MK11 Pro Tour Top 8 Character Usage

I have been keeping track of what characters, which variations, and how many games they have been played throughout the MK 11 Pro Tour T8s. All of this should be mostly correct, but I won't pretend that I didn't drink a lot of beers while watching these...so giving or taking a game for some of the higher numbers might be an okay idea. Also, I didn't count mirror matches as double, this is just a straight up count of how many times a character was seen in a Pro Tour T8 game.

Geras – Infinite Warden (196) | New Era (7) | Eternal (8)

Cetrion – Spring Cleaning (194) | Force of Nature (1) [Winner of Online EU & Winner of Online Aus/NZ]

Sonya – Ring Master (160) | No Holds Barred (21) [Winner of Combo Breaker, Online EU East, Online Middle East, & Brasil Game Show]

Jacqui - 1st Round KO (88) | Next Gen (1) | Upgraded (77) [Winner of IgroMir & IKK Finals]

Liu Kang – Luohan Quan (150) | Wu Shi Legend (5) | Dragon's Breath (4) [Winner of Online NA West, Celtic Throwdown, and Dreamhack Montreal]

Johnny Cage – Shock Jock (28) | Show Stopper (57) | Outtake (39) [Winner of Online NA East and NEC]

Kung Lao – Hat Tricks (53) | Lotus Fist (45) [Winner of Versus Fighting]

Cassie – Digital Soldier (55) | Yaas Queen (34) [Winner of CEO & EVO

Baraka – Marauder (70) | Bone Picker (8) | Berserker (6)

Sub-Zero – Dead of Winter (69) | Thin Ice (9) [Winner of Liga Latina Finals]

Erron Black – 52 Kard Pickup (71) | Barking Irons (6) [Winner of Viennality]

Frost – Ice Machine (40) | Arctic Anarchy (35) [Winner of Mortal Kombat Klash Finals]

Shang Tsung – Warlock (65) | Soul Eater (7)

Scorpion – Reborn (46) | Searing Rage (21)

Jade – Emerald Defender (28) | Jaded (33) [Winner of ECT]

Kabal – Clean Cut (45) | Mean Streak (5) | The Spins (2) [Winner of Fighting Games Challenge]

Jax – Hunker Down (46) | Grinnin' Barret (2) | Ringer (1)

Noob Saibot – Dark Sabbath (20) | Seeing Double (26)

D'Vorah – Arachnophobia (5) | Buzzed (36)

Nightwolf – Matoka Warrior (36) [Winner of Online EU West & Ultimate Fighting Arena]

Joker – Ace of Knaves (29) [Winner of Final Kombat]

Kitana – Fan-Fare (15) | Highborn (14)

Kano – Ripper (22) | Dirtbag (1)

Shao Kahn – Risen Emperor (23)

Kollector – Back in the Pack (22)

Skarlet – Blood Drive (4) | Heart Pierce (4)

Kotal Kahn – Ascension (3)

Raiden – Thunder Wave (1)

 

Here are some notes I made for the order of completed competitive variation sets


Sub-Zero was the first character to have both of his variations shown off in a T8 with Daddy using both variations in the Online NA East tourney.

Sonic Fox completed Cassie's T8 variation sets by choosing Yass Queen against Ninjakilla in the Online NA East tourney

Masta completed Skarlet's set by choosing Heart Pierce at Fighting Games Challenge

The first time we saw two new variations in one match in top 8 was when France's FlashNo47 (New Era Geras) faced off against (also French) RZA (Searing Rage Scorpion)

Greece's Nivek debuted both variations of Kabal at Fighting Games Challenge. While he primarily used Clean Cut through the loser's bracket, he showed off Mean Streak against Poland's 7horx

We saw our first Lotus Fist Kung Lao thanks to Austria's Boki at Viennality

Jax had his competitive set complete when the UK's Shao Kahn specialist, VideoGamezYo made a desperate character switch to Grinnin' Barret Jax against Greece's Nivek and his oppressive Kabal at Versus Fighting.

Jade's competitive set was complete when Russia's Dubasik chose Jaded in the Online EU East top 8

So far, the most new characters/variations we have seen in one match was when Azerbaijan's Mk_AZERBAIJAN's (No Holds Barred) Sonya met Russia's SunMate's (Back in the Pack) Kollector and (Bone Picker) Baraka

D'vorah was finally introduced to the Pro Tour Top 8s when Greece's FGC_CrazyGamer showed off the newly buffed Arachnophobia in the Online EU East

Deoxys completed Kitana's competitive set by choosing Highborn against DJT in the Online NA West T8.

Nearly three weeks (and three Pro Tour stops) after the 8/7 patch, Israel's Yammini finally showed off the buffed/fixed Show Stopper Johnny during the Online Middle East T8.

Also from the Online Middle East T8, Israel's Kintaro and UAE's Oily both played Noob's Seeing Double variation.

Online Middle East and Israel's Yammini completes yet another competitive set. We finally get to see a Next Gen Jacqui in a T8!

Saudi Arabia's Shark Teeth busted out Wu Shi Legend Liu Kang in a hidden select brawl against Bahrain's Tekken Master during winner's finals of Online Middle East

Once again Online Middle East bringing us even more new variations. This time it was Lebanon's Hamou bringing Buzzed D'Vorah out to play against Saudi Arabia's TheReverse25

 

Good work. Also, Deoxys picking Highborne... interesting. I’m all but convinced she’s top 10 rn, maybe he too thinks this is the way.

 

An avalanche of updated tier list videos will be here by Tuesday. LOL
Good info all the same.

 

Surprised that Jax wasn't represented more

 

Btw, if Liu wasn’t even top ten before, and he’s number one now, isn’t the game kinda... okay?

Btw, the real reason he rose in popularity is Ninja Killa + Easy to play

 

Surprised that Jax wasn't represented more

this is mainly due to Jax not having a great MU Chart prepatch where a lot of the chars he lost to were used a lot, that and arguably the best Jax player Gunshow having not competed that much who has probably showed Jax at his best and the only other players giving him some sort of representation is Dab and Ominous

 

This is summary of all tournaments, minor, online and majors right? Or just major tournament + NA East and West?
The most popular tournament so far has been 9.
Summit of Time, Combo Breaker, Online EA East, CEO, Viennality, Defend of the North, VSFighting, Online Na West and EVO.

The numbers to me seems very high.

Professor Oak, yesterday Rewind lost the first set with Jacqui(lost 2 game with her before switching), he pick Liu Kang and of course win the final set.
He steal so many rounds with that shj**** FB of Liu Kang.
The play totally changed when he pick Liu Kang.

 

This is summary of all tournaments, minor, online and majors right? Or just major tournament + NA East and West?
The most popular tournament so far has been 9.
Summit of Time, Combo Breaker, Online EA East, CEO, Viennality, Defend of the North, VSFighting, Online Na West and EVO.

The numbers to me seems very high.

I am just keeping track of every top eight that is a part of the official Pro Tour. You can find all the stops here https://www.mortalkombat.com/esports , As for the numbers being high, there is an incredible amount of matches going down to game five in these top eights. Dragon seems to play 15+ games every top 8 that he is in (he had to play 17 games for his Evo T8).

 

@HellblazerHawkman

 

Nice work here. Did you collect all the data yourself? That seems like a hell of a lot of work!

 

Surprised that Jax wasn't represented more

Same, but I think maybe it has to do with the fact that Cetrion was used 64 times lmao. I'm kinda surprised Skarlet was used more too, she's not as annoying as Cetrion but she's really good still.

 

Dang Kitana has more appearances than Noob. Those Noobs are prob all BeyondToxin too lol

 

Surprised that Jax wasn't represented more

Because Jax is a fraud online only character. Offline players will interrupt him and shut him down much more often. He gets away with a lot online.

When you have to make 5.5 correct reads (maybe only 3.5 if you pull off some kbs) vs other characters only needing to make 2-3 and/or zoning you out, no one is going to pick that character. Why would they, when they can pick Geras and do 450 damage a touch instead?

I'm surprised there haven't been more Jax players in the online tournaments, but not at all at his representation offline. Especially since there's only like 2 Jax players that go to tournaments and they don't travel much.

 

Btw, if Liu wasn’t even top ten before, and he’s number one now, isn’t the game kinda... okay?

Btw, the real reason he rose in popularity is Ninja Killa + Easy to play

Easy to play casually, yes. But not easy to win in competition

 

Nice work here. Did you collect all the data yourself? That seems like a hell of a lot of work!

Yep, I am big dork for data and I find stuff like this incredibly fun and it gave me stuff to do during all of the lengthy breaks all of our T8s seem to have.

 

You forgot Kotal

Oh wait no you didn’t

 

Shao kahn 2 VGYo is mah dawg

 

Thread and my notes updated to include Online Middle East (we saw five new variations in just that T8!)

 

Thread updated to include Celtic Throwdown

 

No raiden at all Come on nrs buff him! Kabal is not SO popular especially mean streak while many thinks hes top tier.

 

Thread updated to include Dreamhack Montreal

 

Thread updated to include Dreamhack Montreal

Dude, you are on top of it.

 

Thread updated to include Online EU

 

No Raiden's, not surprising. lol