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Shinnok Strategy Guide

Shinnok:

Shinnok is ranked about 13 out of 15 playable characters in MK4. Shinnok tier level is based without assuming you will morph and only taking in account that he has NO SPECIAL ATTACKS at all and a very sick weapon wich can be enough to win a match if you use it wisely. Shinnok can rank higher if used correctly but its default place should be this.

As noted, Shinnok have the standard move set and no specials. Something unique for him is also his LK throw, where you can add a jump LK sometimes if the opponent just ducks or tryes to jump away, its blockable and only a chip damage otherwise.

Shinnok LK Throw into Jump LK

However he can morph into the entire cast and this is a deadly feature because he can morph even between chains or aaHp or rushing blocked chains. This can lead to some nasty combos or mixups specially that he doesnt "morph" at all, just the CPU announce the name of the character he is changing and its done. People often CANNOT react in time and even this can become a random situation. For example, what could be a simply 20% combo, can become a 47% maximum damage punisher! You can cancel moves like aaHP/aaLP and even aaSUJK into impresonation. Shinnok also is somehow faster than the other characters but only the CPU can win of this (like his cpu sweep combo and etc).

Rushing down is excellent. Blocked chain into morph not only is surpresive but the morph CANCELS the current hit animation and you can "re-rush" again.

The Impresonations are very tricky. Basicaly you have 15 seconds impresonating, BUT if you are in neutral frames or no moving at all you will stay in this character until you make a jump, get hit or something that will cause your character to move away from its current position. Impresonations acts like a special moves if you are fast enough you can include them in a juggles, sometimes even two impresonations in one juggle, or you can try to cancel a special move with it, sometimes you can cancel even aaSUJK with impresonation, however this is very very difficult.

Example of Impresonation Combo

His weapon is Deadly! Specially when punishing blocked specials, you can set up a deadly and easy 53% combo that can be done infinately if you turn the max dam off. This is the only other weapon that has a downward attack and should be blocked low. This coupled with the upward swing, can serve up NASTY corner traps that the foe must eat unless he can teleport out of the corner (scorp, reiko, raiden) or being very patient and watch for rare openings.

Shinnok's Infinite is tricky. It sounds easy because its just aaLP weapon attack and about 5 juggles are 100%, but you will need stuff like low aaSUJK to make the opp be higher before start it. There is also a way to get them out of corner when you reach it using this infinite but its completely useless to try it in a vs match so we will not give attention
on it.

Juggles and Punishers:

  1. (With Weapon) aaSUJK, LP, LP (3 Hits, 53%) Video!
  2. (With Weapon) LP, LP, LP (3 Hits, 60%)
  3. aaHPx2, [Scorpion Impresonation], Teleport Punch, Spear, Into Various Juggle Video!
  4. aaHP, [Sub-Zero Impresonation], Weapon Draw, B+HP, B+LP, Into Various Juggle
  5. HP, HP, HK, D+HP, [Reiko Impresonation] Flip Kick, Jump HK, Teleport SUJK, RH (8 Hits, 42%)
  6. HP, HP, HK, D+HP, [Sonya Impresonation] Flip Kick, Jump HK, Air Throw (7 Hits, 33%)
*All aaHPx2 or aaHP into Impresonation juggles can be done with aaSUJK instead, but its extremely difficult and not worth at all ;]