Rate Your Character! (Mortal Kombat 11 Edition)

[lionheart21]

Digital Soldier Cassie Cage

Offense (4/5): Has two very solid strings in B243 and F41 that are both safe on block and both can be staggered to set up throws. Like her dad, her Nutkick is a reliable restand to end combos with, although not as plus on hit as Johnny's Nutpunch. Her B1 and F3 aren't very reliable low starters due to them both being 18 and 19 frames and easy to poke out of, but both work well as whiff punishers, particularly B1, which launches when used as B1,3. Only one of her strings has a gap that can be Flawless Blocked (F3,4,3), but there's no real need to complete the string. AMPed Up Glow Kick can also be used after a blocked string to become safe on block. However, I had to deduct a point because her corner game is lacking.

Defense (3/5): Her crouching pokes are nothing to write home about, and the same can be said about her wakeup attacks.

Neutral (5/5): She's known as the Neutral Queen for a reason. She's got some of he best mids in the game with her F2, which can confirm into her F2, 1+3 as a Krushing Blow on counter, and her F4, which has solid range, is 0 on block, and can confirm into her F4, 1, which ends in an overhead; both can confirm into her AMPed Kneecappin, her main combo extender. She has a standing 1 that is 7 frames and a 10-frame B3, and both can lead into a full combo when used as an anti-air. Her Kneecappin and Air Bullet Barrage is where she really shines and helps to improve her already excellent neutral game, but that's more related to the next section.

Zoning/Counter-Zoning (5/5): Kneecappin is pretty much her best special move in this variation due to the versatility of it. You can zone the opponent well with it due to its speed and it's an excellent counter-zoning tool since Cassie ducks down and is able to beat out virtually every projectile in the game; her Air Bullet Barrage and Up Glow Kick can be used to prevent opponents from jumping in. With her tools, Cassie players can help dictate the pace of the matchup, although teleport characters can give her a hard time since they don't need to respect her zoning game.

Damage (3/5): With some great Krushing Blows and her AMPed Kneecappin, Cassie can easily do close to 30% for a bar. However, it is important to note that Cassie should always have at least one bar of meter due to how reliant she is on meter to deal damage. If she doesn't have meter, she's gonna have issues in dealing damage due to her lack of 50/50s. And her Fatal Blow is one of the worst in the game

Final Score: 20/25

 

[xInfra Deadx]

Fucking Jade players. Jeezus.

 

[TakeAChance]

Just logged back into this thread because.... Jade players

Jade player. Just one. I hate being grouped up lol

 

[TakeAChance]

My Take.

Jade - Emerald Defender (Grabs Flame Shield)


1. Offensive options – 3/5 Good Staggers, Good Jump in pressure that leads to staggers/confirms (due to air rang), but other than that. Shallow.

2. Neutral game and footsies – 5/5 : Excellent Neutral. B2, B3, Shadow Kick, Great Range, Excellent D4...One of the best at neutral in the game.

3. Defensive options – 3/5 : Going by M2Dave's original criteria, her wakeup game is quite poor. Her reversal game isn't great either due to the shit range of her U2. 7f D1 Poke is fair. Overall, I would place it as "average".

4. Zoning and anti-zoning – 5/5 - Jade can zone. She can torment characters. Both with projectiles and physically with her normals. Air rang is her best zoning tool, and throwing in an ex rang and low projectile while running away is hella annoying to deal with. Throw in her excellent back walk speed, this character can do it all while moving away from her opponent.

5. Damage output – 1/5 : This is kind of misleading. Jade gets damage. She just gets it with throws and small chunks. However, compared to other characters, it's quite low. No great punish options, and her Killing blows are average. Good damage if she lands one, but she will always be on the poor side facing basically any other character in terms of differential. Can make some matchups very frustrating if an opponent gets in, because she will have to work FAR harder to come back in the matchup.

Total - 17/25

Solid Mid Tier and a great character.

 

[Arqwart]

Guess I'll weigh in with my opinions on our favorite green assassin as well.

Jade - Emerald Defender

1. Offensive Options - 3/5. She has no 50/50 pressure to speak of, but her pressure options are oppressive in some matchups because she can "pressure" from so many distances AND from the air. B343, B3434, grabs, positive frames on amp'd glaive, F4 hopping over lows, air glaive, projectiles, her great neutral as noted in #2 below -- Jade can apply some odd tempo pressure from many angles and it's a lot stronger than people give her credit for. The key reason she gets complaints on this is because of #5 below.

2. Neutral Game and Footsies - 5/5. She's the staff queen with access to multiple "checks" in the neutral via B12, B2, F2, F4, air glaive, D2, D4, and Nitro Kick. Toss in her phenomenal walking speeds and decent dashes, and you have a sexy set of efficient tools to keep opponents honest.

3. Defensive Options - 2/5. I'm keeping this separate from her neutral and focusing on her options when the opponent is up close pressuring. Her wakeup U2 and U3 both have subpar hitboxes so she struggles on wakeup defense, but she has a lot of ways of just not ending up in that position as listed above. Her parry may as well not exist 99% of the time so that's off the table, though. What she does have, however, is a good 7f D1, a beautiful low-profiling animation for her D4, and the potential to side switch by amplifying Nitro Kick.

4. Zoning and Anti-Zoning - 5/5. Glow shuts out almost everything opponents can (literally) throw at her, and this variation can cover just about every spot on the screen with some sort of projectile. Air Glaive has some stupid plus frames and chip, Edenian Spark keeps people from simply ducking everything, regular + air + upward Glaives all can keep people grounded, and Jade's walk speed allows her to easily keep or close distance as she pleases.

5. Damage Output - 2/5. With 3/5 being average which seems to be simple 28%+ combos, Jade is definitely a step under that. However, Jade gets her damage from much more consistent sources than raw combos. Projectile chip, block pressure chip, various random hits from neutral checks, small hit confirms off things like amp'd air glaive on aerial opponents, quick punishes -- that damage begins to add up at a decent pace. It just doesn't feel very quick when you play against someone like Scorpion/Baraka/Sonya/etc. who can just shit out combos that deal 30-40%+ multiple times in a row, but Jade's damage can't be counted out. I'd put her on par with the average of 3/5 if I could, but her krushing blows are too lacking for me to warrant that grade so she sits at 2/5 here for me.

Total - 17/25.

TakeAChance said it well: solid mid tier and a great character.

 

[TyCarter35]

Jax Hunker Down

Offense: 5/5 lots of stagger options and mixups. F2 and F33 awesome stagger strings and f2 u can mix up and stagger safely as its -4. F33 is -3 and u can play mind games with the gaps. Solid command grab and d1, d12 and d3 are serviceable tick throw options. Anything u cancel into bf2 amp for the most part is safe. B2 and B3 are good on oki for mixups and he has restand option through gotcha grab which also builds heat easy. (About +4 or 5)

Neutral game/footsies 4.5/5 has enough range to compete with footsie based characters. D4 reaches good. Bf2 can become a full screen grab and f2 and f33 have solid reach. B1 is a far reaching anti air that can be converted into quad grab or air grab pending on height. Dash cancelling is a big part of Jax so there's that. Only downside is characters like Kabal can outreach Jax where he can't always continue his offense.

Defensive Options: 4/5 it's relatively average for wakeups. His u3 while it covers a lot of ground is ok if the opponent is getting too trigger happy it like most wakeups can be baited by a jump. It's solid and u can bait a jump and get a d2 out of it. Having an 8 frame mid for reversal is great and what makes Jax good and can get KB for punish if heat is loaded.

Zoning/Anti Zoning 2/5 very average. Thumper is ok for trading projectiles (which he does win more often than not) and reading jumps but way too helpless against characters who have fast projectiles like Sonya. Ground Pound is only good on oki and amp has a gap where u can jump the second and way too slow for a low that was once an unblockable. His best zoning tool is dependent on whether he has heat or not as heat missiles are KB ready and can fire twice as long as he has enough heat which doesn't require resources. It's where he struggles most.

Damage Output: 3/5 don't expect combos with him outside of KBs and Anti Air conversations. Probably has the worst bread and butter damage in the game. His only saving grace from below average is the easy KBs. Jax breaks u down with pressure and mixups along with splash damage. His splash damage is luckily pretty easy to achieve with his primary ones with strings ending in the overhead just needing full heat which is easy to build and a forward throw. BF2 u just need to hit someone with it while they press a button (and second hit only). Command Grab can do 400+. His heat also amplifies damage from strings needing fists so you are good.

Punishing efficiency: 2/5 only thing keeping it from a one is the 8 frame mid in f3 as he won't punish shit for a lot of damage outside of maybe KB and his Fatal Blow which is fast and travels a lot of distance.


The score accurately reflects Jax's strengths that are really good with his weaknesses definitely holding him back (zoning in particular)

20.5/30

 

[Espio]

Fucking Jade players. Jeezus.

Can you guys just call out the specific person instead of generalizing? It's really annoying.

Panic Mode, Take A Chance and I have charts with her having the lowest 17 and mine being 20. I'd prefer we didn't promote false narratives on Jade players. Most of us don't think she's 11/25 so it's just not fair that I keep seeing this.

 

[Cashual]

Kitana FanFare

Offensive options: 3/5

She has good staggers and a good grab range but her grabs don’t leave her in the best position.
However, her corner game is what makes it 3/5 instead of lower imo.

Neutral game/footsies: 5/5

She has good ranged mids, hitconfirms, good anti airs, good air attacks.

Defensive options: 3/5

Her pokes are average on speed but she has a great D4, her u2 has a bad hitbox that will whiff after flawless blocking a lot of moves and on wake up both her u3/u2 are pretty average.

Zoning/anti zoning: 3/5

Her fan toss is.... ok for checks but her zoning is pretty whatever, her counterzoning is meh since she has one of the slower projectiles and the MB aversion won’t even come out on projectile wars most of the times. She has square wave as a check at least.

Damage output/ 4/5

Her damage is average and she always has the krushing blow quick execution option to make it better, in the corner it’s better.


18/25

I agree with a lot but for defensive options I say either 2 or 2.5.

I think kitana has possibly the worst getup u2/3s in the game. At least bottom tier anyway. The hitboxes are horrible and with many characters having ranged mids, you don’t have to stand on top of kitana to meaty her in wakeup.

Not to mention, as flawless block and launches become more prevalent she is disadvantaged because in so many cases her u2 whiffs and is punished when used after a flawless block.

I sort of consider her pokes and AAs more a part of somewhere between zoning/spacing/screen control and neutral. I can see the argument of AA pokes like d3 being a defensive aspect, but I don’t know.

Overall I still think her defense is a bit worse than you’ve stated.

Her offense I suppose is right (3/5). Her float mix is still kind of a thing and that helps. Her staggers are good and as a result throws are pretty good, but she can’t really open people up and relies on whiff punishing and staggers.

For zoning, I hate that MB fan is a high also and doesn’t come out if interrupted. Her “IA” fans just aren’t nearly as useful, but her zoning is ok overall.

Damage I actually think is more like 3.5 because outside of the corner without the one df2 krushing blow, her damage is pretty low. The saving grace of course though is that she doesn’t rely on meter really for damage. Edit: I forgot to mention that breakaway is very strong against kitana. Breakaway negates a lot of her damage. All I can say is at least people break away at a point where kitana hasn’t had to commit to either bar to launch or a krushing blow, so you don’t waste resources. Speaking of krushing blows, hers are a little weak outside of df2. The b142 one is kind of meh because I’m pretty sure it’s more damage to confirm off of b14 into lift. I guess it’s good if you continue the string after they block b14 and they try to push a button or if they have meter and you think they’ll breakaway.

I think you did a pretty good job, I might lower her overall score a half point.

I think Kitana is fine, not great, and is the kind of character that when you win with her you earned it.

I want mb fan to be mid, and the opportunity to combo fan off an AA or combo...even if it scaled crazy and only netted an additional 2-3% damage. I just miss the creative combo possibilities. And maybe one frame trap like 21 was in mkx. But maybe that’s being greedy lol.

 

[Cashual]

Reborn Scorpion

Offensive options: 4/5
Neutral Game/Footsies: 4/5
Defensive options: 4/5
Zoning/Anti Zoning: 3/5
Damage output: 3/5

Scorpion has probably the best antizoning in the game with teleport, he can on reaction punish with a combo almost all projectiles or even long range normals that are a bit slower that act as zoning tools like jade and skarlet’s normals.

 

[kcd117]

I'll make one for my other characters:

Lao

1. Offensive options: 4/5 he has the best strike-throw mixup in the game, very good KBs, great pressure and staggers and a great FB reversal game when he loses his turn. Overall he has a very solid offense.

2. Neutral game and footsies: 4/5 10 frame mids, godlike whiff punishers into huge dmg, great pokes, good air control, absurd jump in kick... he doesn't have trouble against a lot of characters in neutral.

3. Defensive options: 4/5 his reversals/wakeups are very good (his U3 dmg is obnoxious), his anti-airs and air-to-airs are good, his pokes are great and he punishes are great.

4. Zoning and anti-zoning: 3/5 if you are not Jade you can't keep him out. His mobility is amazing with divekick, teleports, advancing strings and great jumps. His zoning can be surprisingly effective against a lot of characters especially after you finish a combo with divekick and can keep throwing z-hats.

5. Dmg output: 5/5 he hits like a truck. If you get punished you are losing 40%, if you get caught in his mixup you are also losing a lot. Every touch is a big conversion.

Final score 20/25.


Jade

1. Offensive options: 2/5 she is not really a good offensive character. She has predictable mixups, low dmg, and is pretty unsafe on everything she wants to do in your face.

2. Neutral game and footsies: 5/5 she controls the pace, and her normals are huge. If the dashes weren't buffed as hard as they were to the point where it is basically free movement she would no doubt be among the top tier due to how strong her presence is in the mid-range

3. Defensive options: 4.5/5 she loses that 0.5 due to her U2 being pretty much useless. That aside she can be a wall when she wants to and most of the characters have to chase her down the entire match only to get in the range of her B2, D2, and D4 which can be hella frustrating.

4. Zoning and anti-zoning: 4.5/5 glow has to be one of the most dominant neutral tools I have ever seen in an FG. It completely changes how a lot of characters have to play against her. The only problem with it is that it is either buggy or arbitrary as fuck since it doesn't go through some of the projectiles like Skarlet's tongue or Frost's grenade.

5. Dmg output: 1/5 if she didn't have KBs for 35% it would be 0/5 bc she hits you with pillows. She is by far the most soft-handed character in the game.

Final Score 17/25.

I feel like this system doesn't translate how good some characters can be. For example, I feel like despite lacking a lot of tools, Kano does really good against most of the cast and is by no means an unviable character. Another example of this is that I feel like Jade has a lot more good matchups than Lao, even tho he feels more complete than her.

 

[spidey300]

Scorpion has probably the best antizoning in the game with teleport, he can on reaction punish with a combo almost all projectiles or even long range normals that are a bit slower that act as zoning tools like jade and skarlet’s normals.

the score counts his zoning too. while his spear is better it's not neccessarily a fireball. also his mkx teleport was faster

 

[Cashual]

the score counts his zoning too. while his spear is better it's not neccessarily a fireball. also his mkx teleport was faster

His antizoning teleport is his zoning. It’s an either/or situation. Scorpion erases zoning as a viable gameplan. When he’s on the screen, zoning is no longer a thing, it’s incredibly powerful.

Dude his mkx teleport was a high, couldn’t be meterburned late and was so incredibly easy to punish. Edit: maybe tele in mkx was a mid and I misremembered, but his mkx teleport was much easier to deal with and the nature of MK11 and other characters tools/mobility options and just the overall pace and nature of MK11 male scorpions teleport much more dangerous in MK11. Not trying to say it’s totally broken or anything, but it’s relatively stronger.

His MK11 teleport is MUCH stronger than The mkx version. If scorpion isn’t at least a 4 and more likely a 5 for antizoning/zoning, than who is? Just Jade? Scarlet? Funnily enough though, scorpion takes their zoning off the table.

 

[spidey300]

His antizoning teleport is his zoning. It’s an either/or situation. Scorpion erases zoning as a viable gameplan. When he’s on the screen, zoning is no longer a thing, it’s incredibly powerful.

Dude his mkx teleport was a high, couldn’t be meterburned late and was so incredibly easy to punish. Edit: maybe tele in mkx was a mid and I misremembered, but his mkx teleport was much easier to deal with and the nature of MK11 and other characters tools/mobility options and just the overall pace and nature of MK11 male scorpions teleport much more dangerous in MK11. Not trying to say it’s totally broken or anything, but it’s relatively stronger.

His MK11 teleport is MUCH stronger than The mkx version. If scorpion isn’t at least a 4 and more likely a 5 for antizoning/zoning, than who is? Just Jade? Scarlet? Funnily enough though, scorpion takes their zoning off the table.

scorpion is strong against zoning but he's not going to immediately shut it down. cassie low gun can still catch things like scorpion teleport. his mkx teleport was actually a mid. are you saying his mk11 teleport isn't almost as easy to punish if you just pay attention. his mkx teleport was just as strong on account of how fast it was. you could almost avoid meaty situations with it. jade kinda takes zoning off the table too

 

[GLoRToR]

God you are downplaying like a madman

You know how many characters would kill for a safe hitconfirmable 11f mid string? Especially one that can be made plus on block?

And yeah her f2 is on the slower side, but its not like everyone is guaranteed to react to that every single time. Jumps are a low slower than 28 frames, ever see someone get hit by a jump? Must be a total scrub then!!!!!!!!!!!! I saw sonic fox and daigo be hit by jumps many times over the years, better tell them they ain't tournament ready.

I know how many would. 5 currently do not have a fast mid.
But those characters not having one doesn't mean that Jade's is all that great in a game of 9f advancing mids that lead to gigantic damage.

I don't know why you need to go out of your way to feel offended by someone else's opinion, but just go back, read what I think about Jade and deal with it.

I'm tired of constantly trying to reason with people who don't even play her.

 

[Cashual]

scorpion is strong against zoning but he's not going to immediately shut it down. cassie low gun can still catch things like scorpion teleport. his mkx teleport was actually a mid. are you saying his mk11 teleport isn't almost as easy to punish if you just pay attention. his mkx teleport was just as strong on account of how fast it was. you could almost avoid meaty situations with it. jade kinda takes zoning off the table too

It was I think 1-2 frames faster, and I believe 3 frames more negative on block.

Not to mention, you had the flash cue at the startup animation for ex teleport; you were never surprised by the ex and it was used almost exclusively as a combo extender (ex tele I mean).

In MK11, you can amplify it at the last moment with no cue until the end making it much more difficult to punish the regular teleport due to the threat of the amplify. There’s no comparison man. Scorpion’s teleport is much better in MK11 and is the best anti zone move in the game, and yes it’s better than Jade’s glow as it grants a full combo and oki. Scorpion’s teleport in mkx was easy to punish both from an animation standpoint and the simple fact that you didn’t have to wait to see whether it was meterburned or not.

I’m sorry dude but you’re absolutely downplaying. Scorpion is almost certainly a 5 in terms of zoning/antizoning, a 4.5 at worst and I have a feeling you’re very much in the minority.

And you can’t bring wakeup tele into the discussion because wakeup specials aren’t in the game anymore. And we all know al scorpions wakeup with tele or slide tackle so you just block low and take your full combo punish lol.

And before it goes left, I’m not even saying it needs to be nerfed, it’s ok for characters to have strong tools, and this is one of the strongest. Scorpion demands a respect in the neutral particularly from ranged/zoning characters that basically no other character does.

 

[Xzyj]

the amount of downplay in this thread is pretty spectacular

 

[M2Dave]

Geras:
Offensive options: 2/5
Neutral Game/Footsies: 5/5
Defensive options: 4/5
Zoning/Anti Zoning: 3/5
Damage output: 5/5
Punishing Efficiency: 5/5

The mere fact that both of Geras's throws guarantee okizeme, which is very rare in this game, means that the character cannot logically receive a score lower than a four for offensive options. He also has one of the best mid strings in the game as well as a 50/50 mix up from a safe jab string that has a krushing blow.

Geras is so good that New Era is barely used even though the command throw is the best in the game. I can only imagine what Kotal Kahn players would do to have a throw that carries half screen. LOL.

 

[wsj515]

I know you’re trying to come off as sarcastic; but honestly this is some of the most sense you’ve ever made.

Well done.

A stopped watch is right twice a day

 

[Edmund]

Skarlet:

10/10 — best hair options

 

[Dreamcatcher]

Jax Hunker Down

Offense: 5/5 lots of stagger options and mixups. F2 and F33 awesome stagger strings and f2 u can mix up and stagger safely as its -4. F33 is -3 and u can play mind games with the gaps. Solid command grab and d1, d12 and d3 are serviceable tick throw options. Anything u cancel into bf2 amp for the most part is safe. B2 and B3 are good on oki for mixups and he has restand option through gotcha grab which also builds heat easy. (About +4 or 5)

Neutral game/footsies 4.5/5 has enough range to compete with footsie based characters. D4 reaches good. Bf2 can become a full screen grab and f2 and f33 have solid reach. B1 is a far reaching anti air that can be converted into quad grab or air grab pending on height. Dash cancelling is a big part of Jax so there's that. Only downside is characters like Kabal can outreach Jax where he can't always continue his offense.

Defensive Options: 4/5 it's relatively average for wakeups. His u3 while it covers a lot of ground is ok if the opponent is getting too trigger happy it like most wakeups can be baited by a jump. It's solid and u can bait a jump and get a d2 out of it. Having an 8 frame mid for reversal is great and what makes Jax good and can get KB for punish if heat is loaded.

Zoning/Anti Zoning 2/5 very average. Thumper is ok for trading projectiles (which he does win more often than not) and reading jumps but way too helpless against characters who have fast projectiles like Sonya. Ground Pound is only good on oki and amp has a gap where u can jump the second and way too slow for a low that was once an unblockable. His best zoning tool is dependent on whether he has heat or not as heat missiles are KB ready and can fire twice as long as he has enough heat which doesn't require resources. It's where he struggles most.

Damage Output: 3/5 don't expect combos with him outside of KBs and Anti Air conversations. Probably has the worst bread and butter damage in the game. His only saving grace from below average is the easy KBs. Jax breaks u down with pressure and mixups along with splash damage. His splash damage is luckily pretty easy to achieve with his primary ones with strings ending in the overhead just needing full heat which is easy to build and a forward throw. BF2 u just need to hit someone with it while they press a button (and second hit only). Command Grab can do 400+. His heat also amplifies damage from strings needing fists so you are good.

Punishing efficiency: 2/5 only thing keeping it from a one is the 8 frame mid in f3 as he won't punish shit for a lot of damage outside of maybe KB and his Fatal Blow which is fast and travels a lot of distance.


The score accurately reflects Jax's strengths that are really good with his weaknesses definitely holding him back (zoning in particular)

20.5/30

Well I was gonna make one for Jax but I think this pretty much says it all.

 

[spidey300]

It was I think 1-2 frames faster, and I believe 3 frames more negative on block.

Not to mention, you had the flash cue at the startup animation for ex teleport; you were never surprised by the ex and it was used almost exclusively as a combo extender (ex tele I mean).

In MK11, you can amplify it at the last moment with no cue until the end making it much more difficult to punish the regular teleport due to the threat of the amplify. There’s no comparison man. Scorpion’s teleport is much better in MK11 and is the best anti zone move in the game, and yes it’s better than Jade’s glow as it grants a full combo and oki. Scorpion’s teleport in mkx was easy to punish both from an animation standpoint and the simple fact that you didn’t have to wait to see whether it was meterburned or not.

I’m sorry dude but you’re absolutely downplaying. Scorpion is almost certainly a 5 in terms of zoning/antizoning, a 4.5 at worst and I have a feeling you’re very much in the minority.

And you can’t bring wakeup tele into the discussion because wakeup specials aren’t in the game anymore. And we all know al scorpions wakeup with tele or slide tackle so you just block low and take your full combo punish lol.

And before it goes left, I’m not even saying it needs to be nerfed, it’s ok for characters to have strong tools, and this is one of the strongest. Scorpion demands a respect in the neutral particularly from ranged/zoning characters that basically no other character does.

I mean mkx scorpion teleport was just better for combos and better for punishing projectiles. I've literally caught another scorpion out of his teleport with spear in mk11. I'm not downplaying. I would never downplay. I know scorpion has some very strong tools but people are honestly overrating him and making him out to be just this god of mk11. I'll give his zoning/antizoning a 4 but that's it. I'll say alright scorpion's teleport is slightly harder to punish in mk11 but only slightly

 

[freerf245]

Jax Hunker Down imo:

Offense- 4/5: Jax has some of the scariest oki in the game right now. He can gain momentum really easy due to his heated arms. He has a large set of very practical krushing blows. Only reason he isn’t 5/5 is because he does have to take risks here and there.

Neutral game/footsies- 4/5: Jax has some great normals. A 9 frame hit-confirmable mid, a 12 frame longe range mid that leads into some crazy mixups, and solid pokes. He struggles in the neutral vs a few characters though.

Defensive Options- 5/5: Jax’s defensive options are so good. His u3 wakeup has a ton of range. His s1 and d2 are both decent anti airs. His d1 and d4 are fast with decent range, and he gets a safe d1 special with d1 bf2mb. He is one of the few characters with a safe, hitconfirmable, 9 frame mid, which is very powerful in this game.

Zoninf/Antizoning- 2/5: Yea this is where Jax struggles. I wouldn’t necessarily say he gets bodied by zoning, but characters with strong normals and strong zoning (Cassie, Jade, etc) can give him problems. He has an okay zoning game of his own, especially when his arms are heated.

Damage output-3/5: Hunker Down has almost no combo potential. Most of his big damage comes from his krushing blows. His other variation is better if you are looking for damage.

 

[ColdBoreMK23]

The mere fact that both of Geras's throws guarantee okizeme, which is very rare in this game, means that the character cannot logically receive a score lower than a four for offensive options. He also has one of the best mid strings in the game as well as a 50/50 mix up from a safe jab string that has a krushing blow.

Geras is so good that New Era is barely used even though the command throw is the best in the game. I can only imagine what Kotal Kahn players would do to have a throw that carries half screen. LOL.

I'll agree to disagree.

 

[PLAYING TO WIN]

With no patch in sight and Shang Tsung's release being more than two weeks away, now is a good time to create this thread. I created identical threads for Mortal Kombat X as well as Injustice 2 in the past and received positive feedback so I hope you participate and share your opinion of your main character(s).

Please do not post any tier lists in this thread. Instead, use the official tier list thread here. However, your final rating should represent a score that is consistent with the community's current consensus of your character(s). In other words, a character like Geras should receive no abnormally low final rating.

If you would like to rate your character, please use the following format and criteria.

1. Offensive options – 5/5 : this category revolves around 50/50 mix ups, pressure, and throws, including the throw’s range, position, and krushing blow requirements.

2. Neutral game and footsies – 5/5 : this category revolves around normal attacks and special moves that control the space in your vicinity, including the air.

3. Defensive options – 5/5 : this category revolves around defense, particularly the universal wake up and reversal attacks (i.e., safety, range, and hitbox). Also consider other prevalent defensive options (i.e., 6 frame d+1s, low-profiling pokes, and teleport escapes from the corner).

4. Zoning and anti-zoning – 5/5 : this category revolves around options outside of footsies range such as a projectile or a long-ranged physical attack. Also assess a character’s ability to punish projectiles and close the gap from a distance.

5. Damage output – 5/5 : this category revolves around the damage that a character is able to acquire from combos. Evaluate the damage output from combos, including resets, as well as the quantity and quality of krushing blows.

My main character ratings.

Noob (Black Sabbath)

1. Offensive options – 3/5

Spoiler

Noob’s mix ups solely revolve around throws as he has no overhead starters or strings that can be staggered. Fortunately, he is one of the few characters who has a krushing blow on both forward and back throw. However, forward throw leaves the opponent almost full screen away while the back throw leaves the opponent half screen away so hitting the krushing blow is a little bit more difficult than people think. Almost all of Noob’s offense is practically initiated from successfully hitting d+3 or b+1,1+3 xx spirit ball in combos. Both provide adequate frame advantage to threaten throws, which can then be mixed up with mid attacks such as b+2, f+4, and b+1,1+3. 2,1,2 can also be used to counter throw techs and uppercuts. Overall, nothing too good yet nothing too bad for this category. If both throws, or at least one of them, left the opponent much closer to Noob, this score would most certainly be higher.

2. Neutral game and footsies – 5/5

Spoiler

b+2 and f+4 are exceptional mid-range buttons while d+3 and d+4 are fantastic up close. b+1,1+3 is a 9 frame mid attack without a hurt box. f+2,2,1 is a 9 frame high attack without a hurt box. b+3 is also decent, though the krushing blow requirement on b+3,1+3 is impractical. As far as anti-aerial attacks go, Noob has an excellent d+2. f+3 launches and can be used as an anti-aerial attack because of its impressive vertical hitbox. The only drawback in this category is that poorly spaced b+1,1+3s are punishable by some characters. Even immaculately spaced b+1,1+3s are punishable by a handful of characters. Nonetheless, I am confident that Noob is deserving of a perfect score in this category.

3. Defensive options – 3/5

Spoiler

Noob has the same wake up 3 as Jade and Sub Zero. The range is limited and the hitbox is short. Even though wake up 3 technically hits mid, you can low profile the move, which is a major problem in some match ups. Wake up 2 has a very good hitbox but is -17 on block. d+3 is a phenomenal low poke with a great range, solid frame advantage on hit, and some low-profiling capabilities. d+4 is similar to d+3. There is less range but more frame advantage on hit. I subtracted two points from this category considering how easily wake up 3 gets low-profiled.

4. Zoning and anti-zoning – 3/5

Spoiler

Noob’s zoning game is slightly above average yet very disappointing for an advertised “premier zoning character”. Spirit ball is one of the most damaging projectiles in the game, but there is no EX version so opponents can easily neutral crouch or jump in order to advance. Tackle is a horrendous projectile because of its slow start up and recovery frames, inconsistent hitbox, and impractical krushing blow requirement. The tackle also disappears when Noob gets hit, which makes the special move worthless in projectile wars. As far as anti-zoning is concerned, Noob has a launching EX teleport, but the startup is slow at 30 frames and the hit range is high. Overall, I think he has nothing special for this category. A handful of other characters, who are not even considered zoning characters, have superior space control.

5. Damage output – 5/5

Spoiler

Although Noob’s krushing blows are one of the worst in the game, he has access to highly damaging combos. Combo damage usually ranges from 35% to 40% or more. Combos can also be finished in a reset that is +5 on block, but Noob is out of normal attack range except b+2. Nonetheless, I think the character deserves a perfect score for this category. Only Baraka and Sonya do more damage than Noob.

Final Rating – 19/25

Scorpion (Reborn)

1. Offensive options – 4/5

Spoiler

In progress...

2. Neutral game and footsies – 5/5

Spoiler

In progress...

3. Defensive options – 5/5

Spoiler

In progress...

4. Zoning and anti-zoning – 4/5

Spoiler

The spear is much safer when whiffed than in previous Mortal Kombat games but is still more punishable than the average projectile. Thus Scorpion lacks a traditional zoning tool to stop opponents from advancing forward. However, Scorpion's anti-zoning game is so powerful that any score lower than a four should be regarded as severe downplaying. Scorpion's teleport is easily the best anti-zoning tool in the game because of its ability to be amplified on block, its ability to be performed airborne, and its ability to be canceled. Scorpion's teleport also hits mid and has the fastest startup out of any other teleport in the game. All projectiles must be used scarcely against Scorpion and from a closer distance where the player has a lot less time to react.

5. Damage output – 4/5

Spoiler

In progress...

Final Rating – 22/25 (subject to change)

Cetrion Spring Cleaning

Offense 2/5
Neutral 4/5
Defense 4/5

Zoning 4/5 (Her and skarlet have the best traditional zoning in the game. Although relative to this game and how many characters don't care i.e. sub, scorp, more... Surprisingly the best zoning character/run away character in the game is scorpion. Geras also has the number 1 zoning tool in the game in low sand. It is a faster from the deep that is safe vs almost the entire cast and it is unreactable. It all gives you a 50/50 oki situation.

Damage 2/5

Final tally 16/25

 

[PLAYING TO WIN]

I'll agree to disagree.

You do realize that this is the most 50/50 heavy character in the game and gets a 50/50 off every single touch including the best zoning tool in the entire game? He gets a 5/5 100%.