Lt. Boxy Angelman
I WILL EAT THIS GAME
So we have ourselves one hell of an eclectic roster in this game.
And amidst all the tier debate, pros and cons, who beats this, who could top that, who's costume looks prettier than whose, it made me want to stir the conversation pot.
Everyone's got different tastes.
Different loves, different hates, different likes, different makes and models and rates.
So I ask you, TYM brethren, because I know most lists of thios sort never come out the same...going solely by strength of fist or hop of foot, ability to whoop ass with, being consistently ass-whooped by, underdog factors, overdog powers, maybe not even by power at all, just from general appeal with a fighter seeing as not a lot of us have sat down and gotten up close and personal with 10 different fighters...if this were TRL, and it were up to you to choose a Top 10 to encompass the best of the best, the characters who bring the best and most joy out of you whether using or fighting them, who do YOU choose as the/your personal MK9 Top 10?
I figure this game's been so weighed down by statistics as of late, we need a debate built for fun rather than black and white fact.
Mine goes something like this...
10. Kitana.
As much as I hate being held airborne by an oncoming beehive of flying fans, I absolutely love going to war with Kitana. Her Square Wave is one of the best getthefuckouttatheway moves in the game, her projectile juggles are second to none, and she moves so fluidly and fast, it's just a kick to watch her go.
9. Kung Lao.
The only reason KL's so far down the list is because he really is too easy to use for his own good. Not high-level, just in general. That being said, he's one of the best fighters I've ever seen in a fighting game. Going off of his previous incarnations, I would've never expected Lao to one day be this powerful, but the man is like the answer sheets in the back of the math textbooks: he's always got a solution, and watching pros use him to problem-solve - and contrastly, watching others counter-problem-solve and beat him - is glorious. Liu Kang must be pissed.
8. Johnny Cage.
I don't think I've ever seen a more insanity-inducing moveset or pressure game in my life than the one JC possesses in this game. All he needs is a jab. Just a jab. A FUCKING JAB. And devastation could be upon you at a moment's notice. Red Kick, Green Kick, fist flurries, AA-Uppercut, and that's not even taking into account the most ego-deflating, pain-inducing special in the game: the Nut Punch. Never sleep on Cage. Ever.
7. Ermac.
I feel for Ermac. Probably the most intimidating at first glance of all the Ninjas, and Story Mode kept him in straight getting-his-ass-kicked mode by everybody. The TK moveset can make you eat punishment like breakfast cereal, any zoner he comes across has to be constantly aware of the Tele-Fist, he's just...fun. It's fun to be many against one. I just wish he still had his axe.
6. Quan Chi.
The Trance gets a nomination as Best New Move of this MK generation. "WOOLAY!" gets the win as Best New Attack Phrase. The Skull Hand Chair = Best Exit. The pale sorcerer = more fun to watch than a box of firecrackers. If he still had his shotgun kick from MKDA, I'd probably have a lot more time racked up with him, but he's still a force to be reckoned with, for certain.
5. Rain.
The #1 DLC. Possibly the strongest move-set wise of the seven Ninjas. Roundhouse cancel, slow-motion lightning, reset bubbles, 4 3 Pop The Bottle, and like Leslie Nielsen and the aliens in Scary Movie 3, he can pee on you with his hands. The only thing he's lacking, IMO, is the MK3 tunic. Give him the square suit, and you Rain sales are going through the roof.
4. Noob Saibot.
Nothing says "I just want to make you suffer" like going after someone with Noob. Execution is key, and with the dark man, it can be the difference between executed and executioner. Hand the right person the Shadow moveset, and you're in for an acrobatic destruction derby of upkicks, teleslams, and chuckling ghosts. A sight to see.
3. Stryker.
The best thing about the dirty cop: at the right distance he has the means, at any point, to completely fuck up whatever you're in the middle of trying to do. Doesn't matter what. Teleport attack or JIP? Block, bullets. Or Grenade. Projectile? Roll Toss, bullets. Dashing in for pressure? EX Sweep, concussion, zone out, bullets. Just wanna screw with someone? Gun Cancel, wave at opponent, bullets. All mind games are different, and this man has a really unheralded array of choices between them, that thanks to the patch, will hopefully now have a chance to properly shine.
2. Cyrax.
Three things most gamers love to watch: Robots, explosions, and robots that cause explosions.
Between his grenade juggles, his corner madness, teleport shenanigans, flying buzzsaws, SURPRISE~! upside-down kicks into the sky, B2 - God, how I love B2... - Sticky bombs, and the ability to yank anyone out of the sky at will...anything can happen in a Cyrax fight. And that's what makes him great: diversity and unpredictability. Second only to...
1. Sub-Zero.
There are few things in this game more satisfying than the destruction of a high-level opponent at the hands of the Lin Kuei.
Ice Clone/Slide mindgames into the corners are some of the most dangerous situations in the game. EX Freeze Beam - aka the Ice Kamehameha - is something I've been waiting for him to get since forever. In spite of the things he lacks (most of which have been uber-improved with the patch), he's one of few characters in this game that, no matter who's handling him, you feel that intimidation factor of "I have to be 110% prepared for this guy" kicking in. In his surface simplicity and underlying inner workings, he can bring the best out of every fighter in the game.
So, TYM...fighting with, fighting against, spectating...who do you do you put in the 1-10 slots?
And amidst all the tier debate, pros and cons, who beats this, who could top that, who's costume looks prettier than whose, it made me want to stir the conversation pot.
Everyone's got different tastes.
Different loves, different hates, different likes, different makes and models and rates.
So I ask you, TYM brethren, because I know most lists of thios sort never come out the same...going solely by strength of fist or hop of foot, ability to whoop ass with, being consistently ass-whooped by, underdog factors, overdog powers, maybe not even by power at all, just from general appeal with a fighter seeing as not a lot of us have sat down and gotten up close and personal with 10 different fighters...if this were TRL, and it were up to you to choose a Top 10 to encompass the best of the best, the characters who bring the best and most joy out of you whether using or fighting them, who do YOU choose as the/your personal MK9 Top 10?
I figure this game's been so weighed down by statistics as of late, we need a debate built for fun rather than black and white fact.
Mine goes something like this...
10. Kitana.
As much as I hate being held airborne by an oncoming beehive of flying fans, I absolutely love going to war with Kitana. Her Square Wave is one of the best getthefuckouttatheway moves in the game, her projectile juggles are second to none, and she moves so fluidly and fast, it's just a kick to watch her go.
9. Kung Lao.
The only reason KL's so far down the list is because he really is too easy to use for his own good. Not high-level, just in general. That being said, he's one of the best fighters I've ever seen in a fighting game. Going off of his previous incarnations, I would've never expected Lao to one day be this powerful, but the man is like the answer sheets in the back of the math textbooks: he's always got a solution, and watching pros use him to problem-solve - and contrastly, watching others counter-problem-solve and beat him - is glorious. Liu Kang must be pissed.
8. Johnny Cage.
I don't think I've ever seen a more insanity-inducing moveset or pressure game in my life than the one JC possesses in this game. All he needs is a jab. Just a jab. A FUCKING JAB. And devastation could be upon you at a moment's notice. Red Kick, Green Kick, fist flurries, AA-Uppercut, and that's not even taking into account the most ego-deflating, pain-inducing special in the game: the Nut Punch. Never sleep on Cage. Ever.
7. Ermac.
I feel for Ermac. Probably the most intimidating at first glance of all the Ninjas, and Story Mode kept him in straight getting-his-ass-kicked mode by everybody. The TK moveset can make you eat punishment like breakfast cereal, any zoner he comes across has to be constantly aware of the Tele-Fist, he's just...fun. It's fun to be many against one. I just wish he still had his axe.
6. Quan Chi.
The Trance gets a nomination as Best New Move of this MK generation. "WOOLAY!" gets the win as Best New Attack Phrase. The Skull Hand Chair = Best Exit. The pale sorcerer = more fun to watch than a box of firecrackers. If he still had his shotgun kick from MKDA, I'd probably have a lot more time racked up with him, but he's still a force to be reckoned with, for certain.
5. Rain.
The #1 DLC. Possibly the strongest move-set wise of the seven Ninjas. Roundhouse cancel, slow-motion lightning, reset bubbles, 4 3 Pop The Bottle, and like Leslie Nielsen and the aliens in Scary Movie 3, he can pee on you with his hands. The only thing he's lacking, IMO, is the MK3 tunic. Give him the square suit, and you Rain sales are going through the roof.
4. Noob Saibot.
Nothing says "I just want to make you suffer" like going after someone with Noob. Execution is key, and with the dark man, it can be the difference between executed and executioner. Hand the right person the Shadow moveset, and you're in for an acrobatic destruction derby of upkicks, teleslams, and chuckling ghosts. A sight to see.
3. Stryker.
The best thing about the dirty cop: at the right distance he has the means, at any point, to completely fuck up whatever you're in the middle of trying to do. Doesn't matter what. Teleport attack or JIP? Block, bullets. Or Grenade. Projectile? Roll Toss, bullets. Dashing in for pressure? EX Sweep, concussion, zone out, bullets. Just wanna screw with someone? Gun Cancel, wave at opponent, bullets. All mind games are different, and this man has a really unheralded array of choices between them, that thanks to the patch, will hopefully now have a chance to properly shine.
2. Cyrax.
Three things most gamers love to watch: Robots, explosions, and robots that cause explosions.
Between his grenade juggles, his corner madness, teleport shenanigans, flying buzzsaws, SURPRISE~! upside-down kicks into the sky, B2 - God, how I love B2... - Sticky bombs, and the ability to yank anyone out of the sky at will...anything can happen in a Cyrax fight. And that's what makes him great: diversity and unpredictability. Second only to...
1. Sub-Zero.
There are few things in this game more satisfying than the destruction of a high-level opponent at the hands of the Lin Kuei.
Ice Clone/Slide mindgames into the corners are some of the most dangerous situations in the game. EX Freeze Beam - aka the Ice Kamehameha - is something I've been waiting for him to get since forever. In spite of the things he lacks (most of which have been uber-improved with the patch), he's one of few characters in this game that, no matter who's handling him, you feel that intimidation factor of "I have to be 110% prepared for this guy" kicking in. In his surface simplicity and underlying inner workings, he can bring the best out of every fighter in the game.
So, TYM...fighting with, fighting against, spectating...who do you do you put in the 1-10 slots?
.
