The Zoning Academy (Mortal Kombat X Edition)

[SaltShaker]

What about full auto jacqui, marksman erron black, or heavy weapons jax? I don't have the game... all I know is from the streams. Are they all hella negative on block?

Jacqui's Full Auto really isn't really for zoning. She has Deathstroke's rifle move in a "Jacqui version", the EX of it as well. It's pretty safe. The air rockets are more of a combo tool than a zoning one, though they can AA. The ground rocket is for mixups with EX and corner combos, not really zoning. She is a rushdown, 50/50 mixups, safe options character.

Jax. His moveset combined with the Heavy Weapons does have some sneaky zoning in there. He can zone some matches out in this variation, but the start up is too slow to go into a zoning war against an actual zoning character.

Erron Black. You saw Sonic Fox today? Yea. That's how he plays. Don't let the cowboy look fool you. Only people Erron is zoning is characters who are weak against zoning, but that's it. I don't know why some of his zoning tools are so slow, why coin shot doesn't hit overhead not even in EX, why he has to go into stance to shoot guns in gunslinger. I don't know why. I just don't know why.

 

[STB Sgt Reed]

Jacqui's Full Auto really isn't really for zoning. She has Deathstroke's rifle move in a "Jacqui version", the EX of it as well. It's pretty safe. The air rockets are more of a combo tool than a zoning one, though they can AA. The ground rocket is for mixups with EX and corner combos, not really zoning. She is a rushdown, 50/50 mixups, safe options character.

Jax. His moveset combined with the Heavy Weapons does have some sneaky zoning in there. He can zone some matches out in this variation, but the start up is too slow to go into a zoning war against an actual zoning character.

Erron Black. You saw Sonic Fox today? Yea. That's how he plays. Don't let the cowboy look fool you. Only people Erron is zoning is characters who are weak against zoning, but that's it. I don't know why some of his zoning tools are so slow, why coin shot doesn't hit overhead not even in EX, why he has to go into stance to shoot guns in gunslinger. I don't know why. I just don't know why.

Damn... I thought for sure the walk backs shots would be good.

What about say, Ermac... or Reptile?

 

[ABACABB]

I think sub zero grandmaster will be good in this game , zoning with clones

 

[Peckapowa]

"Zoners Among Us"? Right. When the two best characters in the game both have teleport special moves. One of which is safe on block.

Get out of this thread, you fool.

Tbh I have much more fun zoning with mmh than going ham with tps. His zoning is really appealing. Playing against batman and superman and ww are wicked fun because I get to play keepaway and use his orbs and pillars t control space. He may have a stupid tp but he's also a really fun zoner.

 

[16 Bit]

Dave, Kitana is a zoner in MKX. Pretty much a pure, traditional zoner. Are you excited to hear that news? Would the princess be welcome in the academy?

 

[SaltShaker]

Damn... I thought for sure the walk backs shots would be good.

What about say, Ermac... or Reptile?

They will be, but no for "zoning someone out for a match".


Ermac is good. I was originally going to main him until I got the game lol. We all know TK Push is gonna get nerfed and TK lift is -50 on block. Both his high/lows are unsafe on block, and he cannot combo off his Low to OH like he did in the earlier Kombat Kast builds. He's not a bad character, but you can see he was toned down during the testing.


Reptile, with his "Flash slow mo trait that regenerates every 3 seconds" and "super quick full screen armored slide", will be the definitive anti-zoner of the game.

 

[Peckapowa]

Dave, Kitana is a zoner in MKX. Pretty much a pure, traditional zoner. Are you excited to hear that news? Would the princess be welcome in the academy?

Tbh I never found her zoning that interesting, she slows down pacing well in mk9 and controls the air, but she doesn't accumulate damage that Dave is looking for. How do you feel this is different in mkx?? What makes her zoning interesting?

 

[Peckapowa]

They will be, but no for "zoning someone out for a match".


Ermac is good. I was originally going to main him until I got the game lol. We all know TK Push is gonna get nerfed and TK lift is -50 on block. Both his high/lows are unsafe on block, and he cannot combo off his Low to OH like he did in the earlier Kombat Kast builds. He's not a bad character, but you can see he was toned down during the testing.


Reptile, with his "Flash slow mo trait that regenerates every 3 seconds" and "super quick full screen armored slide", will be the definitive anti-zoner of the game.

I feel like ermacs zoning will translate well but I always found it mildly interesting.

 

[STB Sgt Reed]

They will be, but no for "zoning someone out for a match".


Ermac is good. I was originally going to main him until I got the game lol. We all know TK Push is gonna get nerfed and TK lift is -50 on block. Both his high/lows are unsafe on block, and he cannot combo off his Low to OH like he did in the earlier Kombat Kast builds. He's not a bad character, but you can see he was toned down during the testing.


Reptile, with his "Flash slow mo trait that regenerates every 3 seconds" and "super quick full screen armored slide", will be the definitive anti-zoner of the game.

The definitive anti zoner to ... no zoners. lol

I guess I may really be zoning with sub zero lol (sub for two terms eh? oh well lol)

 

[M2Dave]

Tbh I have much more fun zoning with mmh than going ham with tps. His zoning is really appealing. Playing against batman and superman and ww are wicked fun because I get to play keepaway and use his orbs and pillars t control space. He may have a stupid tp but he's also a really fun zoner.

I can never accept Martian Manhunter as a zoning character. He is a coward with a safe teleport. Besides, no Martian Manhunter players have the balls to zone me, even in a winning 7:3 match up.

Dave, Kitana is a zoner in MKX. Pretty much a pure, traditional zoner. Are you excited to hear that news? Would the princess be welcome in the academy?

Absolutely.

I have always had a lot of respect for you and the princess in Mortal Kombat 9. Watching you play and out-footsie someone like Dizzy or Sonic Fox in Mortal Kombat X would be awesome.

 

[Peckapowa]

I can never accept Martian Manhunter as a zoning character. He is a coward with a safe teleport. Besides, no Martian Manhunter players have the balls to zone me, even in a winning 7:3 match up.



Absolutely.

I have always had a lot of respect for you and the princess in Mortal Kombat 9. Watching you play and out-footsie someone like Dizzy or Sonic Fox in Mortal Kombat X would be awesome.

Zod and sinestro are the only mus where it's in Martians best interest to rush down, I find them much less enjoyable then the mus where I can force the opponent to approach, that's where my strengths are because I'm a zoner.

 

[SaltShaker]

I feel like ermacs zoning will translate well but I always found it mildly interesting.

Yea I think so too. I'm the opposite. Never liked him but I think he's cool in MKX. I'm just worried that's it Ermac. He's like the casuals version of Kabal.

Imminent nerf is imminent.

 

[Helter Skelter]

I'm going to use Bone Shaper Shinnok as I think he will be more complete as a character, but if I want to counter non-teleport characters, I'll use Necromancer.

 

[Big Pampering]

@General M2Dave I play kung lao where do I sign in?

 

[Duck Nation]

I'm really amused that Dave watched the Fatal 8 and all he saw was Fox using Black's rushdown game.

Meanwhile, I sat and watched various tricks he pulled at a distance - getting people to jump or dash out of caltrops and hurting them for it, or making fine use of his rolling sand grenades, and salivated over the possibilities taking those same universal tools into Marksman.

Keep being angry over nothing on day -2, though. I guess your boat only floats in salt water.

 

[Lt. Boxy Angelman]

Dave, Kitana is a zoner in MKX. Pretty much a pure, traditional zoner. Are you excited to hear that news? Would the princess be welcome in the academy?

I'm curious, how does her zoning game stack up in screen control compared to MK9? Can she still put up the instant air Fan wall?

 

[its_ezie]

I would definitely have to assume her mournful
variation would be her best zoning form out of all 3 because of the boomerangs. 16 bit did test the game so im more then confident and trust in whatever he has to say about not just kitana but probably everyone

 

[kabelfritz]

if you guys are looking for a good zoner, give master of storms raiden a try.

 

[strawberry_cowz]

Since i do not fully understand the meaning of zoning do you think Goro will be a good zoner?Especially his tigrar fury variation.

 

[nugava]

Shinnok Necromancer is by far the funniest character to play day 1 online. Is he good ? I dunno.

 

[SaltShaker]

Since i do not fully understand the meaning of zoning do you think Goro will be a good zoner?Especially his tigrar fury variation.

Zoning in a very very short definition is using your tools to keep spacing and win the game with superior spacing than your opponent. Much more in depth than what I described.

No, Goro is not a zoner. Think of Kenshi's balanced variation, the easiest identifiable zoning variation, where as Johnny Cage Fisticuffs is a pure rushdown.

 

[Circus]

In SF4 there is only 3 straight up zoning characters at the moment matchup wise. This means that no matter who they are fighting, their goal is to fight at a distance.
Those characters are Poison, Dhalsim, and Guile who all have have some form of safe half screen to full screen attack.

There's tons of other characters in the game that play the space control game though, BUT at many points they have to buckle down and play the up close game.

This is the direction NRS has taken this time. Honestly in Injustice tons of characters could zone the entire match unless they were facing 2-4 characters in the game. It doesn't matter if 1 or more of those 2-4 characters were the top, the point is that THAT was Injustice in a nutshell.

I played Kano in Mk9 and Raven in Injustice so I'm all for zoning, but I actually like this direction they're taking, sue me. There are now tons of safer options to get in on zoners but all have a counter measure. It makes zoning more rewarding and also has zoners play a bit of the close ranged game without sandbagging.

I know it's the wrong thread to agree with the new direction of the game, but meh.

 

[SaltShaker]

Zoning Academy, I have an announcement.


After 9 hours, 19 minutes, and 48 seconds of practice mode with the zoning characters, and another amount of uncounted hours practicing characters in the ladder, I have officially picked a main.

I will be main'ing Kano, Cybernetics, and learning all 3 variations to counter MU counter picking as I feel his 3 variations cover most MU's as a whole. However, I will not state why I have chosen Kano. Those of you who are true Zoners know why I will not.

Zoning masters, pick wisely, as there are only about 3 characters in this game that I believe can truly zone safely enough to win by it in this game.


My dedication will be of the utmost extreme levels, and I hope to make a mark soon at numerous upcoming tournaments. Let's remind them why they tried to erase us in MKX.

 

[REYTHEGREAT]

Zoning Academy, I have an announcement.


After 9 hours, 19 minutes, and 48 seconds of practice mode with the zoning characters, and another amount of uncounted hours practicing characters in the ladder, I have officially picked a main.

I will be main'ing Kano, Cybernetics, and learning all 3 variations to counter MU counter picking as I feel his 3 variations cover most MU's as a whole. However, I will not state why I have chosen Kano. Those of you who are true Zoners know why I will not.

Zoning masters, pick wisely, as there are only about 3 characters in this game that I believe can truly zone safely enough to win by it in this game.


My dedication will be of the utmost extreme levels, and I hope to make a mark soon at numerous upcoming tournaments. Let's remind them why they tried to erase us in MKX.

Only 3? Kenshi, shinnok and Kano?

 

[SaltShaker]

Only 3? Kenshi, shinnok and Kano?

4 or 5 at best. Kano, Liu Kang, Kitana, and Kenshi.

Shinnok would be the 5th but only in one variation. His zoning tools are relatively safe and strong, but I worry with him against the anti-zoning tools of the game. He has one low and no overheads as starters. Shoulder and EX Shoulder is unsafe on block, Skulls can be blown up by a teleport combos on block (tested against Scorpions's teleport ), among other things. He isn't all bad, and has some strengths, but I don't feel he's as good a zoner as the other 3. Especially taking his other two variations into account. It would be all Necromancer for zoning.