Video/Tutorial - Ermac Ermac Video Archive

[Metzos]

@Metzos congrats homie

Thnx m8. Too bad i couldnt win that plane ticket for the EU tourney though. Nivek's Raiden is no slouch at all. Same with Aris's Tempest KL, although i had some chokes against both of them. This tourney has totally convinced me that MoS Ermac must ALWAYS go for the damage instead of the stupid vortex IMO.

 

[Dope Dojo]

Yeah, the Vortex has its place, but sometimes its easier to just take the 36-40% and call it a day lol. Problem is you pretty much have to commit to the vortex and both high and low are unsafe once you go for the Teleport. It suuuucks, but it's so good when it works. When it doesn't though, yeesh. High risk high reward.

I wish Mystic hadn't gotten that nerf for the damage scaling off of lift. Otherwise that would still be almost as useful. As it is now I've yet to crack anywhere near the damage I get off of MOS. I suppose it's cool you can end most of the combos with Push. Too bad it's horrendously unsafe on block and doesn't make them go full screen, that'd be nice haha.

 

[Metzos]

Mystic and Spectral need some help, especially Spectral. Unless there is something game breaking we are not seeing which i highly doubt. MoS is super solid atm.

 

[Dope Dojo]

When they first showed Spectral, I assumed there would be some sort of Marvel vs Capcom esque combos he could do. Best thing about that style is Psycho Crusher having a 10 frame startup, but with it being -23 you best hope you got your punishes down lol.

 

[Metzos]

When they first showed Spectral, I assumed there would be some sort of Marvel vs Capcom esque combos he could do. Best thing about that style is Psycho Crusher having a 10 frame startup, but with it being -23 you best hope you got your punishes down lol.

Yeah totally not worth it.

 

[UPR_Nova]

I'm going to start exploring the possibilities of Spectral more. Do I ever see it being as effective as MoS in its current form? No, however, I see it giving matchup fits on paper, especially against projectile based characters. I give people trouble with sparingly using b1,2 xx ddu, 3 with MoS, so it's tough to imagine being able to make yourself "safe" off of cancelable levitation options. The only thing he looks so lame flapping his arms like a bird. Why the hell did they need to make him look like that when he is levitating. It's laughable when I am in the lab going up and down in Spectral lol.

 

[Dope Dojo]

@k-frog

 

[Dope Dojo]

So this is one of the matches I played this evening. Connection wasn't bad, but I'd already played a few very frustrating matches. This one made me a bit hot under the collar. It's my own fault though, I don't know how to fight this character and this is the first time I've played anyone using this variation:

I had no clue what I should have been doing, I was also too mad at that point to think clearly lol.

 

[AK Toxic]

So this is one of the matches I played this evening. Connection wasn't bad, but I'd already played a few very frustrating matches. This one made me a bit hot under the collar. It's my own fault though, I don't know how to fight this character and this is the first time I've played anyone using this variation:

I had no clue what I should have been doing, I was also too mad at that point to think clearly lol.

I'm not the most experienced Ermac but I hope this advice is helpful in anyway. I would say the main points you should pay attention to are: converting your combos, learn some different block strings you can use as pressure (b12 to advance, 11 is pretty quick, etc), and learn how to poke or back dash out of pressure. Obviously this has to do with knowing the match up but you should still have some poke options you use against the overall cast. I typically abuse his d3 because it's not too bad on block and gives good frames on hit.

I also think you used vanish a little too much, it's not really benefiting you in anyway, the Kung just waited for you to get out of it and then punished you in some way. Hope this helps!

 

[Kindred]

So this is one of the matches I played this evening. Connection wasn't bad, but I'd already played a few very frustrating matches. This one made me a bit hot under the collar. It's my own fault though, I don't know how to fight this character and this is the first time I've played anyone using this variation:

I had no clue what I should have been doing, I was also too mad at that point to think clearly lol.

@AK Toxic pretty much said the main problems with your approach. But let me reiterate and give some extra detail

1 - Converting into combos: You had opportunities to do full combos but didn't. At 1:13 you could've gotten a 38% combo off that EX-tp and at 1:16 you could've followed that tp with a D1 into soul ball for more damage also.

2 - Counter poking: Get in the habit to counter poke as soon as you block his first poke. Too many people only start counter poking after blocking 2-3 pokes.

3 - That F3 > 4: After every confirmed poke, you went into this slow, punishable move that gets little damage (compared to full combo) and inhibits your ability to pressure and gain momentum (0:20, 2:06, 2:23). I wouldve went for something like a 22, U4, B3, B124, low IAB or even a grab

4 - Match Up: Like Toxic said you seem to not be very familiar with Kung's pressure combos because you would release block before he would finish. Also at 1:59, you block his JiP but release block (maybe you thought that you could poke him?)

5 - Armored moves: You throw a lot of armored Soul Bursts, which isn't a bad thing but I wonder why you didnt use that tool to get out of the corner pressure in the first match. Or even an EX-tp as a wake up. Really anything to not stay in the corner cuz Kung is a douche if he puts you in the corner lol

6 - You have to pressure him more because as it looks, you seemed afraid to even get near him lol. For example after the breaker at 1:07, I wouldve run up to him to bait a wake up or cross jump him or something.

Hope this helped. Tbh, Kung Jin is and always was a pain in the ass.

 

[Dope Dojo]

Believe me there were a few times all across the games I played where I tried to do reversals and whether it was my anger or the online but I couldn't get half of what I wanted to come out. Also stuff like ex teleport to soul ball didn't come out either.

I also need to learn to use my normals and strings better. I played an Ermac today and last night who roasted me by doing things like F2, pause f2 d1 2, or grab, or 22 then pause to b3. Weird things I've never thought of.

I do need to learn the match up here, but forget the corner Kung seems like a douche period lol.

 

[Kindred]

Believe me there were a few times all across the games I played where I tried to do reversals and whether it was my anger or the online but I couldn't get half of what I wanted to come out. Also stuff like ex teleport to soul ball didn't come out either.

I also need to learn to use my normals and strings better. I played an Ermac today and last night who roasted me by doing things like F2, pause f2 d1 2, or grab, or 22 then pause to b3. Weird things I've never thought of.

I do need to learn the match up here, but forget the corner Kung seems like a douche period lol.

After EX-tp, you need to do F4 then soul ball. I dunno if soul ball right away works unless you time it really well.
I think the F2 into F21D2 was working beause you dont expect it the first time so dont react fast enough. Although I use it sometimes, it's very rare and not against characters with really fast pokes like Kung Lao or Kotal

 

[Kindred]

Buzzsaw Kung Lao how do you guys deal with this pain in the fuckin ass?

I recorded these 2 matches using the gameDVR of XB1 so the audio gets desynched half way through. Apologies.

Couple of notes:

1) I am scared of pressuring KL only because of his damn armored EX-Spin that leads to a full combo.

2) At 1:20, you see me do S2 twice and this is because I was actually trying to do a Soul Ball but the game went fuck that

3) I realize I have to be careful with my teleports because I do them thinking he's about to throw a hat or start pressure and he doesnt lol

4) At 3:13 I tried to EX-Soul Burst but he snuffed it, so I tried to get up with a poke but he killed it then finished with chip dmg. I think I shouldve stayed laying down but really with the health difference, it was a pretty much done round

I got some feedback from a few ppl online but do any of you guys have any pointers ? @zaf , @Metzos , @BoromiRofGeo , @Nyaa
or anyone else?

 

[BoromiRofGeo]

Buzzsaw Kung Lao how do you guys deal with this pain in the fuckin ass?

I recorded these 2 matches using the gameDVR of XB1 so the audio gets desynched half way through. Apologies.

Couple of notes:

1) I am scared of pressuring KL only because of his damn armored EX-Spin that leads to a full combo.

2) At 1:20, you see me do S2 twice and this is because I was actually trying to do a Soul Ball but the game went fuck that

3) I realize I have to be careful with my teleports because I do them thinking he's about to throw a hat or start pressure and he doesnt lol

4) At 3:13 I tried to EX-Soul Burst but he snuffed it, so I tried to get up with a poke but he killed it then finished with chip dmg. I think I shouldve stayed laying down but really with the health difference, it was a pretty much done round

I got some feedback from a few ppl online but do any of you guys have any pointers ? @zaf , @Metzos , @BoromiRofGeo , @Nyaa
or anyone else?

i liked how you did vanish from fake jip and then went neutral punch - overhead. i dont think your are doing anything very wrong, but you very passive and not aggressive. also he practically killed you with pokes, you should punish that shit with d1 or d3. i personally prefer d3, it has huge amount of frame advantage, like +15 or smth, and after i hit with it even once i do go for immediate either f4 vortex or b3 vortex. dont care. he pokes me once, i poke him back=vortex, yolooooo. also try being more bitchy upclose, like f2, f2, f212 to bait him to release block. also f21>air soul burst (gain some + frames) and then f4 vortex or b3. yeahh, im that brainless vortex guy... ikr. ;d
i wish my pc was decent so i could record matches with EU & russias top players ;/

 

[Kindred]

i liked how you did vanish from fake jip and then went neutral punch - overhead. i dont think your are doing anything very wrong, but you very passive and not aggressive. also he practically killed you with pokes, you should punish that shit with d1 or d3. i personally prefer d3, it has huge amount of frame advantage, like +15 or smth, and after i hit with it even once i do go for immediate either f4 vortex or b3 vortex. dont care. he pokes me once, i poke him back=vortex, yolooooo. also try being more bitchy upclose, like f2, f2, f212 to bait him to release block. also f21>air soul burst (gain some + frames) and then f4 vortex or b3. yeahh, im that brainless vortex guy... ikr. ;d
i wish my pc was decent so i could record matches with EU & russias top players ;/

I've been incorporating more standing 1,1 since it's positive. You're right i need to be more aggressive but the EX-Spin man. I fear it so much because it leads in a decent combo every time and KL builds meter easily. And yes I think i need to start doing D3 more often too. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[FrostiBarrel]

I've been incorporating more standing 1,1 since it's positive. You're right i need to be more aggressive but the EX-Spin man. I fear it so much because it leads in a decent combo every time and KL builds meter easily. And yes I think i need to start doing D3 more often too. Thanks for the feedback!

Yo minor tip very minor ,but when you're in the corner and catch him with wake up enhanced teleport. Do a NJP to convert a combo easier is all I have as feedback.

 

[BoromiRofGeo]

really nice find but i still refuse to believe b2 - that piece of shet is legit in mkx.

 

[insignis]

I didn't think this deserved its own thread, so I'm just going to post it here. Seems sorta useful. So if a moderator feels it worthy of creating its own thread, please do so. I didn't want to clutter this place up, and also wanted to keep it a secret

Found this lil gem while messing around in training mode. How it's done is, first execute Ermac's Soul Charge move B+2, and continue to hold 2. Now, while you're holding 2, execute any of Ermac's EX moves, and upon either releasing 2, or allowing it to finish its animation itself will cancel out the B+2 and replace it with the EX move you've inputted. That's all there is to it. You can also input regular special moves, but they won't cancel the Soul Charge animation, instead, your special move will come out once, and only if, the Soul Charge is blocked or hits.

While holding 2 during the B+2 animation, if you tap G at any time during the charging animation, you can cancel that into a forward run without holding having to press the block button again. This allows you to cancel into an attack almost immediately. You can use this to bait jumps from your opponent and things like that.

Utilizing the tech from the former vid, you can use this to also cancel into Ermac's special attacks almost instantly. You charge up the B+2, single tap (don't hold) Block during the charging animation, tap F,F to initiate a run, and then cancel that into your special move. Kind of confusing, but it really isn't once you grasp the concept.

actually quite interesting. I believe you should create new thread to discuss it's usability.

b2 in hit can be confirmed in soul balls easily, b2 is +2 on block, cancelling gives you shenanigans. It may work out!

 

[zaf]

i liked how you did vanish from fake jip and then went neutral punch - overhead. i dont think your are doing anything very wrong, but you very passive and not aggressive. also he practically killed you with pokes, you should punish that shit with d1 or d3. i personally prefer d3, it has huge amount of frame advantage, like +15 or smth, and after i hit with it even once i do go for immediate either f4 vortex or b3 vortex. dont care. he pokes me once, i poke him back=vortex, yolooooo. also try being more bitchy upclose, like f2, f2, f212 to bait him to release block. also f21>air soul burst (gain some + frames) and then f4 vortex or b3. yeahh, im that brainless vortex guy... ikr. ;d
i wish my pc was decent so i could record matches with EU & russias top players ;/

I've been incorporating more standing 1,1 since it's positive. You're right i need to be more aggressive but the EX-Spin man. I fear it so much because it leads in a decent combo every time and KL builds meter easily. And yes I think i need to start doing D3 more often too. Thanks for the feedback!

@BoromiRofGeo
You can't really use F2 pressure like you are mentioning anymore.
The move was patched on console and it is no lnger + frames.
If you want constant pressure you need to go with B12/B124

@Kindred
1 and 11 are both +2 so they are quite strong in certain situations
You want to be using that with pressure, alongside b12 and just 2 on its own
Like 11 into 2, turns standing 2 into a 7 frame mid that is only -3. Just as an exmaple.

 

[BoromiRofGeo]

@BoromiRofGeo
You can't really use F2 pressure like you are mentioning anymore.
The move was patched on console and it is no lnger + frames.
If you want constant pressure you need to go with B12/B124

@Kindred
1 and 11 are both +2 so they are quite strong in certain situations
You want to be using that with pressure, alongside b12 and just 2 on its own
Like 11 into 2, turns standing 2 into a 7 frame mid that is only -3. Just as an exmaple.

really? what the hell man.... im still few patches behind on pc so i dunno.
why the hell they're nerfing it ;/

 

[zaf]

really? what the hell man.... im still few patches behind on pc so i dunno.
why the hell they're nerfing it ;/

Yea PC is behind on patches.

No clue why they nerfed it.
Might of been too strong with F4 and B3.
Never really needed to go into F21D2, because F2 was so good on it's own

 

[jokey77]

Do you know the exact framedata for said strings?

f21d2 -> are you at least neutral afterwards?
f212 -> same as above. on hit can you still crossup-JIP (to reverse wakeup-inputs)?

Another thing: I have yet to see anyone else cancel strings like 2,2,2 into fly! why is that? i have even managed to do f4~fly and b3~fly (which is hard though). Is this onlinescrub? - because online it works great!

 

[zaf]

Do you know the exact framedata for said strings?

f21d2 -> are you at least neutral afterwards?
f212 -> same as above. on hit can you still crossup-JIP (to reverse wakeup-inputs)?

Another thing: I have yet to see anyone else cancel strings like 2,2,2 into fly! why is that? i have even managed to do f4~fly and b3~fly (which is hard though). Is this onlinescrub? - because online it works great!

F21d2 is neutral on block
F212 is -1
blockstrings into levitate is a bit of a gimmick.
Ill try to use it more and see how it turns out.

 

[jokey77]

In this case my framedata was right all along! I can live with 0/-1, because Ermac has decent pokes!

Personally I think Ermac in MK X should be played way more as a rushdown-character than most people give him credit for! You can constantly mix pressure up with jump-shenningans (like using disappear midair), hard knockdowns (e.g. starter~bf2, f21d2, 222~teleport [whiff], then crossover JIP to invert wakeup-inputs even twice) or confusing "frametrap blockstrings" like said f21d2, 222~fly~disappear, JIK (which I am pretty sure is +on block), another blockstring. Occasionally you can try the 50/50 or the b3-string with both its variations or linked into fly again.

Ermacs rushdown may be a bit less braindead than the one of other characters, as you have to hitconfirm a lot. However I see a lot of potential.

 

[Afumba]

In this case my framedata was right all along! I can live with 0/-1, because Ermac has decent pokes!

Personally I think Ermac in MK X should be played way more as a rushdown-character than most people give him credit for! You can constantly mix pressure up with jump-shenningans (like using disappear midair), hard knockdowns (e.g. starter~bf2, f21d2, 222~teleport [whiff], then crossover JIP to invert wakeup-inputs even twice) or confusing "frametrap blockstrings" like said f21d2, 222~fly~disappear, JIK (which I am pretty sure is +on block), another blockstring. Occasionally you can try the 50/50 or the b3-string with both its variations or linked into fly again.

Ermacs rushdown may be a bit less braindead than the one of other characters, as you have to hitconfirm a lot. However I see a lot of potential.

Offensive fly cancels are as risky as his vortex though, if not riskier i think. While i love the shennanigans with it i dont think useing them near the opponent is too good of a thing. Especially levitate~vanish i find bad.
Ermac can get thrown wenn invisible so after levitate~vanish you are free for everyone with an airthrow or a special grab able to reach that height.
Dvorahs air throw or Mileenas u3 for example. You wont have the time to come out and cancel into anything either.
Every characters has several things he can hit you with before you can cancel into anything after reappearing. So if they time it right you are screwed.
You are basically in need of them beeing "merciful". Also blocked 222 pushes them out of your njp range which gives you less options against stuff like Dvorahs f22 as these type of things can hit you wihtout the fear of beeing njp´d & also limiting your options to teleport only unless the person moves in on you. And even if they do you have still to hope they whiff. Teleport can also be baited here (i know... everything an be baited... ) & also low profled.
Dvorahs uppercut is just dumb here. If she mistimes the uppercut & ermac manages to tp out than the teleport will probably whiff. She can probably just spam uppercut and be fine lol

Not even to think about special moves like bugspray, spin, clone, quans green circle etcetc that will make the option a deathtrap. Its also possible for ppls to hit you before you vanish, at least on read or if they take a risk cuz they are sure you wont teleport. Dash options are probably existend too for the opponent and armor moves can hurt as well.

Or maybe i am too pessimistic about this lol