo, I think it's officially time to worry. Even with the little we've seen pre-release, we know of-

-Baraka's fireball changed from mid to high
-Skarlet's Tongue pushback decreased
-Back walk/Backdash is inferior to Front walk/Front Dash
-Tons of damage options and KB combo extensions for offensive characters

With all of these offensive pressure tools we are seeing, KB combos, mixups, the zoning characters would need some strong tools to actually keep these characters away, or at least keep up with them. Skarlet might be the only zoning character we've seen so far, who seems like a mix of zoning and ranged normals. I love Jacqui, but her redesign was literally a reworked High-Tech with Muay Thai. Awesome, but they removed all traces of zoning.

Jade may be another option so far, and looks like she's in the traditional anti-zoner role. But if zoning is weak who is she going to be anti-zoning? Jacqui? Kotal? She has a fast low glow ball, a slow glaive, air glaive, glow, shadow kick, a run (lol), ranged normals. She has no launcher regular or AMP unless in the corner, and seems to be the only character shown without one. So you would think a character with no launcher at all would have oppressive zoning to compensate. Right? Because if not, how do they win? Probably the design I am the most conflicted about until I can actually practice.

Looking at who is left to be revealed, I don't even know who else would fit dedicated zoning besides Noob, Kitana, and Shang. That's if, they didn't get the redesign treatment.

DragonofDadashov24 said:
Don’t rockets provide her with zoning potential even being high? I know beginners will have tough time with her but air and ground rockets can really explore her zoning game
Click to expand...
DragonofDadashov24 said:
Then that makes them mid but yeah, you can’t abuse it. Got it
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Her rockets are not a zoning tool at all. One version of them is KD, and shoots in the air or at the ground in front of you. If you AMP it, the second rocket shoots straight. It is too slow to even use a zoning check, let alone a zoning tool because the second rocket wouldn't come out fast enough. The other versions of it are a standing reset up close and DOT. This is her only projectile out of all her specials.

She is less of a zoning character than Sonya.
 
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Wetdoba

Wetdoba

All too easy...
SaltShaker said:
Sooooooooo, I think it's officially time to worry. Even with the little we've seen pre-release, we know of-

-Baraka's fireball changed from mid to high
-Skarlet's Tongue pushback decreased
-Back walk/Backdash is inferior to Front walk/Front Dash
-Tons of damage options and KB combo extensions for offensive characters

With all of these offensive pressure tools we are seeing, KB combos, mixups, the zoning characters would need some strong tools to actually keep these characters away, or at least keep up with them. Skarlet might be the only zoning character we've seen so far, who seems like a mix of zoning and ranged normals. I love Jacqui, but her redesign was literally a reworked High-Tech with Muay Thai. Awesome, but they removed all traces of zoning.

Jade may be another option so far, and looks like she's in the traditional anti-zoner role. But if zoning is weak who is she going to be anti-zoning? Jacqui? Kotal? She has a fast low glow ball, a slow glaive, air glaive, glow, shadow kick, a run (lol), ranged normals. She has no launcher regular or AMP unless in the corner, and seems to be the only character shown without one. So you would think a character with no launcher at all would have oppressive zoning to compensate. Right? Because if not, how do they win? Probably the design I am the most conflicted about until I can actually practice.

Looking at who is left to be revealed, I don't even know who else would fit dedicated zoning besides Noob, Kitana, and Shang. That's if, they didn't get the redesign treatment.





Her rockets are not a zoning tool at all. One version of them is KD, and shoots in the air or at the ground in front of you. If you AMP it, the second rocket shoots straight. It is too slow to even use a zoning check, let alone a zoning tool because the second rocket wouldn't come out fast enough. The other versions of it are a standing reset up close and DOT. This is her only projectile out of all her specials.

She is less of a zoning character than Sonya.
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Cetrion and Kollector are rumored to be zoners
 
Wetdoba

Wetdoba

All too easy...
Also Sonic gonna play Jacqui, the character with every nonsense rushdown move in the book and not the mid-projectile character.... who could have guessed!

Cancels, mix ups, jumping lows, command grabs, command jumps, mix up off throw techs... but nah Sonic was totally gonna play Baraka cus he had a "cheap" mid projectile.
 
SaltShaker

SaltShaker

In Zoning We Trust
Wetdoba said:
Also Sonic gonna play Jacqui, the character with every nonsense rushdown move in the book and not the mid-projectile character.... who could have guessed!

Cancels, mix ups, jumping lows, command grabs, command jumps, mix up off throw techs... but nah Sonic was totally gonna play Baraka cus he had a "cheap" mid projectile.
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Guy does it literally every game pre-release. Over-talks the defense or zoning (or both), under sells the offense. It's why I really wish developers didn't take feedback from players unless it was specific to errors or glitches in the game.
 
Wetdoba

Wetdoba

All too easy...
SaltShaker said:
Guy does it literally every game pre-release. Over-talks the defense or zoning (or both), under sells the offense. It's why I really wish developers didn't take feedback from players unless it was specific to errors or glitches in the game.
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Yep. He even tried to start the great flawless block scare by saying it was an OS anyone could do and should be nerfed and not launch etc. Then Dizzy himself had to say no thats BS, he just timed it right on the first one then mashed block after to give the illusion you could just mash it out. Newsflash, the very first time they showed it off was to show Sonya blowing up a gap into a full combo, not over committing is part of the game, time to adapt
 
AK Harold

AK Harold

Noob
"There can be no light without darkness"

Can we actually talk about zoning here?
I think the timed meter system will be a great counter weight for both sides. If you defensively survive zoning or rushdown your meter should allow you to tight back. The perfect block is equally as helpful against both play styles as well since you can mitigate zoning damage and use it to counter stagger strings better.

This is great for both sides.

Also, Jacqui may have lost the full auto, but if you can give her the leap and projectiles she could be a very scary zoner with escape potential.

The game so far has a lot of built in counterbalance for repetitive stratagems.

I hope I get to zone this game, I failed to get passionate about in2 zoning.
 
Kroaken

Kroaken

Life is a block string with no gaps.
General M2Dave said:
Yes!

After a month of trailers for rush down fools, NRS finally shows characters that we care about.

Noob, Shang Tsung, and possibly Hydro?

Now I am happy and excited to play the game.
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Yeah, I can't wait to see his moveset. Up until now I've only been into Kotal because at least he had mid-range!
 
BanTheTesters

BanTheTesters

“My AGENT is tougher than you...”
Moderator
Hey all I’m new to the “zoning” team a bit.

Having played the stress test and feeling the over all new pacing first hand I think it’s tine to try something new...

Normally in other games other then nrs stuff I play grappler/trap type characters (I played dead pool in mvc much to the announce of online friends etc) but I think I’m going full zoning on this one folks! Need to test more of the roster as I don’t have a “character” in this game yet though..

Can’t wait to see thoughts, tech and strats from this thread! Can’t wait to join the fight against rushdown!
 
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