Qwark28
Joker waiting room
MU threads will be coming much slower now due to midterms.
Sub vs KL is a difficult and very footsie based matchup, your goal as subzero is to close people in the corner, but how do you do that against the most mobile character in the game?
Most of your damage will come through pressure, not your pressure, but from D4s through his high (11)12 and special mid (21) strings
Kung lao is a character whose mobility is unmatched and has excelent pressure with one significant hole.
He MUST spin to establish respect for his strings and followups, you can downpoke all of his pressure strings with D4, his D3 is 9f so you can D4 that too.
After a 21 on hit, even if it's not hit confirmed, you can't duck and D4, you have to block another 21.
His teleport is always a mixup
Sub vs KL is a difficult and very footsie based matchup, your goal as subzero is to close people in the corner, but how do you do that against the most mobile character in the game?
Most of your damage will come through pressure, not your pressure, but from D4s through his high (11)12 and special mid (21) strings
Kung lao is a character whose mobility is unmatched and has excelent pressure with one significant hole.
He MUST spin to establish respect for his strings and followups, you can downpoke all of his pressure strings with D4, his D3 is 9f so you can D4 that too.
After a 21 on hit, even if it's not hit confirmed, you can't duck and D4, you have to block another 21.
His teleport is always a mixup
Instant 3
crouch it while not moving at all, if you don't switch sides his instant 3 will whiff, proceed to punish with 212 BnB, on hit the instant 3 is 10% damage and leaves you at +w8ing for somber, same as block.
Late 3
Designed to punish attempts to blow up the instant 3, if you guess wrong and block it, KL is at +10 and gets an unduckable 1121/21, on hit you eat a nice 45%.
2
Meant to punish D1's, don't bother with it, lets him evade and punish them.
Main strings
1121
Good chip, good meter building, mainly used when you respect KL enough not to interrupt with something faster or poke, first 2 hits are high and can be poked.
21
7f that links to spin, special mid, can ducked, poked, or whiff punished.
24
WILL hit when crouching, on hit it's +4, on block -1, will be mainly linked to overhead which is heavily - with good pushback, dash in and you're neutral in his face.
Divekick
Can be used to punish iceballs, and get in your face from fullscreen or a plum flower, when he divekicks in your face from fullscreen while you're at neutral, he's -, poke with 22. Can also be used to get out of the corner setups for free if you're not careful.
Spin
Used after strings when KL is neutral to establish his pressure game, best AA in the game, can be used vs crossups and to hit you mid-212.
F2
overhead that leaves KL at +1 and at standing 2 distance, on block it's -10+ and grants you a free blockstring.
B1F1
Used exclusively after the last hit of 1121 hits, if you don't block or jump back it can be hit confirmed to spin, incase you do a 22/D4.
F3
-4 on on block, can link a special after but they're all punishable, don't be afraid of this move unless you've frustrated KL enough to start doing spins, block, punish in that case, otherwise, 214/throw.
This matchup in my opinion is very close to a 7-3, if we'd go by decimals I'd put it as 6,5-3,5 in favor of the flying dutchman.
You don't wanna play midscreen unless you have a great lead, he can't hurt you with just hats without risking a trade, obviously based on a read though, his low hat can be jumped over on reaction midscreen, his normal hat throw won't be used much. What IS dangerous is the speed of the teleport, you WILL be caught off-guard and will be forced to block one eventually, that's whats dangerous about it other than the obvious mixup.
In the corner you'll start the slaughter, you CAN use the 212 clone trap but the risk reward is shitty, you'll be stopping at 21 so that he spins and you'll punish it, if you hesitate however he can get out. He can divekick or teleport out of the corner and might feel uncatchable, here's what you do.
Teleport = ex slide in the clone, walk through him, 22 in the clone.
Divekick = backdash and block, punish, make him scared to throw it out, he needs to be max height to get over the clone, 22 on reaction to the jump will either catch him or the hitbox of the second 2 will throw him in the clone as he goes over you.
If you don't wanna go in a general teleport mixup, uppercut, won't discourage him but it's free damage that can't be thrown away, don't uppercut if the teleport catches you by suprise, I guarantee you you won't make it. If you know for sure EX teleport will by an instant 3, walk through him and B12, otherwise jump back and clone or slide.
Punish spin with B12, more damage, same thing with a backstepped teleport.
Will add more if I've forgot anything.
