The Use of Nut Punch?

Robert Mulcahy

New member
Hey guys, long time lurker, first time poster!

I've been using the demo to really practice as much as I can out of it. Trying to get all my combos solid (or at least as solid as I can, knowing there are changes) before release. I'm down to Johnny Cage now and I had thought of him to play like a faster Sub Zero, in terms of comboing. Where as you do a combo, freeze the foe in mid combo, then end with a combo or juggle. Pretty basic stuff, just linking two combos together with the freeze. But with Johnny I assumed I'd use nut punch instead.

Sounded good on paper but in actual play, my opponent is able to block after a nut punch? :s: After playing around with it, the best use I can get out of a nut punch is pretty much chip damage as my opponent also knows of this and holds down block. The whole cringing animation just pretty much roots them in place and prevents them from doing any attacks but that is it from what I see. I've even thought maybe it was made like this to prevent the linking of two combos for whatever reason, maybe infinites or something but even the very first attack being a nut punch acts very much the same way as if it was used mid-combo.

From playing around with it for the little bit of time that I have, I so far found about two uses out of the nut punch. When an enemy does a high attack, the nut punch often times can be a very fast counter move. It will make Johnny go below the hit box of the opponent's and hit the opponent hard, the nut punch does pretty decent damage for just a single hit. Also I need more testing but I think there is kind of like a mini void game with the nut punch. Even though the foe is in the crotch hugging animation they can still block, but they can also still block high or low. If they are blocking low, you can get away with doing an overhead into Johnny's awesome juggles. If they are blocking high, you can sweep or hit low.

In early Mortal Kombats, if I am remembering at all correctly, it was Johnny's 'free hit' move. You get the nut punch and then you can get that free uppercut! You know, just like Subz's freeze and Scorp's spear? It doesn't seem so in the demo of this game though. So I propose a question to everyone who's been taking Johnny Cage to the lab, what is the use of nut punch?
 
It's fast enough to be a punisher but not safe enough to be a combo starter. I practically don't use it, I just let it happen when a combo auto confirms into it and then follow up with a b+3 to do a short combo.

Welcome to TRMK, BTW.
 
Welcome to TRMK! DCP is our resident Cage expert, I'm sure he could help you. :)

While not a pro at MK, I use Johnny more than any other character. Always have, always will. Nut punch, to me, is a risky move and I rarely use it in combos.
 
Ehh. Its strong and i guess its good for dodging projectiles or high attacks. I dont really use it, and i deff dont use the EX version.
 
Thanks guys, I feel very welcomed!

So from the likes of what I am hearing it is turning more into a 'troll' move. More of a "Haha! I punched you in the balls!" thing than anything else. Which... you know what... I can live with that, I think that's very fitting! LOL =)

EDIT:

lol why does the nut punch work on females now??? no fair D:

Johnny's just using Piccolo's technique for fighting women! =P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtFY36HrCdk
 
Well if your opponents not blocking low it will hit so I guess its to punish people who block high all the time.
 
I haven't played the demo a ton as I'm not really fond of any of the characters... but the nut punch seems pretty damn safe on both block and hit. Not sure if it is even or positive frames, but it is really safe. Try using it as a mixup to reset your combos (reset the scaling). Try following it up with overheads, block strings etc.
 
Johnny has two other moves where his hand turns green, besides his unblockable...1) SQUARE, X, TRIANGLE. 2) Enhanced Nut Punch. In both cases the character appears to be stunned, I would be willing to bet that these two moves are points where you can Tag Combo.
 
Well if your opponents not blocking low it will hit so I guess its to punish people who block high all the time.


Yeah pretty much this is what the nut punch is good for but since they all have a sweep properties like the old games it's just better to do a sweep since it faster and has better range. Hopefully in the final build the nut punch can be incorporated in the combo. ewwww
 
Back + X, Square Square, Square Square, Forward + X, Down Back+ Square. Learn it. Use it. Fight Dirty.
 
Indeed that is something I didn't mention and now smacking my forehead!

Because of the damage and the weird crotch hugging animation, it makes a good closer to combos!

As I mentioned before, the Cage games don't stop there. Once they are in the animation, you have plenty to work with from there. Cage particularly does very well chip damage against a blocker. If blocking high you can get away with a sweep, but I think the best chip damage that can be done to a blocker would be Back+X X Down Back+[]. Although I think ending in a shadow kick instead of a nut punch (Back+X X Back Forward+O) is safer while trying to chip, but shadow kick does whiff on a crouching opponent.

I'd attempt the overhead popup if I think they are blocking low. It could lead into another combo which will eventually end in the nut punch again! Bringing the cycle all the way around, haha!

I think this is enough for me, nut punch does have use! It ends a combo putting the opponent into this Johnny Cage Mixup Game! I definitely like this. :)
 
man!!! the best thing to do after a nut punch is charge up, back-triangle!!! they'll most likely instinctively try to block, then bam! hit them with the charge up, THEN! when they're falling on to they're knee's you have a small window to use the back-X pop up then you can link another combo in, its a great move !! any nut punch can set yu up for this.

and if people get savvy to your tricks and try to jump or hit out of the charge punch, you simply use the enchanced nut cracker, then yu have enough time to fully charge up.


i cant believe no one mentioned this.
 
Hi,

I have played JC quite a bit in the demo. I am no expert, but have been using Square (SQ),(SQ),(SQ),Nut Punch and following with an uppercut which the computer sometime blocks, but often doesn't, or with >X, X, <X, shadow kick - computer raraly seems to be able to blcok from the nut punch - though not sure it all counts as "a combo".

That is on Expert level. So I have been using it a lot.
 
Everyone should be pretty good with JC.I would go on to say im a good jc player.We all want know how good we really are until we play against eachother and get even better.At this point everyone can do all his default combos at will and have atleast 5 of their own.
 
man!!! the best thing to do after a nut punch is charge up, back-triangle!!! they'll most likely instinctively try to block, then bam! hit them with the charge up, THEN! when they're falling on to they're knee's you have a small window to use the back-X pop up then you can link another combo in, its a great move !! any nut punch can set yu up for this.

and if people get savvy to your tricks and try to jump or hit out of the charge punch, you simply use the enchanced nut cracker, then yu have enough time to fully charge up.


i cant believe no one mentioned this.

That is definitely the best answer I've got! Props to you, sir! Definitely makes EX Nut Punch worth while if you can get two juggles in because of it!

Heck, in the middle of the second juggle, they probably had hit the corner! Allowing the juggles to be even longer!

I'll absolutely gotta bring that into the lab tomorrow when I get some free time! If you had three meters, could you essentially force the player to eat three juggle combos after the initial one? Granted they don't breaker it, of course.
 
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