Match-up Discussion MK2 Reptile VS Jax

[MKB]

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.
• Feel free to answer the default questions posed in the first reply, though you are not required to do so.
• Please keep the discussion focused on the two characters in question.

 

[MKB]

This match is about on par with Liu Kang/Scorpion in terms of the beatdown being layed upon one character by the other...

Jax engages in hardcore bestiality in this match. Most of Reptile's offense, including his invisibility, occurs on the ground. Because of this, Jax can ground pound all day long and force Reptile into the air where massive damage will occur. Counter all jump-ins with aaHK or JK, backbreaker. If Reptile goes invisible, GP or MGP to uncover his whereabouts and punish him. Counter all slides with an uppercut. There's no need to go on the offensive in this match.

Reptile, as per usual, must be aggressive to win. Going invisible doesn't hurt either. Jax's GP, however, makes going and staying invisible extremely difficult. Reptile will likely be in the air more than he'd like as a result. Whenever possible, try to get a forceball out. This allows you either to go invisible or try to make your way in for the attack. Once inside, apply jab pressure, acid spits, an occasional slide to throw Jax off balance (don't abuse it though), just don't give Jax a chance to breath. It's Reptile's only chance, and it's not a good one at that.

Goes without saying, 9-1 for Jax.

• Best options for Reptile up close?
• How can Reptile force Jax into the air (can he?)
• Should Jax go on offense at all?

 

[mortal_jason]

Welcome to the Jax slaughterhouse. This match is a little easier than Scorpion vs Kang IMO, but NOT by much!

Certainly one of the hardest matches (and sweetest victories!) in MK2 is to beat a great Jax with Reptile.
Reptile's only prayer is to go and remain invisible.
Jax cannot counter what he does not see, though his ground pounds will probably force Reptile visible anyway.
Reptile has to hit Jax seemingly 10 times to do the amount of damage Jax can do in 3 or 4 hits (multi-slam, JK/backbreaker etc).
The ninjas' jump kicks are the easiest in the game to anti-air, and that makes this a cake-walk for Jax.
Forceball is great at forcing Jax to jump into your AA roundhouses, but Jax can usually get out a ground pound in during the forceball animation.

9-1 for Jax.

 

[MKB]

Here is a recent online match I had with my Reptile against a typical Jax tank. It's a rough match, but this demonstrates the best way to approach it.

If you'd like to see more videos like this, let me know.

 

[Art Lean]

Genuine question, since I've never considered MK1 and 2 that deep. I still consider them great GREAT games, that in many way changed my life, but never deep, and even remember the reviews for MK2 back in the day (even the glowing ones, Games Master called it the greatest game ever made), saying that everyone plays the same except for the special moves, is that still a true historical statement? The contemporary reviews from 1994 made it out to be that any character is great, as a long as you master the special moves, especially considering Shang had access to ALL their movies, made it seem like no character was in any way better than anyone else... except Shang?

 

[MKB]

Genuine question, since I've never considered MK1 and 2 that deep. I still consider them great GREAT games, that in many way changed my life, but never deep, and even remember the reviews for MK2 back in the day (even the glowing ones, Games Master called it the greatest game ever made), saying that everyone plays the same except for the special moves, is that still a true historical statement? The contemporary reviews from 1994 made it out to be that any character is great, as a long as you master the special moves, especially considering Shang had access to ALL their movies, made it seem like no character was in any way better than anyone else... except Shang?

A little offtopic for this thread, but that statement is factually inaccurate because, among other reasons, every character has different hitboxes. A good example is with Liu Kang's low fireball. There are certain characters that can duck+LK underneath it, mainly the female ninjas. Just about everyone else cannot.

A couple other examples. Certain characters have more effective roundhouse kicks which are better for anti-airing players who jump in. The same thing can be said for uppercuts, jump kicks, and throws (Jax has a multi-throw whereas everyone else does not.)

 

[Art Lean]

Thanks for the insight, honestly had no idea about that and is that the same across all the old home ports (I always played it on SNES)?

In light of that, is Shang still not considered OP then? I used to play as him readily back in the day and kick all my friends asses just by having access to so many special moves on the fly (that said, we were 12 so wasn't exactly playing anyone particularly skilled at the game) .

 

[MKB]

@Art Lean

Yes, home console ports work pretty much the same way as the arcade at their core. As far as Shang goes, he is a good character, but he is considered mid-tier (usually #6 overall). He loses to Liu, Mileena, Jax, Lao, and Kitana. I encourage you to check out the sub forum here that talks all about Shang and his individual matchups with other characters. You can get a much better idea of how he plays at a high level.

Let's get this thread back on topic now.