A tip for a newcomer - how to be good at MK9 competitively

R3LAPZE

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Ok guys, This is my first post on here. I wanted to ask you guys, that I am brand new to the series and I want to become one of the best at MK9. I understand it will take a lot of time and dedication which I will be sacrificial to that. I want to know what are your main tips for me to compete and dominate not only online but in competitive tournaments.


Thank you look forward to seeing your responses. Relapse.
 
I want to get into the competitive scene myself. One thing i've taken out any experiences is to keep the right mindset. You sound like you're determined which is good. Just don't take any losses too harshly. Remember, any tactic is beatable. If you're struggling with a certain matchup or tactic, stop and think it through. I can't deny that it sometimes gets hard to brush off that nerd-rage but it's important to not lose focus on what your goal really is: to improve.
 
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Obviously pick 1-4 characters that you enjoy their movesets and compliment your style of play. Memorize,good timing is needed. Lastly find a few fellow gamers who are better than you and play against them till you can at least match them :) Playing against better players will always be a benefit to you, so long as you don't just instantly get smashed :)
 
Thank you guys, I really want to become really good and I haven't played any other MK and because the demo isn't out on 360 I haven't had any experience with it. One of my friends told me to stick with 1 character instead of multiple, what is your stances on that ?

Once I get a hold of it, I am pretty unsure on how I should start my journey into becoming the best. Any help guys ?
 
Block, block, block. I can't stress enough the importance of the block button; it'll be your best friend and life saver in many situations if you learn how to use it right.

Other than that, learn how to do basic combos efficiently and then pick a select few characters to master their moves and advanced combos. Then keep on practicing and you'll be going in no time.
 
Thank you guys, I really want to become really good and I haven't played any other MK and because the demo isn't out on 360 I haven't had any experience with it. One of my friends told me to stick with 1 character instead of multiple, what is your stances on that ?

Once I get a hold of it, I am pretty unsure on how I should start my journey into becoming the best. Any help guys ?

Like I said try a few, but you should learn how to play at least 2 characters to their fullest, you'll only know who you like by trying them, they all have different properties;

Some are fast and rely on being agressively played while using longer combos and jugles to make big damage
Some are slow and are grab characters
Some have more projectiles than others, some high low, mid and air projectiles
Some are ultra defensive/turtle characters who rely on the opponent making a mistake in order to punish them
Some are slow and do more damage

As a starter find a character who at least has a teleport, that way you aren't being forced into a certain space to play as a certain style, it also allows you to break away from being trapped...Characters that don't have a teleport take alot more skill, since their skill-sets only allow you to play well with said characters zoning and spacing; you can actually lose matches because you can't control the space that specific character needs in order to excel, more options are better for beginners.

So try a few out and decide what type of player you are, rush down, defensive, mixup/jack of trades, punisher, big damage defensive player...
 
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mash buttons at a feverish rate to completely overwhelm your opponent. continue to talk trash to them gaining a psychological edge and hopefully they rage quit or succumb to your single hit onslaught
 
Ok guys, This is my first post on here. I wanted to ask you guys, that I am brand new to the series and I want to become one of the best at MK9. I understand it will take a lot of time and dedication which I will be sacrificial to that. I want to know what are your main tips for me to compete and dominate not only online but in competitive tournaments.


Thank you look forward to seeing your responses. Relapse.

my tip...dont bring the suck! lol

seriously though the block button is always your friend as is timing , timing is very important it could be the difference in a match between a casual player and an agressive player, also lean all combos and possibilities for unknown combos..and PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!
 
Here's my tip to any newcomer to any game looking to be competitive. Don't start with that mindset. You will more than likely fail (sorry to burst your bubble kids but you can, indeed, fail in life).

Start by finding out whether you really like the game AND are capable of playing for extensive periods of time while analyzing it thoroughly. You need to find a passion for the game, and passion doesn't just come out of nowhere, you need to test the product first.

Once you played for a while and you know you are getting better (very important, you need to have the capacity to improve) you can then decide whether going Pro is worth the time investment.

I am an avid member of the TeamLiquid.net starcraft 2 community, a game in which there are a lot of successful pro-gamers winning a fair amount of money in tournaments. There's probably one to 5 threads each day about some newcomer wanting to go pro right off the bat, leave school for a bit, focus 24/7 on the task at hand.

They all fail for the simple reason that they do not know what they're getting into.

So, my advice to you is this: take it easy and slow, find out if the game you never even played is right for you (let's face it, you didn't play other MKs either...) and THEN take some time to reflect upon the matter with your friends and practice partners.
 
Like I said try a few, but you should learn how to play at least 2 characters to their fullest, you'll only know who you like by trying them, they all have different properties;

Some are fast and rely on being agressively played while using longer combos and jugles to make big damage
Some are slow and are grab characters
Some have more projectiles than others, some high low, mid and air projectiles
Some are ultra defensive/turtle characters who rely on the opponent making a mistake in order to punish them
Some are slow and do more damage

As a starter find a character who at least has a teleport, that way you aren't being forced into a certain space to play as a certain style, it also allows you to break away from being trapped...Characters that don't have a teleport take alot more skill, since their skill-sets only allow you to play well with said characters zoning and spacing; you can actually lose matches because you can't control the space that specific character needs in order to excel, more options are better for beginners.

So try a few out and decide what type of player you are, rush down, defensive, mixup/jack of trades, punisher, big damage defensive player...


Thank you Echo and Khanada for the well thought out comments. I am sort of getting overwhelmed now however I am taking a lot from this thread. I understand now that Blocking is one of my main assets in the heat of battle.

I don't know what property I will use but I am mainly an aggressive player, which character do you suggest ?.

Plus I understand using a teleport character is preferable, which you have taught me, if you could specify which character has that ability ?

I believe I can dedicate the time and effort to becoming one of the best (or atleast try) I understand It's a long leap but I believe I can do it with the proper mindset and training. I will try and develop my skills as much as possible and perhaps get it some training with some guys on here.
 
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Bare with me, haven't played MK since MK3 back when I was like 12, still destroyed 90% I faced in arcades though back then.. Teleport characters that I know of are;

Scorpion
Kung Lao
Raiden
Noob Saibot
Smoke
Liu kang(unless what I saw was his throw grab move)....
Cyrax
Sektor

This will be a learning experience for me also :)

Some of those characters have "safer teleports" than others, some cause knockback and some are actually pop ups/launchers in which you can use to start a juggling combo from, example Kung Lao has a pushback and launcher teleport properties from what I have seen. Some have teleports with no move or attack involved/attached to it like Raidens. Anyone with more knowledge please chime in...
 
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Liu Kang's fiery teleport attack move is a counter. He has to be physically hit while in a special pose before the move can be initiated. But he is very excellent for beginners due to his balanced long-range and close-range moves. Smoke can be a little to advanced.

Noob Saibot's teleport slam is kinda unsafe, if done in a unsafe way.
 
Thanks, I'm pretty unsure on who I will use but I realize that I need to stick to one character and learn his combos basic+hard. Subzero will probably be the most used with his move set, so I think it would be pointless learning him.

It's going to be a long uphill battle from here ! I'm ready for the challenge. I believe I can become a top Mortal Kombat 9 Player.
 
Don't mash your inputs and spend time in practice/training mode.... watch videos and matches too....

If you're to take it seriously, you're going to have to watch vids, and practice hours on end... I used to practice... probably 4-5 hours a day in Super Street Fighter IV... as soon as I was on break for school, I hopped into training mode... Played and played, and played...
 
Know your character's anti airs, pokes and most reliable combos. Don't worry too much if you can't pull off 72% combos on day 1, not everyone has or needs fantastic execution (granted it helps, but it's not the be all and end all). Also consider that uppercutting someone in a corner will send them over you on to the other side, so you may want to experiment with different combo enders.

Know what moves are safe on block (these allow you to pressure your opponent AND inflict damage at the same time).

Play safe - use the block button. Several moves when blocked put the opponent into a juggle state, allowing you to set up a combo. Free damage.

Lastly, expect your opponent to be good. Expect them to block your attacks, expect them to tech your throws etc.
 
The number one rule for any competitive game, is to practice.

When I say practice I don't mean only practice mode, practice non-stop online, for hours a day.

Starcraft 2 pro players play games for about 6-10 hours a day, doing nothing but perfecting their gameplay, its no different with MK.

If you find yourself doing poorly with one person, and you spent a lot of time, try picking a completely different character with a different fighting style, it will help you be more diverse.

If you decide that you want to do offline mode, try ranking up difficulty when you find the game is too easy, if you find yourself getting your ass handed to you, keep trying.
 
as crap as this is going to sound...learn your counter picks, even if online is blind pick... Tournaments aren't... So learn your counter picks, id you want to win, you're going to play to win as crappy as that sounds... Ricky Ortiz last year counter picked Vangief to get to go to finals.... It's done in "pro" play...so why not you do it as well.
 
Pakman, thank you for your points I will need to know his reliable combos and which work majority of the time, I will have to revert back to this thread when I get the game and use this points for the better of me. That was a awesome way to put it for me, expect my opponent to be good/block my attacks/ tech my throws.


I understand Brandonspikes. I will need to practice for endless hours learning a specific character with learning his reliable combos and most effective. I am off college for a couple of months so I have a very long period learn. I am still unsure on what procedures I need to do offline to make me become really good ? I know theres online too, however I will not go there if I am not ready.


Thank you Scorp, I am certain I want to take this seriously, I will take my time in practice mode and watch videos to accommodate for that. I will be able to play and play as I don't have college for a couple of months. Winning as crappy as it sounds is something I am willing to do.
 
Practice, Practice, Practice! I'm not gonna lie, I've always sucked at fighting games, and still kind of do. but practicing helped me. Now instead of getting completely destroyed, I can actually compete with other players
 
I have played MK since it was in the arcades, always played it casually before. The demo has gotten me quite excited for the game though and it is something I could see myself getting into competitively. I'm a former Call of Duty player, I got tired of that scene though. The community went down the toilet after Modern Warfare 2.

Anyway, I will be spending most of my gaming sessions on this game. Some of the tips here are also a bit helpful to me, I've been playing the demo on expert without much of a challenge. I've learned Scorpion's move set pretty thoroughly at this point. I'm Still trying to string combos together,was wondering if anyone had any tips on maintaining combos longer than 5 hits?
 
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