MK1 Combo Trials General Discussion

[SeanTheGaymer]

So up until that part, this is what the combo looks like in the T8: “212 -> j2 -> 212 -> f32 -> b+Kameo”

When you do the f32 input, you do f3,b+kameo,2 all in quick succession.

Once you get that down, then comes one of the hardest parts of the combo, at least for me. And that’s connecting his fully charged b2. You have to press and hold b2 as SOON as you possibly can after doing the “f3,b+kameo,2” sequence. Which, you can’t just mash it out, you have to time it, which is how most combos work in this game I’ve noticed. You can very rarely mash something out and have it actually work, it certainly doesn’t work consistently.

Anyway, then after you get the charging b2 to actually land after doing it as fast as possible after that sequence, then you have to pop his Star Power quickly as you can after the b2 connects. The rest after that still isn’t “easy”. But what I did, and what I did for a lot of the harder combos is I’ll practice them in sections. So for Johnny’s, I’d practice the combo from doing a fully charged b2 and on. That way when I finally was able to land the fully charged b2, I would be ready to complete the combo.

This definitely isn’t an easy combo by any stretch, and I’d say it’s the 2nd hardest T8 combo.

Thanks I have completed them all now. And yes timing is key. The hardest for me was Ashrah's. I did Johnny then onto Shang tsung. Shang is so satisfying when done. Thanks for your help

 

[Juggs]

Thanks I have completed them all now. And yes timing is key. The hardest for me was Ashrah's. I did Johnny then onto Shang tsung. Shang is so satisfying when done. Thanks for your help

It’s interesting which ones people find more difficult than others. Ashrah’s wasn’t “easy”, but I didn’t have too much of an issue with it like I have with Shang’s. Also for Johnny’s, even though it’s one of the harder ones, it wasn’t like I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong or didn’t know exactly how to do it like I had with some of the combos (especially Shang’s).

Also, I use online delay for training mode, and idk if it also applies to the combo trials or not. I assume it applies to all SP stuff but I could be wrong. Only reason is because I consider myself to be pretty solid at execution, especially in MK games. And I know the PS5 pad does play a role in execution errors. But I just feel like there’s an extra layer that I’m missing, or maybe I have something in my control settings that is effecting my inputs. 99% of the time I have no issues, whether it’s with the online delay or not. But that 1% can really get on your nerves

 

[Afumba]

I managed to complete all of the level 8 combos beside Jonnys... i am somehow to stupid to connect the holdB2 after Jaxs Kameo.

Difficulty wise Juggs tier list is mostly agreeable although i myself didnt feel much difference for most of them. One think thats funny though is that if i had to rank them i'd put Rain above all the A tier ones. The top 5 on that list were also the hardest for me. Although i would rank them in a different order...

1. Jonny (S+ tier)
2. Geras (S+ tier)
3. Shang (S tier)
4. Havik (A tier)
5. Ashrah. (A tier)

Havik and Ashrah are still alot easier than Geras, Jonny and Shang. Also Shangs combo was only hard cuz of how stupid the string recognition is. Its a bit bs that switching back to old Shang only counts for a specific timing which for me was the only really hard part. Switching to early still combos but the game wont recognize it properly. This really pissed me of. Without this i would rank him after Ashrah.

 

[Juggs]

I managed to complete all of the level 8 combos beside Jonnys... i am somehow to stupid to connect the holdB2 after Jaxs Kameo.

Difficulty wise Juggs tier list is mostly agreeable although i myself didnt feel much difference for most of them. One think thats funny though is that if i had to rank them i'd put Rain above all the A tier ones. The top 5 on that list were also the hardest for me. Although i would rank them in a different order...

1. Jonny (S+ tier)
2. Geras (S+ tier)
3. Shang (S tier)
4. Havik (A tier)
5. Ashrah. (A tier)

Havik and Ashrah are still alot easier than Geras, Jonny and Shang. Also Shangs combo was only hard cuz of how stupid the string recognition is. Its a bit bs that switching back to old Shang only counts for a specific timing which for me was the only really hard part. Switching to early still combos but the game wont recognize it properly. This really pissed me of. Without this i would rank him after Ashrah.

Yup after I got all the sections of Johnny’s T8 down, the last part I was having trouble with was connecting the held b2 after Jax Kameo grab. So I made sure that whenever I finally got that timing right that I’d be able to finish the combo. But the first time it actually connected I was so not ready for it and was surprised that I choked, lmao. But once you finally get it, it’s a bit easier to get again.

Glad I wasn’t the only one having issues with Havik’s. It’s not a long or intricate combo or anything, it’s just the timing has to be perfect AND all those bf inputs in quick succession are not very easy to do. Especially on the PS5 pad and especially considering that the input system is inconsistent. Sometimes if you accidentally press another directional during a bf input (like up or down for instance), the bf special won’t come out. But other times it does, and I haven’t really figured out why. But anyway, yeah, all those bf inputs + using b+kameo and having to EX a bf inputted special twice on top of 2 regular bf inputted specials AND having to time it perfectly was surprisingly difficult.

Geras’ was difficult but it was at least fun and I knew what I was doing wrong for the most part. I don’t mind the long and/or difficult combos as long as they’re fun and you’re learning little mistakes you’re making along the way. Aka slowly but surely making progress.

Rain’s was, technical wise, really difficult as well. But I kinda cheated. On the second EX special, I used the analog stick for the directionals instead of the dpad. For this combo specifically, it felt impossible to get the two EX specials to even come out back to back in the same combo. But once I started doing the second one super quickly but switching to the analog, it made it waaay easier. I’m telling you man, the PS5 dpad is trash but especially for this game. But I also think there’s some other issues with it or issues with the input system itself.

And I’ll have to revist Ashrah’s. I did that one so early I can’t really remember how difficult it was. I knew it was difficult obviously, but I seem to not have had as much issues with it as others. Much like a lot of you seem to not have had as much difficulty with Shang’s T8 that I did.

 

[xKhaoTik]

I found Geras’ T8 to be super simple. I didnt think people had that much of an issue with it

 

[Juggs]

After revisiting Ashrah’s, yeah, it was still fairly easy for me. Took me under 3-4 tries. But I see why it could’ve been difficult for some. You definitely have to have fairly precise timing.

 

[BarakaTile]

The damage on Baraka's last Combo Challenge is hilarious and also insulting.

 

[Shawi]

After reading this thread I decided to brave it and start to complete the 8th combo trials.....and I must say, some these have been really fun to do....

ADVICE: In general, my approach is to break the combo down into bits where possible and to practice them separately.

Based on the topic so far, here are my views on the characters I have done:

1. Geras - I main Geras so this was v easy for me. Id say there are two tricky parts, connecting the 1 after the df4b....and then the Kameo after the bf1. For connecting the 1, you need to hit the f242 at the first available frames after the bf1ex hits, that gives you enough time to recover from the sandstorm to land the 1. For the Kameo after bf1, input the f24 then wait until the kick is about to land, and then straight up dial in bf1Kamoe(hold) very fast.
2. Jonny - tough one but has 2 distinct parts. One leading up to the b2-hold and one after that. Practice both parts separately and then combine. Getting Jax to grab was the hard part and I found that pressing f3 bKameo 2 really quickly worked.
3. Shang - this one was so much fun, I really enjoyed it. Again, its two parts - one before the up rocket hits, and one after it hits. Practice both separately. The funny part about this one was the bizarre execution approach. You need to dial in f4121 Kameo dbf1, and THEN press dStance....which makes no sense LOL! It should be f4121 Kameo dStance dbf1...surely the right way should be to morph and THEN input the dbf1. Anyway, the other hint is that you cant morph back to old form before the three skulls finish hitting, but its the subsequent up rocket hit that gives that extra bit of time/hitstun to morph back and go into the f4121 etc..
4. Havik, - this one was hilarious! Wonder which dev came up with this one. I also have a PS5 controller but find the bf motion really easy, literally just press b then press f, plenty of timing flexibility and no need to roll finger or slide finger from b to f.
5. Rain - It took me some time to work out how to get the the two up-waters to hit. To get the db1ex to come out twice, I had to input the second one as dbu1ex...not as db1exu, and input the second one just after the first one hits. I used the PS5 dpad. Hint: dial-in the f21 db1ex then wait for the db1ex to hit, then input the second one.
6. Baraka - I kept forgetting to press ex after the throw lol, and this one requires you to be slightly higher than your opponent when doing the aerial attacks.
7. Ashrah - technically challenging. I wasn't able to get the X-Ray to connect for ages as I was going for the Kameo in between the f2 and the bf2 i.e. f2 Kameo bf2d. Instead if you input the Kameo like this: f2 bf2 Kameo d....but you have to be fast and precise. This gives a higher launch then then allows the X-Ray to connect.

Still got the rest of the cast to go through, but I really hope they keep adding more challenge each time there is a big patch!

 

[Juggs]

After reading this thread I decided to brave it and start to complete the 8th combo trials.....and I must say, some these have been really fun to do....

ADVICE: In general, my approach is to break the combo down into bits where possible and to practice them separately.

Based on the topic so far, here are my views on the characters I have done:

1. Geras - I main Geras so this was v easy for me. Id say there are two tricky parts, connecting the 1 after the df4b....and then the Kameo after the bf1. For connecting the 1, you need to hit the f242 at the first available frames after the bf1ex hits, that gives you enough time to recover from the sandstorm to land the 1. For the Kameo after bf1, input the f24 then wait until the kick is about to land, and then straight up dial in bf1Kamoe(hold) very fast.
2. Jonny - tough one but has 2 distinct parts. One leading up to the b2-hold and one after that. Practice both parts separately and then combine. Getting Jax to grab was the hard part and I found that pressing f3 bKameo 2 really quickly worked.
3. Shang - this one was so much fun, I really enjoyed it. Again, its two parts - one before the up rocket hits, and one after it hits. Practice both separately. The funny part about this one was the bizarre execution approach. You need to dial in f4121 Kameo dbf1, and THEN press dStance....which makes no sense LOL! It should be f4121 Kameo dStance dbf1...surely the right way should be to morph and THEN input the dbf1. Anyway, the other hint is that you cant morph back to old form before the three skulls finish hitting, but its the subsequent up rocket hit that gives that extra bit of time/hitstun to morph back and go into the f4121 etc..
4. Havik, - this one was hilarious! Wonder which dev came up with this one. I also have a PS5 controller but find the bf motion really easy, literally just press b then press f, plenty of timing flexibility and no need to roll finger or slide finger from b to f.
5. Rain - It took me some time to work out how to get the the two up-waters to hit. To get the db1ex to come out twice, I had to input the second one as dbu1ex...not as db1exu, and input the second one just after the first one hits. I used the PS5 dpad. Hint: dial-in the f21 db1ex then wait for the db1ex to hit, then input the second one.
6. Baraka - I kept forgetting to press ex after the throw lol, and this one requires you to be slightly higher than your opponent when doing the aerial attacks.
7. Ashrah - technically challenging. I wasn't able to get the X-Ray to connect for ages as I was going for the Kameo in between the f2 and the bf2 i.e. f2 Kameo bf2d. Instead if you input the Kameo like this: f2 bf2 Kameo d....but you have to be fast and precise. This gives a higher launch then then allows the X-Ray to connect.

Still got the rest of the cast to go through, but I really hope they keep adding more challenge each time there is a big patch!

For Ashrah, you definitely can get the FB to connect if you do the kameo after f2 and before bf2+d.

But anyway, glad you decided to try them. The reason I made this thread is because I had a lot of fun with them and figured others would as well and also to discuss them. Actually would love to see them keep adding a new one with each DLC. That’d be awesome lol

 

[Juggs]

Finally figured out 1 thing I was doing wrong as well as using the analog stick instead of the dpad and was finally able to complete Shang’s T8. Aside from dpad errors and the other thing I realized I was doing wrong which was not waiting to morph into old shang until after the f4 starter, the other thing I was doing wrong was calling in Sektor’s assist a bit too early. Meaning it was impossible to connect the rest of the combo.

Thank god I completed this thing and I’ll never have to do it again!

 

[Shawi]

has anyone successfully managed to do Reiko's?? The X-Ray absolutely just wont come out! My execution is flawless and I can get the whole combo except the X-Ray every time.

 

[Juggs]

has anyone successfully managed to do Reiko's?? The X-Ray absolutely just wont come out! My execution is flawless and I can get the whole combo except the X-Ray every time.

Yeah, I’ve completed everyone’s combo trials T1-T8. With Reiko’s T8, after the EX bf3, you have to dash forward into s3 xx Fatal Blow. And if you or others don’t know what the “s” in “s3” stands for, it stands for “stand”, lol. I think that’s the first time I used the word “stand” 3 times in one sentence! And “xx” just stands for “cancel”. For instance the beginning combo is b3 canceled into bf3 while holding back or up. So I’d write it like: b3 xx bf3+(hold back)

So yeah, after Kameo Jax’s grab, you do:
s3 xx EX bf3, (forward dash) s3 xx Fatal Blow

And the entire combo written how I would execute it and not necessarily how it shows it written in his T8 would be:
b3 xx bf3+(hold back), b+kameo, b2, s3 xx EX bf3, (forward dash) s3 xx Fatal Blow

 

[Shawi]

I worked out why! For the s3 after Jax does his grab, I was hitting Jax out of mid animation, which meant that he fell over, and that by the time I needed to do the X-Ray, Jax still wasnt off-screen, therefore it wouldnt come out.

Then as soon as I tried it with s3 AFTER Jax finishes his grab, therefore not hitting Jax out of mid animation, he exists the screen before its time for the X-Ray and it comes out.

Reiko S+ because of that LOL! Hardest one I've had.

 

[kingjolly]

Did Kitana’s yesterday. It was terrible. The demo can’t even connect the fatal blow. The timing is really weird and I couldn’t replicate it after I finally succeeded.

 

[Shawi]

Just a thought - why don't NRS add in the combos from the combo trials as pre-recordings in training mode? When learning Geras, this would save me having to learn opposition combos when trying to learn the Recall (rewind time) timing within combos, and also helps me learn how to structure my combos when playing against Geras to make it harder for him to successfully Recall.

 

[HiddenSelectCounterPick]

What's the reward for completing them?

 

[Afumba]

What's the reward for completing them?

Same as everything else... nothing

 

[Juggs]

Did Kitana’s yesterday. It was terrible. The demo can’t even connect the fatal blow. The timing is really weird and I couldn’t replicate it after I finally succeeded.

You’re the second person to say this. Are you playing on PC or Xbox? And is everything up to date update wise? Because my demo showed her doing it just fine.

Anyway the trick with Kitana’s T8 is firstly, the full combo is:
2412 xx db1, j2, s2, Kameo, EX bf1, Fatal Blow

And now I’ll write it how I completed it:
2412 xx db1, j2, then press s2+Kameo at the same time while also canceling the s2 into EX bf1, dash forward, Fatal Blow

You HAVE to dash in before you do the Fatal Blow because it moves the screen forward at just the right time for Sonya to leave the screen. You can’t do Fatal Blows if you Kameo is still on screen, this is why you’ll get Kitana just standing there stance switching when you’re trying to Fatal Blow.

 

[Juggs]

What's the reward for completing them?

If you’re talking about some type of in game reward like gear or currency, there isn’t any. The combo trials are there for you to help learn the combo mechanics in general, and also for the specific characters. And it’s fun trying to do them all. It’s especially fun with the characters you’ve never really used. Because you’re kinda somewhat learning the character by doing all of their combo trials. It also can teach you stuff you may not have known. For instance for Mileena’s T8, you have to do something with Darrius Kameo I didn’t even know was possible, which was really cool to learn.

 

[kingjolly]

You’re the second person to say this. Are you playing on PC or Xbox? And is everything up to date update wise? Because my demo showed her doing it just fine.

Anyway the trick with Kitana’s T8 is firstly, the full combo is:
2412 xx db1, j2, s2, Kameo, EX bf1, Fatal Blow

And now I’ll write it how I completed it:
2412 xx db1, j2, then press s2+Kameo at the same time while also canceling the s2 into EX bf1, dash forward, Fatal Blow

You HAVE to dash in before you do the Fatal Blow because it moves the screen forward at just the right time for Sonya to leave the screen. You can’t do Fatal Blows if you Kameo is still on screen, this is why you’ll get Kitana just standing there stance switching when you’re trying to Fatal Blow.

I'm on Steam PC. I assume its updated. Thanks for the explanation.

 

[Juggs]

I'm on Steam PC. I assume its updated. Thanks for the explanation.

Did the explanation help? Once you realize how to do it, it’s not too difficult of a combo imo

 

[acowsik]

I found an easy way to do Rain's trial 8. After the F21 xx DB1 EX, hit RB/R1 to summon Goro who will launch the opponent up after the hit from the EX DB1. This will cover the recovery frames of the first DB1 EX and then you can easily do the second DB1 EX with the jump cancel on hit into J2 followed by F21 xx FB.

 

[kingjolly]

Did the explanation help? Once you realize how to do it, it’s not too difficult of a combo imo

It makes sense. I had no idea Fatal Blows dont work if your Kameo is out.

 

[Juggs]

Quan-Chi’s T8 was super easy. But his T7 took me awhile to get. He’s a very awkward character, as in his moveset is unique enough to where it takes awhile to get used to it. Especially the normals that go full screen through portals, lol

 

[Shawi]

I did them this morning and I agree, really awkward. I found the one where you have to use 2 ex skulls the hardest but overall it was mid-level difficulty.

Was hoping for T9s tbh