What's new

MKX zoning speculation

DuBBer Kiir

Apprentice
Constant zoning is lame and anti-hype. However I'd like to see characters who are hybrid zoners with decent rushdown/up close mixups. Developing a game plan strictly designed to keep your opponent full screen is why mk9 got so stagnant with Kenshi and kabal imo.
 

Circus

Part-Time Kano Hostage
With great mobility zoning chars can run away and use interactables to keep playing a run away game. I say zoning could be even better in this game.
Disagree. The mobilty is tons better moving FORWARD but its going to be much worse moving BACKWARDS.

Im assuming the back dash will play a very important role in zoners
Exactly.

Backdashing takes up half the stamina bar so while rushdown characters will save their stamina for running, the people playing defensive have to save theirs for backdash even more wisely because it could only be used twice before it needs to recharge.

And BOTH people have to save stamina because combo breakers require two ExMeters and FULL stamina meter, meaning if you backdashed once or ran a little in a bad situation... you'll be shit out of luck.

It might encourage zoners to rarely backdash at all unless they have a hard read.
 

WakeUp DP

GT MK OshTekk.
Disagree. The mobilty is tons better moving FORWARD but its going to be much worse moving BACKWARDS.



Exactly.

Backdashing takes up half the stamina bar so while rushdown characters will save their stamina for running, the people playing defensive have to save theirs for backdash even more wisely because it could only be used twice before it needs to recharge.

And BOTH people have to save stamina because combo breakers require two ExMeters and FULL stamina meter, meaning if you backdashed once or ran a little in a bad situation... you'll be shit out of luck.

It might encourage zoners to rarely backdash at all unless they have a hard read.
The mechanics r not set on stone just yet.

Back dashing having invincibility is huge for turtle chars.
 

Eji1700

Kombatant
Honestly I think what we've seen points to even stronger zoning than the last game.

Mobility works both ways, as a way for people to get in, and as a way for zoners to get out. Backdashes look nuts, and being able to just use an interact to get half a screen away could be tremendous for reestablishing space. The biggest thing though is that since now breakers cost 2 bars and FULL stamina, the most common situation where you'll get a full combo with them having 2 bars is if you catch them with something like iceball/beam while running/jumping. People sure as shit aren't going to risk a run at point blank during a high/low mixup blockstring situation, but they might risk one to get in on a zoner, and the reward is going to be fucking huge if you catch them.

Mostly though it'll depend on character design. Of those shown Sub might still be able to do his defensive shenanigans with ice clone mode(which isn't exactly the same), and D'vorah seems to have a lot sinestro pokes and projectiles, so she may be capable of near full screen pressure.
 
People who think there won't be zoning in a game just because there's (*gasp*) not-awful-mobility in it, have been spoiled by zoning in a game like Injustice that has all the mobility of swimming through a pool of maple syrup.

Running won't take away from zoning any more than dashing would. When you run you can't immediately cancel into a block, you have to wait till a certain point- so it's basically like the non-block-cancelable dashes. If someone runs they have to risk not being able to block the next projectile.
 
Constant zoning is lame and anti-hype. However I'd like to see characters who are hybrid zoners with decent rushdown/up close mixups. Developing a game plan strictly designed to keep your opponent full screen is why mk9 got so stagnant with Kenshi and kabal imo.
You'd want to see characters that are hybrid zoners with decent rushdown.

You actually just described Kenshi and Kabal. The problem with zoning in MK9 is they didn't balance them like traditional zoners. You're supposed to either be good at rushdown, good at zoning, or only decent at both. Kenshi and Kabal are issues because they have excellent rushdown AND zoning.

I'd rather see REAL zoners. Yes, you can keep me away and make life difficult when I'm at full screen, but when I get in on you it's MY TURN. No easy "get out of jail" cards for zoners. Rushdown characters shouldn't have zoning tools, and zoners shouldn't have rushdown tools. Hybrids can have tools of both, but they can't be AMAZING tools on both like Kenshi and Kabal had.

I'd call characters like Ermac and Noob Saibot good examples of zoners. They're strong at space control, but have difficulty when they get in your face. And that's the way it should be.
 

cyke_out

Warrior
Lol at the ppl saying no zoning and all rushdown would make the game boring WHAT? I'd rather see 2 players face to face fucking eachothers shit up then just shooting projectiles half the match..
That's because you have no idea what you are looking at. Watching a master of space and range and defense is amazing is you can comprehend the decision making and thought process that the zoner is using.

It's like in MMA, thr casual scrubs just want to see brawlers throw punches but actually fans and people that know the sport can appreciate the finer intracacies of the ground game.
 

CrimsonShadow

Administrator and Community Engineer
Administrator
I'm not sure where people are going with this.

Without dashblocking zoning is automatically a more serious threat. If you run, dash, etc. at the wrong time, you'll find yourself eating a projectile. No more getting all the way in while staying safe. In this way, it's more like IGAU.

Zoners will just have to time things correctly rather than throwing them out on a predictable pattern. But overall, the concept of zoning is very different in a lot of other A-list fighting games and each game deals with in its own way. Like in SF4, zoning is often used to annoy your opponent into making a mistake in punishable/AA range. Saying "It's not like this, so zoning won't be useful" implies a very narrow concept of fighting games.
 

IrishMantis

Most humble shit talker ever!!!
Don't know where people get this perception zoning won't work because its a lot faster than MK9

For one it is like a balance the interactable jumps be aimed and most useful for zoning chars to get out when a rush down char becomes in touching distance, as much as running benefits theRush down

People think cause the run shuts off all zoning, I don't think so, I expect to see zoning chars with a lot more trap moves like for example although not a zoner the bug lady puts a caterpillar on the ground that moves forward like a ground Zod Ball while she can move with it, that will shut down any running so who to say zoner chars won't have tools like that

Another fear is the backlash using the agility, who's to say the maybe one of the Zoners variation is where they can backdash for free we don't know that, and who's to say they won't have some Zatanna tele which could work in Zoners favourite.
,
 
Last edited:

Barrogh

Meta saltmine
I'd call characters like Ermac and Noob Saibot good examples of zoners. They're strong at space control, but have difficulty when they get in your face. And that's the way it should be.
Sometimes I feel that Ermac and Noob didn't have enough tools to be examples of good and fun zoning characters. I always felt that IGAU Raven is what Ermac should've been, but eh.
Noob was perhaps even more straightforward except maybe for his black holes, but they was of somewhat limited use from my experience. Not as huge of an impact in most situations as, for example, your typical yoga-fiery ability IMO.

I dont' think he's bad as a player

he's a horrible horrible poster.
Sometimes he's pretty entertaining poster though.