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Mortal Kombat (2011) Matchup Chart

Zoidberg747

My blades will find your heart
I was wondering about this sub zero 5-5 matchup:

SZ- Whenever I play against subby he tries to use his ice clone and ice ball to corner me, but I could easily TU or even up missile to get out of his trap. So my question is, what does subby have to even it up? Or will a top player know not to leave themselves open for a TU.
 

RWDY Nori

MK is kinda dope
(Ignore the angry face, that was meant for the last sentence)

Shang does NOT lose to Ermac. Everything about his zoning capabilities is inferior, not to mention his nonexistent close game. Shang at least has frame traps. I wouldn't say he loses to cyrax either. His teleport can be tracked by the up skull and the trades can work in Shang's favor. As I said, Reptile cannot outzone Shang. That matchup is reliant on the elbow dash and Reptile pressure. Even if he lands the random forceball, the trade will ensure that he cannot get up quick enough to combo. Like the rest of the cast, Shang is 5-5 against Scorpion: if he guesses wrong, he loses. the Noob matchup is definitely annoying, but Shang's unbreakable combos help him big time. Kano also does not win now that the upball is punishable. His knives can make it difficult, but the Kano balls get him killed. At range, Shang has the advantage. Kitana is also annoying, but nobody can be perfect with the IAF's, which means she will be hit by a groundskull. The wave dash can also be dealt with by upskulls, which will knock her out of the air. The only matchups that I would say are stacked in the opponents favor are Kung Lao, Raiden, Mileena (although REO doubts this) and possibly Sektor. Btw, I took S-tier to mean top tier, not necessarily godlike or broken. Shang does have to work hard, but the payoff is usually big. Now if NRS had just let him keep the groundskull tracking.
Let me break some of these down:

Ermac - He has a teleport. And it's not hard to react to a missed up/ground/straight ball that's whiffed and go from there. Ermac's normals are also better. Upball will not always track teleport and if you miss just 1 ball, you are eating a lot of life.

Reptile - I want to meet ANY Shang player in the world who can keep out a good Reptile. He still has acid spit which is crazy fast. I promise he will get in and then the round is over

Scorpion - He can not only get in and create pressure SAFELY w/ex teleport, he is at + frames now on block. All Shang needs to do is miss one fireball. Scorpion is one of the best punishers in the game, and Shang gives him lots of opportunities. Plus again, Scorpions 1 series is one of the best strings in the game for up close pressure. Scorpion will build meter very fast and continue to safely teleport in w/ex teleport

Noob - He's got a teleport on any whiffed ball. He does not have to sit there and respect Shang's zoning. Once he gets the life lead, he can out zone him

Kano - Knife is one of the best projectiles in the game and can easily air ball over a whiffed projectile. Also has good up close pressure

Kitana - She can get around the zoning AND her d1 is pretty dumb that yet again, Shang can't deal w/. Shang, like these other matchups, will be doing nothing but taking risks this entire matchup. The skull will not always track her air wave.
 

M2Dave

Zoning Master
I asked REO about Kung Lao on AIM. This is what he had to say about each match up.

7 vs Baraka
5 vs Cyber Sub Zero
5 vs Cyrax
6 vs Ermac
6 vs Jade
6 vs Jax
6 vs Johnny Cage
5 vs Kabal
6 vs Kano
7 vs Kenshi
5 vs Kitana
5 vs Kung Lao
6 vs Liu Kang
7 vs Mileena
7 vs Nightwolf
6 vs Noob
8 vs Quan Chi
5 vs Raiden
7 vs Rain
6 vs Reptile
6 vs Scorpion
6 vs Sektor
7 vs Shang Tsung
8 vs Sheeva
8 vs Sindel
7 vs Skarlet
6 vs Smoke
6 vs Sonya
7 vs Stryker
6 vs Subzero

Kung Lao has an answer to everything. A high level player has no reason not to main him. Either nerf him or make other characters just as good.
 

cR WoundCowboy

WoundCowbae <3
Let me break some of these down:

Ermac - He has a teleport. And it's not hard to react to a missed up/ground/straight ball that's whiffed and go from there. Ermac's normals are also better. Upball will not always track teleport and if you miss just 1 ball, you are eating a lot of life.

Reptile - I want to meet ANY Shang player in the world who can keep out a good Reptile. He still has acid spit which is crazy fast. I promise he will get in and then the round is over

Scorpion - He can not only get in and create pressure SAFELY w/ex teleport, he is at + frames now on block. All Shang needs to do is miss one fireball. Scorpion is one of the best punishers in the game, and Shang gives him lots of opportunities. Plus again, Scorpions 1 series is one of the best strings in the game for up close pressure. Scorpion will build meter very fast and continue to safely teleport in w/ex teleport

Noob - He's got a teleport on any whiffed ball. He does not have to sit there and respect Shang's zoning. Once he gets the life lead, he can out zone him

Kano - Knife is one of the best projectiles in the game and can easily air ball over a whiffed projectile. Also has good up close pressure

Kitana - She can get around the zoning AND her d1 is pretty dumb that yet again, Shang can't deal w/. Shang, like these other matchups, will be doing nothing but taking risks this entire matchup. The skull will not always track her air wave.
Ermac: He has bad normals because he has no mix up game. His teleport is easy to read and very risky because it is punished by full combo. These matches usually require Ermac to dash block in to mount an offense or try to catch Shang with a force push. Shang wins because he forces Ermac to come to him. Last time I checked, Ermac doesn't have an upball.

Reptile: It is a tricky match, but his main tool is the dash. Like most projectiles, the acid spit is tradeable with ground skulls. If even one of his projectiles trades, it usually leaves him on the far end of the screen, which is not where he wants to be against Shang. He can get in, but this can be dealt with by punishing the dash and using skulls to keep him grounded and at a frame disadvantage.

Scorpion: He is 5-5 with almost everyone in the game because he lives on 50/50s. Again, a teleport is not a win button against Shang. His EX teleport (and regular for that matter) is interruptable with a D+1, or at last resort, allowing him to land the second hit to take away the safe jump. Both players have to guess, so I wouldn't say that one is at a disadvantage.

Noob: More guessing. If he guesses wrong and anticipates a ground skull with a teleport, he will eat a combo. Even one connection with a ground skull will lead to an unbreakable combo. Noob only gets really dangerous if he corners you, which is due to Shang's poor wakeup game.

Kano: He has to be at about mid range to be really effective. Full screen, Kano and his knives get destroyed because the skulls cause a knockdown. All of his balls are punishable. Pre hotfix, this was in Kano's favor. But the added knife recovery and punishable upball have really weakened his game.

Kitana: You can make her think twice about throwing fans or abusing d+1 beacause of the ground skulls, which will check her on the spot. To punish the wave dash, you must time the upskull to when she is above your head. Shang can more than deal with everything that she has.

What you seem to be marking Shang down for is his reliance on making good reads. Yes, some characters have more room for error (Lao's abusable spin), but that does not mean that Shang can't be competetive. If you can get a feel for what your opponent likes to do, then you can keep them guessing. He has an answer for almost everything provided that you know your matchups.
 

Konqrr

MK11 Kabal = MK9 Kitana
Konqrr, Kitana beats Kung Lao 6:4?
Currently, yes. Kitana wins this matchup because she punishes so hard and controls the air making it hard for him to get in, then d1 gets her out of sticky situations. Her d1 actually punishes a blocked Lao d3 lol ... Once her damage is nerfed, depending on how bad it is, would make it even.
 

Konqrr

MK11 Kabal = MK9 Kitana
What the main problem for Jax match up wise? Is it his normals or having trouble getting in?
Getting in... having EX dash helps greatly, but all is stuffed/avoided by simply ducking. Once Jax has you in the corner and you are not Kung Lao or Raiden, you are in trouble.
 

doomfarmer

unorthodox
I'm not sure if your making fun of me or not:(. I also can't see the vid you posted cause I'm at work
he's not making fun of you man, you gotta see the video of this character he posted. i can't believe what i'm seeing right now...
 

THTB

Arez | Booya | Riu48 - Rest Easy, Friends
Lol, yeah, anytime someone contests that such and such not Ivan Ooze is the most broken character to date, my immediate reaction is to post the Ivan Ooze video.
 

Asodimazze

https://twitter.com/AlfioZacco
Can someone explain me why CSZ 4:6 Johnny Cage?

Imho this matchup is at least CSZ 6:4 Johnny Cage.
 

Crathen

Death is my business
JC can always punish CSZ divekicks , he can wakeup his bomb traps , throwing out random iceparry doesnt work against his rushdown and he can just wait for you and punish ya for full combo and in the end CSZ can't zone JC at all , that's it , it comes down on who rushes better/smarter , IMO it's not a 6:4 more like 5.5:4.5
 

Asodimazze

https://twitter.com/AlfioZacco
JC can always punish CSZ divekicks , he can wakeup his bomb traps , throwing out random iceparry doesnt work against his rushdown and he can just wait for you and punish ya for full combo and in the end CSZ can't zone JC at all , that's it , it comes down on who rushes better/smarter , IMO it's not a 6:4 more like 5.5:4.5
Ciao Mud :)

Obviously throwing out random iceparry won't work, but if it's used wisely it can totally block JC, putting pressure is almost impossible.
Also, I think that building meter is very hard for JC if he can't rush his opponent...
 

M2Dave

Zoning Master
L0rdoftheFLY said:
I have a couple comments to add Dave.

C sub is a 6-4 for nw. Parry is useless so block strings work great and build meter quickly. C sub needs to burn meter to get out of ex lightning traps and that can be baited and punished for awesome damage. Dive kick is punished by shoulder.

Ermac is in nw favor but it's not THAT lopsided. It's a 6-4 also. Ermac can be effective with zoning at max range with force push and can still combo for big damage.

Kung Lao is also 6-4. Spin is a nightmare but on block we get 40%. Poke out of pressure and punish and be patient. You cant make a mistake but it's not a 7-3.


Mileena is a 5-5 I think. She is better than reo gives her credit for I think. I trust his opinion but it's tough fo fight a good mil. No ex lightning traps work consistently either.

Smoke is also 5-5. Reflect don't work, smoke builds meter all day through zoning but nw can't build any meter at all from a distance. Tele punch beats lightning and ex lightning traps also.

Dave,

How do u build meter with nw primarily? I tend to be forced to rush down characters in order to build meter. But nw is not the best rush down character. just curious. And can you get on ps3 today and we get some mirrors in. I know it's online but I just want to swap strats.
I build meter with f+3,1~d,f+1 and 1,2,2~d,f+1. I use f+3,1,2 and 1,2,2,1 against characters you do not want to be too close to (i.e., Johnny Cage, Cyrax, etc.). Train opponents to block f+3,1,2 and then stop after f+3 and cross up with jumping punch or throw to extend your offense and meter building. Remember that Nightwolf's throw cannot be backrolled, so opponents have to block f+3 or do a wake up attack. Nightwolf's only problem is building meter from a distance since his projectile is terrible. That is his only weakness as a character.

I do not have a problem with your numbers, but I object to Kung Lao. Challenge Perfect Legend or REO at Evo and you will see that Nightwolf cannot fight Kung Lao. The issue is that by the time you do find an opening to punish a mistake, Kung Lao will probably already have a combo breaker because you have just finished blocking twenty five pokes. Like I said, I had rather fight Cyrax over Kung Lao. Play those guys at Evo and do let me know if you come up with something. I hope you do.
 

MKK hanzo

Moderator
Guys we are forgetting something.

In the tiers the classic coxtumes variations should be noted unles patched...

At least not MK3/MK2 costumes cause I THINK those will be patched but... Cyrax robot vs human Cyrax have different properties, its almost a different character...
 

Mechacide

Apprentice
Currently, yes. Kitana wins this matchup because she punishes so hard and controls the air making it hard for him to get in, then d1 gets her out of sticky situations. Her d1 actually punishes a blocked Lao d3 lol ... Once her damage is nerfed, depending on how bad it is, would make it even.
Her d+1 must beat his Spin, too (at the right range, obviously). I know that Sub's (2),2 can interrupt spin, and I'm pretty sure Kitana's d+1 works the same way (with the fan not being part of her hurtbox).


I need to ask: Why do people feel that Sub-Zero beats CSZ?
 

Robotic

Gentleman.
Looking forward to seeing some high level Sektor vs. Stryker one day so it can explained exactly why the fuck that is 6-4 in Stryker's favor....
 

THTB

Arez | Booya | Riu48 - Rest Easy, Friends
Sub has to get a clone with a high hitbox to cut off divekicks completely.
 

salvificblood

Worst Sub-Zero Ever
Yeah, but can't CSZ teleport on reaction to Sub's Ice Blast?
You can walk beyond the clone to throw an iceball, and then walk back behind it again... Obviously, he can divekick you, but that's where you can dash back and forth around your clone for mindgames.