Guide - Commando The Absolute Beginners Guide To Commando Kano

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Who is this guide for?

First and foremost, this guide is for anybody who wants to learn to play Commando and is looking for a comprehensive yet straight forward method to do so. At the same time, this guide is for anybody new to MKX who is looking for a character to main and finds Kano interesting. In order to make the following accessible to everybody, it has been written under the assumption that the user has no knowledge of MKX at all, and will give that person the tools and information to progress to an intermediate level. For those with a foundation of knowledge already in place, you may find several of the tips and techniques aimed at the beginners to be useful in sharpening your execution and practice methods. My advice to everybody reading this is to work through the guide at a steady pace, integrating the methods into your practice routine until they become habits.

The guide has been set up into stages with checkpoints to assess your understanding. It is recommended that you focus on each stage in turn and do not advance onto the next stage until you can comfortably do the checkpoint exercises as presented. Doing the exercises in this order will help establish a solid training routine that utilises training mode in the best possible way. If in the future you decide to learn another character, you will be equipped with the knowledge and methodology to reduce the learning curve and get to what this game is really about; brutally murdering your opponent in Kombat.

This guide will cover:

Solid use of training mode features and methods
Basic Commando strategy
Frame data
Footsies and spacing
Combos and execution
Tick Throws
Option Selects
Frame Traps
Zoning
How to study match ups
How to watch your replays and tailor your practice time based on what you find.


Why play Commando?

I'm not going to lie to you, Commando Kano is not a top tier character. In a game where several characters have strings that contain both overheads and lows, and pressure games that force the defending player to guess whether to block high or low (and knowing that a wrong guess could cost a third of their health bar), Commando struggles to open players up and score big damage. The truth is, if you want an easy time, Commando is not the character for you. However, if you want a character that will force you to pay attention to the match, aid in developing your defensive skill, force you to learn match ups and has the capabilities to make your opponents regret attempting to hit you with anything, Kano is your guy.

HugBoiz for life!

How much time should I spend practicing in training mode?

Ideally, one hour a day every day before you play, whether it be online or at a venue. If you have more time to spare then great, but an hour of structured practice will be much more beneficial to you than several hours of unfocused combo training, especially in the beginning.

That said, do not take Kano out of the dojo for the first ten hours. Give yourself time to develop some muscle memory first before entering a match. There's nothing worse than trying to land a command grab on a sleeping Jason, only to jump up and kick him in the head.

How To Use This Guide

As previously stated, this guide is tailored for absolute beginners, and as such has been structured in stages. Each stage builds upon the information in the stage before it, and it is not recommended to rush ahead without having first completed the stage you are currently on. To aid this, each stage has a checkpoint exercise that assess your ability to perform the content in that particular stage. Once you complete the checkpoint exercise, move onto the next stage, but not before.

As a way of keeping your skills in peak condition, use the completed checkpoint exercises as daily warm ups. If you have completed two stage, alternate the checkpoint exercises so that on day one you do exercise one, day two exercise two, day three exercise three, etc. Eventually you will outgrow the earlier exercises, and you'll know when that time is, but doing them will help develop a solid practice routine that makes the most if your time.

I also wouldn't advise taking Kano out into the real world until you've reached stage 5. There is a lot of knowledge and practice required in order to be successful with him in a match, so to prevent yourself from getting disheartened, complete all the exercises in stages 1-4 first, then read stage 5.

Before you begin...

Variety is the spice of life, and MKX can be played using a variety of controllers. Whilst it is next to impossible to cover every possible after market fight pad available, we can cover the most common set ups.

PS4

A common problem with the Dual Shock 4 controller is the L2 and R2 shoulder buttons. Due to their shape and the amount of pressure required to depress them, many people report problems with meter burn moves not activating in clutch situations, and worse, the buttons breaking entirely. To counter act this, switch the stance switch and meter burn buttons to the L1 and R1 triggers respectively, and switch Release Check, Alternate Controls and Input Shortcuts to off.

For directions, use the d-pad and forget the analogue sticks exist.

X-Box One

(Information required from X-Box players in regards to controller issues)

Fight Stick

(Information required from Fight Stick users in regards to button layouts and issues.)

Hit Box

(Information required from Hit Box users with regards to issues)

It is recommended you learn the community notation for moves. A generalised version is below. For console specific information, check the Noob Passage forum.

Front Punch-1
Back Punch-2
Front Kick-3
Back Kick-4
Forward- F
Back-B
Up-U
Down-D

 

[countrypistol]

Stage 1: Getting familiar with the character

Stage 1.1 Movement

You won't get very far if you can't get Kano where you want him to be, so let's learn how.

Movement part 1

First things first, let's look at Kano's basic movement. His walk speed is reasonable, his jumps are a little floaty but not too bad. Unfortunately, depending on the controller you use jumping may require some practice, especially if you use a DS4. Later, when you get to incorporating jump in combos and tick throws, you'll want your forward jumps to be consistent, so to get into the habit now, make the following exercise the first thing you do every practice session.

Exercise 1

Start off by walking backwards for one second, then forward jump. Duck for one second, walk forwards for one second then jump backwards. Duck for one second, walk backwards for one second, neutral jump. Duck for one second, walk forwards for one second, neutral jump. Duck for one second, walk backwards for one second, backwards jump. Duck for one second, walk forwards for one second, forward jump. Duck for one second, neutral jump, duck for one second.

Repeat this sequence until you can do it ten times in a row with out making mistakes.

Movement part 2

Now Kano's basic movement has been covered, let's look at one of the things that makes him special; his dashes.

Kano has excellent dashes, some of the best in the game. To forward dash, quickly double tap forward. To back dash, quickly double tap back. See his much distance he travels? Now, forward dash and press crouching 4. Do it a few times, varying when you activate the attack. His dash has some recovery frames where you cannot activate an attack. You'll need to get a feel for how long these frames last to effectively use the dash.

Now do the same with his back dash and try and get a feel for that recovery. Got it? Good, because that's your second exercise.

A couple of quick note about back dashes. First of all, During your back dash, you are invulnerable to attack, but there are recovery frames where you can be punished. Second, back dashes, unlike forward dashes, use one bar of stamina, so you can only do two in a row before waiting for the stamina bar to replenish (this is universal across all characters). Commit this to memory, it will come in handy later.

Exercise 2

Forward dash and activate d4 on the first available frame. Repeat ten times without making mistakes.

Back dash and activate d4 on the first available frame. Repeat ten times without making a mistake.

Movement part 3

Running is a big part of MKX, and Kano is not exempt from this. As a grappler, Commando needs to get in close, and good zoners can prevent him from doing this with solid use of their projectiles. Learning to master running will help you close the gap on your opponent and mount your offensive. There's a couple of steps to this, so let's begin.

How do you run?

To run in MKX, you perform a forward dash and quickly press the block button. When timed right, your character will sprint forward for a short while until one of three things happen.

You press an attack, direction or block.
You run out of stamina
You get hit

There are a few different ways of executing a run too. They are as follows.

Forward, forward, block
Forward, block, forward
Forward, forward+block

Many players advocate the second method as it prevents one of the problems listed below from occurring, but I personally prefer the third as it involves less inputs and can be done quicker. It is all a matter of personal preference, so try each one and see which you find the most comfortable.

There are a few things to remember about runs. First of all, you cannot neutral jump or backwards jump out of them, you can only forward jump or crouch. This may not seem like an issue, but Kano's most damaging meterless mid screen combos begin with a neutral jump punch, so if an opponent whiffs a move and you run up to punish, don't expect to get max damage using an NJP.

Second is that if you dash forward and attempt to block too soon, you'll get a run. Obviously you don't want to run into somebody's fist, so leaning how to dash and block without getting a run is important, even if it's not a commonly used tactic. On the flip side, if you attempt to run and press block too late, you'll dash and not be able to cancel into block or an attack (although if you use the second method listed above to activate a run, you circumvent this problem). As you can see, getting this timing down is crucial if you don't want to head face first into danger.

Third, runs are used in those meterless mid screen combos I was talking about, so if you want to max out your damage later on, get used to running now.

Exercise 3

Run forward and let Kano run out of stamina. Reset the screen. Run and crouch at the first available moment. Reset the screen. Run and block at the first available moment. Reset the screen. Run and forward jump at the first available moment.

Do ten times without making a mistake.

Exercise 4

Forward dash and stand block at the first available moment without activating a run.

Do ten times without making a mistake.


Now Kano's basic movement has been covered, let's move on to his attacks and basic strings.

Stage 1.2 Kano's Attacks

Cover Kano's attacks, general which are good, which are bad. Focus on the ones you will use most of all.

Below is a list of the most commonly used normals. You will notice that not every move Kano had is listed, and that's because not every move Kano has is very useful. In order to use these moves effectively you will need to understand their frame data, how far they reach, and any technical inconsistencies that can occur, but that will come later. For now, just go into training mode and take a look at the moves. Get used to what they look like, whether they hit high, mid or low (it will tell you in screen as the moves connect), and their abbreviations.

Standing 1 (aka 1)

Standing 2 (aka 2)

Back+1 (aka B1)

Back+3 (aka B3)

Back+4 (aka B4)

Forward+4 (aka F4)

Down+1 (aka D1)

Down+2 (aka D2)

Down+3 (aka D3)

Down+4 (aka D4)

Neutral Jump Punch (aka NJP)

Jump In Punch+1 (aka JIP1)

Jump In Punch+2 (aka JIP2)

Jump In Kick+3 (aka JIK3)

Exercise 5

Attack the dummy with each move 10 times in a row. With the jumping attacks, vary when you press the attack button during the jump (you will notice that if you hit the dummy on the way up it will register as a mid, but on the way down if will register as an overhead. Remember this as it will be important later).

Now do each move away from the dummy and immediately press and hold block. Pay attention to how long it takes for Kano start blocking after the move had finished. The gap in between the attack finishing and the block beginning is the move's recovery. Try and get a feeling for which moves have a fast recovery and which moves have a slow recovery.

Stage 1.3 Kano's Strings

Like with the normals, learning to use the strings will require understanding frame data and spacing. We will begin learning this in the combo section. For now, like before, just get used to what they look like and where they hit. Unlike the moves above, I will list all of the strings here as there aren't that many and all of them have their uses to some degree.

1-1 (aka 11)

High, mid

1-1-2 (aka 112)

High, mid, mid

B1-3 (aka B13)

Mid, mid

2-f4 (aka 2f4)

High, mid

3-2 (aka 32)

Mid, mid

3-2-1+3 (aka 32-1+2)

Mid, mid, mid

B3-1 (aka B31)

Low, mid

B3-1-2 (aka B312)

Low, mid, mid

F3-3 (aka F33)

Mid, low

Exercise 6

Perform the strings on the dummy 10 times in a row, varying the speed of the inputs. Try and get a feel for how quickly and how slowly you can enter the inputs and get the strings to come out.

Perform the strings away from the dummy and immediately press block. Get a feel for each string's recovery.

Now that you're familiar with his strings, let's get into the fun stuff; his special moves!

Stage 1.4 Kano's Specials

Universal specials

Knife (down, forward+2)

This is a quick projectile that hits high. It's fast and had good recovery.

Meter burn version throws a second knife that hits mid.

Kano Ball (back, forward+3)

Kano hurls himself across the screen in one of the most ridiculous looking moves in the game. The second hit scores a hard knock down. Travels very far very quickly, but had a lot of recovery, especially if blocked.

The meter burn version has armour and the second hit can be delayed by holding down the block button, resulting in something even more ridiculous than regular Kano ball. This floating ball can be canceled by tapping down-down.

Air Kano Ball (back, forward+3 whilst in the air)

Kano travels through the air, hitting the opponent twice. These second hit is a low, and can be confuse people unfamiliar with the move.

The meter burn version of this move replaces the second hit with and unblockable one, but there is a gap between the hits that Kano can be hit during. This move is extremely unsafe on block.

Up Ball (down, back+2)

An anti-air move at the right distances. Very unsafe on both whiff and block. The meter burn version however had armour and is safe on block (there are exceptions to this however, but they'll be covered later).

Exercise 7

Perform each special and it's meter burn equivalent ten times in a row without making a mistake.

Commando Only Specials

Choke (down, forward+1)

Hits high, used for ending combos and strings. Safe on block, but comes with it's unique set of problems. For the most part it's a good move.

Rib Breaker (down, back, forward+4)

An untechable throw that does more damage than a regular throw and can be option selected off of several moves. This can be tricky to pull off in the beginning, but we'll be covering the execution of this (and Power Slam) later on. For now, give it a go and try and get used to doing the input on the dummy.

Meter burn version had armour and does more damage

Power Slam (down, forward, back+4)

Same as above, but does 1% more and causes a side switch.

Don't worry about the following moves for now:

High parry (down, back +1)

Low party (down, back+2)

Stage 1 Summery

So that is Kano's basic tool set. As you will have noticed, he had no overhead attacks outside of his jump ins, and he needs to be up close on order for most of his strings to hit, which are features that many people consider to be flaws. Do not be discouraged, as Commando has other ways of scoring damage. Before you can do that however, you will need to become proficient at the exercises laid out in this section.

Checkpoint

Do exercises 1,2,3,4 and 7 in order without making a mistake.

When you have completed the checkpoint exercise, move on to Stage 2.

 

[countrypistol]

Stage 2: Basic Combos

Ultimately, Commando is not a character who gets big damage off of combos, and it is arguably the least important aspect of his game. That said, I know you're itching to learn them as they're fun to do, so I'll give you some basic ones to be getting on with and some execution tips for making them easier. There will be more advanced combos to come, so don't worry about the low damage. Also, don't get into the habit of using meter in these combos to boost the damage. Kano has better uses for meter that you will learn in time. For now, practice these as presented. I promise you, damage is coming.

Stage 2.1 Cancelable Strings

For the uninitiated, combos in MKX are performed by using various strings and special moves to launch the opponent into the air and keep him there by juggling them with hits. The more hits you land on an opponent, the heavier their body becomes and the faster they fall, to the point where they fall so fast that no attack can come out quick enough to connect, thus ending the combo

There are several ways this can be done, but the two we will focus on for now are the most common. They are cancels and juggles.

What is cancelling?

Cancelling is where the game will allow you to cut the animation of a move short in order to perform a different move. Confused? Perform a down 4 on the dummy then hold block. See how long it takes for Kano to start blocking? Now do a down 4 again and quickly input forward+2. If done right, Kano should stop the d4 animation and throw a knife instead. That is cancelling in action.

So which strings cancel?

To answer this question, enter training mode and bring up the pause menu. Enter the moves list and look at the table of frame data on the right of the screen. See the number beneath the word 'Cancel'? That is the number of frames at the end of the move that will allow you to cancel into a special. The larger the number, the more lenient the game will allow you to be with your inputs. If the number reads '0', then the move or string cannot be canceled.

The strings we'll be focusing on for now are as follows.

112
b13
b31

Let's start of with a simple combo, 112-Knife, where I'll explain a couple of different ways to perform this and what to avoid.

Section 2.2 Performing Combos

Let's get to it. First of all, enter the following inputs really slowly on your controller.

1-1-2-d-f+2

Did the combo come out? Probably not. Now do it a little faster. Still didn't come out? Try it a little faster. Eventually you'll find the speed where the game registers the inputs as being timed correctly and 112- will cancel into knife throw, netting you a four hit combo.

Got it? Good.

Now enter the inputs as fast as you possibly can. Try it again, even faster. Faster still. Did it go wrong? I hope so, because if I didn't it won't prove my next point...

Some combos require fast inputs and strict timing, but many people's fingers and thumbs lack the co-ordination to pull them off without practice. 112-Knives is an easy combo that many shouldn't struggle with, but done really fast can still cause problems and feel clumsy to some. There are ways to prevent this though, and one of those ways is 'buffering'.

What is buffering?

Buffering is a method of doing two simultaneous inputs to reduce the amount of button presses required to perform combos. A physical demonstration should elaborate better than words.

Enter the following sequence slowly.

1-1-down+2-forward+2

Like before nothing should have happened, so like before keep speeding up until it does.

See? Easy right. Now for the pitfalls of buffering. If done to quickly, your fingers may become uncoordinated and instead of entering:

1-1-down+2-forward+2

They'll instead enter:

1-down+1-forward+2-2

So what will happen in this instance? Well, if you'll recall from previously, 11 is a string unto itself with its own cancel window. Messing up the input will mean that the 2 of the 112 chain won't come out and you'll get 11-knife instead, leading to less damage. As the combos get more advanced, this can become more of a problem. So what's the solution? Start slow, like we did earlier, and build up your speed. Eventually you'll develop muscle memory and not have to think about it.

Stage 2.3 Beginner Combos

So as promised, here are a set of combos to get you started. I'll include two inputs, the traditional input and one featuring buffered inputs. Choose the one that suits you best. If you're having trouble, start slow and build up.

Due to the fact that female characters in MKX have smaller hurt boxes than male ones, it is recommended that you learn all combos by practicing on a female character.

Once you have mastered performing them on the left hand side of the screen, switch to the right hand side. You can do this by going into the pause menu, selecting practice options and changing the following settings:



Mid Screen

112-df2 (1,1,down+2,forward+1)

112-bf3 (1,1,back+2,forward+3)

112-df1 (1,1,down+2,forward+1)

B13-df2 (back+1,down+3,forward+2)

B13-bf3 (back+1,back+3,forward+3)

B13-df1 (back+1,down+3,forward+1)

B31-df2 (back+3,down+1,forward+2)

B31-bf3 (back+3,back+1,forward+3)

B31-df1 (back+3,down+1,forward+1)

Corner combo

The following corner combo uses 32 to juggle the opponent. Juggling, as the name suggests, involves launching the opponent into the air and keeping him there. As Commando has no overhead, all of his corner combos start from B312. The following is a nice, easy juggle suitable for online play. It does use Rib Breaker, but the buffered input should make it easy to do after a little practice.

Start by mastering B312 launcher and juggling your opponent with 32. When you can do that ten times, add the buffered Rib Breaker.

B312-32-dbf4 (back+3,1,2,3,down+2,back,forward+4)

Like with the mid screen combos, once you mastered this one side, you need to master it on the opposite side too.

Stage 2 Summery

As previously mentioned, Commando Kano is not a character who gets huge damage from his combos. That said, getting comfortable with the most basic combos will help you later on when you try to perform his more complicated juggles. For now, learn what had been presented and keep in mind that the true meat of Commando's gameplay hasn't even been touched upon yet. Ready to see how far the rabbit hole goes? Hit the second checkpoint and join me again in Stage 3.

Stage 2 Checkpoint

Perform combo from Stage 2.3 ten times in a row on both sides of the screen without making a mistake.

 

[countrypistol]

Stage 3: Spacing, Hit Confirms, Anti-airs and Wake Ups

Welcome back. Hopefully you're starting to feel confident in your execution, and maybe you've taken Kano online and started to have some success. If not, don't worry. Everything up until this point has been focused on improving your execution, and execution alone does not win matches. Fighting games are a form of strategy game and MKX is no different. The problem is, these strategies are often somewhat elusive, and people use the same vague terms to mean different things. Another problem is that these strategies are difficult to practice in a vacuum. Fighting game skills are refined over thousands of matches, not thousands of hours playing survival mode or beating up the dummy in the training room. So what can you do? The answer is in fact rather simple; you learn to use training mode to replicate the way that living, breathing people play, and then figure out how to counter those strategies with strategies of your own.

Let's begin.

Stage 3.1 Frame Data

Before we go on, we're going to need to cover the concept of frame data and attempt to establish a solid understanding of how moves are designed and why it's important. One of the best things about learning this is that it applies to all fighting games, not just MKX, which will help if you ever decide to pick up any other 2D, or even 3D, fighting game. As Kano would say, fun ay?

To understand frame data, we're going to create a hypothetical move and study it. This move is called the One Second Punch, because it takes exactly one second to perform. It's frame data is as follows:

Start Up Frames: 20
Active Frames: 20
Recovery Frames: 20

Now for some arithmetic. If we know that the move lasts exactly one second, and adding all of the frame data together we know the move last for 60 frames (20+20+20), we can deduce that the game runs at 60 frames a second, and that each frame lasts for one sixtieth (1/60) of a second.

Why is this important? Go into the moves list and look at Kano's B1.

The frame data should read as follows (if it doesn't it is because the game has been patched since this guide has been written and I haven't had chance to update it yet):

Start up: 9 frames
Active:
Recovery: 9 frames

That means Kano's b1 takes 9/60 of a second to start up, is active for /60 of a second and takes 9/60 of a second to recover. From beginning to end, this move lasts for /60 of a second.

Now we know what frames are, we can learn the difference between start up frames, active frames and recovery frames. Fortunately, their names are apt.

Start up frames: The number of frames in the move's animation before the move can damage the opponent. If the opponent is touched by a move during it's start up frames, the opponent will suffer no damage. If you get hit during start up frames, you will take damage and the move will cease.

Active Frames: The number of frames in the move's animation that cause damage. If the move makes contact with the opponent during its active frames, the opponent will take damage.

Recovery Frames: The number of frames in the moves animation after the active frames. If the move makes contact with the opponent during the recovery frames, the opponent will not take damage. During recovery frames, your character cannot block or defend in any way. Only once the recovery frames are complete can you move your character again. If you get hit during recovery frames, you will take damage.

And that's all there is to it. Ok, there's a little more, but we'll get to that later. For now, try to memorise these definitions and we'll get into using this information in a meaningful way.

Stage 3.2: Practicing spacing

Let's look at Kano's b1 again. Activate it and watch what happens. See how he moves forward. Now go stand as close to the dummy as possible. Perform the move. Reposition yourself next to the dummy again and take a tiny step back. Do another B1. Reposition yourself next to the dummy again, but take two steps back and do the move. Keep doing this until you moved so far back that the move doesn't hit the dummy. Go back to that spot. You see that gap between you and your opponent? That the safe space in which it is safe for you to activate B1. Your goal is to not use B1 against a grounded opponent outside of that range. How are you going to achieve that goal? It's exercise time!

Exercise 1

Set the dummy to record and move the dummy back and forth for a few seconds, varying how long you are moving it in each direction. Set the dummy to playback and watch it dance back and forth. Now, move Kano back and forth so that he and the dummy are moving closer together and then further apart in a seemingly random pattern. Now attempt to hit the dummy with B1. Practice hitting the dummy at the maximum range that B1 will allow. Do this for ten minutes.

Feeling comfortable with B1? Now do the same for every grounded move listed in Stage 1.2. Seem tedious? This is how you master spacing, I'm afraid, tedious, bloody minded repetition. What you want to do is burn the safe distances of your move list into your memory so that they become second nature. That way, during a match, you won't be performing moves you good will hit, you'll be performing moves you know will hit.

Happy with that? Then do this.

Exercise 2

Same as above, but using Kano's strings. Have fun!

Ready for another?

Exercise 3

Jumping attacks. Get to it.

Stage 3.3 Some more frame data

So now you should be getting a feel for which moves hit at which distances, which is excellent. But which moves and strings should you be using in which circumstance? Is it just the distance you should be judging, or are there other factors that need to go into your decision making? Would this section exist if there wasn't?

No. No, it wouldn't.

So what are the deciding factors. Ideally, you want a move that comes out quickly, is safe, recover quickly and that can be hit confirmed off of. If any of those criteria confuse you, don't worry, I'm about to explain them to you.

Speed

A fast move is determined by its number of start up frames. The fewer the frames, the faster, and therefore better, the move.

Safety

A move's safety is determined by its Block Advantage. Block advantage is normally represented by a negative number. For a move to be safe you want that negative number to have an absolute value less than the game's fastest moves. As no move in the game has fewer than 6 start up frames, you want to find a move with a block advantage of -6 or less (so -5,-4,etc. If we're talking in strictly mathematical terms, you want a value greater than -6). Some moves have a positive value, and are referred to as being 'plus on block'. These moves can be used for setting up frame traps, which we'll get to later.

Recovery

And finally, if you miss you want the move to recovery quickly so that you can block and stand less of a chance of being punished. The lower the number of recovery frames, the safer the move.

Exercise 4

Open up the move list and look at B1's frame data. Is it safe? Go through all of Kano's moves, strings and special moves. Which ones start up quickly? Which ones are safe on block? Which ones recover quickly if whiffed?

Side Note: The frame data in the strings list refers to the last move in that string. To find the start up frames for string B1-3, you will need to look in the move list for B1's start up frames, then go into the B1-3 data for the block advantage and recovery frames.

Stage 3.4: Hit Confirms

So now you know which moves are safe, now you need to know which ones can be hit confirmed.

What is hit confirming?

Hit confirming is a way of making sure you don't throw out special moves against a blocking opponent. Because special moves do more damage, they are often highly punishable when blocked. There are some exceptions (and if you've done the exercises in the previous section you should know of at least one), but in general, throwing out special moves and hoping they hit is a bad strategy that you should avoid. You do this by hit confirming.

How do you hit confirm?

Hit confirming is one of those things that is easy to learn, hard to master. What you want to do is to do a safe string, see if that string hits, and if it does, cancel the string into a special move. If the string is blocked, don't input the special. Easy right?

Exercise 5

Set the dummy to 'block random kombo' and do 112-bf3. If the dummy blocks, do not input the 3.

Do ten times in a row either side.

Exercise 6

Attempt the same but with every other string that has cancel frames great than '0' (Strings with no cancel window cannot be hit confirmed into specials).

Practice each string for 5 minutes.

Hit confirms are hard

As I'm sure you've discovered, some strings are easier to hit confirm off of than others. Don't worry about it. In Stage 4 you will learn about something that will make this significantly easier to do, and will render the act of hit confirming virtually useless. So why get you to do it? Because the technique you will later learn is an exploit of the game's mechanics that could be patched out at any time. Hit confirms, however, are a skill used across many fighting games. If the patch does come, and option selects are removed, you now have the knowledge to compensate for that. (It'll also come in handy when learning to tick throw off jump in attacks).

Stage 3.5-Anti-Airs

There is no getting around it, jump in attacks are powerful in MKX. That doesn't make then unstoppable though. Fortunately for you, Kano has some solid tools to punish opponents for even daring to think they can jump in on him. Here's what they are and the best way to practice using them.

Exercise 7

Go into training mode with Kano and Tempest Kung Lao. Record Kung Lao doing a JI2 and set the dummy to play back. Now attempt to do two things.

As he jumps in on you, hit his body out of the air with a D2
As he jumps in on you, hit his hat as he swings it towards you

What you should notice is that hitting Kung Lao's body resulted in a hit, but aiming for his hat resulted in you getting hurt. The reason for this is that the hat is the move's hit box, I.e, the part of the animation that inflicts the damage, and the body is the hurt box, the part that receives damage. Learning to anti-air effectively means learning which moves have large hit boxes, and where about you need to hit in order to avoid them.

Exercise 8

Chose a random opponent and record a different attack. Attempt to anti air with the following moves.

D2
Up Ball
Air Ball
Choke
Standing 1
B1
D4
D3
Back dash (for those that are difficult to anti air with the above moves)

Stage 3.6-Wake Ups

Sometimes you'll get knocked down and you'll be forced to make a decision as to what to do when you get up. Some of those decisions will be easy, others will not, but before you can make those decisions you will need to be able to execute the options available to you.

I find this next section is the most fun when practiced listening Chumbawamba on a loop.

Tech rolls

The window for tech rolls can be tight. Some moves, such as throws or Kano Ball, cannot be tech rolled. This state is known as a Hard Knock Down.

Exercise 9

Set the dummy to record a D2 and jump at it. As Kano hits the ground, press either 1234 or a direction (not down). If timed right, Kano should roll to his feet. During this roll, Kano is invulnerable. Practice until you can do ten tech rolls in a row.

Exercise 10

Same as above but with different attacks, both grounded and airborne. Practice until you can do ten tech rolls in a row.

Delayed Wake Up

There are three types of wake up in MKX. The first us a regular wake up, where if you get knocked down and don't press anything, your character will get up by themselves. If you hold down for a brief moment, you character will lift up his head but stay lying down for a moment before standing. Hold down for longer, and you can delay the character for a whole longer until the game forces you to stand. During the time your character is on the ground, they are invulnerable to attack.

Exercise 11

Set the dummy to perform a D2 and jump at it. When Kano is on the floor, hold down and wait for him to lift his head. Repeat this for a couple of minutes, varying the length of time you hold down for. Try to get a feel for the two levels of delayed wake up.

Wake Up Attack

Certain specials can be used on wake up to counter an opponents pressure options. The best attacks for this are ones with armour. Unfortunately for Kano, all of his armoured moves require meter. To balance this out, most of Commando's combos aren't enhanced by using meter, so you can save it for wake ups and reversals (reversals will be covered in stage 7).
Commando Kano's best wake up attacks are as follows:

Meter Burn Up Ball
Meter Burn Kano Ball
Meter Burn Rib Breaker
Meter Burn Power Bomb
High Parry
Low Parry
Meter Burn High Parry
Meter Burn Low Parry

The parries are read dependent and best ignored for the time being. We will get back to them in Stage 7.

Exercise 12

Set the dummy to D2, jump at it and get knocked down. Whilst lying down, input Meter Burn Up Ball. If timed correctly, the words 'Wake Up' will appear over Kano's meter gauge.

Perform ten times in a row without making a mistake

Exercise 13

Work though exercise 11 again using each of Kano's different armoured wake up moves.

A note on armour

Armour only absorbs one hit, and will still sustain damage. That means if Kano had only 1% life left and he gets hit during an armoured move, he will die. If he gets hit by a rapid, multi hitting move whilst armoured (Full Auto Jacqui's guns), the armour will only absorb the first hit and he will be knocked out of whichever move he is doing.

Problems with Wake Up attacks that begin with a down input.

You need to press down to perform a wake up attack, but down is also what you press to do a delayed wake up. If you do a delayed wake up, you cannot then wake up attack. Problems can occur when you see that you're getting knocked down and attempt to input the first part of your reversal too soon, and end up holding down the down button for too long.

Being aware of this problem, keeping a cool head during a match and practicing your wake ups is the best way of preventing this from occurring.

Stage 3 Summery

By building up your knowledge of frame data, and practicing your wake ups, spacing and anti-airing, you will have begun to develop the skills required to actually win matches. What you are learning is how to think about your moves and plan your attacks in a thoughtful way, whilst building up reactions to things on screen that are good to fall back on, like anti-airing jump ins with the right move at the right distance. Learning which moves work best in which circumstance and which wake up options to use when are part of your overall growth as a fighting game player, and will be something you will always be working on. Hopefully, by practicing what I've laid out, you'll be able to spend less time in a match thinking about how to do them, and more time on when to do them.

In Stage 6 we begin looking at some more advanced concepts, so ensure you complete the check point below before continuing.

Check point

Unlike the previous checkpoints where I've set tasks, this one requires you to be honest with yourself. Go through the exercises again and ensure you're comfortable with them. Commit to spending ten minutes each practice session working on either spacing, anti airs, hit confirms or wake ups (or cycle through each of them every four days). Doing this will pay off as much, if not more, than just practicing combos.

 

[countrypistol]

Stage 4: Command Grab Execution And Tick throws

Commando Kano is a grappler. His status as the game's best grappler is easily contested, but with two different command grabs that can be armoured, ticked into, used as reversals and option selected, he definitely suits the description.

Command Throws Over Regular Throws

Normal throws in MKX are an odd beast. If somebody throws you, you have a brief window to prevent the throw from occurring by guessing which direction the opponent intends on throwing you. This is known as 'teching 'a throw. Command grabs have an advantage over regular throws in that they cannot be teched. The trade off is that they are more more difficult to pull off.

Fortunately for beginners, NRS decided not to use the traditional 360 degree motion and instead replaced it with a three input alternative. That doesn't mean the input is without it's difficulties. In order to implement his grabs into your play, you'll first need to learn to execute them on demand. If you're having trouble, here's how.

Stage 4.1 How To Execute Command Grabs

There are several different methods. Let's look at a selection of them using Rib Breaker (down,back,forward+4) as the example.

Method 1: The obvious method

Press all three directional inputs in order, and press 4 at the same time you press forward.

Sound easy enough, right? Well, let's look at a handful of the potential problems.

1) You are a stick user using the game's regular inputs. In order to do down,back,forward clean, you have to enter down, return the stick to neutral, then go back and then forward. This involves a lot of movement in the wrist, and can easily go wrong when hurried. If you accidentally go slightly above the back or forward points into up/back or up/forward territory, Kano will jump, and he can't throw whilst jumping.

2) You're a pad user, but have large thumbs. Going from down to back often result in you getting up/back as well, or sliding from back to forward results in the pad of your thumb gracing the down button and registering the inputs as down, back, down, forward. The game will not recognise these inputs as being an actual command, and Kano will hop forward doing an F4.

3) You have tired muscles due to a day's work using your hands. Lifting your thumb up and down quickly over and over again fatigues the muscles in your hand even more and inputs don't register. Seem's unlikely? I actually suffer from nerve damage in my shoulder that effects my fine motor control. Sometimes, even though I can feel myself pressing a button, I don't apply enough pressure. Because of that I have to seek alternatives.

There are countless other potential causes for people's inability to perform command grabs using the obvious method, but ultimately the cause doesn't matter. Either you can do them consistently, or you need help? If you fall into the latter category, try both of the following and see which one suits you better.

Exercise 1

Method 2: The Slide And Press
This is the method advocated by TYM member @TheJaquio recommends. He says:

"For grabs I slide from [down] to [back] then quickly lift my thumb off the pad and press [forward+4], almost like I am doing two separate inputs. Never slide to [forward]."

Do ten times in a row each side.

Method 3: The mini 360

This is the method I use, inspired by James Chen's advice on performing consistent Shoryukens on a fight stick.

Start on the left side of the screen in the player 1 position. Place your thumb in the down/forward position, and using the pad of your thumb, draw a circle moving clockwise through the points down/forward-down-down/back,back and through to forward. When you reach forward, hold it down and hit 4. Start slow and check your inputs on the input display. Keep increasing in speed until you can perform them ten times in a row. Switch sides and do the same, but this time moving anti-clockwise.

I prefer using this method due to it being one fluid movement, and I find it easier to perform option selects of D1 and D4 using it. It is, however, a problem when used on wake up, as the 3 down inputs can result in a delayed wake up, preventing the attack from coming out. If you find success using the Mini 360 method, I would suggest learning the Slide And Press method for wake ups.

Now you have the basic execution down, let's make things a little trickier.

Exercise 2

Walk up to the dummy, and the moment you reach him, grab it with a Rib Breaker. Reset the screen. Approach the dummy again, but this time grab it with a Power Slam.

Do ten times in a row both sides without making a mistake.

Exercise 3

Reset the screen and forward dash. Attempt to grab the dummy with a Rib Breaker at the first available moment after the dash animation ends (You can buffer the throw inputs towards the end of the dash animation). Reset the screen and repeat using a Power Slam.

Do ten times in a row both sides without making a mistake.

Exercise 4

Reset the screen and run up to the dummy. The moment you reach it, grab it with a Rib Breaker. Reset the screen and repeat using a Power Slam.

Exercise 5

Record the dummy performing a B4 and set it playback. Walk up to the dummy and allow Kano to get swept. Perform a Rib Breaker on Wake Up (You'll know you've done it correctly when the words 'Wake Up' appear above Kano's meter gauge). Allow Kano to be knocked down again and wake up with a Power Slam.
Do ten times in a row both sides without making a mistake. Repeat using Meter Burned versions

Exercise 6

Select Kano as the dummy and record him doing a Kano Ball. Block the Kano Ball and do a Rib Breaker as a reversal attack (You'll know you've done it correctly when the word 'Reversal' appear above Kano's meter gauge.

Do ten times in a row both sides without making a mistake. Repeat using Meter Burned versions.

By now, you should be becoming comfortable with Kano's command grabs and starting to develop some muscle memory. Exercises 5 and 6 will also have helped to develop you skills of performing wake ups without triggering delayed wake ups, and getting reversals before the reversal window closes. In an actual match, you'll likely be wanting to use the meter burned versions as they have a hit of armour, hence you practicing them. That isn't to say that the regular throws don't have their uses because they do, and we're about to cover them.

Stage 4.2-Tick Throws

To fully understand the importance of tick throws, you first need to understand how throws fit into fighting games in general. Attacks, Blocks and Throws relate to each other in a way not to dissimilar to Rock, Paper and Scissors in the game Roshambo. The following will likely be familiar to you:

Rock beats Scissors,
Scissors beats Paper,
Paper beats Rock.

The fighting game equivalent is as follows:

Blocks beat Attacks
Attacks beat Throws
Throws beat Blocks.

Now with fighting games there is a lot more grey area, but this is the basic idea. It is often unwise to throw out random throws in the hope they'll connect, because if the opponent choses to attack your throw will likely get beaten. Instead, you want to force them to block first, and that's why you want to use tick throws.

So what is a tick throw?

A tick throw isn't really a type of throw. It is the name for the process of attacking an opponent with a quick, single hitting attack in an attempt to force them into blocking, then when they are blocking grabbing them with a throw. Seeing as command grabs cannot be teched, they are ideal for this as they are harder to escape (if the opponent has good reactions, they can neutral jump out of the throw, but this can be hard in the spur of the moment).

The following exercise will teach you the traditional method of performing tick throws.

Exercise 7

Set the dummy to 'Block Random Attack' and hit it with a D1 at close range. If the dummy gets hit, hit it with another D1. If the dummy blocks, grab him with a Rib Breaker. Once the dummy recovers, repeat, but this time use a Power Slam.

Practice for 5 minutes each side.
Again, like with Hit Confirming, this isn't the most effective way of implementing tick throws in the current build of MKX. However, as there is still a possibility of Option Selects being removed from the game, I felt it prudent to show you the traditional method first so you are aware how to do it if the need ever arise. The above exercise is also good for improving your reaction speed, so it might be worth practicing it at least once a week. You never know, it might come in handy.

Stage 4.3 Jumping Tick Throws

One situation where the traditional method of ticking comes into play is with jumping tick throws. This is an excellent tool to have in your arsenal, so practice it and practice it well.

Exercise 8

Set the dummy to 'Block Random Kombo' and perform a jump in 3. If the dummy takes the hit, do nothing. If it blocks do a Rib Breaker. Reset the screen and repeat, this time using a Power Slam.

Do ten times in a row both sides without making a mistake.

Stage 4 Summery

Now you should be feeling fairly confident in your ability to land command grabs consistently. Hold on to that feeling. You're going to want it for stage 5.

Check Point
Do exercises 2,3,4,5,6 and 7 in a row on both sides without making a mistake.

 

[countrypistol]

Stage 5 Putting Everything Together To Create A Basic Game Plan

Now I know you're itching to get out there and start inflicting some pain, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet, but I implore you to read this section and attempt to implement what I tell you into your next session, be it online or in person.

What NOT to do

To often inexperienced players will enter matches and attempt to land their heaviest hitting combo or special over and over until victory, and more often that not they'll get their ass handed to them without understanding what happened. They'll call projectile usage 'spamming', mix-ups 'cheap' and accuse the game engine of not reading their inputs correctly. The truth is, these players aren't playing MKX, they're still playing Training Mode. MKX requires more than execution, it requires strategy, and that's what you need to learn to develop. Now, whilst I cannot provide you with a strategy that will immediately outplay every opponent you ever come into contact with, I can give you a template that will simplify things for you during competitive play.

Your Game Plan: Get 'Em In The Corner

Think back to the combos you've been practicing, which one does the most damage? That's it, the corner combo. At 30%, landing three of those will almost win you the round. The problem with corner combos is that the first round doesn't start in the corner, it starts centre screen. It's up to you to get your opponent there. Fortunately, Kano has the tools to do this. To make things simple, stick with the following in the mid screen:

F4
D4
D1
B13
B31
B13-Choke
B31-Choke
Command grabs
Knives
Anti-Airs

When you get to the corner, your goal is to keep them there. How you do this will vary from opponent to opponent. In general though, you'll be looking to land either b13-choke on a non-blocking opponent, your corner combo on a stand blocking opponent, and Rib Breaker on a crouch blocking opponent. If you get knocked down, look for opportunities to use your meter burned command grabs to put the opponent back in the corner. If you get cornered, look to use either regular Power Slam or meter burned Power Slam to switch sides.

Some things to remember.

-First and foremost, things will hardly ever go to plan. You need to accept this and learn to adapt. Most opponents will have been playing their character longer than you and will have their own game plan. What ever happens, keep calm and stick to yours.

-You will lose a lot, especially in the beginning. MKX is a very aggressive game that favours aggressive play. Whilst you can be aggressive with Commando, he's no Erron or Kung Lao. Later you will learn how to exploit your opponent's aggression and make them scared to press buttons, but for now just attempt to pay attention to the attacks they're using and how to block them. Keep calm, push them into the corner, and accept each loss for what it is: a learning opportunity.

-Remember, some corners have intractable escape walls. Learn which stages have them and push your opponent in the opposite direction. Don't make it easy for them to get away.

-Keep in mind that you are still learning. Victory isn't important at the moment, developing solid in game habits is. In the later stages of this guide you will learn some more advanced concepts that will boost both your offence and defence. What you know at the moment is only the tip of the iceberg.

Good luck, and I'll see you again in Stage 6.

 

[countrypistol]

Stage 6: Option Selects

What is an Option Select?

Put simply, an option select is an exploit of the game's mechanics. Traditionally, if you wanted to cancel into an unsafe special you would have to hit confirm your special move to make sure that your opponent doesn't block it and punish you. With option selects, you can bypass this and enter the inputs in such a way that the move will hit confirm itself automatically. This isn't the only form of option select either. That said, there are three main ones that you should be aware of. Instead of describing them, I will link an excellent thread by @UltraDavid. Watch his video first, then we'll go over some execution methods.

http://testyourmight.com/threads/explanation-of-option-selects-in-mkx-by-ultradavid.50948/

Stage 6.1-How To Perform 'Only On Block' Option Selects

By now you should have watched the above video and have perhaps attempted option selects in training mode. If you have them down consistently, congratulations, move on to the next section. If you are having trouble however, don't despair. Below are two methods that may help with the 'Only On Block' Option Selects.

Exercise 1

Find the method that suits you best.

Method 1- Slide and Delayed Press

This is the favoured method of most players. As the title suggests, this method takes the Slide and Press and augments it by inserting a delay before the press. To practice, set the dummy to Block and start by doing a D1 and cancelling it into a Rib Breaker using the regular Slide and Delayed Press method. When you can do this consistently, start by delaying the timing of the press. Keep varying the timings until you find the largest possible delay that will allow D1 to cancel into Rib Breaker. You'll know if you've delayed too long because the Rib Breaker won't come out, and you'll probably end up doing a F4.

Once you've become comfortable with timing, switch the dummy to Block Random Kombo and do the D1-Rib Breaker with the maximum delay. You'll know you've got it right if

When D1 hits, Rib Breaker doesn't come out
When D1 is blocked, Rib Breaker comes out

If the following happens, here's how to correct it:

Problem: D1 hits and cancels into Rib Breaker, whiffing on the staggering opponent. Solution: You are inputting the Press too soon. Leave a larger gap.
Problem: D1 is blocked and Rib Breaker doesn't come out. Solution- You are delaying the press too long. Reduce the gap.
Problem D1 hits F4 comes out. Solution: Check your input display. You are likely not doing the slide correctly
Problem D1 is blocked and F4 comes out. Solution: Check your input display. You are likely not doing the slide properly. If you are, it is because you are leaving too much of a gap between the slide and the press (larger than the gap in problem 2)

Method 2- The augmented mini 360

This is the method I prefer. The idea behind it is to perform one fluid motion instead of two separate ones. If you are having trouble gauging the size of the pause needed to get the Slide And Delayed Press to work, you might find success with this.

Set the dummy to block and do a D1, but with your thumb in the down/forward position. Then, cancel the D1 into Rib Breaker using the Mini 360 method. When you can get this consistent, do the motion on the D-Pad or Stick slower. Try and find the slowest speed that will allow the D1 to cancel into Rib Breaker. You will know you're going too slow when either Rib Breaker doesn't come out, or F4 does.

Once you've become comfortable with timing, switch the dummy to Block Random Kombo and do the D1-Rib Breaker at the slowest speed. You'll know you've got it right if:

When D1 hits, Rib Breaker doesn't come out
When D1 is blocked, Rib Breaker comes out

If the following happens, here's how to correct it:

Problem: D1 hits and cancels into Rib Breaker, whiffing on the staggering opponent. Solution: You are doing the 360 too fast. Slow it down.
Problem: D1 is blocked and Rib Breaker doesn't come out. Solution- You are doing the 360 too slow. Speed it up
Problem D1 hits F4 comes out. Solution: Check your input display. You are likely adding in an extra down or up input
Problem D1 is blocked and F4 comes out. Solution: Check your input display. You are likely entering an extra down or up input. If you aren't, it is because you are doing the 360 too slow (slower than in problem 2). Speed up.

If other methods come about, I will update the guide accordingly.

Once you're happy with your chosen method, let's simulate using them in match situations.

Exercise 2

Practice doing the actions listed below and follow up with a D1-Rib Breaker Option Select, reset the screen and repeat with a D1-Power Slam option select. Do ten times in a row each side without making a mistake.

-Walk
-Forward dash
-Run
-Empty jump
-Jump in 1
-B13

Okay, that's all well and good, but what about the other Option Selects?

To be honest, I haven't really found a good reason to use the other option selects with Commando. For his other variations, having EX Blade Slice or Laser come out on hit only are massively beneficial, but Choke is safe on block and doesn't extend combos, so there's now point option selecting it. An argument could be made for strings into Kano Ball and EX Kano Ball, but as these combos are typically used as punishes, you shouldn't be needing to hit confirm them anyway, rendering the process of option selecting them unnecessary.


D1 doesn't do much damage. Can't I option select of something better?

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, Kano only has one string that can be option selected from and it's one of his worst. Even being able to option select off it doesn't really give you a reason to use it. That said, he can option select off several of his better normals, which on hit give you enough frame advantage to set up frame traps and pressure options (more on that in the next stage).

Stage 6.2-Finding Other Option Selects

So what are these other normals?

I'm not going to tell you. Seem unfair? Stay with me. Instead of just listing which moves can option select into command grabs, I want to give you the methodology for discovering them yourself. That way, if you decide to pick up another command grab character in the future, you won't need to waste time searching forums or asking people.

Exercise 3

Set the dummy to Block All and pick a normal to test (check the frame data to make sure it has cancel frames. If it doesn't, there's no point in testing it). Do your normal and cancel it into rib breaker (some moves have really short cancel windows, making this difficult to do. Keep trying. If it ends up being next to impossible, then the move is probably too unreliable to practice option selecting off).

One of two things will happen:

The dummy will block the move and will be grabbed
The dummy will block the move and the grab will come out but whiff.

If the first result happens, you have found a move worth learning to option select off. If the second happens, ignore that move and try another.

This method works for strings as well (but isn't worth testing on Kano's like I said).

Section 6 Summery

Some people consider option selects dishonest. They're not cheating per-say, but they consider it dishonourable to use them instead of hit confirming, etc. The truth of the matter is that during the current build of MKX option selects exist. Players know about them and players use them. In order to use them well, you need to practice, and being able to use them does not guarantee you a win. A player who uses option selects can, and will, get beaten by players that don't use them. That said, when used in line with a solid strategy, tick throw option selects like the ones shown above can give characters like Commando a fighting chance against the top tiers, as well as making characters like Erron Black and Wrestler Jax down right terrifying.

In the next section we will begin looking at frame traps and capitalising on the advantages offered to you by moves such as D1 and the awesome 32.

Check Point

Using the method of your choice, set the dummy to Block Random Combo and do ten D1-Rib Breaker option selects in a row without making a mistake. Switch sides and do it again.

 

[countrypistol]

Stage 7: Frame traps and pressure

By now you've likely played online and found yourself in a situation where your opponent has you pinned down by an unstoppable barrage if moves that seems inescapable. You may have even tried to copy their play style and attempted to do one string after another hoping to trap them in a snare of your own, only to be punished after the first two hits by an armoured reversal. Is Hellfire Scorpion overpowered? Should Marksman Erron be nerfed into the ground? Or are these players in possession of something that you're not?

Stage 7.1-Not Your Grandad's Frame Advantage

In order to understand what is going on in the above scenario we need to go back into the move list and look at the remaining section of the frame list data, Hit Advantage. Now, if you've played other fighting games you may already have an understanding of how hit advantage works and be tempted to skip ahead. Don't. Hit advantage in MKX is not at all what you're used to. In order to demonstrate how, we'll use his 32 string as an example.

For now the only two details we want to focus on are the block advantage and the hit advantage. For 32 they are as follows:

Block Advantage: -2
Hit Advantage: 51

We already know that -2 means that 32 cannot be reversaled on block because the opponent only has 4 frames to get a move out before you can block (remember, no move has a faster start up than 6 frames). So, logically that would mean that if 32 hits you have 51 frames to act before the opponent can block. Right?

No.

Normally this would be the case, and it's typically how combos in games like Street Fighter are built, but MKX uses a different combo system that uses preset strings (for the sake of clarity, SF doesn't have combo strings like MK, combos are built using single moves and linking them together). Because this combo system is different, hit advantage has to work differently to accommodate it. So, in MKX, when you see 51 frames hit advantage, it doesn't mean that the opponent cannot block for 51 frames after being hit. Instead, it means for those 51 frames they can do nothing but block.

Some things to note about Hit Advantage in MKX

Before we go further, I just want to clarify the rules of MKX hit advantage. Once we understand these rules, we can turn learn how to manipulate them to our advantage.
Let's start with how hit advantage affects your opponent after being hit by 32.

During the 51 frames your opponent:
-Can block high and low and alternate between them
-Cannot jump
-Cannot use normal attacks
-Cannot reversal with specials
-Cannot back dash
-Cannot run

And now your options.

During the 51 frames you:
-Can attack with normals, specials and X-Rays
-Can jump
-Can dash
-Can run
-Can block
-Cannot attack with throws or command grabs

The final point is important when playing a grappler in MKX. Whilst you can cancel strings into command grabs, command grabs will only connect on block (which you will have learnt if you did the traditional tick and option select exercises). If you whiff a grab by cancelling during your opponent's hit stun, you can turn an advantageous situation into an unfortunate one.

Don't let poor execution ruin a solid strategy.

Stage 7.2- Using Hit Advantage to create pressure

So now we have our list of options, how do we use them to our advantage? Well, we understand that after a 32 our opponent can only block. We also know that Commando doesn't have an overhead except for his jump in attacks, so a smart opponent will know to block low and react to your jump. You also know that by getting your opponent to block, you can connect a command grab, if they don't block you can confirm into choke.

So what do we do?

Step 1

First of all, we go into our moves list.

Go down your list of normal moves and look at the frame data. We have 51 frames to start our offence, so begin by ruling out all moves with a start up of more than 51.

Done that? If you've ended up not eliminating any moves, congrats, you've done it right. His slowest start up is his sweep at 16 frames.

Step 2

Next, look at the hit and block advantage. You want to find a move that is safe on block and is plus on hit. A move that is plus on block and hit is ideal. Also, find one that can be cancelled.

You should have standing 2 on your list. For the purpose of illustration, that is what we're going to use.

Set the dummy Block and practice doing 32 followed by 2. Attempt to 2 to come out on the first available frame (you will know you've got the timing down when pressing 2 any earlier will result in the move not coming out).

Let's pause a moment and look at what we've constructed. Change the dummy to Kano and set him to Block: Auto and Reversal:Up Ball. Do your pressure string and immediately block. Up Ball is one of the fastest reversals in the game. See how you blocked it? That's because standing 2 is +2 on block. You can block 8 frames before Up Ball can come out. Why is this good? Because after you've landed your 32, your standing 2 is guaranteed safe damage. Your opponent can either attempt a reversal and fail (possible if they don't know that the move has a massive amount of hit stun) resulting in a hit, or they can block and take the chip damage. If they then reversal using Up Ball and you block, you take some chip damage, but they are full combo punishable. Bye bye 1/3 of their life bar.

What if they don't have a reversal as fast as Up Ball? Well, you can take that +2 on block and push your advantage even further.

Step 3

Go into your move list and look at D4. It is 8 frames on start up. Deduct your 2 frames for being +2 on block, and you'll see that D4 will come out on the 6th frame after the opponent comes out of block stun (remember, this is for situations where the opponent has a reversal slower than 6 frames start up). So, if they attempt to reversal after blocking your standing 2, and you activate you D4 on the first available frame, they will get hit. If they continue to block, they will take the chip. Great, huh?

Not quite. Look at the block advantage. It's -7. If they block it and poke on the first available frame, you are forced to block the hit. If they have a 6 frame normal, like Jax, you'll take the hit and be susceptible to their pressure (which Jax has a lot of).

So we're screwed, right? Not quite. Notice how D4 has a cancel window. Scroll along to the Special Move list and look at choke. -5 on block, better than D4. So, if you were to cancel D4 into choke, you could use it in your pressure string and be safe!

So our pressure string should now look something like this.

32-2-D4xxChoke

Now, because Choke is -5, you can't continue your pressure afterwards, but even if the opponent crouch blocked the entire sequence after 32 they will still have taken a chunk of chip damage. If they stopped blocking, they will have taken more. If they attempted a non armoured reversal, they will have been hit also. In some instances, D4xxChoke can break armour (Jason's armoured grab and other slow moves), so that wouldn't work either.

Some things to keep in mind

Now full disclosure, the pressure sequence above isn't very good. Standing 2 is a high that whiffs on certain characters when they crouch block (it shouldn't, but at the time of writing, it does). Really, when you're creating pressure strings like this, you want to find moves that work against every character. Also, standing 2 doesn't give you much of a chance to hit confirm into anything better than D4. If you were to follow up with a string, say 112, you would have time to confirm into EX Kano ball on hit, or choke on block (or nothing on block to give yourself more advantage and perhaps parry their counter attack, but we'll cover parries more later). The reason we used standing 2 in the above example was because it was good for illustrating the point I was trying to make. Hopefully now you have the understanding needed to create your own, much better sequences, which brings me onto my next point...

Commando Kano is not a pressure heavy character. Kobo Jitsu Tanya and Tempest Kung Lao (among others) have lots of tools to do long pressure chains that chip away at their opponent's health, but you as a Commando player you won't be relying on this tactic. That said, creating a few pressure chain off of strings and mixing them up will help in confusing your opponent and create opportunities for grabs and pushing your victim into the corner.

Sequences like the one above isn't the only way creating pressure. Against reversal happy players, there's another approach you'll want to learn, which we'll cover in the next section. For now complete the following exercise.

Exercise 1

Create your own pressure sequences using the method shown above. Begin with different normals, then go onto using different strings. Check the special moves list too, you might find something surprising...


Stage 7.3- Frame Traps

So now you know the basic idea behind creating pressure strings, and will have hopefully stumbled across a certain meter burned moved with great close range utility (if you skipped the last exercise, I'm not going to tell you which move it is. It's always more fun to discover something yourself). That isn't the only way you can create pressure though. There is a way in which moves with slower start ups can be used to catch out trigger happy opponents. These sequences are referred to as frame traps.

What are frame traps?

Frame traps are pressure strings that use intentional gaps to catch the opponent during their start up frames.

To illustrate this, I want you to consider F4 and Rib Breaker. F4 is +9 on hit. You can cancel F4 into Rib Breaker, but the throw won't connect on hit or block against a grounded opponent (it will against an airborne one). F4 is +9 on hit and -5 on block. When blocked, you can't really follow up with anything, but on hit you have a few options. You could follow up with a D4, 8 frame start up, forcing them to block low, or B1, 9 frames and pressure them. Or you could do nothing for a fraction of a second and back dash, or block, or cross over them. Why do these last three options? To see if your opponent likes to press buttons after being hit.

Imagine you are playing a Jax player. Jax has a great, 6 frame standing 1 that can lead into an overhead/low mix up. Now, you wouldn't want to block his standing 1 (11 has amazing block advantage, as does his Energy Wave, and his 12 leads into a true 50/50. Jax is really fun), so say you decide to back dash instead. You notice, after landing a couple of F4-back dashes, and a few other things, that he likes to throw out his standing 1 as a way if getting his pressure started. Seeing as Jax has great pressure options, you want to dissuade your opponent from pressing buttons when you're near. This is where Rib Breaker comes in.

Rib Breaker starts up in 11 frames. If you land an F4, you are at 9 frames hit advantage. Deduct those 9 frames from the 11 frames start up of Rib Breaker, you'll see that your opponent only has 2 frames to do anything. If Jax does a standing 1, he'll get grabbed out of his start up frames, if he does any other string, he'll be grabbed out of them too. Block? Grabbed. Neutral crouch? Grabbed.

He's damned if he does, and he's damned if he doesn't (unless he jumps, back dashes or uses an armoured reversal. Frame traps are good, but not unbeatable).

Exercise 2

Create your own frame traps by assessing the frame data and testing against the dummy. To test, set the dummy to a non-armoured reversal (ideally, that particular characters best/most used one), and see if it comes out. Sometimes, some reversals will appear to hit you before their start up should allow. In these instances, consider tweaking the frame trap by using an armoured special, or baiting the reversal, back dashing and punishing (for now, punish with 112-choke, a command grab or up ball, depending on which is best suited to the situation).

Stage 7 Summery

As I said before, frame traps and pressure are important, but they're not the cornerstone of Commando's game in the way they are with characters like D'Vorah and Liu Kang. Instead of taking the approach of saying "This is an example of a frame trap, learn it, this is another, learn this too" etcetera ad infinitum, I felt it better to provide you with the formula for building pressure sequences and traps of your own. The added advantage to this is that by understanding how frame traps work, you can better learn how to defend against them, which is an area that Kano is equipped to deal with better than most.

For now, study his move list, learn what you can get away with, and remember that frame data can change with each patch, shutting down some options, but also opening others up.

Further Reading

@MsMiharo has done an excellent job collating several uses for some of Commando's better moves (including a certain special that will remain unnamed) and putting them into video form. I have linked the thread below, just incase it hasn't been stickied at the time of your reading this.

http://testyourmight.com/threads/hugboiz-commando-tactics-guide.55214/

 

[countrypistol]

Stage 8- Advanced combos

This is going to be the shortest section of the guide for the simple fact that @DougDFC has already put together an excellent thread with Kano's most practical combos across all his variations. It will come as no surprise to you to discover that Commando's list (and accompanying video) are the shortest, and has the lowest max damage to boot (40%, and is pretty difficult despite its appearance).

Instead of giving you a list of combos, I'm going to do the same thing I've done with the rest of this guide and outline how you should learn combos, and what to consider when searching for alternatives to the ones you already know.

Stage 8.1- Finding and learning advanced combos

First of all, if your execution is still in need of much improvement, don't stress out when you try a max damage combo for the first time, only to discover you can't connect the second part consistently, if at all. Max damage combos are generally hard. The person who created it has pushed the character, and his execution, as far as the game engine will seemingly allow him to, save for any ridiculous criteria needed to be met in the first place (i.e, a juggle off a certain interactable, on a certain point on the screen, against a large character only, etc). One day you might be able to perform them at will, but right now I wouldn't bother. My favourite corner combo does 35% meterless. The max damage does 40% meterless (there's no real need to use meter in Commando's combos). The 35% is significantly easier and can be altered to a 37% combo for only a slight increase in difficulty. Online, I use the 30% combo listed in the earlier combo section, because it had a massive window to connect the juggle, and is easier to land with lag. Matches are much more fun for me when I can focus on footsies and patterns, instead of tight execution. If you want a combo heavy Kano, check out @Derptile's excellent Cutthroat guide.

So, what should you be looking for? Quite simply, the combo should be practical. You can cancel MB-Kano Ball in a combo, but it burns a bar of meter that could be essential for a reversal, and adds hardly any damage. You also want it to start off of a useful move. Wonder why nobody is creating combos off of F33? Because F33 is bad. It might lead to 50% meterless somehow (although I doubt it), but because of the horrible range on the second hit, and the fact that the opponent only has to block low against Commando because he lacks an overhead, it is next to useless (b3 is better because it is the start of a chain and can catch people unaware. F33 has the low as a second hit, basically telegraphing what you intend to do next).

You also want it to be comfortably difficult. A challenge is good, but if after half an hour you can't connect the first two parts of a five part sequence, it could probably do with some simplifying.

So, when you're learning combos, what should you do? The best advice I can give is to go slow. Look at your inputs, figure out what can be buffered using the techniques you've already learnt, and build up your speed slowly.

Remember: A bad execution habit is harder to break than it is to learn.

Other things that can help are:

-Normalise your combos. It is easier to develop muscle memory for one sequence than it is for several, so try and find combos with different starters that go into similar sequences. Personally, I like 32-32-Rib Breaker, so I've practiced going into it off of B312 (in the corner), Overhead NJP and Instant (Mid) NJP. Other players like 32-112-Rib Breaker, which does more damage (but is harder to land). By normalising your combos, each time you practice one variant, you are practicing all variants that use the same sequence, maximising your practice time.

-Learn to watch the dummy and pay close attention to where they need to be on the screen for certain parts of the combo to connect. Is your move a high and going over the dummy? Try hitting it earlier. Are you doing 112 only to discover a single standing 1 is coming out? Well, seeing as 12 isn't a chain, you're probably doing 112 too early and the first 1 isn't registering as Kano is still in recovery frames.

-Using audio clues, either in game sounds or controller sounds. Listen to the rhythm of your button presses if it helps. Turn off the in game sound and go by the sound of your buttons alone (this can be helpful for online play, where the in game sounds are delayed due to lag).

-Add useless inputs, or tap the controller with your spare fingers. This might sound odd, but some moves have a cinematic (or just long) animation. By tapping down on the dpad/stick in a steady rhythm during them, or tapping your finger against the side or back, you can keep a constant rhythm of movement, which will aid in developing muscle memory. Gaps are harder to judge than steady beats.

-TYM member @EntropicByDesign suggests this:

"In the spirit of this.. A little execution training, I dunno, stratagem, that I feel like has helped me..

When I'm.bored I'll put on a movie, load up training mode and while watching the movie, spam whatever it is I'm.practicing. be it a combo or.input or whatever. Now, the trick is, I really watch the movie. I don't pay attention to MKX at all, outside the tiniest little piece of my attention. What typically happens is after 20m or so, I end up totally.focused on the.movie and my practicing becomes almost subconscious. I'll.continue through the whole movie. I feel like this has helped me really bury executions deep down.

Also, don't train too much. If you start to go on tilt while training and the combo you were hitting 7/10 turns in to 1/10/, STOP STOP STOP. Step away. Do something else. At that point you are now building incorrect muscle memory.

Know when to stop and relax."

Stage 8 Summery

As I stated in the opening to this stage, I don't have much to say about combos, but that really shouldn't be a problem. There is a wealth of information out there detailing which combos work best in which situations, and tips on how to perform them, as well as countless videos showing them being performed if you're unsure on their timing or viability. Combos are one of the easier things to understand in fighting games, you either input the buttons correctly and got the combo right or you didn't. The problem with combos is that practicing them is just the start. Getting it down 10/10 times in practice mode doesn't guarantee that you'll ever hit it in a match. Combos are a reward, extra damage that you get for playing solid footsies. This is why hit confirms, spacing, frame advantage and everything else we have covered so far is important; without them your combos are useless.

That said, pick a combo you like for each situation, learn to execute it 10/10 times on both left and right and drill them into your muscle memory. The next stage will cover finding those opportunities for landing that all important damage.

Further Reading

Check out @DougDFC's combo thread linked below. If you have any execution questions, that's the place to ask them.

http://testyourmight.com/threads/the-kano-kombo-thread-2-0.54390/

 

[countrypistol]

Stage 9: Zoning, Parrying, Whiff Punishing, reversals and match up knowledge

You will likely notice a trend developing with this section and the previous two, in that they are much shorter than what preceded them, despite arguably covering larger, more detailed topics. This section will prove to be worst offender in that case because I have combined several very large topics into a single, relatively short Stage. Don't misunderstand me, I am not downplaying the importance of the topics covered in this section, they are some of the most important elements of your ongoing success with any character, in pretty much any fighting game. The problem is that, unlike teaching you the basics and giving you exercises to bring your skills and awareness to a level where you can begin to compete, the following information should not be taught. Again, I do not mean that you should not strive to learn it, or that once learned that you shouldn't share any breakthroughs with other players. What I mean is that, with something like match up knowledge against Tempest Kung Lao, I could list absolutely every optimal punish for every possible scenario and give you a step by step guide on how to handle everything he could throw at you, but reading it won't actually teach you anything. These topics are best learned first hand, with some basic guidance as to what you should consider, and then your creativity should be allowed to run wild. By all means, when you're stuck, hit up the forums and ask for advice, but only do that after going into training mode and testing things out for yourself. Very often, new players will decry a certain tactic as being 'overpowered' or 'broken' without ever really investigating into what it might be that they are doing wrong. By learning the following things first hand, you will begin to view the game and your character differently, and gain a deeper understanding for how things work and which strategies to apply in certain situations. Your growth from a beginner to an intermediate starts with these skills, not combos or option select execution.

But before all that, let me first have a little word with you about Kano's knives.

Stage 9.1- Zoning

All three of Kano's variations have excellent projectiles, with Cybernetic having the best.
They are so good that many players reading this guide could well criticise me for not having introduced them to you sooner. Now, admittedly, I don't use knives as much as I should, but that isn't the reason I have left them out until now. I have excluded them because they are, in fact, good. So good that they have the potential to become a crutch for players of a particular mindset, in the same way that Air Kano Ball and Up Ball was for me (I'm slowly breaking those habits). Many characters in MKX have the tools to punish projectiles (mainly those with teleports) and I, rightly or wrongly, felt it better to establish a solid grasp of his normals and close up game, before introducing his knives and zoning. Commando is a grappler after all, and most of his damage is done up close. His knives can be used to get you close, and control your opponents position on the screen. Either way, if you've introduced them into your game already or not, I'm going to go over a few ideas and approaches that will help you begin to get more out of his excellent, pointy, projectile.

What is zoning?

Zoning is the name given to projectile throwing in fighting games. Characters who are considered good zoners are those with projectiles that can be difficult to manoeuvre around. The general idea of zoning is best exemplified in MKX by Full Auto Jacqui. Her basic game plan is to get full screen from the opponent and stay there, harassing the opponent with her machine gun projectile. This projectile is one of the most frustrating things for beginners to learn to handle (and was widely complained about in the first few months of the game's life). What makes it difficult to handle is that a) it's quick, b) the projectile lasts for a long time, making it difficult to jump over and c) it builds a lot of meter if blocked. When full screen against a zoning Jacqui, characters without teleports have to crouch underneath the projectile, and make their way in slowly during her recovery. The thing is, Jacqui wants you to do this, because when you reach a certain distance, she has a low rocket that can hit grounded opponents at around jump distance, and a diagonal anti air rocket that hits jump ins. Jacqui's goal is to make the opponent feel desperate, and in that desperation make a mistake that she can punish, send you full screen, and repeat the process.

Generally, the goal of a zoner is not to use projectiles to damage the opponent, but with the intention of provoking them into making a predictable mistake.

So, if Kano is a grappler, what use is his projectile?

In most fighting games, grapplers have no full screen presence at all. Playing against a grappler is usually straight forward: don't let them get close. Kano's projectile is interesting because it changes this approach. Now, when full screen, Kano has an option to damage the opponent, albeit for a small amount. This complicates the standard approach to fighting a grappler, and opens up opportunities for Kano to close the gap. Now, instead of struggling to get in against an opponent, Kano can use his knives to force the opponent to come close in an attempt to make up for the damage they've taken. This is great, because opponents tend to jump at a certain distance, or use ranged mid strings from others (depending on the character), and will fall prey to anti-airs from d2, b1, up ball, counter pokes from d4, b1, punishes from Kano Ball, an MB-Ball cancel combo, MB- Command Grab or a parry. Once their pressure has been interrupted, Kano can switch gears and begin pressuring them using block strings and frame traps, or bait a wake up attack and punish accordingly.

As projectiles go, Kano's knives are a solid option, but in no way fool proof. Poor usage will result in full combo punishes, which in MKX can mean half of your life bar, if not more. Over time, with general experience and match up specific training, you'll learn which situations require knives and which don't, but this will come with time. For now, the most important change you can make is thinking of projectiles as NOT a damage option. They are there to annoy the opponent and force them into making mistakes. Remember this, internalise it, and you should begin to find them very useful.

Some specific uses for projectiles

Forcing your opponent to jump

This tactic started life in the first iteration of Street Fighter 2 and has found it's way into pretty much every fighting game since. It works better in MKX for characters like Cybernetic Kano and Mournful Kitana who's projectiles can't be ducked, but you can still get some usage of it, especially against less experienced players.

The psychology behind it is simple. When you throw projectiles, your opponent has a limited set of options. They can block and take the chip damage, they can duck and take no damage (but at the cost of being unable to act) and walk or run in during your recovery, they can parry (this is limited to only a small number of characters) or armour through, or they can jump in to start their offence. Despite the strength of the other options, many players will opt to jump, often owing to impatience (after running, jump ins are the fastest way to close the gap). If you notice that your opponent is jump happy, there is a good chance they will attempt to jump in around 2/3 to full screen away after you throw one or two projectiles. When they do, anti-air them with b1 into a juggle combo for a sweet 25-30%.

Shutting down character's set ups

Reptile's force balls are a good example of this. Once they're out they control a lot if space, and cannot be gotten rid of by hitting Reptile (unlike Sub Zero's clone or Predator's traps). If a Reptile player notices hesitation at full screen, they'll often capitalise on it by releasing a force ball and following behind it for a mix up.

Because of the tactical strength of force balls, they have a slow start up. If you interrupt this start up, the ball won't come out. If you sense your opponent is going for a force ball, throw a knife to shut them down.

Other examples include Summoner Quan's spells, Kotal Kahn's projectiles, Jax's Ground Pounds and similar moves.

Establishing a pattern with the intention of breaking it

Whilst this applies to pretty much every element of fighting game stratergy, a good place to begin experimenting is with projectiles.

9.2 Match Up Experience

Before you think I've missed half of the topics listed in the title, rest assured I have not. Reversals, parries, and whiff punishes are all best studied in the context of match ups. You could take the approach of throwing out random parries mid screen hoping to catch opponents off guard, or throw out your most damaging punish combo after every blocked special move, and you might even have some success, but you'll likely end up running into more walls against solid opponents, and only scoring victories against weaker opponents who do widely unsafe things that allow for easy reads and punishes. Some players swear by this as the only real way to learn, believing that after enough punches to the face, you'll start to recognise what you're doing wrong and stop doing it. The problem with that approach is that your mistakes are not always glaringly obvious, especially not to you. The method I suggest, although no replacement for actual match experience, can supplement the aforementioned style of learning, and cut down on the number of said face punches you need to receive in order to progress.

Learning your match ups

There are a lot of characters in MKX, with each variation serving as a character unto itself. Learning how to punish and counter every move, string and special is a mammoth task, and that's just the foundation needed to full train against all the possible mix ups and strategies that opponents can use. That said, because of the way tiers work, and how certain characters become flavour of the month whilst others fade into obscurity, you can priorities this task to maximise it's real world utility. So, pick a character, any character, and let's begin learning how to tear him/her apart.

Step 1: Learn what can't be punished.

Kano isn't the only character with moves that are safe on block. If you're going to attempt to reversal or full combo punish your opponent's pressure, learn to recognise the strings and moves that can't be punished. Doing this is easy. Go into the moves list and make a note of every move and string that is safe on block. Then, set the dummy to record and record the dummy moving back and forth, occasionally performing these moves and strings (you don't have to do every move in one recording. Break the task up and learn 2-3 at a time). Learn to identify not only the string and it's high/low blocking order, but also the distance required for it to hit and whiff. Remember, because a move is safe when blocked, doesn't mean it's safe when it misses entirely.

Step 2: Practice Punishing Specials

Because special moves do more damage, they tend to come with greater risk. Also, as well as their use in combos, zoning, footsies, etc, they're also more fun than regular punches and kicks. Because of this, newer players will tend to gravitate towards using specials at inopportune and predicable moments, and better players will, of purse, use them as intended. Because of their utility, fun factor and increased risk, you'll see certain specials more than other moves, so learning to defend against them is a good starting point. Set the dummy to record and perform the special you wish to defend against on your character, followed by a standing block, then again followed by a crouch block, then again followed by a back dash, again followed by a neutral jump, then one last time followed by that character's fastest poke. Set the dummy to playback, block the special and punish with a full combo, grab, armoured special, basically everything you can think of. Figure out which options punish the majority of the follow ups, which only do a few and which don't work at all.

Whiff punishing

Sometimes you don't have to block a move to punish it. In MKX, lots of moves are safe if blocked, but unsafe if they miss entirely. In situations against players who use a lot of safe moves and pressure, making a move whiff by staying just outside it's range and baiting your opponent to throw it out can lead to damage opportunities that blocking won't afford you. Of course, it's a riskier approach, but if you're careful and pay attention to your opponent's tendencies, you can mitigate a lot of that risk.

To practice whiff punishing, set the dummy to record, move the dummy back and forth and perform the move or string you want to punish (ensuring not to hit your character with it), and do it followed by a stand block. Continue to move the dummy back and forth and do the move again with a crouch block, then again followed by a back dash, then again followed by a neutral jump, then again followed by that characters fast poke (you can mash the button to get it to come out on the earliest possible frame of that helps). Now, learn which ranges require the move to be blocked, and which cause it to miss completely, and when they miss which punishes get the most damage and beat out which follow up options.

Reversal Timing

Reversal timing can be tricky. The benefit to getting the reversal timing right is that the move will come out on the first available frame, guaranteeing a punish if the frame data and spacing are correct, but to do it requires strict timing and often a solid read. To do a reversal, you have to stop blocking the last hit of the chain or special, and release block the instant you see the final hit connect, and upon releasing block enter the input for your reversal (note: only specials and throws can be done as reversals, not normals or strings). Doing this correctly will mean that the moment Kano is out of block stun, he will perform your chosen attack. The problem is, few moves allow for such predictable timing. Good players will mix you up by getting you used to a particular string, conditioning you to punish at a certain point, then bait that punish attempt by cutting the sequence short and getting you to release block before attacking again.

Kano's best reversals are Up Ball, which is his fastest move, both command grabs, or EX Kano ball canceled into a full combo. 112 and 32 are good, but as they are normals they will require you to time them perfectly yourself. The following exercise will show you how to practice both timings.

Exercise 1

To begin, choose a character with a punishable special (Scorpion's teleport or slide are good for this) and record the dummy performing a string canceled into the special on a blocking Kano, then immediately back dash (backdashes are grab immune, so if you opt for a grab and miss time it, the back dash will force it to whiff and you will have a clear indication of your failure). Set the dummy to play back and block the sequence of attacks. The moment the last attack hits, quickly release block and input the special of your choice. If you've timed it right, the special will come out on the first available frame and hit Scorpion before he backdashes. The game will inform you that you got the timing right by briefly displaying the word 'Reversal' above your meter gauge.

Parries

A handful of characters in MKX have parries, all with their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. Kano's are somewhat easy to understand; high parry parries highs, overheads and mids, low parry parries only lows, and neither parry projectiles or jump ins. If you guess right, you do a significant chunk of damage (just shy of 20%), and if you guess wrong you are easily punished. It probably goes without saying, but using them requires a pretty solid read, and reads can be difficult to teach. With that said, I can give you a couple of situations to consider that will introduce how to use parries and help develop your ability to make reads.

Parries on wake up

You knock your opponent down and notice that they like to wake up with the same move (Goro's Punch Walk, Sub Zero's slide and Ermac's teleport are some popular examples). Instead of blocking, parry low or high depending on the attack (with attacks like Ermac's teleport, the parry will auto correct so that it doesn't matter about him attacking from behind you) instead of blocking and damage them for 20%. A few good parries and your opponent will, if they're paying attention, change their wake up habits, allowing you to change yours and go for a grab/low mixup.

Parries after a blocked choke.

This was one told to me by @MsMiharo. After a blocked b13-choke, you have four follow ups; dash, EX grab, NJP or parry. If they like to go for a low, low parry and NJP will beat them, with NJP also being able to catch some people just as they release block and attempt to back dash. Ex grab will beat out several pokes and single hitting attacks, and those who chose to block, and back dash will put you out of range of moves like Tempest Lao's spin that will beat out your other options. Watch what your opponent likes to do after a blocked choke and adjust accordingly.

During run cancel pressure

Commando, despite his flaws, can actually fair rather well under run cancel pressure. A good example of this is Hellfire Scorpion, who will often use 214-fireball cancel-214... to start his pressure. Most players are forced to block or use meter to armour through, but Kano can block the first 214 and do a reversal parry to shut down Scorpion for free. Good players will mix up their attacks after the fireball cancels, but matchup knowledge will give you an idea of what your opponent is likely to do and how best to counter it. Regardless, if you can make the opponent scared to apply their block string pressure, you can remove a large part of their game plan and force them to change to a less effective gear, giving you the advantage.

During footsies

Do you notice that your opponent only has one or two footsie normals, like Jonnys D4 or Kotal's B1, the second they get into a certain range? It's because those normals are really good, and they often have fairly good follow ups in mind depending on whether you get hit or manage to block (or they're a lower level player who just recognises that the move hits more than it misses, or isn't easily punished)? Get into that range and parry. Again, a few good parries will scare them out of pressing buttons, giving you the advantage to press your offence instead.

During footsies 2: Gaps in strings

This is something better suited to offline play due to the shifting input windows online, but good to learn regardless. The following thread has a list of known gaps and the type of parries required to abuse them (Please note that gaps can be reduced or removed entirely with patch updates, so it might be good to refresh your knowledge from time to time, as well as reading patch notes when they drop).

A note on parries

Parries are simple in terms of execution only. As moves go, they are one of the most read dependent and punishable, whilst arguably offering little in the way of reward for getting them right (they're not putting people into juggle states for 30%+ like an armoured launcher, and they also don't have the advantage of a hit box that armoured launchers have either). Most top tier characters don't have parries, because they don't need them. That said, no move can throw off an opponent more than a well placed parry, because parrying is the best way to tell an opponent 'I'm in your head'. Once you scare the opponent like this, one of three things will happen 1) they will freeze up, worried that you'll predict their action, allowing you to go on the offensive, 2) They'll do something reckless hoping to throw you off or 3) They'll stick to their same game plan, either because they're solid players who know how to follow a stratergy, or they're weak players who have no stratergy.

I've left parries until last because there is a good chance that the skills required to succeed with them are ones you have not developed yet. Personally, I'm bad with parries. When I'm against a heavy block pressure character who I know I can parry, I will look for opportunities to do so, but only those opportunities and forget about my other options (poking, back dashing, NJP, armouring out), which is a huge mistake. Whilst my mind is busy, my character isn't, and I'm just a sitting target allowing my life to be drained by chip pressure. However, whilst I'm blocking, I'm also slowly learning what my opponent's options are, which will come in handy later. True progress in fighting games isn't marked by your win ratio, but a steady accumulation if knowledge and understanding. Whilst losing isn't fun, if you can turn those losses into learning experiences and take something away from each one, you'll gradually improve and feel more comfortable. And when that day comes, you and I will be parrying fools high and low all over Outworld.


Conclusion

Everything listed here is a jumping off point designed to point you in the right direction. Part of the transition from beginner to intermediate is learning to use your character's took kit in a planned out, thoughtful manner. I the heat of a match, with less than a second to react, the temptation to throw out an armoured move or wild jump in punch in the hope that it'll hit and do so damage can become overwhelming, but it will rarely lead to success. Commando Kano doesn't have cheap moves or easy mix ups. You can't just throw out safe overheads and combo starters, because he doesn't have them. You'll need to learn how to adapt, play strategically, and force your opponent to make mistakes. Thoughtful zoning, well rehearsed reversals and well spaced whiff punishes will help you to shut down your opponent's defence and force them to play your game.
This is only the beginning. In Stage 10, we'll go over how to begin developing these concepts and formulate your own game plan based on first hand experience. Feel free to move on once you're comfortable with the subjects discussed above.

 

[countrypistol]

Stage 10: Watching match up replays and developing an ongoing improvement plan

For me personally, the idea of sitting down and watching my replays back fills me with dread. The thought of sitting back and watching an honest account of the match is far less preferable to me than shutting my eyes and recalling it through a rose tinted haze. That blocked Air Ball that led to a 40% punish wasn't a sign of me desperately trying to close a full screen gap. Nope, not at all. It was a masterful read, countered only by my scrubby opponents yolo blocking. And that parry when he jumped in at me? Well, it would have worked if the noob hadn't jumped at jump in range like he had been the entire match. Nope, I'm great, everyone else is a scrub, using scrub tactics, and blah, blah, blah, cover my eyes, cover my ears, my ego is dented enough as it is.

Sound familiar?

Memory can be a tricky thing. How many matches can you honestly recall second for second, blow for blow. How often have you been so focused on trying to land a new combo or tick throw that you miss out on valuable information and end up getting hit by the same mix up over and over? In the early stages, this mindset can be difficult to avoid. What you take into a match is the sum total of your practice time. Just been practicing max damage corner combos without practicing on getting your opponent in the corner? Good luck mid screen. Have you been practicing your spacing against a stationary dummy? Good luck against a moving target. As you improve and move away from basic execution, you also need to move away from thinking about your character only and what it is you want to do. One way to help develop this ability is to watch your old replays and assess your decisions based on the context of the match and the information available to both parties at the time. By practicing these abilities over time, you'll gradually notice a shift in your approach in game, and will not only be able to punish familiar set ups and reads based on typical character traits, but also notice when your opponent has developed a read on you, prompting you to shift gears and mix up your play. Below is a very basic template for how to approach watching back your match replays and get the most out of them. For some, this approach can be the single biggest factor in their transition from a feckless beginner to a solid winning, intermediate player. As you progress, you will no doubt adapt the approach to your needs and temperament, and that's fine, so long as what you're doing continues to work. If you begin to find that it doesn't, strip it back to basics and start again.

Step 1

To begin, record yourself playing or go into the extras menu and select a replay (Only matches in ranked and player lobbies will be saved to the extras menu. Consult your platform's user guide to find the best way of recording if you wish to review private sets). Select a match you wish to review and, if possible, import it into a media viewer that gives to the option to pause, rewind and fast forward (if you lack a reliable media player, upload the clip to YouTube and use the YouTube media player. Set the video to private if you wish nobody else to see it).

Step 2

Watch the match through in full without taking notes. Why? Well, in order to ensure that you review your match as objectively as possible, you need rid yourself of any discomfort or pride that could be associated with your plays. Your feelings can taint your objectivity, and can ended up a) making you blind to bad plays in a match that you won, or b) make you blind to good plays you made in a match you lost.

Watch the match through once and note how you feel. If you're feeling level headed and analytical, move onto the next step. If you still feel pride/anger/disappointment, etc, still bubbling beneath the surface, watch the match through again. Once the initial elation/sorrow has subsided, move onto the next stage.

Step 3

For the next run through, pay attention to your opponent, taking notes as you watch. What did they do as the round started? Was it successful or did it fail? What was their second play? Was it a repeat of the first, or did they change it? If it was a repeat of the first, were they doing so because it worked first time, or, if it failed, was repeating the play a good or bad strategy? If they knocked you down or got you into a standing reset, what did they do afterwards? If you knocked them down, how did they wake up? How often are they using meter? Are their meter burn decisions good or bad? Did they use x-Ray first chance they got? Did they do anything you are unfamiliar with? Are they using a combo or set up that seems broken or unfair?

Keep going through the match and pull apart your opponent's game. If you notice any combos or tactics that you don't know how to counter, take a note of the time stamp from where the move starts. You may want to refer to them later.

Step 4

Now, watch the matches through again, but put yourself in your opponent's shoes, asking the same questions as you asked in Step 3. Break down the strengths and weaknesses in your own game. Was there something that you kept doing that, if it was done to you, you would exploit? Did your opponent exploit it in a different way? Was there something that usually works that didn't this time around? Can you see why this might have been? Keep going until you have completely dissected your play.

Step 5

Watch the match through again, this time trying to recall what you were thinking the very first time you played, and compare that to your notes. In retrospect, which decisions were good, which were bad? Are there any decisions that you thought were really good at the time that you now see as questionable? If there are, pat yourself on the back. You've just developed as a player.

Step 6

Remember your opponent's plays that you time stamped? Watch them through again and take note of the inputs, spacing, etc. If you don't know the input, just take a note of what it looks like (two punches them a low kick, punch-kick-punch moving forward, etc). Now go into training mode and learn the set up/combo, taking note of the frame data. Once you've learnt it, record the dummy doing it and set it to playback. Now, spend some time coming up with as many defensive options as you can. What are the blocking patterns? How much range does the move(s) cover? Are there gaps that can be armoured/back dashed/poked out of? What much/little block advantage does it have, and which moves can punish it? Does it require meter? Is there a way of baiting out and punishing a meter burn? Can you parry at any point? Can you anti-air? Is the only way to defend against it to make it whiff and punish the recovery?

Go through everything you ear marked and break it down. The general rule for fighting games is 'every move can be countered'. Occasionally moves exist that are so strong that no practical counter exists, but these are few and far between (and with the advent of patches, they don't tend to last too long). If you are really struggling, hit up the forums and ask. As a Commando player, some matches like Bone Shaper Shinnok and Grandmaster Sub Zero will be gruelling, and you'll have fewer options than you'd like, but don't decry something as 'overpowered' or 'broken' before really studying it and surveying all of your options.

Building an ongoing improvement plan

One of the most difficult things for some fighting game players is being able to identify progress in the face of loss. Competative games attract competitive people, and those people often use thier victories over others as a measure of success. This approach can and will lead to frustration. Now of course winning is fun, and the point of practicing is to secure more wins, but you're not going to want to practice if you don't feel it's getting you anywhere.

If this pattern sounds familiar to you, what I propose you do is this: forget about competing with others and focus on competing with yourself. Every day aim to become 1% better than you were the day before, be it in terms of execution, footsies, punishes, whatever. If you can learn to recognise your own progress, it will encourage you to push yourself further. The benefits of this are two fold. Not only will losses have less of an impact on your state of mind, but you'll end up having less of them over time.

Watching back your matches and picking areas to focus on is a great way of honing your skills. It doesn't have to be done daily, but try to do it frequently and catch those bad habits that are costing you matches.

Afterword

Congratulations my friend, you've reached the end of the guide. Hopefully by now you've taken Kano out into the real world and are in the process of carving out a reputation for yourself as a fearsome Commando main. Then again, perhaps you're feeling like Kano isn't the right fit and you want to try out someone new. However things have turned out, you should now have a firm understanding of what it takes to take a character you know nothing about and bring your understanding to a competitive level. One of the best things about fighting games is that you're never completely done learning, and there is always room to progress and satisfaction to gain in doing so. The process can be frustrating at times, and down right punishing at others, but once you reach a point where execution had taken a back seat and strategy begins to take hold, all that effort and salt suddenly seems worth it.

 

[countrypistol]

Misc

Further Learning

Kano has two other solid (read: better) variations in Cutthroat and Cyber, and two very good guides to help you get started. Here they are:

Derptile's Cutthroat Guide:

http://testyourmight.com/threads/derptiles-cutthroat-kano-guide.55448/

Youphamism's Cyber Guide:

http://testyourmight.com/resources/youphs-living-guide-for-cybernetic-kano.8/

Technical Inconsistencies-

Unfortunately, at the time of writing this guide, Commando suffers from several whiff issues. If you wish to familiarise yourself with them (and I strongly suggest you do), here are several threads detailing the known problems:

http://testyourmight.com/threads/making-ex-command-grabs-whiff.56378/

http://testyourmight.com/threads/fixes-commando-needs-and-buffs-he-could-use.56529/

http://testyourmight.com/threads/hugboiz-commando-tactics-guide.55214/

Special thanks

Thank you to the following:

Those of you who contributed to the guide in any way. If I've forgotten to credit you above, don't hesitate to tell me.

Everybody from the Kano Conspiracy and others from the Kano forums for fighting the good fight and coming up with much needed tech.

My Devil Apes brothers for helping me to improve and test out ideas.

And lastly I just want to thank everybody for their patience and kind words during the creation of this guide. I've kept several people waiting in between updates, and hopefully for those people it was worth the wait. Due to the evolving nature of the game, I'll never consider this guide truly done until the final ever patch has landed and everything is fixed into place. Because of that, I'll revisit the guide from time to time to revise and update it accordingly. If there is anything you wish me to include, don't hesitate to post a reply.

If for whatever reason you feel the urge to compensate me for this guide out of tournament winnings, please don't. Forward any money you have to http://www.gosh.org, https://www.each.org.uk, or any other children's charity. Having seen the great work these organisations do first hand, I'd rather see them supported than my growing waist band.

 

[Braindead]

Reserved

 

[CO-KANO]

words

 

[bdizzle2700]

Nice so far. Alot of beginner stuff but learning a some new things.kewl

 

[llabslb]

You basically published a book on TYM.

 

[countrypistol]

You basically published a book on TYM.

So far, only half a book.

 

[ETC AdmiralAugustus]

Hey man, this is looking great. Very nice resource for Kommando players (who may not know everything and for newer ones). Keep up the good work!

 

[Darth Mao]

Very nice! Please keep up.

 

[countrypistol]

Very nice! Please keep up.

Thank you! There'll be an update tomorrow.

 

[pharras]

What you're doing is amazing. It's not only a guide for Kano Kommando, it's near a guide to level up in fighting game. Really good work bro. Can't wait for stage 9

 

[countrypistol]

What you're doing is amazing. It's not only a guide for Kano Kommando, it's near a guide to level up in fighting game. Really good work bro. Can't wait for stage 9

Thanks. With the patch next week there is a good chance that some of the fine details will need changing, but overall I still think a lot of beginners can benefit from it.

 

[Tharr]

Beautiful guide, well done!

Set the dummy to 'Block Random Attack' and hit it with a D1 at close range. If the dummy gets hit, hit it with another D1. If the dummy blocks, grab him with a Rib Breaker.

Gotta ask - can you really hit confirm a command grab from a poke? Or is this based off a read that your opponent will block?

 

[countrypistol]

Beautiful guide, well done!



Gotta ask - can you really hit confirm a command grab from a poke? Or is this based off a read that your opponent will block?

The idea of the exercise is to introduce the concept of tick throws as it pertains to other fighting games so that a beginner can understand. In Street Fighter you cannot cancel into a command grab, so you condition the opponent to grab by poking, then throw when you notice them block. Of course things are different in MKX, and an argument could be made that because of these differences the exercise provides no benefit, but I think it helps cement the basic concept, as well as helping to develop one's reaction time.

That said, I know plenty of players who do jump in-d1- throw on block/ 2nd d1 or mix up string on hit. So yes, you can tick off of a poke if you condition your opponent, but it is also read dependent. If you're asking whether it's possible to confirm the blocked D1 so that the poke cancels into Rib Breaker, I don't think it is, unless you're on a hit box and have superhuman reaction times.

 

[mattnin]

How have option selects been changed with respect to the last patch?

Great thread by the way. How is this not stickied? This thread should also be in the noob section as well as a general guide on how to play the game.