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Match-up Discussion MK2 Liu Kang MIRROR

MKB

Forum General Emeritus
VS


Rules of this discussion:
  • You may contribute anything that will further the interest and understanding of the matchup. This includes strategies, videos, combos, etc.
  • Please keep the discussion focused on the two characters in question.
 

mortal_jason

Kitana's Bodyguard
"WUUAH! WUUAHHH! WATTHAFUKK!"

Liu mirrors are possibly the most hated mirror in MK2. In fact, I too used to despise them. But in time I have come to realize they are pretty fun! And if you like maining Kang, you better get used to Liu mirrors. I'd say half the time I pick Liu first, my opponent counters by picking Liu as well :rolleyes:
Here are a few strategies for facing Liu with Liu:

DO's:

- Time your low fireballs well. This is probably the most important move in this match. Block Liu's low fireball from within sweep, and instantly shoot a low one of your own.

- Charge the bicycle kick and duck. When your opponent does a flying attack past you, release LK asap and hit them with a bicycle kick.

- Let's see how you like getting low toed, Mr Kang! Low toe is a big weapon for Liu, even in mirrors.

- If you can get in past your opponent's fireballs and low toes, apply jab. Liu's jabs combo nicely into his bicycle kick or low fireball. They ARE blockable, but usually your opponent is so stunned he got crouch punched, that he doesn't block the bicycle kick you unleash thereafter.

DON'Ts:

- Air fireballs are not advisable in this match- you leave yourself open to all Kang's special moves while you're in the air.

- Don't shoot low fireballs up close while you're opponent is blocking. Seems obvious, but people do this to me all the time for some reason!

- Overuse of flying attacks as always, is a sure-fire way to die fast. If you're going to flying kick, do an instant flying kick from crouch instead. It comes out so fast that it's almost impossible to block unless your opponent is sitting on block.

- Jumping in this match is pretty silly. Liu's jump kick rarely connects with another Liu. Many times you'll just land right next to your opponent and get mangled. Or worse, you'll get anti-aired by a fireball, etc.


LIU KANG STATS: (according to mortal_jason)

Tier Rank: 3
Best Special: Bicycle Kick
Worst Special: Flying Kick
Best Normal: Low Toe
Worst Normal: Jump Kick
Awesome Kang Players To Youtube: scorpangel, Foozer1, MKillBill
 
Reactions: MKB
This is really a battle of chip damage. I rarely charge lk in this matchup because bike kicks are nearly always blocked. I would rather have the sweeps and low toes. I don't feel like doing flying kicks out of a crouch is that useful either, because my opponent is always blocking in anticipation of a bike kick anyway. I don't believe that liu's jabs connect with liu, so doing the palm thrust thing is usually the best option up close. Against good players you can only get one off before getting low toed out of it, so do one and then retreat.

This next scenario is something I'm not entirely sure about, but I think it happens like this. Let's say you are right next to your opponent and he does a low fireball. Of course you would block and then counter with your own low fireball. I believe your opponent can then counter you back with another low fireball. He recovers quick enough after getting hit to hit you before you recover from throwing the low fireball. It's similar to trading lks in a way. Keep in mind, this is when the first fireball is thrown very close to the opponent.
 

mortal_jason

Kitana's Bodyguard
This is really a battle of chip damage. I rarely charge lk in this matchup because bike kicks are nearly always blocked. I would rather have the sweeps and low toes. I don't feel like doing flying kicks out of a crouch is that useful either, because my opponent is always blocking in anticipation of a bike kick anyway. I don't believe that liu's jabs connect with liu, so doing the palm thrust thing is usually the best option. Against good players you can only get one off before getting low toed out of it, so do one and then retreat.

This next scenario is something I'm not entirely sure about, but I think it happens like this. Let's say you are right next to your opponent and he does a low fireball. Of course you would block and then counter with your own low fireball. I believe your opponent can then counter you back with another low fireball. He recovers quick enough after getting hit to hit you before you recover from throwing the low fireball. It's similar to trading lks in a way. Keep in mind, this is when the first fireball is thrown very close to the opponent.
Yeah a chip damage extravaganza...
Flying kick is good from crouch when opponent jumps... other than that, pretty useless.
Liu's "hump" palm thrust move is great to follow up with a bicycle kick... the only jab that really connects vs Liu is the hump, the crouch punch, and the knee.

I think you're right about the low fireball scenario!
 
Yeah a chip damage extravaganza...
Flying kick is good from crouch when opponent jumps... other than that, pretty useless.
Liu's "hump" palm thrust move is great to follow up with a bicycle kick... the only jab that really connects vs Liu is the hump, the crouch punch, and the knee.

I think you're right about the low fireball scenario!
Flying kicks are definitely useful against jumpers, but how often do good Liu Kang players jump in this matchup? It might be good for full screen scenarios where they are so used to jumping to avoid chip from a fireball that a flying kick would catch them off guard.
 

MKB

Forum General Emeritus
Thanks for the mention as a decent Kang player. I don't have any YouTube videos to watch at the moment as I have recently shut down my old YouTube account. I'll have to record some new ones sometime.

If you block and sweep a missed low fireball, often times the Kang player will jump back or try a flying kick on wakeup. In either case, both tactics are punishable with a bicycle. I find that I'm often in a spam battle in this match because few people want to take the risk of getting in close.
 

mortal_jason

Kitana's Bodyguard
I think the match is won up close, but I can understand all the jump-away Kangs you face. Many players don't know how to play up close very well. I certainly didn't until I started playing a lot of matches vs real people and not the AI.