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TYM’s Tier List Discussion Thread

Juggs

Lose without excuses
Lead Moderator
It’s been well over 3 weeks now so I think we can start discussing tiers. I have never really liked tier lists simply because people put too much stock into them. But I do think the discussion is fun and actually useful. Keep in mind, tier discussions early in a games life is definitely subject to change as time goes on, AND discussing tiers right now is based on how/where the meta is RIGHT NOW. I want to have a starting point so in the future we can look back and see what has changed.

So, I’ll post a tier list that I think has been a consensus across the board. This isn’t “THE” tier list or anything, just one I feel is the most accurate for right now.

S+
: Geras, Erron Black, Scorpion, Sonya

S: Baraka, Sub-Zero, Cassie, Liu Kang, Cetrion, Jacqui

A+: Noob, Jax, Johnny Cage, Kabal, Skarlet

A: Jade, Kitana, Kung Lao, Raiden

A-: Shao Kahn, Kano, Frost

B: Kotal Kahn, Kollector, D’Vorah


I think the S+ tier is undeniable at this point, those are the 4 best characters in the game. I really don’t know if they would be numbered 1-4. Meaning they all could have arguments for the best character in the game.

S tier is also self explanatory. All very strong characters. I know Liu Kang downplayers will say he’s mid tier at best or something, but I disagree. I think Kang is very strong. Cetrion is really good, I could see an argument that she needs to be a tier lower, but for now I think she’s too strong to be lower. Baraka is really strong, arguably a top 5 character. He’s just such a solid character. Others would argue that Cassie is actually top 5, with Baraka at 6. Both characters have strong arguments for top 5, imo.

A+ tier is all the good characters that are really good, but they just aren’t AS good as S and S+ tiered characters. It’s not that they necessarily have weaknesses but just that there’s characters that are better than them. Some would argue that Noob and Kabal belong in S tier. Which I definitely could see that being the case. Personally I do think they are, but the consensus I’ve seen is that they are not. Could be downplayers but I’m not sure.

A tier is for every else except a few. These technically are your mid to low tiers, but notice how they’re in “A” tier. Meaning they are good characters. But relative to the rest of the roster, they aren’t as oppressive or strong as the rest. A lot of the characters in A could go up to A+ easily.

A- characters are really kinda like A characters but just not quite as good. But still, they are in the A tier, so every character up to now are viable characters.

Finally, B tier. Kotal Kahn isn’t that bad but against some characters, the MU is VERY bad for Kotal. Against Scorpion for instance, it’s very hard for a Scorpion player to lose this MU. I main Scorpion and I’ve labbed the MU a lot. For some reason I have faced for Kotal Kahn players than any other character, lol. At first I was getting mauled because I didn’t know the MU. After learning it.. man, Kotal has some real problems in certain MU’s. Kollector and D’Vorah are who have the least information on. Literally have no clue what D’Vorah can do, everyone just says she’s bad or the worst character in the game. Kollector is a little more mixed. I have dabbled with him briefly and he has been seen in tournaments. But I don’t have much to go on other than again, what others have said.

So with all that said, what are y’alls thoughts on the tiers in MK11? Not specifically my tier list but the tier list in general. I feel like 88% of the roster can compete. I think a few characters could use some buffs, but I don’t think very many nerfs are warranted. Literally the only actual nerf other than fixing things that weren’t intentional like OS’s or whiffing on mids issues, is maybe adjust Erron Black’s F4 in some way. Personally I would just make it do less pushback, on both the regular and the amp’d version. And be a couple of frames more negative. With Geras, idk he seems fine. Maybe a damage adjustment of some kind or removing a KB or making 1 or 2 KB’s harder to activate. With Sonya, I really can’t say. With Scorpion, I think he’s okay too. But I think changing the teleport to a high attack instead of a mid would be sufficient.
 

Circus

Part-Time Kano Hostage
Here's my opinion:

Top
(Mostly even or winning matchups)
Erron Black, Geras, Sonya, Scorpion, Cassie, Jacqui, Cetrion

High
(Very great too, but with slightly less opportunities to enforce their gameplan like the Top tiers can)
Baraka, Liu Kang, Shang Tsung, Kabal, Skarlet

Mid
(These characters are solid. Other characters in Top or High tier have better versions of tools, but they're still very tournament viable)
Jax, Noob, Jade, Kitana, Johnny, Shao Kahn, Subzero, Kung Lao

Low
(These characters have a hefty chunk of matchups that feel uphill because of a lack of tools, but they definitely aren't trash)
Frost, Kano, D'Vorah, Kotal Kahn, Kollector, Raiden


With that said, I think this is the most balanced an NRS game has ever been at launch. People could complain all they want, but realistically, I honestly think it's the truth. I main Kano, and I truly believe that.

A few patches from now, I could only imagine how balanced this game will feel.
 
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Juggs

Lose without excuses
Lead Moderator
Whats your reasoning for putting Kollector in B tier than Shao Kahn?
From what I’ve seen, Shao Kahn has some stuff that makes him viable. Kollector has good stuff but in his current form I’m not sure if he’s viable. I’ll have to spend some time with these characters and also do more research on them though.
 

Juggs

Lose without excuses
Lead Moderator
Here's my opinion:

Top
(mostly even or winning matchups)
Erron Black, Geras, Sonya, Scorpion, Cassie

High
(very solid too, but with a few matchups that are slightly less favorable than those that Top tier have)
Subzero, Baraka, Jacqui, Liu Kang, Cetrion, Kabal

Mid
(these characters are solid, but other characters in Top or High tier have better versions of tools, which is fine)
Jax, Noob, Skarlet, Kung Lao, Jade, Kitana, Johnny, Raiden

Low
(these characters have a hefty chunk of matchups that feel uphill)
Shao Kahn, Frost, Kano, Kollector, D'Vorah, Kotal Kahn



With that said, I think this is obviously the most balanced an NRS game has ever been at launch. People could complain all they want, but realistically, I honestly think it's the truth. I main Kano, and I truly believe that.

A few patches from now, I could only imagine how balanced this game will feel.
Noob definitely belongs in your high tier catergory. He has probably been THE most downplayed character out of them all. Yeah he can really only use on tournament variation and that one still isn’t as good as it can be. But despite all that. He’s still a strong character that does very well in tournaments. I think he will be slept on, even moreso than he is now, and will go under the radar just enough to receive buffs and BAM! We got ourselves a brand new S+ tier B O Y Z
 

Circus

Part-Time Kano Hostage
Noob definitely belongs in your high tier catergory. He has probably been THE most downplayed character out of them all. Yeah he can really only use on tournament variation and that one still isn’t as good as it can be. But despite all that. He’s still a strong character that does very well in tournaments. I think he will be slept on, even moreso than he is now, and will go under the radar just enough to receive buffs and BAM! We got ourselves a brand new S+ tier B O Y Z
I understand what you are saying because he is incredible, you're not wrong. If a character is capable of reliably punishing his B1,1+3 string though, it hurts him a bit.

The characters I placed in Top and High don't have an ultimatum which dictates how good they are. Cetrion could arguably move down a peg on my list because there are some characters that dampen the utility of some of her moves, but she has so many tools that having some tools dampened is ok.

Everyone I placed in mid-tier or above is viable in any setting in the right hands imo. I don't think they're in any need of buffs at all, but a change or addition of a new variation would benefit some a TON.

The characters I placed in low tier have a few fundamental flaws in their entire kits that their variation specials won't immediately fix.


I still think Baraka is mid tier. What's so special about him?
He could deal very well against zoners, he packs a HEAVY punch when punishing, he is pretty safe on all his main tools, he has an incredible projectile that could be used as a long ranged poke at mid-range because it's only 16frame startup, he has an incredible anti-air, great jump in, and he just really doesn't struggle at anything.

In the right hands, he is an absolute monster.

It's similar in a way to Cassie. On the surface, she is simple because her gameplan isn't full of dirt, but in the right hands she controls the pace of the battle safely as the opponent has to take risks to open her up.
 
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Metzos

You will BOW to me!
From what I’ve seen, Shao Kahn has some stuff that makes him viable. Kollector has good stuff but in his current form I’m not sure if he’s viable. I’ll have to spend some time with these characters and also do more research on them though.
I guess we will have to wait after CB for a more concrete picture.

The one thing that Kollector has that not many of the cast have is unbreakable dmg. Thats a huge factor.

Plus the fact he cant be zoned out, he has probably the best cg in the game and his bolas if traded with another projectile allow him for a full combo punish. The only reason he is not higher in general atm is probably he is kinda slow in the mid range footsies department, where the top tiers excell at that range.

I agree with your assessment of NS. He is severely being slept on.

As for Shao Kahn, he needs buffs desperately.
 

Apex Kano

Kano Commando main MKX
Sub-Zero belongs with his buddy Scropion in the S+ list. Noob is great at putting damage but his weakness is the other player blocking low. My girl Sonya is rocking it again 3x in a row for the last MK games. Kano needs a few mid string starters and safter options. His Molotov needs faster frames on startup, his acid throw needs better range. Other wise he a cool balanced fighter.

I still think Baraka is mid tier. What's so special about him?
His forward knee smash faces and his Chop Chop is the saftest move in history. No one dares to challenge it!
 

Vslayer

Juiced Moose On The Loose
Lead Moderator
I sort of agree, I don't believe tier lists take skill into consideration very accurately, but if we're taking that out of the equation then Cass is definitely top 5. Everyone downplays her potential because, to be honest, there aren't many people picking her (at least online that I could see). We saw how people were hard-pressed to call Erron and Geras broken but Cassie defeated both of them in tournaments.

I don't think she's OP, I don't think she's broken, but she just has tools for every situation. Very good tools.
 

RYX

BIG PUSHER
too soon to talk about this wait until like December and then we can have an opinion on this game like really you just haven't labbed enough dude just play more just play more games you'll figure it out eventually dude c'mon these kids these days always talking never playing I get up 4 am to grind mk lab all day and u don't see me hootin hollerin here on tym all day like you I play to win I play to grind I rise n' grind im on it you aint
 

Professor Oak

Are you a boy or girl?
I sort of agree, I don't believe tier lists take skill into consideration very accurately, but if we're taking that out of the equation then Cass is definitely top 5. Everyone downplays her potential because, to be honest, there aren't many people picking her (at least online that I could see). We saw how people were hard-pressed to call Erron and Geras broken but Cassie defeated both of them in tournaments.

I don't think she's OP, I don't think she's broken, but she just has tools for every situation. Very good tools.
The idea of a tier list is it is based on the characters potential. There is no skill to take into account. Ive seen you make similar comments, like “Erron cant be THAT good, Ive seen a Cassie beat him!”.. I dont want to condescend or be rude, but you dont have a clue what youre talking about and it is very obvious to see. Again, no disrespect, just know where your car goes.
 

leoj89

Apprentice
Geras is a low S to High A+ .
This isn't an attempt to down play. He's good but has his fair share of weakness. He's especially weak to good zoning and whiff punishes.
 

exflyingbooty

This dream has a sad ending
I'd put sonya in s and not s+ if you have a projectile that low profiles she's practically screwed in neutral and on top of that i'm waiting for people to realize you can just d+1/d+2/d+3 a lot of her pressure

Sub-zero is definitely in s+, He basically wins neutral in a lot of situations every iceball trade is advantageous and leads into oki/the vortex or the other variation with slide where he basically goes under projectiles and still starts the exact same thing. He's a jack off all trades master of all.

I think baraka and noob should be switched, noob has way better anti-zoning tools and while baraka has good damage and safety he doesn't have tools that control neutral as strong as the a-tier.

I also think jacqui should be in A also, She has very strong staggers/mixups but if she has to get in that doesn't matter half the time.

Kitana/Kano should trade places as well. If kitana does use her zoning variation she can't get decent enough damage from it and the other one is just loses to so much of the cast. Kano has a lot more control with his stuff and a better generic zoning tool with knives. Kitana ultimately boils down to b+2 string and grab mixups. Kano has more stuff to work with and characters in a tier have something to force you to respect them while kitana doesn't really have anything. Kano has a lot more options that force you to respect him.
 

Kroaken

Life is a block string with no gaps.
It’s been well over 3 weeks now so I think we can start discussing tiers. I have never really liked tier lists simply because people put too much stock into them. But I do think the discussion is fun and actually useful. Keep in mind, tier discussions early in a games life is definitely subject to change as time goes on, AND discussing tiers right now is based on how/where the meta is RIGHT NOW. I want to have a starting point so in the future we can look back and see what has changed.

So, I’ll post a tier list that I think has been a consensus across the board. This isn’t “THE” tier list or anything, just one I feel is the most accurate for right now.

S+
: Geras, Erron Black, Scorpion, Sonya

S: Baraka, Sub-Zero, Cassie, Liu Kang, Cetrion, Jacqui

A+: Noob, Jax, Johnny Cage, Kabal, Skarlet

A: Jade, Kitana, Kung Lao, Raiden

A-: Shao Kahn, Kano, Frost

B: Kotal Kahn, Kollector, D’Vorah


I think the S+ tier is undeniable at this point, those are the 4 best characters in the game. I really don’t know if they would be numbered 1-4. Meaning they all could have arguments for the best character in the game.

S tier is also self explanatory. All very strong characters. I know Liu Kang downplayers will say he’s mid tier at best or something, but I disagree. I think Kang is very strong. Cetrion is really good, I could see an argument that she needs to be a tier lower, but for now I think she’s too strong to be lower. Baraka is really strong, arguably a top 5 character. He’s just such a solid character. Others would argue that Cassie is actually top 5, with Baraka at 6. Both characters have strong arguments for top 5, imo.

A+ tier is all the good characters that are really good, but they just aren’t AS good as S and S+ tiered characters. It’s not that they necessarily have weaknesses but just that there’s characters that are better than them. Some would argue that Noob and Kabal belong in S tier. Which I definitely could see that being the case. Personally I do think they are, but the consensus I’ve seen is that they are not. Could be downplayers but I’m not sure.

A tier is for every else except a few. These technically are your mid to low tiers, but notice how they’re in “A” tier. Meaning they are good characters. But relative to the rest of the roster, they aren’t as oppressive or strong as the rest. A lot of the characters in A could go up to A+ easily.

A- characters are really kinda like A characters but just not quite as good. But still, they are in the A tier, so every character up to now are viable characters.

Finally, B tier. Kotal Kahn isn’t that bad but against some characters, the MU is VERY bad for Kotal. Against Scorpion for instance, it’s very hard for a Scorpion player to lose this MU. I main Scorpion and I’ve labbed the MU a lot. For some reason I have faced for Kotal Kahn players than any other character, lol. At first I was getting mauled because I didn’t know the MU. After learning it.. man, Kotal has some real problems in certain MU’s. Kollector and D’Vorah are who have the least information on. Literally have no clue what D’Vorah can do, everyone just says she’s bad or the worst character in the game. Kollector is a little more mixed. I have dabbled with him briefly and he has been seen in tournaments. But I don’t have much to go on other than again, what others have said.

So with all that said, what are y’alls thoughts on the tiers in MK11? Not specifically my tier list but the tier list in general. I feel like 88% of the roster can compete. I think a few characters could use some buffs, but I don’t think very many nerfs are warranted. Literally the only actual nerf other than fixing things that weren’t intentional like OS’s or whiffing on mids issues, is maybe adjust Erron Black’s F4 in some way. Personally I would just make it do less pushback, on both the regular and the amp’d version. And be a couple of frames more negative. With Geras, idk he seems fine. Maybe a damage adjustment of some kind or removing a KB or making 1 or 2 KB’s harder to activate. With Sonya, I really can’t say. With Scorpion, I think he’s okay too. But I think changing the teleport to a high attack instead of a mid would be sufficient.
Good list. I'm surprised to see the company Johnny Cage is keeping; I expected him to be ranked lower.

I think Kano is up one more tier on this particular list. Dirtbag is E tier, but Ripper has decent tools. I don't believe he's as bad off as Shao Kahn atm. Kustom would do a lot for Kano. Anyway, this is an early opinion and subject to change.
 

Skylight1

Warrior
I guess but where's the C/D/F tiers? We all know Dvorah is arguably the worst character in the game but I just don't buy Baraka is that high or Jade honestly. There's been only one good tier list and the dude isn't even a major MK tournament player lol.
 

Juggs

Lose without excuses
Lead Moderator
Geras is a low S to High A+ .
This isn't an attempt to down play. He's good but has his fair share of weakness. He's especially weak to good zoning and whiff punishes.
Yeah he definitely is weak to good zoning. But that’s his biggest weakness and he does have options against it with quick sand. It’s just slower and it doesn’t reach full screen or track. Even with that weakness he’s still an S+ tier character, imo.
 

Geoffmeister

PS4/EU Ermac main
S: Sonya, Scorpion, Geras, Jacqui

S-: Cetrion, Cassie, Erron Black, Sub-Zero, Baraka, Jax

A+: Kabal, Skarlet, Kung Lao, Raiden, Noob, Liu Kang

A: Jade, Kitana, Frost, Johnny Cage, Kano, Shao Kahn,

B: D'Vorah, Kollector, Kotal Kahn,


S+: Geras, Erron Black, Scorpion, Sonya, Jacqui

S: Sub-Zero, Cassie, Liu Kang, Cetrion, Kung Lao

A: Noob, Jax, Kabal, Skarlet, Kitana, Raiden, Baraka, D'Vorah, Kano

A-:Jade, Shao Kahn, Frost, Kotal Kahn, Kollector, Johnny Cage

In my experience Jade can handle about 50% (or less) of the cast, I can back this up.. I believe this applies to to the rest of A- -tier (can't really back this up)
A-tier have slightly better overall tools, are honest characters, with D'vorah and Jax being the biggest threat out of the bunch.
S-tier could do with slight nerfs, overall very threatening, anywhere, in comparison.
S+-tier is stupid

Jacqui: gonna go out on a limb and say she's at least in the same tier as whom the best player in the scene plays over Erron Black
Kung Lao: safe special launcher, this game was designed for him. When will we learn?
D'vorah: On paper she's a monster.. these type of set-ups are ridiculous. Always have been. One fix away from broken tier.
Raiden: Mostly because his (and Skarlets) teleport negate neutral play, mid-screen, which is always, played their way
 
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wsj515

This is my billionth life cycle.
I don't agree that he's especially weak to good zoning.
Every character in every fighting game ever made is weak to whiff punishes.
He actually does kind of struggle against zoning imo, particularly air projectiles. As for the whiff punish comment, I think he's not necessarily weaker to whiff punishing, but easier to whiff punish, which if we are going with the 'all opponents highest level/equal skill' concept, it isn't really worth considering in a tier list.
 

wsj515

This is my billionth life cycle.
It’s probably accurate. I’m a Kahn player but I tried jade and was amazed at all of her options. But apparently she’s ass too. Aside from Baraka I’m out here swimming in low tier lmao. Having a great time though. Hopefully my dude shang has some tricky unfair shit so I can bask in all of that glory.
Jade is pretty solidly mid tier, the same people who are so hardly downplaying Jade right now are the same people who downplayed Star Fire.

Edit so I'm not triple posting: I think people are sleeping on Shao Kahn, but it will take someone with really good execution with wave dashing and hit confirming f3 to really show his potential.