Breakthrough - Balanced RIP Kenshi. Why Balanced is Bottom 5 in MKX and it's a shame.

[Rearawt]

Well look at it this way, there has to be someone in the bottom 5. There's always gonna be characters not as good as the others. Especially in this game where almost everyone is pretty good. Just like in real life where there are poor people and then there are rich people.

I don't know. If I say to someone in real life "let's help poor people" they don't usually go "why bother? someone has to be poor, why not them"

 

[errormacro7]

This 15 year old dude doesn't give up. He embarrassed himself for saying BS, but still insists. If tournament placings are what make characters good, then why is Saltface placing really high with Mileena? Wasn't she bottom 5? Top tier confirmed.

 

[Orochi]

Had my usual laugh with the hater igothands and now that kid, worth the read. @Pig Of The Hut text me when balanced is fixed next year if.

 

[JDM]

Never thought he was top 5, always said even on TYM that top 10 is upplaying. Top 15 was where he lived pre last patch. Now he is low tier. Possibly bottom 5.

*why*

 

[thlityoursloat]

*why*

Almost all the other middle/low tiers got buffed to oblivion.

 

[Ashenar]

*why*

This patch grabbed a few low/mid tiers and gave them tools needed to make their play more robust. While Kenshi garnered minor changes one of which was the flurry stealth nurf cut in half. Pre-Flurry Stealth Nurf Balanced was decent because flurry was still -32 on whiff and the full screen knock down would allow for Kenshi to become a meter battery to help him gain a breaker eventually similar to what kitana does now with her fans as she walks backwards.


Kenjitsu feels like the best variation when played in a simple manner of pushing your opponent to the corner then using a safe string into low to add pressure also the 1 bar damage in the corner with kenjitsu is strong. Bf2 in kenjitsu is better than balanced but almost equal to possessed. Also you gain access to a low starter and overhead starter where as in possessed you only have access to a low starter and low launcher with a hit stun overhead that has decent frame advantage. The issue with Kenjitsu and Kenshi in general is what makes top tiers great aka safe armored launchers, plus frame launchers or run cancel pressure he doesn't have access to it.


So then we go the route of zoning while his tools are sub-optimal in comparison to other full screen zoners its options do not flow into one another like a full screen run/bat mind game or a falling rock like tremors options. Flurry a hard knock down allows for kenshi to begin a mild series of meter building using spirit charge. In balanced Kenshi is using fractional offense which can cause minor chip or on hit 7 to 9% damage that's his game. Never at one point is he actually able to start a guessing game based of options that can be repeated without interruption.

I'll post more breakdowns later tonight after my skype call with Pig and J360.

But in all honesty his KIT as far as moves goes on paper seams like it could work the issue is none of the options really flow into one another in the zoner variation and none of them also flow in the melee based kenjitsu variation.

 

[SHAOLIN]

That good ol "Sean Treament"

 

[Immortal]

@Ashenar covered most to answer "why".

Just going to add - "fractional offense" is a generous term. Kenshi in balanced really has no offense nor up close game. You're just trying to catch them low or gain advantage with S1 (+2, now even on crouch block opponents which is another indirectional nerf for Kenshi [was +4 on crouch block]) to use throw.

4d4 is the most useless string he has and that's his only OH move beside the TKS which isn't even a string with b3,2 and overall is slow ass move. And lets not even talk about 4,2,1 (another semi useless string, starting high and slow).

That's about it when it comes to his offense. I really should do a detailed breakdown on Kenshi balanced but im not gonna do double with Ashenar. So im gonna wait and see and add to his if needed.

 

[Diego de Souza Costa]

i like how people think that, we want the "MK9 Kenshi" back.... i just want a character with good tools(in this case for zoning), i don't give a single shit, if he'd be considered a "low tier" or not, i'm not asking to be +14 at fullscreen like Quan's MB rune, i'm just asking that my moves, aren't death on whiff, when they neutral duck at mid screen.... lel....


Even if they allow Kenshi to be + on block after Spirit Charge, there's nothing i can do to "hurt" you, just block low, and eat the throw.... that's his mix up, so, again, since he's not a "rushdown" character, give me the tools, to lock people at fullscreen...

 

[DET_BLAKEANATOR]

i like how people think that, we want the "MK9 Kenshi" back.... i just want a character with good tools(in this case for zoning), i don't give a single shit, if he'd be considered a "low tier" or not, i'm not asking to be +14 at fullscreen like Quan's MB rune, i'm just asking that my moves, aren't death on whiff, when they neutral duck at mid screen.... lel....


Even if they allow Kenshi to be + on block after Spirit Charge, there's nothing i can do to "hurt" you, just block low, and eat the throw.... that's his mix up, so, again, since he's not a "rushdown" character, give me the tools, to lock people at fullscreen...

I completely agree, I don't understand how a character like quan chi can do all of this stuff but kenshi literally does the same combo over and over, and is it me or does kenshi have THE WORST comeback factor in the game??

 

[just_2swift]

Man I was hype for kenshi when he was announced to be in. I thought he was going to have spirit normals along with his spirit special moves to create some beautiful combos. Boy I was wrong.

 

[Diego de Souza Costa]

I completely agree, I don't understand how a character like quan chi can do all of this stuff but kenshi literally does the same combo over and over, and is it me or does kenshi have THE WORST comeback factor in the game??

i like the "contrast" of characters in this game, one can do this

and the other one is pretty much dead, if he whiffs a mid screen move....

 

[DET_BLAKEANATOR]

i like the "contrast" of characters in this game, one can do this

and the other one is pretty much dead, if he whiffs a mid screen move....

I wish kenshi could impress me like quan but he has the most limited toolset in the game by far and its depressing

 

[thlityoursloat]

i like the "contrast" of characters in this game, one can do this

and the other one is pretty much dead, if he whiffs a mid screen move....

35%? I'm pretty sure Quan can get 40+% unbreakable lol. At least pre-patch, did they nerf that?

 

[M.D.]

Teleflurry is the most broken move in the entire game. Everyone just spams it, you can't jump over it and when it hits it sends you full screen. If you crouch it, before you can get up and run he hits you with it again, and it's back to full screen. -40 my ass, nerf that shit.


Just doing my part

 

[Hara-Killer]

I only hope that NRS returns Kenshi to his true form and we actually have a character who can put a stop the Kitana, Devorah, Cassie (etc) madness. Otherwise he's going to be one of the loneliest characters on the select scree. PAULO PLS.

See This PAULO ? Words of ALL KENSHI FANS .....S is NOT FOR SENTO is FOR HOPE

KENSHI IS THE CHOSEN ONE PAULO MAKE HIM S+ TIER IN THE NAME OF SENTO

 

[xInfra Deadx]

35%? I'm pretty sure Quan can get 40+% unbreakable lol. At least pre-patch, did they nerf that?

Buffed. lol

 

[ForeverKing]

So out of the 75+ variations of this game, Balanced is bottom 5? So what you're trying to say is, there are over 70 variations in this game that are overall better than Balanced?

Absolutely not. I disagree 100%

 

[Schuyler]

He used reptile to get top 8 at nwm and got top 16 using him at another. So he used him to place at these two separate tournament and you think the fact that he doesn't even main him helps your argument?

He mainly used kung jin though. The fact that you think reptile is mid high is idiotic. You cant use one charter all tournament then use your secondary and say he made it with the second charter. Thats like saying sonic fox won esl with erron black even though he only played one set with him.

 

[Immortal]

So out of the 75+ variations of this game, Balanced is bottom 5?

Absolutely not. I disagree 100%

Great, any reasoning? Or just coz i said so? Beside most of us used term "possibly". I have no doubt in my mind that balanced is low tier now.

 

[SneakyTortoise]

He mainly used kung jin though. The fact that you think reptile is mid high is idiotic. You cant use one charter all tournament then use your secondary and say he made it with the second charter. Thats like saying sonic fox won esl with erron black even though he only played one set with him.

I don't remember commenting on reptile's tier placement, but good shit.

Tell me, how many matches did he use reptile and how many did he use kj at those two tournaments?

 

[Schuyler]

I don't remember commenting on reptile's tier placement, but good shit.

Tell me, how many matches did he use reptile and how many did he use kj at those two tournaments?

well it was someone else saying he was mid high. And how long was those tournaments ago?

 

[SneakyTortoise]

well it was someone else saying he was mid high. And how long was those tournaments ago?

So you don't know when they were but are confident in saying he used kung jin more? Stop

 

[SpyXDemon]

I really hate the fact that kenshi is bottom tier, I love the character. I picked him up earlier but then I moved to kotal, sub zero, and scorpion. I will definitley come back to kenshi if they release the kenshi deception costume. After that there is no excuse to not main kenshi.

 

[Genei Jin]

you guys are crying over ONE variation while possessed and kenjutsu variant are good.