Strategy - Sub-Zero No variation

[Spencer]

How do you play with no variation?

 

[boba_buster]

Up up 2 at variation select

 

[Spencer]

Thanks! @boba_buster

 

[RM Ree]

I find Kotal to be the best case study for this discussion. Blood/ Sun God Kotal specifically. There are others, but this match up really shines. Kotal beats Sub Zero in almost every way on a "vanilla" level, from neutral tools, air attacks, speed/ movement, mix up, anti-air, all the way to damage. What SG/ BG Kotal does lack and SZ has is a good wake up/ reversal. But still he makes up for it, towering over the blue ninja man.

But what happens when you add ice clone?

Grandmaster Sub Zero vs. Sun God Kotal has been called the worst (if not the worst then one of the worst) match up(s) in all of MKX. That's a huge claim though, how could that happen when Kotal has so many glaring advantages over SZ? The variation system, using Grandmaster, takes all of Kotal's advantageous tools and dulls them significantly. Suddenly, Sub's tools are far better than Kotal's.

So I mean SZ doesn't "need" extra moves or specials. But sometimes, having them takes match ups that are 6-4 in an opponents favor and makes them 7:3 in ours. All it costs is a little mental effort.

 

[Nivek]

Up up 2 at variation select

HOW THE HELL DID YOU FIND THAT OUT... its kool though

 

[Prinz]

So you're saying clone is not needed to do well with SZ. Seems to me that GM players are scrubs.

 

[Lokheit]

Take GM and vanilla Subby automatically wins footsies.

Take Cryo and all those combos you were landing with vanilla Sub suddenly are way more damaging (+10 free damage for some of them, same starters, more damage) by default and always end in HKD to keep momemtum (plus an extra OH that even being slow, your opponent is no longer safe by blocking low during your strings).

Take Unbreakable Sub and... well... ehmmmm... I guess you won't take chip damage from Liu, Lao and company...

 

[boba_buster]

I hate using gm against Kotal because he punches right threw the clone , his jump in punch is stupid and I've even had him d1 me right threw the clone

 

[OmeMark]

I didnt even know it was possible to play without variation.
This is way TYM is better than school. At least here I learn something every day.

 

[RM Ree]

Since NRS adjusted the validity check (and likely made the cylinder/ hitbox wider), clone has been more consistent vs jump ins and pokes.

Many members of the kast can punish certain strings into clone recovery frames with jip/ jik (which is fair due to their risk), but it's easily circumvented by crouching. Kotal and Cassie ji1's are more of an issue because of what that conversion means.

As for pokes like Kotal's d1; if corner combos are ended with f12 > clone and we space such that he's able to hit us on reaction like that? Frankly, he deserves it.