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How to find your main?

I am genuinly lost. There are simply too many characters that i want to try out. How do you guys figure this out? Are their specific steps you go through? Do you just look at aesthethics and lore? Maybe nostalgia plays a factor? Or do you guys just go throught the entire cast to see who clicks? I have a list of 10 characters i want to try out on day one lol. I would love to trim that list.
 

Vslayer

Juiced Moose On The Loose
Lead Moderator
I mained Cassie in MKX and that's why I'm going to stick with her in MK11, but I usually practice with the whole roster in training mode, figure out their combo paths and then I pick the character I feel that fits better with my own playstyle but that I also love playing with. Just train with a few characters and you'll find someone that clicks.
 

Syd Barrett Lives

Italian Psychopath
I always approach it like this:

  • play story mode
  • play a ladder with every character
  • play another round of ladders with the characters I most liked in point 2
  • play different variations of characters chosen in point 3 trying to understand what works for me
  • take to the lab characters chosen in point 4
  • play ladders with those characters until a main rise above the rest
 

Wrenchfarm

Lexcorp Proprietary Technologies
I think there are two fundamental approaches -

1) Pick a character based on how strong they seem.
Look at all the available characters, their tools, their strings, what kind of damage they can do, etc. Find a character that seems like they will do very well while jiving with your playstyle and ability (no sense trying to main a high execution character if you are just aren't there yet). Play around, keep your eye on what develops, and see if you keep that character longterm or switch to another.

2) Pick a character you like the look of.
This is totally superficial, but completely valid. If you're going to sink dozens-to-hundreds of hours into the game, you might as well do it with a character you think is sick as hell. This is how I ended up being so in the bag for Kotal and Lex. I thought they seemed dope and stuck with them long enough to feel comfortable with how they played and leverage their strengths.

Really, I think most people kinda do a little from both. If you're really stuck, try trimming down that list you have to the top 5 characters you like the look/style of, then try and figure out which one is the strongest between them (you'll probably be wrong because there is so much to fighting games and you only really know the strength of a character when you get them out in the wild, but this will give you a starting point).
 

Evil Canadian

G O K U
Premium Supporter
I am genuinly lost. There are simply too many characters that i want to try out. How do you guys figure this out? Are their specific steps you go through? Do you just look at aesthethics and lore? Maybe nostalgia plays a factor? Or do you guys just go throught the entire cast to see who clicks? I have a list of 10 characters i want to try out on day one lol. I would love to trim that list.
Just feel it out. When MKX was coming out I had no real care or want towards Kotal Kahn. Only after it came out and I started playing everyone I was like "oh wow this guy is actually sick and I like his playstyle".

Of course aesthetics and lore/character coolness all play a value but nothing actually beats just playing around with the characters.
 

STB Sgt Reed

Online Warrior
  1. Aesthetics/Lore narrows the choices down from full roster to a set group
  2. Practice mode/towers to get a feel for each narrows that list down.
  3. Playstyle and sync with the characters determines the top 2 or 3.
  4. Their Weaknesses determines what I look for in my co-main/alt/or pocket character.
If a character looks too stupid design wise (quan chi/shinnok ... ain't no one tryna main a clown looking ass bitch) or I hate their background/lore... I just can't play them. I have to like who I use so... sometimes I'm a bit more restricted than other players.

I'll never play dvorah or scorpion for example, even if they fit what I need in a main (playstyle) or alt (weakness of main). I just won't enjoy it and the main thing besides playing, learning, and getting better is to ENJOY THE GAME. lol
 

Blade4693

VIVIVI
I start with looks/personality. Im petty like that. If something looks or seems cool to me that's what I want to use. Ill try it out and see if it works or not, usually try to make it work depending on how bad I want that to be my character. If it just isn't for me ill move onto the next one.

I am breaking my rule a little bit though with MK11. Even though I think Kollector looks the coolest and he seems like a lovable goofball that I want to main Shao Kahn takes priority because he's Shao Kahn lol
 

CallMeTetris

draxx them sklounst
I usually go for purely aesthetics/lore personally, these are usually the criteria I subconsciously look for in any new game:

Do they look cool?
Do they have a fighting style that I like? (for example I tend to lean strongly towards characters that use taekwondo, boxing, muay thai, or pro wrestling)
Are their powers/weapons/special moves well represented, and importantly, feel unique to them?
Does something in their backstory/personality resonate with me?
And of course, character loyalty is a factor

From there I usually narrow it down to about 3-5 characters (or if i'm really lucky I'll find the one immediately) then hit the lab w/ them to see how they feel, whoever clicks with me right away is usually my main and the rest become secondaries etc.

that said I'm also a Jacqui main so maybe don't do what i do
 

xenogorgeous

.... they mostly come at night. Mostly.
going on lab and have fun discovering stuff you never imagine before with your favorites characters, and others that you have curiosity to test , with patient , new tricky dirty stuff and shenanigans /gimmicks crazy things you find out, purposelly or by chance .... :D

the lab phase of knowledge learning , IMO, is one of the most fun periods in any MK game, cause you get somehow personal with characters, and end even liking some of them you , that theorically , maybe you thought that before you wouldn't never touch during the all game life cycle, so, just training and testing , seriously or for fun, you can discover what characters fits perfectly to your personal gameplay style taste ;)

this happened to me in MK9 .... never liked Sektor, but, some day, was feeling bored to hell, playing always with the same characters, and tried to pick Sektor , at first only for fun and to kill /spare some free time, and went for training in lab for 3 days straight, and had so much fun with his crazy setups, that , end enjoying playing him on normal daily basis after that, and his persona and background story grew on me, and started to like the character that once I never gave a shit before MK9 ... :p
 

IamBatface

www.mixer.com/WilfyDee
It’s a combination of characters who general style I enjoy from an aesthetic standpoint and who have a move set I can work with. Move set wise I’m usually looking for decent lows and overheads, combo potential and a decent projectile or teleport. If there are a few that tick all the boxes I will learn/play each of them and just go with whoever I feel I am best with.
 
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I usually go for purely aesthetics/lore personally, these are usually the criteria I subconsciously look for in any new game:

Do they look cool?
Do they have a fighting style that I like? (for example I tend to lean strongly towards characters that use taekwondo, boxing, muay thai, or pro wrestling)
Are their powers/weapons/special moves well represented, and importantly, feel unique to them?
Does something in their backstory/personality resonate with me?
And of course, character loyalty is a factor

From there I usually narrow it down to about 3-5 characters (or if i'm really lucky I'll find the one immediately) then hit the lab w/ them to see how they feel, whoever clicks with me right away is usually my main and the rest become secondaries etc.

that said I'm also a Jacqui main so maybe don't do what i do
I like the fighting styles you mentionend. Jacqui is definitely one of the characters i want to try out. Her muay thai/ MMA fighting style really resonates with me. Jax is also on my list. He has got the boxing/pro wrestling aspect down. Who is Taekwondo? Maybe Johnny!
 

Prima Italia

Italia per sempre
I always main Scorpion. Really do not care about anyone else. I might try to half-arse other characters depending on if they look cool and play offensively.
 

Circus

Part-Time Kano Hostage
I always go for what is the most fun for me. That usually ends up being a character that is forced to close the gap then destroy without the reliance on gimmicks.

In the past few years, I haven't put too much importance on the look and lore of a character until this happened:




TOO badass.

I stood no chance.
 
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pure.Wasted

'ello baby, did you miss me?
Combination of aesthetics, lore, gameplay. So my day 1 characters are already narrowed down to about 3. It helps that I really don't like zoning.

But to try to help you OP, keep in mind that MK11 will have tutorials and advanced tutorials for every single character, same as INJ2. These tutorials will provide you with rewards and coins and shit, to get your cosmetic collection started. So basically NRS is giving you the perfect excuse to play as everyone, figure out their strings and specials, and then you can make up your mind from there.

Tutorials will definitely be the second place I go, right after story mode.
 

Obly

Ambiguous world creator
You've gotten a lot of great advice here. I'll try to throw out a few bits and pieces to add to it.

1) What's your skill level? If you consider yourself a beginner, you should pick mains who are easier to play and who emphasize the fundamentals--because at first you need to learn the game more than any particular character. So look for good walk speed and dash distance; strong strings that advance you forward, ideally with a mix of starters (mid, low, overhead), with some safe options; simple but effective projectiles; and good but not overly complex combos.

Avoid characters who do most of their damage through trickier set-ups or traps, have high execution demands, or an otherwise highly specialized playstyle. You can move on to them later, but at first you want someone well-balanced. Of course if you're already at a high skill level, pick whomever you want.

2) What's your preferred playstyle? MK11 looks like it's moving away from well-defined archetypes and more towards hybrid or balanced characters, but it's still worth thinking about this. Do you want to mostly be right in the opponent's face, rushing in and using speedy, short-range mix-ups and grabs? Do you prefer someone with good reach, focused on controlling mid-range space? Do you want to be even farther away and use mostly zoning to harass your opponent and shut down their offense? Pick someone with a strong toolkit for the playstyle you're most interested in.

3) Go for a balanced pair. Don't split your attention too much between a lot of characters (especially if you're a beginner), but aim for at least two, maybe three, characters to develop skill with. Every character will have some bad match-ups, so with only one character, you're at risk for counterpicking. A good rule of thumb is to pick your primary "main", figure out who their worst MUs are, and pick one of those for your secondary. That way you'll naturally have a more balanced pair with different strengths and weaknesses.

4) Make sure you like them. Been said a lot, but worth saying again: Once you've accounted for all the above, pick based on aesthetics: their looks, their animation, their voice acting, etc. You have to really like spending time with your characters in order to keep up the motivation you need to log the practice hours and level up. If you don't like them (no matter how high-tier they are), you'll lose interest and won't put in the time.

Good luck!
 

Spinky

Restless Dreamer
The first thing I do with any new fighting game is just pick characters, go against the AI and press buttons. Try out their normals, specials, combos, etc. There's a lot of stuff to take into consideration, but I generally I decide on whoever feels the best to me.

I knew I wouldn't be playing Jade after like, one match in Towers because she never "felt" right.
 

BS3OOO

Noob
I always go for what is the most fun for me. That usually ends up being a character that is forced to close the gap then destroy without the reliance on gimmicks.

In the past few years, I haven't put too much importance on the look and lore of a character until this happened:




TOO badass.

I stood no chance.
Didn't you main Kano in MK9? I swear I remember you upballin people to death in a tourney lol