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MK4 Character Guides

ded

Elder God
Jax

Ranked around 12 of 15 available chars in mK4, he has lost some of his tools that make him top 10 in UMK3. Still you can do some of his Air Grab tactics and make use of his multi throw but the handicap to get it make it almost worthless.

Having the same set of moves than everybody, Jax lost his big chain combo of Umk3 and now he has a launcher but he can make short use of it. Having standard sweep, RH, Jump attacks and Lps and uppercutt, nothing really stands out here.

His Air Throw have very good range and can be ranked 2nd in the game. You can do the usual anticrossups or anti jumpers tactics or use it at the end of big juggles like mid screen aaHp x 2 JK Air Grab or in corner JPJK Air Grab. It leaves the foe very close to you after it hits so its good to keeop the pressure after it connects.

Jax lost also his rocket/double rocket in the UMK3 > MK4 transition and gained one single/fast projectile very similar to Sonya so the same properties it had can be applied here (It even shares the pink color...)

The Dash Punch was modified and now is FASTEST but it covers a very small distance and it can be ducked like always. Its good for punishing mid distance blocked projectiles. In combos is very usefull to end bug Juggles but keep in mind that you gotta run a little after doing for example: aaHpx 2, JK, run dash punch at mid screen. in corner it can be done multiple times (we think that it can go infinetly). if you dont want much trouble you can finish a combo after a Dash Punch with an air grab or uppercutt in the corner. this attack has the weird property that if you do it in the corner in a grounded opponent it will not push you back. if the foe doesnt block you can combo him after it (Hp, Hp, Hk dash, HpHpHk dash...). It has weird hitting area too, similar to Kai's Super RH - If you cancel with Dash Punch using delay method it will hit the opponent higher and that will be the way to get it multiple times in corner. With the Dash Punch you can punish EVERY attack blocked (picure mk1 cage shadow kick) from a wpn attack to sweeps or blocked Hk/Lks.

The gotcha grab also dissappeared from UMK3 and the multi throw received an not-so-well received upgrade/downgrade. now is a multi part throw like the tekken series. really I found no use for this because it must be done on reaction and sometimes it will not came out as you will mant to plus the combination of it makes it a lot more difficult to be finished.

Earthquake keeps almost the same speed and propertis in MK4 but with an easier button command. its now F, F, D + Lk and from far you can spam it a little against non-teleporters. It can be used to end a combo but be carefull because it can be jump off. The only 100% safe way to use it non-comboed is after weapon throw (if done high enough) and his HP weapon attack - it will also not activate the damage protection.

Jax trows are good. The Lp one sucks a little because of being a multi throw part, the first hit will do crap damage (maybe the game is expecting the rest of the throw so they did this to prevent massive damage from it...). His Lk one is good because you recover so fast off it and the camera goes nuts after it that you can mixup easily from there. You can either jump to land in the other side and attempt to throw again or sweep, etc. Useful start after getting LK throw is to do Ground Slam, next time Dash Punch if the opp jumps and so on...

His Wpn is the same as Reiko but with an important change: The b + Lp attack doesnt sent the foe as far as Reiko. this is more deadly if someone like Scorp or tanya grabs the Wpn. it can 100% you to hell. the others attacks are very slow being b + Hp the best one for unishing stuff and being a decent aa. In close window corner if you finish a maximum damage combo with LP weapon attack you can get free hit after it pushes you, most time with damage protection off (ground stomp would be most useful). After each HP weapon attack also you get always free ground stomp.

Turning off Maximum Damage gives Jax really nothing than if its On. Sure you can get some higher combos but thats it overall, he would be at bottom tier if max damage is off.

Basic Juggles:

1. HP, HP, HK, HK, Dash Punch (5 Hits, 30%)
2. HP, HP, HK, D+HP, aaHPx2, Walk Forward, Jump HK, Air Throw (7 Hits, 34%)
3. HP, HP, HK, D+HP, aaHPx2, Dash Punch, Ground Stomp (7 Hits, 38%)

Advanced Juggles:

1. HP, HP, HK, D+HP, Run, SUJK, HK, Dash Punch, Ground Stomp (7 Hits, 43%) Video!
2. (Near Corner) HP, HP, HK, D+HP, SUJK, HK, Dash Punch, Air Throw (7 Hits, 43%)
3. HP, HP, HK, D+HP, SUJK x Weapon Draw, (6 Hits, 28%) Unescepable Ground Stomp (+14%)
4. (With Weapon) HP, Ground Stomp ~ 32% (You can try getting otg SUJK, then HP for more dmg)

Punishers:

1. aaHPx2, Jump HK, Air Throw/Dash Punch (4 Hits, 22%/24%)
2. aaHPx2, Dash Punch, Ground Stomp (4 Hits, 26%%, non comboed Ground Stomp 32%)
3. aaSUJK, Draw Weapon, Ground Stomp (4 Hits, 53%) Video!
4. (With Weapon) aaSUJK, HP, Ground Stomp ~ 45%
 

MKK hanzo

Moderator
Reiko

Fast and deadly, Reiko is top tier (not god) without a doubt. Why? His mixups and variety of options allow him to confuse many opponents. His throw game is also good. His air attacks all have high priority and are hard to Juggle, his special attacks are good too. His combos inflict good damage but you have to do the right combos in the right situations.

His normal attacks all range in the good and fast side, his Lk is a good deterrent for running foes and his Hk is a nice aa and can be followed by his flip kick for big damage. However his sweep is slow and can be easily punished by Liu, Sub Zero and Reiko himself.

His close combos are better started with Hp wherever is possible and his Hk combos have decent priority and can dish good damage from both options.

His air attacks are all ok specially his j.Hk. His Hp starter is just like everyone else. What makes the difference is the damage done from the following combo. His early SUJK expands his possibilities and helps him to extend his combos perfectly. In MK4 there isn´t many differences between the characters in the Hp/Lp departament so it can be said that all of them share the same properties. Reiko can snuff some nasty combos from his aaHp´s. This is heavily based on where?s Reiko on the screen at the time. He is better at the center of the screen.

On the corner, Reiko is simply deadly. One popup combo and you will be Juggled easily for +40% damage (100% If Max Dam is off). The J.HpHk, Air Teleport, repeat is an inf. Sometimes he will throw you even if you are blocking holding back with his Lk throw.

His Flip Kick is very useful and probably his most valuable move. It can punish blocked sweeps and most blocked weapons attacks. It has a hit limit of 4. If done close to the corner, Reiko will get pushed out of it. At the beginning of a round it can be a surprise hit but try not to be predictable. The Flip Kick is 100% safe if it doesnt hit an opponent. If blocked it has little recovery time but still can be punished. If timed well, you can stick it one Flip Kick out of range just to get in close (sort of a transpostation move). You can use it against crossovers too if you run under them.

His Throwing Star is good for zoning, it can be keep away move. If the Star open in his full circle, it becomes difficult to jump at last moment. Its good to finish combos but isn?t very damaging. It has very little recovery if blocked and the foe must be very close to punish it. As a pressure move is good due to the aforementioned.

The Tele-Grab is a good move. Its a transportation move ONLY in combos and it also setups various traps. In the corner, it can be done infinitely or until the MAXDAM ruins it all… If blocked either the punch, kick or the grab, Reiko He will float defenseless airborne. It can be done in the air. Its a good way to escape from aa traps, fireballs, and etc. At the end for an J.Hk then Teleport and grab, there is a glitch that allows Reiko not to slam the foe with the tele-grab and he will be in an compromised position and the blocking becomes confusing.

The side Teleport is useless, just dont use it. The only good scenario when it can be pulled is to escape from corner pressure.

Reiko with his Wpn is deadly, his B+HP is a very good aa and it punish almost all blocked attacks, being those Wpn or normals. Both Lp and Hp are slow and are not necesary, the Hp version is a little faster though. B+Lp could be the longest reaching Wpn attack but is very slow. This is also the animation Reiko uses when he Drw Wpn in a combo and for some weird reason it doesnt combo! It also leaves him open to a counter. All of Reiko´s standing attacks can be punished by Liu, Sub and Reiko if blocked. Its possible to get multiple Jump HP with weapon mid-screen or corner that will cause very good damage but its worthless except you are feel cocky. Other wise his Wpn jumping attacks are both good. His back jumping Hp is a good aa done on reaction and should be followed by an inmediate Air Tele- grab. His j.Lp as all of the Wnp J.Lp of the game, if blocked high can be punished by an aaHp.

His throws are both good, his Lp grab does good damage and leaves the foe in disvantage. His Lk throw could be one of the best throws in the game, not only it allows you to keep rushing if you connect it but, it can also be followed by a combo.

What could be one of Reiko?s weakness is that he doesnt always have available big damage combos at his disposal. Sure, he has many starter combo options (Flip Kick, any ground Chain, aaHp…)but the attacks that follows them needs correct placement on the stage. The Most damaging variation after the Flip Kick is J.Hk, Air Teleport, SUJK, Flip Kick,… Remember that the Flip Kick has a hit limit of 4. This variation (or BnB)becomes useles after we have moved out of the center of the stage. And in the corner it cannot be done because either the SUJK or the Flip Kick will push you out of the corner.

This can be somewhat fixed but the way is VERY hard. The thing is that if you started the combo with an aaHp followed by a Flip Kick you will pop your foe higher than with a Flip Kick alone. After that you have to run a little distance and then jump with an early Hk. If done right you will cross up (or cross down because you switch sides from below him/her)your foe and he will bounce to the other side after taking the hit. After that J.Hk you have to Air teleport as fast as you can and do your normal BnB SUJK, Flip Kick combo. Remember that this is only if you KNOW that you are either far away from the corner and you are out of the BnB combo range.

Video!

This affects other Reiko combos as well. After HpHpHkHk, Flip Kick combo you have to choose quickly wich combo to do. At the center of the screen the Most damaging is. Early J.Hk, Air Teleport, SUJK, RH. For the RH to connect you have to do the SUJK a bit late. Its 50% so its worth. You can replace the RH for the throwing star if you dont feel confident for an still good 47%. If you are out of combo range, simply do aaHp, J.HpHk for 43%. You can Drw Wpn after the SUJK for 45% and have it on hand.

For corner combos the best option is after the Flip Kick, add 1 or 2 aaHp (depending how far you are of the corner) and do the J.HpHk, Air Teleport inf. 3D combos are flashy and damaging but requires special setups such as being in the middle of the stage and have Wpn in hand and critical timing.

As already mentioned Reiko has an infinite using his teleport in corner (Jump HP HK, Teleport, Repeat). You can try getting various mix with Teleport Jump HP or HK then Jump HP HK, using weapon Jump HP and etc. Its possible for Reiko using his weapon to do max damage combo and continue his juggle with familiar pattern but still its not an inf.

Basic Juggles:

1. HP, HP, HK, HK, Flip Kick, Jump HP HK, Teleport Throw (8 Hits, 41%)
2. HP, HP, HK, D+HK, Flip Kick, Jump HP HK, Teleport Throw (8 Hits, 36%)
3. HK, Flip Kick, Jump HK, Teleport SUJK, Flip Kick, Jump LK (6 Hits, 42%)
4. HK, HK, Flip Kick, aaHP, Jump HP HK (6 Hits, 40%)

Advanced Juggles:

1. HP, HP, HK, HK, Flip Kick, Jump HK, Teleport SUJK, RH (8 Hits, 50%) Video!
2. HP, HK, D+HP, SUJK, Flip Kick, aaHP, Jump HK, Teleport SUJK, Stars (9 Hits, 46%)
3. (Near Corner) HK, HK, Flip Kick, Jump HP HK, Teleport Jump HP, Teleport Throw *(7 Hits, 42%)
4. (With Weapon) Flip Kick, Jump HP, Teleport SUJK, Flip Kick, Jump HP, Teleport Jump HP (6 Hits, 44%)
5. (With Weapon) HK, Flip Kick, Jump HK, Teleport SUJK, Flip Kick, LP (Max Damage 43% into run unblockable Flip Kick scenario)

Punishers:

1. aaHP, Flip Kick, Jump HK, Teleport SUJK, Flip Kick, Jump HP HK, Teleport Throw (8 Hits, 44%)
2. aaHP, Flip Kick, Jump HK, Teleport SUJK, Flip Kick, aaHP, Jump HP HK (8 Hits, 46%) Video!
3. aaHK, Flip Kick, Jump HK, Teleport SUJK, Flip Kick, RH (6 Hits, 46%)
4. (With Weapon) aaHK, Flip Kick, Jump HK, Teleport SUJK, Flip Kick, LP (MaxDam 46% into run x Flip Kick juggle)
5. aaHK, Flip Kick, Jump HK, teleport SUJK, Flip Kick, RH (6 Hits, 46%)
 

ded

Elder God
time your sujk, its really not that hard. what you have to do is Jump HK x Teleport (as soon as possible in the air after Jump HK hits), then wait until your opp is on the same high as you press kick button and do Flip Kick...
 

DarkMoon

Kombatant
Hey i've been getting down on some MK4 again lately. I got the PC version so its an easy load up and play.

Thanks for the tips and such that I've read so far guys. The combos are pretty fun. I figured out a maximum damage combo with Sub Zero yesterday. It just sucks that everyones pop ups all start off hp,hp,hk,hk?

The combo with subzero was close to the corner, SUJK,hp,hp,hk,dhp,aahp,hk,slide(to other side)hk, Maximum Damage.

I think it said 46 percent. Anyways it was cool (but rather easy) to figure out yesterday. You get the maximum damage if your in the corner cuz you slide on the other side of the guy and hit him again with either a HK or HP, both will bring out Maximum Damage.
 

ded

Elder God
yeah you can get sometimes slide to corner, sujk, slide out of corner or LP weapon attack. anyway sub is one of the most damaging characters in corner because of his inf.

also play n64 better or at least psx, the pc version is the worst ;]
 

NinjaGrinder

A living, Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat
shit i have the pc version too ajajajaj
I guess I'll buy mk4 for my n64 anytime. I don't like it that much, but it's definitively fun to play. keep up the great job on the guides.

ah, almost forgot. it would be cool if u guys check the spelling in some parts. nothing big, just some mistakes :wink:
reiko and sonya was fun to read, thx
 

ded

Elder God
yeah, the grammar is a problem :oops:


also NEW UNIVERSAL INFINITE was just found and i have to talk with hanzo if we will need any changes.
 

Shock

Administrator
Administrator
Founder
O.G.
Do you guys want to have all the guides posted individually in this thread? If so link to the posts from the first post in the thread or to the guides page in that post.
 

MKK hanzo

Moderator
Good thing! Ded_ should be doin it cause he did the first post...

It would look good if he could edit the tier list and put links on the actual guides. Also a character pic would be good!

Hey Shock would these be put on the strategy section of UMK.com? Also the mk1 guides deserves so!

Thx
 

ded

Elder God
Sub-Zero

Wrongly placed at Top 3, Sub still has what it takes to be the 4th best character of 15 in MK4. His Wpn, high priority normals, super cheap special moves and damaging corner combos and traps helps him a lot.

Starting with his normals, we can say that Sub has a good aaHk that has high and long range. Long range Lk. Good aaHp?s and good Lp?s for stopping running foes on their toes. His early SUJK can be cancelled easily and is an important part of his rushdown as it has long reach. High priority combo openers. This means that most of the time you run at the same time that your foe (and assuming he has another char) Sub will gain the upper hand if both try to start a chain combo. He share this property with Scorp.

As most chars, slow sweep speed that is easy to counter and sucky RH useless for aa.

The ice Clone is cheap. Plain and simple. It can be done very close to the foe and this can be very annoying. In a high level match against a Sub you MUST think twice every move you do, otherwise you will end up frozen. Scorpion and Liu are the main weakness of Sub. Scorp can punish EVERY Ice Clone attempt with his Teleport Punch followed with the Spear for easy 47%. There are multiple Ice Clone setups for almost free. It can be done in air which helps him for his corner infinite and/or it can be done mid-screen after popup: HP, HP, HK, D+HP, run and jump into opponent and cancel the jump with aa ice clone. Its also a good move for zonning against some characters and its possible to hit opponent into ice clone (weapon throw, jump lp and etc) but very difficult. You can try to use it in corner traps also against non teleporters or characters with high transport moves (Liu Kang, Sonya..). Its useful to escape from aa traps and crossovers that will be countered. This move has no hit limit but time limit.

His Ice blast though slow off of a combo and with an 1 hit limit, is useful if you can hit confirm a close Hk (knee) then cancel with the Blast. Also aaHp > ice Blast works. The freeze itself registers as a hit in a combo metter so you wouldnt be able to get Freeze, SUJK, Freeze - because its registers as 3 hit combo. No real glitch canceling at all too. The best way after aaFreeze would be to draw the weapon and B+HP the opponent into B+LP weapon attack wich will freeze the opponent again. Blocked chains works well, especially if you know that the Ice Blast lose his hit limit if the foe blocks. so you can do a 3-hit chain like HpHkLk and then cancel the tip of the Lk with an Ice Blast. It will come out fast because is part of a combo and the Lk is only fake and your foe may think that you messed up your chain and could go offensive. You can mix it up with the Ice Clone but both mix are useless against Scorp. Rayden can also teleport behind the Ice Blast but can get frozen if he tries to teleport behind the Ice Clone.

Always be aware that all of his freezing moves activate damage protection so expect having a hard time trying to do damaging combos but this is relative because he has plenty of openings for freezing and with single hits alone he can dish out lots a damage.

The Slide is good for two reasons: First, it can punish EASILY all blocked sweeps and like 80% blocked weapon attacks. Second, it works very well as a transportation move (of course if it dont hit the foe). You can setup throw traps (cross up/crossunder) after a pop up combo or extend Juggles with it. A blocked Slide means a 40% combo if punished correctly. Its possible to get 2 slides in corner when the second one will get them out of corner: Popup into corner, aaHPx2, Slide into corner, SUJk (out of corner), Slide. This is not that hard to get but there is always a chance to miss the sujk or second slide so watch out with your timing.

With Wpn he is just plain evil. Sub can turtle/attack all day, mixing up stuff for not getting predictable. The Lp sweep is perfect and only a few chars can punish it if blocked. B+Hp is Juggle starter. B+Lp can freeze you and cannot be punished if blocked (except from short startup moves like flying kick, slides and etc). Standing Hp has high poking priorities and can be an excellent aa. His jumpin? attacks gain more priority so they are harder to Juggle, specially J.Lp. Back J.Hp is a nice aa too if done on reaction. A weakness in his wpn stance is that Foes can duck without harm under B+Lp and Hp both Wpn attacks and can counterattack. Sometimes Reiko?s J.Hk can beat Wpn Hp. Liu, Reiko and Sub can punish almost all of his Wpn attacks.

The main game for Sub is to get his Wpn out. So you should focus on setting this up as quick as you can. Some safe spots obviously, are when the foe is frozen. Quick Lp sweeps will keep them out of balance and will have to be in crouch block most of the rounds. Dont try blocked chains that include the B+Lp or B+Hp attack! The foe will just release block and uppercutt you! Instead go for the B+Hp or Lp sweep. Of course, again be careful against Reiko and Liu advanced players. If you manage to get an B+Lp blocked, normally your foe will try to retaliate, this is the time for either an ice Clone or a close Hk into Ice Blast or better yet: Early SUJK , Hk, B+Lp. The Early SUJK has an awesome range and most of the time will connect.

Sub-Zero has 2 infinites, the first one is using his ice clone in corner. What you should do is Jump HP LP and cancel it into aa ice clone. Wait few secs for the time limit to reset, jump HP LP again and cancel it with another ice clone. The distance is like this: sub-zero's head should be under your opponents overindulge. Its also possible to mix various hits like Jump HP with weapon into ice clone or jump LP only into ice clone but this will cause your opponent to be freezed lower and lower so you should put jump HP LP between the other hits.

The Second Sub-Zero infinite is mid-screen and its more like an OTG Relauncher. Basicaly relaunchers are blockable in MK4. You cant also do HP, HP, HK, D+HP, run otg SUJK and repeat the popup because its blockable. But somehow the Ice Clone break that rule and you can get: HP, HP, HK, D+HP, Jump Ice Clone, wait the opponent to fall and almost touch the ground and do otgSUJK (Unblockable!) and repeat the popup. There is a big chance for SUJK to juggle but you can always hit with aaHP and Slide after it. This infinite can be done c2c also.

Without Maximum Damage Sub-Zero's game will be almost excactly the same when the only difference will be his infinites which if timed perfectly could take all your energy.

Basic Juggles:

1. HP, HP, HK, HK, Slide (5 Hits, 25%)
2. HK, Freeze, SUJK, HP, HP, HK, D+HP, aaHP, Jump HP HK (10 Hits, 42%)
3. HK, Freeze, SUJK, HP, HP, HK, HK, Draw Weapon, B+LP (9 Hits, 37%)

Advanced Juggles:

1. HK, Freeze, SUJK, HP, HP, HK, D+HP, aa Ice Clone, Draw Weapon, SUJK, b+HP, B+LP (11 Hits, 35%)
2. (near corner) HK, Freeze, HP, HP, HK, D+HP, aaHP, Slide, SUJK (10 Hits, 41%)
3. (near corner) HK, Freze, HP, HP, HK, D+HP, Jump HP LP, Ice Clone, Jump HP LP (12 Hits, 41%) Video!
4. (near corner) HK, Freeze, SUJK, HP, HP, HK, HK, Draw Weapon, B+LP, HP (10 Hits, 44%)

Punishers:

1. aaHPx2, Jump HK, Slide (4 Hits, 19%)
2. SUJK, HK, Slide (3 Hits, 31%) (if the slide hits in corner you can get another SUJK 39%)
3. (With Weapon) B+HP, B+HP, B+LP, SUJK, B+HP, Slide (6 Hits, 33%)
4. (With Weapon) SUJK, B+HP, B+LP, SUJK, B+HP, Slide (6 Hits, 40%) Video!
 

DarkMoon

Kombatant
I was fooling around and found this combo with Sonya.

hp,hp,hk,dhp,run,aahp,flipkick,runlp,flipkick,runlp,jhk,airthrow 46?%

I think it said 46%. I only got the air throw in one time practicing against Fujin. If you don't get the air throw it was 39%. Less then the basic combo already mentioned with her.
 

ded

Elder God
whats your point? her standart combo is easier and its also 46%.

theoriticaly sonya can infinite in n64 with flip kicks only but its very difficult, it will be showed in the mk4 n64 video me and selpex work on when it will be finished (which will be probably not soon lol).

EDIT: Here is the clip for the Sub new inf that me and hanzo found yestarday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JtjIWoEMA4
 

DarkMoon

Kombatant
ded_ said:
whats your point? her standart combo is easier and its also 46%.
My point is I found a combo you did not list asshole.

The fact that you would even respond like that. Shows me that you actually got a little butthurt that i listed a combo you did not. Aww.

I was merely saying something I did. Nothing more, Nothing less. Just sharing some fun that I did the other day. Your childish response and Your E-Penis shines hard and I now enjoy laughter at your expense.

Suck a dick. You're not the only one that can find combos idiot. Congradulations at finding and posting easy ones.