M2Dave
Zoning Master
The Footsies
Almost all normal attacks and strings are barely safe on block in Mortal Kombat 11. You are therefore at a disadvantage after your best string and have to guess between a forward or back throw, which is a 50/50 mix up. You can neutral crouch and punish the throw with a krushing blow d+2, but you are vulnerable to your opponent’s best string if you neutral crouch. Because there are no armor moves and backdashes have no invulnerable frames as they do in Mortal Kombat X, you are more or less playing a game of “rock, paper, scissors” every time your string gets blocked or you block your opponent’s string. The better characters in the game somewhat ignore this meta because they have safer or cancelable strings, which may also create pushback on block to force you out of your throw and poking range.
The Rush Down
In Mortal Kombat 11, 50/50 mix ups and pressure are far less common and oppressive as they are in Mortal Kombat X. Although every character has access to the basic 50/50 mix up with a forward or back throw that also has krushing blow properties, the focus has been switched to playing the neutral game and forcing attacks to whiff in order to open up your opponent. Unlike in Mortal Kombat X, a player in Mortal Kombat 11 must also be aware and respect an opponent who has been knocked down as whiffing a string on a front or back roll gets you punished. The better characters in the game have access to mix ups that are beyond the universal front or back throw. Some remnants of 50/50 mix ups still exist yet are only reserved for a handful of fortunate characters.
The Zoning
There were some concerns about zoning in the initial versions of the game, but increased walk speeds and forward dashes, including the controversial “wave dash”, have universally limited zoning. There is also a plethora of special moves that are anti-zoning in nature that close the gap fairly quickly between you and your opponent. These options are, again, particularly common among the better characters in the game. Traditional zoning remains a viable strategy but not to the extent of any previous NRS games. Anyone who expects to win from full screen way will be severely disappointed as most fights are ultimately won up close or at mid range.
Whether you are playing the game at a casual, intermediate, or competitive level, are you enjoying the meta? Post and share your thoughts in this thread. I am curious what the community thinks so far.
Almost all normal attacks and strings are barely safe on block in Mortal Kombat 11. You are therefore at a disadvantage after your best string and have to guess between a forward or back throw, which is a 50/50 mix up. You can neutral crouch and punish the throw with a krushing blow d+2, but you are vulnerable to your opponent’s best string if you neutral crouch. Because there are no armor moves and backdashes have no invulnerable frames as they do in Mortal Kombat X, you are more or less playing a game of “rock, paper, scissors” every time your string gets blocked or you block your opponent’s string. The better characters in the game somewhat ignore this meta because they have safer or cancelable strings, which may also create pushback on block to force you out of your throw and poking range.
The Rush Down
In Mortal Kombat 11, 50/50 mix ups and pressure are far less common and oppressive as they are in Mortal Kombat X. Although every character has access to the basic 50/50 mix up with a forward or back throw that also has krushing blow properties, the focus has been switched to playing the neutral game and forcing attacks to whiff in order to open up your opponent. Unlike in Mortal Kombat X, a player in Mortal Kombat 11 must also be aware and respect an opponent who has been knocked down as whiffing a string on a front or back roll gets you punished. The better characters in the game have access to mix ups that are beyond the universal front or back throw. Some remnants of 50/50 mix ups still exist yet are only reserved for a handful of fortunate characters.
The Zoning
There were some concerns about zoning in the initial versions of the game, but increased walk speeds and forward dashes, including the controversial “wave dash”, have universally limited zoning. There is also a plethora of special moves that are anti-zoning in nature that close the gap fairly quickly between you and your opponent. These options are, again, particularly common among the better characters in the game. Traditional zoning remains a viable strategy but not to the extent of any previous NRS games. Anyone who expects to win from full screen way will be severely disappointed as most fights are ultimately won up close or at mid range.
Whether you are playing the game at a casual, intermediate, or competitive level, are you enjoying the meta? Post and share your thoughts in this thread. I am curious what the community thinks so far.
