Kombat Kast 9-25-19 Recap

New Kombat Kast, this one detailing 3rd variations for the cast and a mysterious new game mode. If you couldn't watch for yourself on Netherrealm's Twitch, then read on for a brief breakdown of what they discussed.



So as it goes in life, it was at the exact start of the Kast that I received a work call. Notes are going to be a bit sparse here, but the new mode announced is kind of a Boss Rush mode. 3 players fight a boss at the same time to work down his health bar. Challenges can be completed to give everyone buffs and you get rewards based on how well you did, on top of whatever tower rewards were available. This is going to be added to the Towers of Time.

Right from there, they got into the new variations:

-Shang Tsung is going to get a variation with his ninja moves
-Frost gets a variation with more zoning tools
-Johnny gets a variation with his old force balls
-Jax gets a variation with new strings that open up combo routes
-Sub-Zero gets a move that acts like the ice clone
-Liu Kang gets a teleport and command grab
-Scorpion gets an old school jump punch and Misery Blade
-Sonya gets her drone
-Nightwolf gets some new specials, including his Spirit Tracks
-Jade gets a reflect and teleport
-Kitana (universally) can amp her air fans for new combo routes, new krushing blow, the Fan-a-do and a low fan projectile
-Kotal gets access to new totems and the amplified sun disk
-Jacqui gets new aerial moves
-Kung Lao gets Great Kung Lao moves, which have been buffed from customs
-Erron Black gets a bear trap and the acid pour special
-Shao Kahn gets new spear based moves
-Noob gets new combo routes
-Cetrion can access her elemental buffs
-Kano gets Snakebite and the laser eye
-Cassie gets new bullet based specials
-Kabal gets the gas blast and AA grab
-Geras can rewind time now
-Kollector gets the chakram

Patch notes are coming out later today with details on everything else they didn't want to cover. Derek announced new holiday themed towers that will come with holiday themed consumables. So that was it for today, I'll update the thread with the notes when live. There will be a Kast next week as well, aiming for same time next Wednesday.

 

I must-ve missed it in the stream but, Yesss KABAL 50% here I come

Can you post optimal with his hook grab? I thought mid screen for one bar it was around 33.

 

characters are getting new strings, crushing blows, new launchers and animations while Raiden continues to be ignored. It's safe to say that this game is dead to me at this point. How fucking depressing.

 

im wondering how liu kangs players feels right now

 

characters are getting new strings, crushing blows, new launchers and animations while Raiden continues to be ignored. It's safe to say that this game is dead to me at this point. How fucking depressing.

I'm taking a wait and see approach to see how his new variation shakes out.

 

what about Baraka?? Am i blind or is he missing from the list?

 

im wondering how liu kangs players feels right now

Probably fine, as seen as Liu Kang still get broken.

 

Hmm so snake bite and optic blast for Kano eh...

Thought he'd get that yeah.

Be nice if one could use optic blast, vegemighty and his combo extenders.

 

I like where this is headed but it's a shame they're not giving all the characters new base moves instead.

All the variations seem very stripped down as it is, so now we get the option to choose another stripped down variation I guess...

This rant had no legs during mkx it still doesn't. Does Johnny cage need 4 projectiles, 3 anti airs and two nut punches

 

I like where this is headed but it's a shame they're not giving all the characters new base moves instead.

All the variations seem very stripped down as it is, so now we get the option to choose another stripped down variation I guess...

Here's hoping to NRS giving all the fighters more depth, preferably before MK12...
My biggest gripe with this game is the shallow game plan and lack of techniques that come into play at the highest level for most characters. (yeah sure there are probably some galaxy brained but undiscovered short hop option selects and evasion techniques, but whatever)

New Universal OS found by Noble Raptor

ya but think about the combos ninjakiller was hitting online with liu in mkx. This is gonna get mastered at some point at the highest lvl and its bad lets be honest. I hope they do something about it. It makes me wonder what's worse execution-wise: this, or Kabal's cancels and combos in MK9.

testyourmight.com

MK11: Whiff Cancelling Tutorial (Safely Optimizing Wakeup Punishes Using Rare KBs)

Free, Minute-long Lessons to Make You Less Free Episode 3: Whiff Cancelling This video is more technical, but every character can use it. Wakeup 3 is invincible, but, using big & disjointed or low profile normals, you can still cancel off them into uniquely rewarding punishes. This video...

testyourmight.com

Universal OS? (Concept video)

MK11's Blocking OS This OS will out right beat or counter your opponent's defensive options in one form or another. The input itself is fairly simple; :d:blk + whatever special or command normal you want to come out in a neutral state, I'll explain the reason later. This OS covers 4 options...

testyourmight.com

Wavedashing in MK11

So I’ve been practicing Flawless Blocks and Wavedashes in MK11. Both require precision timing, which is a good thing. Neither should be easy to do or it would make them both way too good. It takes A LOT of practice to get both down, but I wanna discuss Wavedashing. Here’s a small clip of my...

testyourmight.com

Block Attack Punishing removes blockstun and punish moves by its recovery on whiff

BAP or Block Attack Punish are the new moves of MK11 which are acessed by performing U2 or U3 On a earlier video by REO he said Flawless Block recovers 4 frames earlier for a move that it blocks. But either this is true or not, the fact its since the release day MK11 Flawless block Mechanic...

testyourmight.com

 

im wondering how liu kangs players feels right now

hyped for the 3rd variation. now we can port and slap people with 9f mid b1 all day long. slap.

 

-Kabal gets the gas blast and AA grab

I've heard gas blast, combo starter and AA grab. I assume it's the low spinner what Stef meant

 

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1176951814228332545

 

characters are getting new strings, crushing blows, new launchers and animations while Raiden continues to be ignored. It's safe to say that this game is dead to me at this point. How fucking depressing.

True. We haven't seen the patch notes or tried it out or anything yet, but yeah in the trash it goes.

 

New Universal OS found by Noble Raptor

ya but think about the combos ninjakiller was hitting online with liu in mkx. This is gonna get mastered at some point at the highest lvl and its bad lets be honest. I hope they do something about it. It makes me wonder what's worse execution-wise: this, or Kabal's cancels and combos in MK9.

testyourmight.com

MK11: Whiff Cancelling Tutorial (Safely Optimizing Wakeup Punishes Using Rare KBs)

Free, Minute-long Lessons to Make You Less Free Episode 3: Whiff Cancelling This video is more technical, but every character can use it. Wakeup 3 is invincible, but, using big & disjointed or low profile normals, you can still cancel off them into uniquely rewarding punishes. This video...

testyourmight.com

Universal OS? (Concept video)

MK11's Blocking OS This OS will out right beat or counter your opponent's defensive options in one form or another. The input itself is fairly simple; :d:blk + whatever special or command normal you want to come out in a neutral state, I'll explain the reason later. This OS covers 4 options...

testyourmight.com

Wavedashing in MK11

So I’ve been practicing Flawless Blocks and Wavedashes in MK11. Both require precision timing, which is a good thing. Neither should be easy to do or it would make them both way too good. It takes A LOT of practice to get both down, but I wanna discuss Wavedashing. Here’s a small clip of my...

testyourmight.com

Block Attack Punishing removes blockstun and punish moves by its recovery on whiff

BAP or Block Attack Punish are the new moves of MK11 which are acessed by performing U2 or U3 On a earlier video by REO he said Flawless Block recovers 4 frames earlier for a move that it blocks. But either this is true or not, the fact its since the release day MK11 Flawless block Mechanic...

testyourmight.com

I'm aware of most of these, option selects are a fundamental part of high level play in most fighting games. I'm not a fan of the block/hit option select in this game as it makes fighters with good staggers even better and removes the need to react and hit confirm.

But I digress, I was referring to the lack of overall moves, special and normal, that each base character has. Compared to the previous 2 games, MK11 is seriously lacking in unique and tricky/gimmicky setups. The combo routes are all the same, there's generally not a good reason to forgo the max damage combo (like if there was a safe jump or OTG setup).

 

for every single character changes they shown they gived 50/50 to them. i dont know if NRS is back peddling right now

 

Super disappointing Scorpion didn’t get demon dash with misery blade. The njp sword launching thing is useless. Unless it got some buffs I’m unaware of since the beta.

 

Super disappointing Scorpion didn’t get demon dash with misery blade. The njp sword launching thing is useless. Unless it got some buffs I’m unaware of since the beta.

is the air grab not the njp sword

at least thats what i think they said

 

Mk11 twitter account tweeted the combo queen is back with a video of Kitana

 

is the air grab not the njp sword

at least thats what i think they said

Just going by the notes in the OP, since I couldn’t catch the stream. He has a njp sword move that bounces the opponent up like njp’s did in MK9. I assumed this is what the OP was referring to. Regardless, I was really hoping for Demon Dash.

 

Mk11 twitter account tweeted the combo queen is back with a video of Kitana

Is quite interesting that they seem to directly respond to the what the largest # of complainers are saying

 

Super disappointing Scorpion didn’t get demon dash with misery blade. The njp sword launching thing is useless. Unless it got some buffs I’m unaware of since the beta.

They said in the Kast that all of the moves were redesigned for tournament variations. Some of them were rebuilt from ground up are completely different from the old versions. So some of these moves might be a lot better now. Least I hope so.

 

NRS doesn't care for Raiden in MK11

 

Is quite interesting that they seem to directly respond to the what the largest # of complainers are saying

Quick everyone complain about putting more ninjas in

 

Super disappointing Scorpion didn’t get demon dash with misery blade. The njp sword launching thing is useless. Unless it got some buffs I’m unaware of since the beta.

I woulda 100% picked up Scorpion if he had gotten a Hellfire variation instead of Katana variation. I was stoked to see dash, flame toss, and breath in a variation as those are easily my favorite of his moves (breath especially).

As for the balance of literally any move, everyone remember that they said the patch will release with changes to the new variation moves as they even admitted that said moves were "never designed for official variations." Let's hold tight on judging moves based on their current frame data.

 

Hey so which moves did Jacqui’s 3rd variation get?

The leap
The enhanced air blast
???

I’m at work so can’t check the stream