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Why is Erron Black a strong character?

Jhonnykiller45

Shirai Ryu
So by now I think we've all heard of Black's strength and versatility in MK11, but what I wanna know is how does it all come together? When asked about it most players will tell you the reason why Erron Black is strong is because he has a bit of everything and is a perfectly rounded character, which I can see, but what is his gameplan, how exactly do these tools come together and make him the character he is?
This is something I've been wondering ever since they showcased him during the Kombat Kast, if any EB mains or would-be experts could give me a rundown on him that would be appreciated.
 

EMPRESS_SunFire

Regina George of discord
He controls the pace of the match and gets to do whatever he wants.

He can counterzone, zone, he has a great neutral game, great pressure, mix-ups, damage over time which he can use to end rounds, his oki is actually ricidulous, it’s scary being knocked down against him, he has a set-up where his throw does 40% off an oki option, his fatal blow is the best in the game and when he has it available the screen his his, nothing can compete with that if you ask me.
 

SaltShaker

In Zoning We Trust
Come on Jhonny, I don't expect something this nonsensical from you. You're better than this. A better question would be something like, "which characters, if any, are stronger than Erron Black?".
 

Zoidberg747

My blades will find your heart
Does B222 have a lot of pushback? I swear when I tested it I could punish it, but maybe that was with Baraka's F4. I might be misremembering.

As far as why Erron is good it is exactly as you said, he has everything. He has great neutral due to his safe footsie tools from half screen. He has great mixups and 50/50s that lead into combos that do good damage (Not as high as Geras or Baraka, but still high). He also has some of the best zoning in the game and can make it a bitch to get in. Not to mention how dumb his Fatal Blow is (best one in the game free) and how his poison grenades or w/e make it almost impossible to come back against him.

Edit: Just tested, and yes B22 has a lot of pushback. So over half the cast can't even punish it.
 
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no one can punish b222 if you cancle into scud shot. it's hard to react between scud shot and slide. both can happen anytime during the string and if you're not fast enough you might lose your turn.
 

DragonofDadashov24

Let’s see whose fire burns hotter
Come on Jhonny, I don't expect something this nonsensical from you. You're better than this. A better question would be something like, "which characters, if any, are stronger than Erron Black?".
Liu Kang for sure, not joking. Also seen a guy beating Sonic’s Erron with Liu and not only once
 
So by now I think we've all heard of Black's strength and versatility in MK11, but what I wanna know is how does it all come together? When asked about it most players will tell you the reason why Erron Black is strong is because he has a bit of everything and is a perfectly rounded character, which I can see, but what is his gameplan, how exactly do these tools come together and make him the character he is?
This is something I've been wondering ever since they showcased him during the Kombat Kast, if any EB mains or would-be experts could give me a rundown on him that would be appreciated.
in the tutorials it says "he controls the pace of the match", and thats pretty much what he does. if you face erron, you play his game.
 

Name v.5.0

Iowa's Finest.
His rifle stance stuff is such bullshit. You're just completely locked down and have to take the chip most times because if you jump he can fucking juggle you with it...and the chip damage is pretty damn good.
 

Vslayer

Juiced Moose On The Loose
Lead Moderator
Good mixups, good buttons, his projectiles are good full screen and he has a pop up if he uses it close, dot damage from his acid toss. He's pretty good, but I've seen a good Cassie player beat him in a tourney so I'm not too worried. I think the more people play him the more they'll learn how to counter his stuff, just like any other hard MU.
 
Personally I hate his anti-projectile move and the fact that amp slide gives him A FREE dot trap, it’s free! His meter is refilled in seconds
I was playing Cetrion (Spring Cleaning) against a friend of mine that mains Erron Black (52 Kard Pickup) but I didn't understand why he laughed during the character select screen. When the match began I realised that Erron's anti projectile move was also countering Cetrion's Geyser and the Fire Beam.
That shit is really strong.
 
Does B222 have a lot of pushback? I swear when I tested it I could punish it, but maybe that was with Baraka's F4. I might be misremembering.

As far as why Erron is good it is exactly as you said, he has everything. He has great neutral due to his safe footsie tools from half screen. He has great mixups and 50/50s that lead into combos that do good damage (Not as high as Geras or Baraka, but still high). He also has some of the best zoning in the game and can make it a bitch to get in. Not to mention how dumb his Fatal Blow is (best one in the game free) and how his poison grenades or w/e make it almost impossible to come back against him.

Edit: Just tested, and yes B22 has a lot of pushback. So over half the cast can't even punish it.
b222 can be punished, but he can just stance cancel into dd3 to make it safer.
 

DragonofDadashov24

Let’s see whose fire burns hotter
I was playing Cetrion (Spring Cleaning) against a friend of mine that mains Erron Black (52 Kard Pickup) but I didn't understand why he laughed during the character select screen. When the match began I realised that Erron's anti projectile move was also countering Cetrion's Geyser and the Fire Beam.
That shit is really strong.
It counters amp ice ball, the thing that is used to counter projectiles
Fuck
 

GrimJack

Rock paper scissor specialist
He also enjoys the privilege of good pokes and low profiling with 6fr d1 and a 7fr d3 that low profiles -2 and goes far af.
 
Does B222 have a lot of pushback? I swear when I tested it I could punish it, but maybe that was with Baraka's F4. I might be misremembering.

As far as why Erron is good it is exactly as you said, he has everything. He has great neutral due to his safe footsie tools from half screen. He has great mixups and 50/50s that lead into combos that do good damage (Not as high as Geras or Baraka, but still high). He also has some of the best zoning in the game and can make it a bitch to get in. Not to mention how dumb his Fatal Blow is (best one in the game free) and how his poison grenades or w/e make it almost impossible to come back against him.

Edit: Just tested, and yes B22 has a lot of pushback. So over half the cast can't even punish it.
Are you talking about the raw string ? Theres no reason to do just do the raw string when you can cancel into scudshot which is safe.
 
Also , b22 slide is not a mixup. Its 100% reactable especially with audio playing. B2 slide however is a true mixup. Same goes for f4 as it's also reactable (the problem is that it's really hard to whiff punish)
 

Dreamcatcher

EFL Founder
What's ironic is all the hype around Shao Kahn to get a bunch of preorders... come to find out, Erron Black is really the playable boss in the game. It's hilarious when you think about it.