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Question Top 10 Zoners

Meep8345

Noob
Also why has no one mentioned A list Johnny... Like it's not hard to get in on but he's making you come to him so he can jail you with f3 and make it to where you can't play the game for a billion years
 

M2Dave

Zoning Master
Zoning alone has been irrelevant in this game since day one. If you insist on winning with only zoning, you are going to have one of the most frustrating experiences of your gaming life, or perhaps life in general. So in some sense the question is futile as you can only win with zoning when it is accompanied with the appropriate tools.

A character needs multiple tools such as strong offensive options, an armor attack that launches, and exceptional mid range control in order to make zoning genuinely effective. If you consider the aforementioned aspects, characters like Acidic Alien and Piercing Mileena are the first ones to come to mind. Hish-Qu-Ten Predator and Summoner Quan Chi are the best traditional zoning characters in this game. They would arguably be top tier characters in a more zoning-friendly fighting game, but their defensive options are nonthreatening. When they are cornered, which is extremely easy to accomplish in this game, by the best rush down characters, they cannot escape without being dealt significant amounts of damage.

Those zoning characters who lack the overall tools of an Acidic Alien or Piercing Mileena struggle immensely in this game. Balanced Kenshi, Necromancer Shinnok, and Royal Storm Kitana, to name a few, have respectable zoning tools yet nonexistent offensive options in a highly offensive game. Such characters have no place in Mortal Kombat X so you may as well select a character who has similar zoning abilities, if not superior, and much, much better offensive or defensive options, or both.
 

M2Dave

Zoning Master
No post from @General M2Dave

I feel robbed
In order to give the community even more perspective, I think Cybernetic Kano, who is considered low tier in Mortal Kombat X, would be a solid mid tier, if not high mid tier, in Mortal Kombat 9. He has a mid-hitting projectile, a multiple-hitting EX projectile that is advantageous on block, an exceptional low poke (d+4), good long range poke (f+4), very good uppercut, a safe, double-hitting armor attack that hits twice, an unsafe armor attack that launches, and above average corner damage and set ups. Cybernetic Kano would perform well against all but the most broken Mortal Kombat 9 characters, but unfortunately some people at NRS got too carried away with the best pressure and 50/50 mix ups that I have ever seen in my 10+ years of playing fighting games. Perhaps Marvel offers even more offensive options. I really do not know. Nonetheless, I never want to see this type of trash gameplay again.
 

AGRxShiroKuma

The White Bear
I don't know man, I always hear how balanced is awful at doing what he does best which is zoning, and how tele flurry is really weak but in an actual match i think its not as easy to beat him.
The only time kenshi really puts a whooping on someone is when they become impatient and don't respect the options he has at a distance. He is lacking in alot of areas but he can still dish it out if you don't know how to get in on him. I agree with you though sometimes he is very hard to deal with. That is coming from someone who mains unbreakable lol.
 

omooba

fear the moobs
Everyone always says summoner has good zoning but really what even makes it good? Just because he can do a high skull into a rune for free mid screen on block? It's cool and all but really what makes it so good? How does he even really start it. Never fought a summoner that zones they always just jump around like an idiot and try to 50/50 you
pretty sure michelangelo flawlessed someone in a tournament with just summoner zoning
not knowing when he's going to send the bat makes that shit extremely scary fullscreen and then you add the meterbuild and the fact that even if you predict when he's going to send the bat you still have to guess ex rune or nah it's pretty nasty
 

SM StarGazer

The voice of reason in a Sea of Salt
Soooooo. Y'all think Gunslinger outzones Kitana? Mournful does exist whwn all that coinflooping and gunshots hit pure air. Air Glaives boi
 

AGRxShiroKuma

The White Bear
didn't know this was a thing people actually did... respect
Yeah I've been using unbreakable and cryomancer since launch but most of the respect has to go to all those guys who made the unbreakable threads because there was alot of stuff I didn't even know unbreakable could do but that update way back when helped alot too.
 

Dayvon

Noob
was actually just arguing about this
Summoner Quan
HQT Predator
Demo sonya
Piercing Mileena
Acidic Alien
Sektor
Full Auto
sub zero
liu kang
Tremor Aftershock
No Shinnok.... This breaks my heart. I've main shinnok since day 0. Hellsparks alone controls 3/4 of the screen, dark beam has good speed and he also has a decent unblockable .
Never the less great list. Aftershock is a interesting pick. His air attack is absoulutly nuts. One of the best moves in the game.
 

FinalBoss_FGC

Day -4MONTHS Dual Jin main
Zoning is more described as "Keeping people in your ideal spacing (or zone) using your resources" and less "using projectiles to keep them from getting in".

This means Shaolin KJ should be in the talks.

Low and a mid projectile that he can control, mb for two hits, up kick anti airs from half screen as well as up arrow, lunge kick if they start running in which knocks them back 3/4 screen.
 

Tanno

The Fantasy is the Reality of the Mind
I don't know man, I always hear how balanced is awful at doing what he does best which is zoning, and how tele flurry is really weak but in an actual match i think its not as easy to beat him.
Some of them get whiffed. His horizontial Astral Projection can be passed through from its low area. As Sub Zero, try to slide through this AP. It's not that weak. The problem is that this character is totally broken. I played against a friend who started learning Balanced Kenshi, and this is why I knew what's going on there.
 

Tweedy

Noob
This thread presents a bit of a gray area.

Do you mean the best zoner, in a zoner vs zoner fight?

The best zoner, when trying to keep out a rushdown character?

Gunslinger and Reptile become great zoners when fighting someone that can't really contest their slower projectiles.

Ronin Takeda isn't as oppressive as Boneshaper when trying to get in, but in a zoning fight, Ronin wins.
 

CrazyFingers

The Power of Lame Compels You
This thread presents a bit of a gray area.

Do you mean the best zoner, in a zoner vs zoner fight?

The best zoner, when trying to keep out a rushdown character?

Gunslinger and Reptile become great zoners when fighting someone that can't really contest their slower projectiles.

Ronin Takeda isn't as oppressive as Boneshaper when trying to get in, but in a zoning fight, Ronin wins.
Speaking of Ronin zoning, watching Hayetai zone with that character is some of the most entertaining stuff to watch in MKX
 

Dayvon

Noob
Zoning is more described as "Keeping people in your ideal spacing (or zone) using your resources" and less "using projectiles to keep them from getting in".

This means Shaolin KJ should be in the talks.

Low and a mid projectile that he can control, mb for two hits, up kick anti airs from half screen as well as up arrow, lunge kick if they start running in which knocks them back 3/4 screen.
You bring up a good point . Anytime I play against Shaolin I feel like I have shackles on my ankels. I can't move anywhere.
 

Dayvon

Noob
This thread presents a bit of a gray area.

Do you mean the best zoner, in a zoner vs zoner fight?

The best zoner, when trying to keep out a rushdown character?

Gunslinger and Reptile become great zoners when fighting someone that can't really contest their slower projectiles.

Ronin Takeda isn't as oppressive as Boneshaper when trying to get in, but in a zoning fight, Ronin wins.
I was looking for zoners like your first example.
Zoners that do a superb job keeping the cast out.
 
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omooba

fear the moobs
No Shinnok.... This breaks my heart. I've main shinnok since day 0. Hellsparks alone controls 3/4 of the screen, dark beam has good speed and he also has a decent unblockable .
Never the less great list. Aftershock is a interesting pick. His air attack is absoulutly nuts. One of the best moves in the game.
really wanted to put shinnok but wound cowboy was been tweaking me out lately