Having trouble opening people up with Kabal

[Snolla]

I've been playing Sub Zero than any character and I'm used to having mixup options off the first move. Kabal seems to have only mids for the most part. I do B1-2 for the most part as it is legit near broken how good it is but in grandmaster/demigod people block me relentlessly and I can't open them for the hitconfirm/cancel. I condition them a bit with the sweep or his really good jumping 3 but still, I am almost tempted to go back to Sub Zero but I do really like Kabals style and want to get better at him.

One specific situation comes to mind. When I knock down an opponent, I feel like my only option to get them when they get up is B1-2. With Sub Zero I feel like I have way more options on how to deal with an opponent whos either trying to bait the wait up, or roll. Kabal just isn't a mixup playstyle and I'm trying to adapt but I get advantageous positions and don't know how to deal out damage. When I watch LoveThoughts, he seems to run into players who block him and beat him too. Is that just the pain of being a Kabal player and not having a low or overhead starter?

I've been using Mean Streak but maybe I should switch to Clean Cut?

 

[KIllaByte]

Clean Cut forces an unfuzzyable 50-50 off of B1, it forces a guess off of your longest range footsie normal. Play Clean Cut to open people up by force (and get restands for doing so), and play Mean Streak for safer strike/throw pressure at the cost of defensive meter.

 

[Eldriken]

Clean Cut forces an unfuzzyable 50-50 off of B1, it forces a guess off of your longest range footsie normal. Play Clean Cut to open people up by force (and get restands for doing so), and play Mean Streak for safer strike/throw pressure at the cost of defensive meter.

Best. Answer. Possible.

 

[Arqwart]

Walking in and out between pokes and blocked strings is your best friend. Kabal has a lot of safety with some notable range so take advantage of that. Make the opponent hang themselves by drawing out pokes and string whiffs which you can easily punish with punish KBs, full combos, or even jump away projectiles. B1, F2, F22, 4, F3, B2, and D4 are all fantastic for this playstyle. On top of all that, you have access to above average zoning with a great air projectile and a standing projectile that knocks down with mad plus frames on hit. Use these at a distance to help force your opponent into the frustrated mindset of having to take risks alongside the stagger pressure I mentioned above.

 

[Blewdew]

I can‘t stress enough how important it is to know what your max b1 range is. B1 and d4 bullying alone is almost enough to carry you through most of your neutral game.
Close range use f22ndc to be +1 and then poke to condition them to hold your f2 staggers. F2ndc is +3 so can you slightly walk back to be at max b1 range and wait for them to press a button. Also works with s2.

 

[Snolla]

Thanks for all the help. I'm already having more success. I was making the mistake of trying to adapt Sub Zero's playstyle to Kabal.