Thanks everyone!
But in all seriousness jumping is really strong in this game with certain characters especially with the armor launcher nerfs, there aren't very many threatening anti-airs. So just be smart about it pretty much.
Sounds good. I realize that jumping is a good tactic when used wisely, but for some reason I just never adopted walking and it never enters my mind as something to do while in combat, but I definitely want to at least add walking to my list of possibilities.
Walking is the cream of the crop in terms of mind games because while walking you can jump, poke, dash on a dime as you're not committed to anything and you can use all of this to set up whiff punishes, jumps, your anti-air or getting people to rush in on you to punish them and other types of offensive and defensive shenanigans.
Walking is such a strong tool, especially if your characters can walk forward or backwards quickly.
In most fighting games, I love walking back as it gives me so much control or with a lifelead and just reacting to your opponents actions is a strategic and important reward for solid play. You're in control, there is no need to overextend yourself.
Thanks, makes a lot of sense!
I took a long break from video games roughly seven years ago, which by coincidence wasn't long after MK:Armageddon came out. I just got back into gaming and got a PS4, but got a copy of MK9 for my PC last week to get me used to the new NRS mechanics before getting MKXL.
I don't think I ever focused on "footsies" and strategies like that until just now, when I got into MK9. After reading up on it and such, I realized that I just straight-up never walk, so it's nice to read the benefits to doing it. Thanks!
This is when you get AAd by decent players.
Spacing is important. Learn it.
Characters that can catch you with a teleport or projectile will eventually do so. Good players catch onto habits like this and capitalise on them.
Jump when:
- Anti-airing with a jumping move.
- You're Kitana or Cassie and/or have instant-air moves.
- The opponent is performing a low or a throw in the corner.
- You scored a knockdown and you get a safe jip into a combo or pressure.
Run when:
- Scored a fullscreen knockdown
- Mid-combo
- To punish unsafe moves far away
Walk when:
Every other instance.
Walk has a 33 mixup with blocking and ducking. It's strong.
Nice! I appreciate your recommendation/tips of when and where to do the various techniques. I'll woodshed it out tonight.
I always walk. I always take random steps back when I have stepped into their range of attacks, in hopes they hit a button and I can get them on whiff. That's a habit from SF games since you stay safe as holding back would be a block. I find it works super well when I play Cassie Hollywood. I dash in when I want to close a gap quick that I feel will punish them on. I don't dash if there is anything they can do to catch me out for it. And I only run when I need it in a combo. I like to have stamina. And a back dash is rare. And pretty much only when I am on top of their downed body and notice they have meter.
I play like this 90% of the time. And when I feel an opponent notices I am playing safe and they start to expect me to play a certain way, I will do something that isn't safe and catch them off guard almost all the time. And chances are if they stop my unsafe move they wont be ready for a full punish combo anyway.
I only jump in if I am going for an attack. Even if you are far away and your jump in wont get you close enough to hit them, or they wont be able to hit you, I see it as a bad move to get in since you are predictable and can eat a projectile as you are landing. Depending on the projectile and the opponent that can lead to a full combo. Kitana can get around 50% with a bar on this I think.
Jumping back I will do sometimes just to be silly, I will land with a buffered projectile, and I like to do it on an opponents wake up. Sometimes they will whiff and you are safe, sometimes they wiff and the recovery is slow and you get a hit where you are often in close enough to run up punish (so I run in two instances.), sometimes they will dash in and you get them with the projectile as well. Over time this gets them to wake up block when they see me go air born, which leads me to start buffering a run on the back jump into a throw (won't count that as a 3rd run instance.).
Nice write up as well - thanks!
I should share that I'm a very aggressive, rushing type player. Most of my forward jumps are in hopes to begin a big combo, or jump kick someone who seems open to getting hit by one, or maybe just to provoke action. I don't usually jump forward just to get closer, there's usually always a punch or kick involved.
One of my biggest issues, may not actually be that I don't walk, but rather that I'm very impatient in fighting games. I don't like it when both fighters are throwing projectiles from a far and we're just ducking each others, as I'll always try to close the gap to get on with the action, even if it leads to me landing on an uppercut... That's probably my biggest issue I need to address.
Maybe if I try to incorporate walking more in my style, then it will lead to me being a bit more patient? I'm not sure, but I'll try it out tonight.
