Does Anyone Else Find The Kitana VS Sub-Zero Match-Up Very Strange?

[Vastly]

I main Johnny and since he has some issues I am learning a new main and keeping Johnny as a secondary. So far I have been using Kitana for about 6 days now and I really really like her. I am finally getting around to trying out some different match ups and my Friend Dillon R has a wicked Sub Zero but he has little experience with Kitana and I feel the same about playing Sub with Kitana. After having some games with him I find the match-up very odd in terms of how it feels. You have to worry about the slide if they are good so I want to jump more and the hover let's me do this more often than not due to it's baiting potential, but when subzero puts a lot of pressure on me I start to feel very boxed in because of his walk speed. Does anyone else feel this way or do you think it's just because I'm new to the character?

 

[kevkopdx]

I’m in the same boat, Johnny main since launch and Kitana for about a week now. Haven’t played too many subs but I feel like he def has better footsie options. He limits Kitana’s zoning since he wins trades... I need more mu experience with it

 

[Vastly]

Yea exactly, because of how fast he can walk he can be annoying to judge when using her B2 string. Cause if you are wrong you get blown up.

 

[DarksydeDash]

I played long sets vs Pig of the Hut using both variations. If Sub has the slide it's probably 7-3 his favor because he commands the neutral too much, but without it, I'd say it's 4-6. The fact that Sub can abuse F4 on her and she can't flawless block punish it is.. extremely annoying.

 

[Rozalin1780]

Flawless block U3 works though. Yeah it's not much, but it at least gets him back off of you. I find myself jumping a lot when a Sub Zero player is too F4 happy. Back jump~flutter~jump 2 works better than neutral jump since it leads to full combo and you don't have to pray for the auto-correction to actually work (you just have to be sure not to flutter too close to the ground). You can also jump forward on a read and jump-in 1 will auto-correct and clip the back of their head into B231. Gimmicky as hell, but what else are you doing to do; play by his rules?

You can also bait wakeups against Sub Zero within his attack range with D3. D3 will stuff U2 and will low-profile U3 and recover with enough time to still punish with 12. Timing is rather strict but doable. You'll have to hold off if he forward rolls though.

 

[Vastly]

Flawless block U3 works though. Yeah it's not much, but it at least gets him back off of you. I find myself jumping a lot when a Sub Zero player is too F4 happy. Back jump~flutter~jump 2 works better than neutral jump since it leads to full combo and you don't have to pray for the auto-correction to actually work (you just have to be sure not to flutter too close to the ground). You can also jump forward on a read and jump-in 1 will auto-correct and clip the back of their head into B231. Gimmicky as hell, but what else are you doing to do; play by his rules?

You can also bait wakeups against Sub Zero within his attack range with D3. D3 will stuff U2 and will low-profile U3 and recover with enough time to still punish with 12. Timing is rather strict but doable. You'll have to hold off if he forward rolls though.

Thanks for the wake up game tips.

 

[Under_The_Mayo]

Any words on Scorpion?

 

[Sazbak]

I just played against a Kitana who did a meaty string after knocking me down. (you know the one that has the 2nd hit low and has an oh KB as last hit) and low profiled my u3 with the 2nd hit.

 

[Vastly]

I just played against a Kitana who did a meaty string after knocking me down. (you know the one that has the 2nd hit low and has an oh KB as last hit) and low profiled my u3 with the 2nd hit.

That's interesting. Forgive me for asking what's probably a silly question, but U3 is the unarmored wake up correct?

 

[Sazbak]

That's interesting. Forgive me for asking what's probably a silly question, but U3 is the unarmored wake up correct?

It's the invincible wakeup.

 

[Vastly]

It's the invincible wakeup.

Interesting, I wonder if this is universal. I know Sonya's F3 stuffs a lot of U3 wake ups as well, which is dumb.

 

[Rozalin1780]

I just played against a Kitana who did a meaty string after knocking me down. (you know the one that has the 2nd hit low and has an oh KB as last hit) and low profiled my u3 with the 2nd hit.

Oh this is definitely a thing with the B231 string. Works on Jade too. The issue with doing this though is that doing a meaty B231 will get blown up if they forward roll.

 

[Vastly]

Oh this is definitely a thing with the B231 string. Works on Jade too. The issue with doing this though is that doing a meaty B231 will get blown up if they forward roll.

Do you know what happens if you simple stay on the floor longer? Do you get up after the combo or get caught in it?

 

[Rozalin1780]

Do you know what happens if you simple stay on the floor longer? Do you get up after the combo or get caught in it?

The tail end of B231 will catch delayed wakeup. It is possible to do a short delayed wakeup and interupt with a fast combo starter (12 in Sub Zero’s case) after the second hit (the low) whiffs. Very risky though and inadvisable since any variance in Kitana’s timing of her B231 can throw the whole thing off and she can confirm into combo. Basically, if they have no meter, they have to block regardless of delay in wakeup.

What kind of damage can Sub Zero get from a flawless block U2? Because that is certainly an option as you wake up (non-delayed) which stops B231.

 

[Vastly]

The tail end of B231 will catch delayed wakeup. It is possible to do a short delayed wakeup and interupt with a fast combo starter (12 in Sub Zero’s case) after the second hit (the low) whiffs. Very risky though and inadvisable since any variance in Kitana’s timing of her B231 can throw the whole thing off and she can confirm into combo. Basically, if they have no meter, they have to block regardless of delay in wakeup.

What kind of damage can Sub Zero get from a flawless block U2? Because that is certainly an option as you wake up (non-delayed) which stops B231.

I"m not sure, I know Dillon R did do a flawless block on my last overhead hit of the b231d1 combo and combo off of it. It's in the video above somewhere but I don't remember if he got a full combo off of it so it would probably be similar.