Thinking on the future of the MK series, i stumbled upon an interesting thought: if there is to be any 'gold standard' for what has so far been the best of the series, what's a better measurement of raw gameplay enjoyment, distilled and concentrated, than a specific matchup? Although i'm more just curious to hear, holding less hope for this to be a discussion of any serious value, it still stands true that matchups can make or break the game, with a single title capable of both holding hair-pulling infuriating ones, especially so in the top-tiers of competitive NRS games - but also offering much less contentious clashes between its mid-tiers, or even obscure, kicked-to-the-curb characters; clashes than can have you more content than what the meta usually offers.
So yeah, with the latest MK installment done (and over), it's a good of a time as any to goof around and recap - what's been your best time playing MK games and what matchups would you like to see the ghost of pop up in future games?
That being said, as an MKX fanatic, my personal pearls would be final-patch Wrestler Jax Vs Commando Kano and Stunt Double Cage Vs Grandmaster Sub. The latter is a matchup i've too often been forced to play against my best friend, who is a Sub-Zero main across all three variations (fuck cryomancer) - and it's one of the rare instances where all the pain of GM's clones is negated softly, still allowing the Sub-Zero player to have his moments of avalanche momentum, yet also giving Johnny plenty opportunities to reverse the flow of the match 180 and start hitting back with truck-damage, HTBs and the usual ghetto Cage pressure.
And as for Wrestler Vs Commando, i just recommend taking a peek at this set, courtesy of Gunshow and Dab. It's a great back-and-forth where zoning, plus frame pressure, 50/50s, grappler oki and honest to god footsies in a tense neutral all blend together in way that almost makes you think this isn't MKX. Bit of bias here, of course, since i have a soft spot in general for the multitool style grapplers NRS offers in most their games - but i'd say i'm not the only one here.
So yeah, with the latest MK installment done (and over), it's a good of a time as any to goof around and recap - what's been your best time playing MK games and what matchups would you like to see the ghost of pop up in future games?
That being said, as an MKX fanatic, my personal pearls would be final-patch Wrestler Jax Vs Commando Kano and Stunt Double Cage Vs Grandmaster Sub. The latter is a matchup i've too often been forced to play against my best friend, who is a Sub-Zero main across all three variations (fuck cryomancer) - and it's one of the rare instances where all the pain of GM's clones is negated softly, still allowing the Sub-Zero player to have his moments of avalanche momentum, yet also giving Johnny plenty opportunities to reverse the flow of the match 180 and start hitting back with truck-damage, HTBs and the usual ghetto Cage pressure.
And as for Wrestler Vs Commando, i just recommend taking a peek at this set, courtesy of Gunshow and Dab. It's a great back-and-forth where zoning, plus frame pressure, 50/50s, grappler oki and honest to god footsies in a tense neutral all blend together in way that almost makes you think this isn't MKX. Bit of bias here, of course, since i have a soft spot in general for the multitool style grapplers NRS offers in most their games - but i'd say i'm not the only one here.
