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Mortal Kombat (2011) for XBOX 360 and PS3 - Johnny Cage Fighting Guide/FAQ
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MBMMMBM8MMMMMMaMMZM0MMM This game was rated M (Mature 17+) by the
M ; r X MM M . M Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
M2WMZMM0M0MMMMXMMSMMM0M for the following reasons:
M : M
M MM r0MM M - Blood and Gore (depictions of blood or the
M rX MMMMMMM M mutilation of body parts)
M MMMMMMM MMBWWWMM M
M MMMWWWMM iMWWWWMM M - Intense Violence (graphic and realistic looking
M MMBWWMM2 M@Z2MWMW M depictions of physical conflict; may involve
M MMB@Z0MM M@M M@MM M extreme and/or realistic blood, gore, weapons
M iM@@M MMM@WM BMWM2 M and depictions of human injury and death)
M MMWM SM@BBM MWMM M
M MWMM MMWWMM MMMM.M - Partial Nudity (brief and/or mild depictions
M MM@M MMMMM , M of nudity)
M BMMMM M
M M - Strong Language (explicit and/or frequent use
M MB28SZ0Z@M;@MZSSMM8 M of profanity)
M 8: MMXX@MM XBM828aM0M
M M X0 M0 M
MrMMSMWBM8MM2MMXMMSMMZM
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| This FAQ is... |
| version 1.3 |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
+ Version 0.1 - Started writing the FAQ. Not much information.
+ Version 0.6 - Big revisions and additions. Over halfway.
+ Version 0.8 - More additions, almost ready for release.
+ Version 1.0 - Ready for release. Story still needs to be added. Moves
and combos are up, though!
+ Version 1.1 - Added the "Advanced Techniques" section. Still need to
add the story information one day.
+ Version 1.2 - Added the Scorpion match up info that was missing. Also
updated a few other match ups.
+ Version 1.3 - Added a story bit and some trivia. Fixed some errors.
_______________________________________________________________________
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
/ I. Introduction (int01) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Mortal Kombat is a game that needs no introduction. And if you truly didn't
| know what MK was, I doubt you'd open MY guide, expecting to learn about it.
| So I'm not going to bore you with an introduction to Mortal Kombat's story
and what it's all about - if you want to know, then you'll play the story
mode in this game. You opened my guide to learn about JOHNNY FUCKING CAGE,
didn't you?
Well, I supposed I should give you at least a little back round about Johnny
since it is HIS guide, right? I'm sure no one will read this, but for those
of you who will, here. I hope you're happy.
___________________________
__/ About Johnny Cage (int02) \__________________________________________
Real name: John Carlton
Age: 29 (as of original MK story)
Height: 6'0" (1.83 m)
Weight: 190 lbs (86 kg)
Alliance: Earthrealm
Alignment: Good
I'm not going to copy and paste a Johnny Cage story or introduction that I
found from the web. So I'll just give you my quick little version of it,
just to give you the jist of things.
Johnny "Cage" Carlton is a movie star who stars in films focus on action
packed fighting scenes. Many of the movie critis and fans believe that
Johnny is a fraud and that most of his impressive moves from his movies are
due to camera work and special effects.
However, Johnny actually IS a very skilled and proficient Karate fighter.
He enters into the tournament of Mortal Kombat to prove to the critics as
well as the rest of the world that he really DOES know how to fight and
can whoop some serious ass.
Aside from being a master of Karate and a few other skilled fighting
styles, Johnny has supernatural powers, allowing him to harness energy and
perform attacks with amounts of finesse and strength that no regular human
could imagine. This is what makes him glow green at times.
Johnny is the only original member of the MK crew that doesn't have prior
ties to any of the other members. And while he may seems cocky, arrogant,
and slap-stickish at times, he ends up being one of the best protecters of
Earthrealm and he is always loyal to his alignment.
Johnny Cage random trivia:
+ He was originally based off of Jean Claude Van Damme
+ Van Damme's outfit in the movie "Bloodsport" is very similar to a
few of Cage's outfits
+ Johnny Cage's nut punch move did not effect female fighters in the
first few iterations of the game. (MK, MK2, MK4, or MKG).
+ Johnny's most famous fatality is his uppercut decapitation.
+ Johnny's name was actually going to be "Michael Grimm" but it was
changed during MK's production.
+ If you change the "c" in Cage to a "k" (like Mortal Kombat does for
everything else), you get KAGE, which is the japanese word for
"shadow" - the basis of many of Johnny's signature moves.
*thank you to mortal kombat wikia for this trivia information*
_______________________________________________________________________
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
/ II. Table of Contents (tab01) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Here is a simple table of contents. To easily skip to a section in the FAQ,
| press ctrl + F on your keyboard and search for the 'five character code'
| next to the title of each section.
I. Introduction (int01)
About Johnny Cage (int02)
II. Table of Contents (tab01)
III. Contact/Questions (que01)
IV. Controls (con01)
Button key (con02)
Other notation (con03)
My combo notation (con04)
V. Frame Data (fra01)
What are frames? (fra02)
VI. Johnny's Moves (mov01)
Basic attacks (mov02)
Special moves (mov03)
Enhanced specials (mov04)
Simple strings (mov05)
Tag combos (mov06)
Johnny's X-Ray (mov07)
Fatalities (mov08)
VII. The Advanced Combos (adv01)
Starters (adv02)
Mid-screen combos (adv03)
Corner only combos (adv04)
X-Ray combos (adv05)
Anti Air Jump Punch combos (adv06)
Deep Jump Kick combos (adv07)
d+1 Anti Air combos (adv08)
VIII. Advanced Techniques (tec01)
Poking (tec02)
Using d+1 (tec03)
Frame Traps (tec04)
Using EN Low Force Ball (tec05)
IX. Match-ups/Strategy (mat00)
Basic strategy (mat01)
X. Special Thanks, etc. (spe01)
_______________________________________________________________________
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
/ III. Contact/Questions (que01) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| If you have anything you feel should be added to this FAQ, feel free to
| shoot me an e-mail and I will give you credit for your addition (as long as
| I feel that it really needs to be added to this FAQ).
My e-mail address is: tectactoe(at)gmail(dot)com
Also, any mistakes or errors you find (whether they are gameplay based or
spelling/grammar related), feel free to let me know. I really appreciate
the help!
Please do not e-mail me junk. That would make me very upset.
_______________________________________________________________________
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
/ IV. Controls (con01) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| The controls of Mortal Kombat are very simple, in that each button pertains
| to a certain command. It's been like this for years, and that format is
| still relevent today. Here is an outline of the controls:
*NOTE* I use a "general" control scheme so that this guide may be used for
both XBox 360 users and PS3 users alike. Instead of using A, B, X, Y, or
Square, X, Circle, Triangle, I use 1, 2, 3, 4. If you've been to any of the
message boards, I'm sure you've seen this already. In case you haven't, here
is a handy little key for you to use:
____________________
__/ Button Key (con02) \_________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Notation Command XBox 360 PS3
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Front Punch X Square
2 Back Punch Y Triangle
3 Front Kick A X
4 Back Kick B Circle
BL Block Right Trigger R2
TH Throw Right Bumper R1
*Throws can also be done by pressing 1+3*
TAG Tag/Switch Partner Left Bumper L1
*Tags can also be done by pressing 2+4*
SS Switch Stance Left Trigger L2
X X-Ray RT + LT R2 + L2
________________________
__/ Other Notation (con03) \_____________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Notation Command How to Execute
-------------------------------------------------------------------
jip Jump In Punch Jump in towards your opponent
then punch with either 1 or 2.
njp Neutral Jump Punch Jump straight up and punch
your opponent with either 1
or 2. If done correctly, they
will pop up in the air.
AA jp Anti-air jump punch This is performed when you and
your opponent both jump in the
air and you use either 1 or 2
to punch them down. NOTE: you
must be jumping towards the
opponent for this, not just
straight up in the air, other-
wise you'll be doing a njp.
jk Jump Kick Jump towards the opponent and
use either 3 or 4 to kick.
>> Dash Towards Hit the D-Pad/stick towards
your opponent twice.
<< Dash Back Hit the D-Pad/stick away from
your opponent twice.
f Foward Hit the D-Pad/stick towards
your opponent.
b Back Hit the D-Pad/stick away from
your opponent.
u Up Hit up on the D-Pad/stick.
d Down Hit down on the D-Pad/stick.
+ Simultaneously Hit these buttons at the same
time. For example, "1+2" would
mean you must hit buttons
1 and 2 at the same time.
~ Cancel into This is used for connecting
special moves to combos. For
example, "44~nut punch" would
mean you have to hit button
4 two times and then
IMMEDIATELY after, input the
button combo for nut punch
(b,d1). We will discuss this
in further detail later on.
( ) This or That Sometimes I will place two
combos or strings inside
parenthesis. This means either
one will work (one or the
other, NOT both). Usually it's
your opponents situation that
will decide which one you
should used. This is discussed
in more detail later on.
EN "Enhanced" attack When you see "EN" in front of
a special attack's name, it
means you should perform the
"enhanced version" of that
attack, which requires one bar
of super meter. Super meters
and enhanced attacks will be
discussed later in the guide.
___________________________
__/ My Combo Notation (con04) \__________________________________________
In the upcoming sections, you may see my combo notation. Everybody's
is a little bit different. I will explain mine so that you know what's
going on. It's not difficult at all. Remember, I will list out the combo
in it's entirety, but I will also include a collection of them in this
shorter "combo notation" so that it consolidates to a nice, small area.
Instead of actual buttons, I use 1, 2, 3, 4. These all correspond to
a certain punch or kick button. Please see the above section for a
key explaining this.
I also use f, b, u, d instead of forward, back, up, down. Remember,
forward and back are relative to your position vs your opponent. If
you're on the left side, then f = right. However, if you're on the
right side, f = left. Forward is TOWARDS your opponent, and back is
AWAY from your opponent.
Commas represent a new attack string or special. When there's no comma
in between buttons, that means it's all part of the same string. When
you see a tilde (~), that means you "cancel" the first move into the
second move. Here's a full out example of everything:
jip 21f+2, >> 2, >> 2, >> 44~nutpunch
So when you see this, you first perform a jump in punch. Jump towards
your opponent and hit either 1 or 2, then immediately start with the
combo. You must do it quick enough so that the combo links with the
jump in punch.
After you land the jump in punch, you then hit button 2, button 1,
then foward and button 2 at the same time. You've completed the
21f+2 combo now. The arrows (>>) tell you to dash forward and then hit
2 to punch your opponent in the air (juggle). Then, dash and hit 2
again. Lastly, dash one more time and hit 4 twice, and IMMEDIATELY
after you hit 44, start pressing the nut punch button combo, which is
back, down and 1 (bd+1). In other words, you would hit
4 4 b d+1
all in a row. This would nail the 44 and Johnny would execute a nut
punch immediately after.
_______________________________________________________________________
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
/ V. Frame Data (fra01) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Frame data is somewhat of an "expert" knowledge type of thing. I suggest
| you only pay attention to and learn about frame data if you plan on playing
| MK at a highly competitive level. Otherwise, the information isn't very
helpful and will only waste your time.
__________________________
__/ What are frames? (fra02) \___________________________________________
So now you're probably wondering what a "frame" is. Video games are nothing
more than a "collection" of frames. Think of a flip book. You draw a little
doodle on a series of pages, each one a little different than the previous
one, then when you quickly flip through the pages, you see a "movie", what
appears to be a moving image.
Mortal Kombat works the same way. Each time you see something happen in the
game, you're really seeing a series of "frames". Each character's moves
take a certain number of FRAMES to complete. In Mortal Kombat's case - it
runs at 60 frames per second (fps), and so if something takes 30 frames, it
would take half a second to complete.
Most moves can also be split up into frame sections - startup, active, and
recovery. Startup is the time from when the game reads the button input to
when the attack actually hits the opponent. Active takes place when the
attack is actually in effect, damaging the opponent. Recovery is how long
you must wait before you can attack again, after using an attack. This may
differ depending on whether your attack was blocked/dodged or not.
Here are some terms regarding frames that you might hear, and a brief
explaination of what they mean. I'm no "frame expert" so if you need a more
detailed description, you might want to look elsewhere, but this is a good
place to start and just get your head wrapped around it:
+ Frame Advantage (or simply "advantage"): when attacks connect,
whether they are blocked or not, each character will have a recovery
time. Certain attacks leave you at an advantage over your oppenent.
For example, when Johnny connects with f+32, he is at a slight frame
advantage in recovery over the opponent, so you can continute to
attack - the only way for the foe to escape is to jump out of it or
perform a very quick attack before Johnny's attack gets executed...
This is usally done with a poke (d+1, d+3, etc). For more on this,
read a few paragraphs down, "Frame Trap".
+ Invincible Frames: certain attacks (usually wake-ups or enhanced
specials) have certain frames during the attack in which the attacking
player can not be hurt or knocked out of the attack.
====================================================================
FOR MORE DETAILED/COMPLETE INFORMATION ABOUT JOHNNYS FRAME TRAPS AND
SUCH, PLEASE REFER TO THE "ADVANCED TECHNIQUES" SECTION, LATER IN
THE GUIDE. THIS IS JUST A BASIC LOOK AT FRAME ADVANTAGES/TRAPS!
====================================================================
+ Frame Trap: this is one of Johnny's specialties... or at least some-
thing he's infamous for. A frame trap is when you have an attack that
recovers faster than the opponent, therefore giving you an advantage
and letting you execute another fast attack that will more than likely
beat out the opponents attack attempt. Depending on the actual frame
advantage, certain frame traps can be "poked" out of (d+1 or d+3)
because these moves for many players are only 6-8 frames, and some of
them can be jumped out of.
For example, Johnny's f+3, 2 attack leaves him at an advantage, both
on block AND on hit. So whether you hit a blocking opponent or some-
one who's NOT blocking, you will "recover" and be able to attack
again before they recover and can do anything. d+3 takes SEVEN frames
to connect, which is very fast. Many recoveries takes 8+ frames, which
obviously will mean you can attack before they can do anything. You'll
notice now why many d+1 and d+3 attacks can poke out of a trap, since
they are also very fast. Keep in mind, this doesn't mean that ANY
attack over 7 frames will not beat out Johnny's f+3, 2... why? The
answer is HUMAN REFLEXES. Johnny's attack may have 7 execution frames
and let's say a characters block stun is 8 execution frames. That's a
ONE frame difference - one sixtieth of a second. So for frame traps to
be as deadly as they can be, the Johnny play must have damn good
reflexes. (You must remember, too, to account for the reflexes of the
person trying to escape. If both people have equal reflexes, then
there are not many attacks that can poke out of Johnny's string, other
than some d+1's and jumping back).
From now on when I talk about advantages and frame traps, etc, I will
not explain it in detail, I will only refrence it.
====================================================================
FOR MORE DETAILED/COMPLETE INFORMATION ABOUT JOHNNYS FRAME TRAPS AND
SUCH, PLEASE REFER TO THE "ADVANCED TECHNIQUES" SECTION, LATER IN
THE GUIDE. THIS IS JUST A BASIC LOOK AT FRAME ADVANTAGES/TRAPS!
====================================================================
Moving on...
Johnny's uppercut has 7 starup frames, meaning it takes 7 frames to hit the
opponent from the time you press d+2. That is roughly equal to 0.12 seconds
which is just barely more than a tenth of a second - Johnny Cage has one of
the faster uppercuts in the game (actually, it might be THE fastest). Also,
his Shadow Kick special has 8 starup frames, the third fastest regular
special in the game. Only Raiden's superman and Kung Lao's spin are faster.
I do not have frame data for all of Johnny's attacks. You can visit the
site www.testyourmight.com and look under Johnny Cage's forum for frame
data that someone else has compiled. I might ask them one day if I can put
it in my guide and give them proper credit. We'll see.
_______________________________________________________________________
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
/ VI. Johnny's Moves (mov01) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Here is a list of Johnny's basic moves and combos. Note that these are the
| moves already listed in the game when you pause a match and go to "Move
| List", however I'll also throw in the damage and any other special notes
about the specific attack.
_______________________
__/ Basic Attacks (mov02) \______________________________________________
KEYSTROKE DAMAGE NOTES
1 3% Hits HIGH.
2 5% Hits HIGH.
3 7% Hits HIGH.
4 5% Hits HIGH.
d+2 12% Classic uppercut. Johnny has one of
the fastest uppercuts in the game. So
fast that it's one of his best anti
air tools for preventing cross ups.
Whenever a foe tries to jump over you,
don't be afraid to uppercut. It's
super fast and has a nice sized hit
box. Hits HIGH.
d+1 2% One of Johnny's best pokes. Use it for
opponents jumping at you or just for
a nice poke after landing an attack
that gives you advantage. Hits HIGH.
d+3 1% Another decent poke because of it's
speed and because it hits LOW. Good to
use after someone blocks a string that
leaves Johnny at an advantage.
d+4 3% Much slower than Johnny's d+3 poke but
it does 2% more damage and has a bit
longer range. Good for people jumping
towards/near you. Hits LOW.
nj, 1 or 2 5% NJP's are explained in more detail in
the "other notation" section above.
Hits OVERHEAD.
b+4 7% Johnny also has a very fast sweep that
is good to use after a blocked attack
string or just any kind of combo mix
up in general. Johnny is at a frame
advantage when his sweep is blocked.
Like all sweeps, it hits LOW.
b+2 varied You can "charge" this attack by
holding down 2 after the start up
begins. Depending on how long you
charge it, the damage will increase
from: 3%, 5%, 7%, 9%, and 11%. At max
charge, the attack will render as an
unblockable (it hits opponents who are
blocking). All versions hit MID. Full
charge takes about 64 frames, which is
about one second. Charge-up can be
cancelled by dashing.
f+2 5%,9% Two hits with the elbow. Both elbows
will hit HIGH.
b+3 5% Excellent pop-up combo starter. It has
a decent start up time (11 frames) and
upon hit, it will pop the opponent
straight up, opening the door for many
combos. Hits HIGH. This move is fairly
safe on block but can still be
punished by other safe and fast
special attacks and uppercuts.
f+3 3% Sends a knee lunging towards the
opponent. This is a very important
attack that will lead to one of
Johnny's best "frame traps". Remember
this one! Safe on block.
f+4 9% One of Johnny's slowest normals on
start up. However it hits OVERHEAD and
pops the opponent up, so you'll be
using it often as a combo starter. You
can link it after a jump in punch. If
this attack is blocked, Johnny is left
at a frame advantage.
f+TH 12% Unblockable throw. Hits "5" times for
a total of 12% damage. Will hit
opponents who are crouch blocking,
however it will MISS opponents who are
crouching WITHOUT blocking which will
leave Johnny open to be comboed. This
throw finishes with the opponent in
front of you.
TH or b+TH 12% Same as above, but it finishes with
the opponent behind you.
_______________________
__/ Special Moves (mov03) \______________________________________________
KEYSTROKE DAMAGE NOTES
b, f, 4 8% Shadow Kick. Johnny's most vintage
attack. This special is extrememly
fast and travels about half screen.
Can be used to hit any opponent who is
jumping in at you before they hit the
ground. Also used to keep daring foes
in check. Hits HIGH and this attack
can be crouched. If Shadow Kick is
blocked or crouched, the recovery is
very slow and Johnny will most likely
eat a full combo. This also serves as
a good WAKE-UP attack that has
invincibility frames on start-up and
pushes back opponents trying to
pressure.
d, b, 3 9% Flip Kick. Johnny's best anti-air
special. Very quick start-up and a
surprisingly quick recover. Hits HIGH.
If blocked, Johnny will only eat the
fastest uppercuts and specials. It's
much harder to punish will a full
combo than his Shadow Kick. This one
is also a great wake-up attack.
d, f, 2 8% Low Forceball. Johnny shoots a green
ball across the screen, hits HIGH and
maintains a reasonably low arch. The
start up is pretty slow and the ball
doesn't move very fast either. But
this is really the only non enhanced
option he has during a projectile war.
d, b, 2 8% High Forceball. Hits HIGH. Same as
above, except it archs much higher.
Good for hitting opponents jumping at
the opposite side of the screen. Can
also be used after a Low Forceball to
hit someone trying to jump over it.
b, d, 1 11% Nut Punch. Decent start-up time. Even
though it's a nut punch, it still hits
HIGH. If blocked, the recovery time is
long and Johnny will eat a full combo.
If it hits, however, this attack is
GREAT and so it will be used often to
end combos. It does good damage and it
leaves the opponent STANDING, meaning
that they can not use any kind of wake
up attack so Johnny can keep up the
pressure! Johnny Cage is best up close
and so this becomes an important tool
and will allow you to keep pressuring
an opponent without having to worry
about invincible wake up attacks after
a typical knockdown.
___________________________
__/ Enhanced Specials (mov04) \__________________________________________
KEYSTROKE DAMAGE NOTES
b, f, 4+BL 12% Eclipse Kick. Johnny's Shadow kick now
gives him a red glow. This move will
travel the ENTIRE length of the screen
and has armor, meaning he can be hit
with a projectile and the attack will
not be interrupted. However, he will
still take the damage. Can be punished
the same way as the regular Shadow
Kick. The Eclipse Kick is Johnny's
best tool for "closing the gap". If an
opponent is trying to stay on the
opposite end of the screen and spam
projectiles at you, unleash an Eclipse
Kick right after they throw out a
projectile to zip through it, knock
them down, and close that gap. Unlike
the original Shadow Kick, the Eclipse
Kick will hit crouchers who are not
blocking.
d, b, 3+BL 5%,4%,4%,4% Ultra Flip Kick. Again, the enhanced
version of this move turns Johnny red
instead of green. He performs the
original Flip Kick, and if it connects
he will follow up with a rising elbow
attack that hits three times. He will
still follow up with the elbow even
if the flip is blocked as long as it
makes contact with the enemy. This is
a nice, high-damage add on to many
combos, though it may be argued that
the nut punch is still better because
it leaves the opponent standing. All
four hits are HIGH. If the attack is
starting from the very edge of the
opponents hit box (meaning you nearly
missed connecting the attack, but you
barely squeaked it in), then there is
a chance that the last three hits may
not ALL connect. Oftentimes, only one
or two of them will hit if the Flip
Kick connects too late.
d, f, 2+BL 4%,8% Double Low Force Ball. When executed,
Johnny sends out two force balls back
to back. The first one is the original
Low Forceball and the second one is a
ball that travels straight across.
Performing this move when up close to
an opponent will leave Johnny at a
fairly large advantage on block. Both
force balls will hit HIGH. Johnny's
EN low forceball can be used to trap
an opponent from any of Johnny's
combo strings. For more information
about this, see the "Advanced Tech-
niques" section later in this FAQ.
(PS - thanks to jono for that info).
d, b, 2+BL 4%,8% Double High Force Ball. Same as above
except the first ball sent out is the
high arching ball of the regular High
Force Ball, and the second one is once
again the ball that travels straight
across. At medium ranges, this attack
is nearly impossible to dodge and must
be blocked. Once again, both force
balls hit HIGH.
b, d, 1+BL 15% Nutcracker. Johnny's enhanced version
of the nut punch has slightly longer
range than the original, and thus can
be linked to certain combos in which
the orignial would not normally work.
Base damage is 4% higher, but when
added to a long combo, damage scaling
(usually) reduces this to a mere 1%
damage increase, meaning it's more
than likely not worth wasting one bar
of meter on the enhanced nut punch for
extra damage. The only justifiable
time would be in much smaller combos
or strings, or if you absolutely need
that extra range for a specific combo,
but there are usually ways to avoid
this (different, better combos, etc).
This move hits HIGH, and it includes
a few invincible frames.
________________________
__/ Simple Strings (mov05) \_____________________________________________
KEYSTROKE DAMAGE NOTES
1, 1 3%,3% Two quick hits. Both HIGH. Use for
juggles and in traps - Johnny is left
at advantage on block.
1, 1, 1 3%,3%,5% Three hits, very fast attack. All hits
are HIGH.
1, 1, f+1 3%,3%,6% A bit slower than the previous attack
but it hits for 1% more damage. All
hits are HIGH.
1, 1, 4 3%,3%,8% All hits are HIGH. This one is a good
combo to link into a nut punch when
juggling in the corner.
1, 3, 2 3%,5%,8% Three hits, first one is HIGH, last
two are MID. When this connects, you
have a frame advantage.
2, 1, f+2 5%,3%,8% Get used to this attack, you will be
using it very often. First two hits
are HIGH, last one is an OVERHEAD that
pops the opponent up. Great combo link
and/or starter. First two hits come
out reasonably quick. This string is
also fairly safe on block.
2, 1, b+4 5%,3%,5% First two hits are HIGH, the last one
hits LOW. When you are going for a
21f+2 and you notice the opponent is
blocking, on reaction you can hit b+4
after the 21 instead of f+2 and hit
them with a low. Unfortunately you can
not link any moves to this string.
f+3, 2 3%,7% Both hits are HIGH. This attack is a
great attack that leaves Johnny at an
advantage on hit AND on block. This
is the most used "frame trap" attack
from Johnny Cage and rightfully so.
Upon block or hit, your opponents only
choice is to jump away. This move just
comes out faster than your opponents
recovery and/or block stun that you
can repeat it until they get hit by
it, with which you can keep it going,
until they jump out of the trap. More
information about this can be found
in the "Frames" section of this guide,
as well as the "Advanced Techniques"
section.
4, 4 5%, 7% You will be using this very often in
the middle of juggles, usually linked
into a special. Hits HIGH, safe on
block. Also, upon hit, you are granted
a safe jump, meaning you can start
a jip either linked to a f+4 combo or
any other starter of your choice. You
many also attempt a free throw.
f+3, 3 3%,3%,6% Nice, quick poke string. Can be linked
into a special like nut punch or flip
kick. This is also one of Johnny's
best pokes and I believe he is at an
advantage upon block. Hits three times
and all hits are HIGH.
f+3, 3, b+3 3%,3%,6%,4% I love this string. Just an add-on to
the combo above. As before, the first
three hits are HIGH but the last b+3
is an OVERHEAD. Very fast string that
leaves Johnny at advantage on hit.
____________________
__/ Tag Combos (mov06) \_________________________________________________
You can only use these combos during a tag match (2 vs 2) with a
parter who has not yet been knocked out.
KEYSTROKE DAMAGE NOTES
1, 3, TAG varies Damage/hit range depends on partner.
2, 1, TAG varies Damage/hit range depends on partner.
f+3, 3, TAG varies Damage/hit range depends on partner.
The following moves have the same button command for each player and
cost one bar of meter to use.
d, b, TAG 4%,8% Johnny appears on screen and does his
Double Low Force Ball attack and then
steps out. Both force balls, like his
actual attack, hit HIGH.
d, f, TAG 12% Johnny immediately comes in from the
side of the screen with his Eclipse
Kick that hits the opponent HIGH. He
will remain the active fighter after
this move is performs, regardless of
whether it hits or not.
________________________
__/ Johnny's X-Ray (mov07) \_____________________________________________
KEYSTROKE DAMAGE NOTES
LT + RT 37% For a full description of how the
(L1 + R1) X-Ray connects, read the section
below. His X-Ray attack ends with a
bounce, meaning you can dash in and
continue a combo. This will be
discussed in the following "combo"
section of the guide.
To perform Johnny's X-Ray attack (just like everyone else), you must have
a completely full super meter (three bars) and hit LT + RT (L2 + R2).
Johnny's X-Ray, however, is unlike anybody else's. His X-Ray is a "PARRY"
which means that it is actually a counter maneuver. When you execute his
X-Ray, he will taunt the opponent by leaning in, saying "Come on" and he
will glow slightly green. This lasts for about 2 seconds. If Johnny gets
hit by any opponents attack that contains contact (meaning, attacks in
which the opponent physically touches Johnny's body), Johnny will not take
damage, rather the opponent will be caught in the trap and Johnny will go
on to perform the rest of the X-Ray attack on the foe.
The X-Ray only parries moves that physically touch Johnny - so if the
opponent is on the opposite side of the screen, they can throw projectiles
and they will NOT get caught in the X-Ray! However, when an opponent
launches a projectile while they are standing right next to Johnny, the hit
box will consider this "physically touching" and they will be caught in the
X-Ray.
Even if the opponent jumps over and hits Johnny Cage from the back (while
he is facing the opposite direction), they will STILL be caught in the
X-Ray, as long as it's still in its active state.
Johnny's X-Ray will parry nearly any physical move (I have yet to find one
myself that will take priority over his X-Ray - if you know of one, please
let me know). Johnny's X-Ray will even parry OTHER X-Rays (for example,
Lui Kangs, Sonyas, Mileenas, to name just a few).
THIS BEING SAID - Johnny's X-Ray is EXTREMELY powerful and can change the
pace of the game. Surely your opponent knows what it is capable of and once
they see you have a full super meter, they will be reluctant to hit you for
fear of caughting caught by your X-Ray. With them being hesitant to hit
you, this will give you a nice chance to rush them down and keep up the
pressure. When you feel like they are going to hit back, launch the X-Ray
and hopefully you've trapped them.
____________________
__/ Fatalities (mov08) \_________________________________________________
I'm sure I don't need to explain this to you guys by now, but Fatalities
are "finishing" moving you can perform when you beat completely beat your
opponent and win the match. The foe will stand there dizzy and the
announcer with say "FINISH HIM/HER!"
From this point, you must stand in a certain range (distance) from the
dizzy opponent and input a button combination. If done correctly, the
lights will dim, music will play, and you'll give your opponent what they
have coming to them.
Babalities show the lighter side of the opponent, and instead of killing
them, you turn them into a baby. They are performed the same way as
fatalities. I've heard that to perform babalities, however, you can not
have blocked an enemy attack in the winning round. If someone could confirm
this and let me know, that would be great.
Stage fatalities are fatalities that can be performed only on certain
fighting stages. The stages that include special fatalities are: The Pit,
Hell, Deadpool, Subway, The Living Forest, and The Street.
Here is a list/explaination of the "distances" you must stand at when
performing finishers:
- Close: right next to the opponent (touching them)
- Sweep: stand anywhere within the farthest place you can successfully
land a sweep attack on the opponent (basically one step away
from touching them is fine)
- Jump: Stand at one jump distance away from your opponent. Stand next
to them and jump back. If that doesn't work, add a small step
backwards after the jump and you should be good.
Fatality 1: f, f, b, d, 3 (close)
Johnny uppercuts the opponents head off, then rips their body in half
at the waist. As he slams the torso onto the ground, the head bounces
up and Johnny grabs it and holds it up in the air.
Fatality 2: d, f, d, f, 4 (sweep)
Johnny karate chops the opponents head in half, then pulls an awards
trophy out from behind his back and slams it into the opponent's
neck while saying, "...and the award goes to!" After this, the life-
less body remains standing, so Johnny lightly pushes it over and looks
through the fourth wall for approval.
Stage: d, b, f, BL (close)
The animation depends on the stage.
The Pit: uppercut the opponent into a bed of spikes below.
Hell: slam your opponents face into molten lava until a skull remains.
Deadpool: uppercut the opponent into an acid pool and watch their
skin deteriorate.
Subway: my personal favorite. smash your opponents head again a train
that's dashing by, then throw them in front of a speeding
train coming from the opposite side.
The Living Forest: throw your opponent into the mouth of a living tree
and watch it eat everything but their legs.
The Street: set your opponent in the middle of the street and watch
them get decapitated by a speeding car.
Babality: f, b, f, 4 (jump)
Babality animations depend on the character it is performed on. Each
character's animation is the same, no matter who performs the
babality on them.
_______________________________________________________________________
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
/ VII. The Advanced Combos (adv01) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Well, here's the section that I'm sure many of you are looking for. I start
| off explaining the combo starters. Then I list some BnB's. This stands for
| "Bread and Butter" - these are the combos that are fairly simple to pull off
and will net you a decent amount of damage. The rest of the combos are
sorted by starter and then by damage. At the end is a nice, concise list of
ALL the combos in shorter notation, for reference. In the "Controls" section
of this FAQ, there are details about the notation in case you are confused.
*PLEASE NOTE: all combos can be "added onto" by beginning each one with a
jump in punch and then linking it to the rest of the combo. I did not
include those jump in punches, but I recommend going for them as often as
you can, since they add 2-3% and can be a segway into certain combos. If
a jip gets blocked, you can always go for the throw*
__________________
__/ Starters (adv02) \___________________________________________________
Starters are just that - the move that STARTS a combo. Johnny has a nice
selection to chose from, and many combos can come from each starter. Here
is a short list of Johnny's starters:
2, 1, f+2
You'll be using this alot. Last hit is an overhead so it's nice to
keep crouch blockers on their toes. The first two hits (2, 1) can be
hit confirmed and made into something else upon block. (For example,
if you start with the (2, 1) and the opponent is blocking high, you
can try a sweep instead of the f+2. The string is safe on block.
f+4
This is Johnny's slowest starter, but it is an overhead (hits crouch
blockers) and pops up the opponent higher than the previous starter.
This one actually puts Johnny at an advantage when blocked, however it
is slow enough that opponents may be able to poke you out of it upon
reaction. I recommend linking to this one with a confirmed jump in
punch first, if possible.
b+3
Another pop up, only this one hits high and is not an overhead. It
can take the place of f+4 in many of Johnny's combos. Although it's
not an overhead, it executes much faster and therefore might be
better to use if you catch an opponent not blocking high.
f+3, 3 and f+3, 2
Most people might not consider these as "starters" since the combos
that amount from them usually don't hit for more than 20%, but I
believe they are very vital to Johnny's success. f+3, 3 is a nice
quick poke that can be followed up with a special such as shadow kick
if you catch the opponent out of block (this is a nice way to get
them to the corner). Or you can link on a b+3 at the end which is an
overhead - good for crouchers. f+3, 2 is Johnny's best and most used
frame trap string. Upon block OR hit, Johnny is at an advantage. So if
you perform the f+3, 2 and they block, you can hit them with it again
since you'll recover faster than their block stun. If you hit them,
you'll still recover faster than they will, so you can hit them with
it again. Over and over (if you time it correctly). Basically the only
way out is to jump back. A few extremely fast specials may be able to
break out (EX spin, EX superman) but I haven't tested this yet. MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS FRAME TRAP/STRING IN THE "ADVANCED TECHNIQUES"
SECTION OF THE GUIDE!
___________________________
__/ Mid-screen combos (adv03) \__________________________________________
f+3 3~(flip kick or shadow kick or nut punch)
As mentioned above, f+3, 3 is a nice poke string, and upon hit, you
can choose to cancel into any one of Johnny's specials. Shadow Kick
is good if you are trying to get your opponent to the corner, and
since it does the same damage as Flip Kick, plus it pushes them back
farther, I see no reason to use Flip Kick upon hit. You can use Nut
Punch for 2% more damage, and it will leave them standing so you can
keep the pressure going without the worry of a wake-up attack.
Damage with flip kick: 19%
Damage with shadow kick: 19%
Damage with nut punch: 21%
f+3 2~(shadow kick or flip kick or nut punch)
And here's Johnny's frame trap starter. If you have the reaction and
timing down, you can trap your opponent in the f+3, 2 string and hit
them over and over with it, and their only option is basically to jump
away. If you're hitting them with the string and you think they might
escape soon, you can hit them with one of these combos to finish it
off. Once again, the Shadow Kick is a nice option to push them to the
corner and the Nut Punch is good for more damage and keeping them
standing. Your choice.
Damage with shadow kick: 16%
Damage with flip kick: 17%
Damage with nut punch: 19%
2 1 f+2, >> 4 4~(flip kick or EN flip kick)
Many people consider this to be one of Johnny's BnB's. It's pretty
simple and hits for decent damage. A few people just picking up Johnny
may have a few problems with linking this combo, so here are some tips
to help out:
Some people have trouble linking the 44 after the 21f+2 launch. My
advice is to dash as SOON as you can after the launch, and make sure
you've completed the entire length of the dash before hitting 44.
Many times people will try and connect the 44 during the middle of the
dash and will come up way too short. If you hit the 44, the Flip Kick
is guaranteed.
Damage with flip kick: 29%
Damage with EN flip kick: 33%
2 1 f+2, >> f+3~(nut punch or EN nut punch)
This combo is great because it's easy and it leaves the opponent in a
standing position, taking away their wake-up game and allowing you to
keep the pressure on, just like all nut punch combos.
Some people have trouble hitting the f+3 after a dash. Think of it as
though you're hitting foward THREE times, and on the last one, you hit
button 3 along with it. Usually works for me. Remember, you must input
the nut punch combo (bd+1) immediately after you press f+3.
Damage: 25%
Damage with EN nut punch: 27%
2 1 f+2, >> 4 4~EN nut punch
Here's a combo that must be done with an EN nut punch, since the
regular nut punch does not have enough range. This is a nice combo to
use if you don't mind spending one bar of meter on it, and the foe
will be left standing, just where you want them.
Damage: 32%
(f+4 or b+3), >> 2 1, >> 2 1~nut punch
Here is a decent combo. I believe you can link in another dash 21
before you end it, but the timing is pretty strict, and there are
other combos that deal more damage and are easlier to land (IMO) so
you probably won't be doing this combo too often.
Damage with b+3: 25%
Damage with f+4: 28%
Damage with b+3 and EN nut punch: 27%
Damage with f+4 and EN nut punch: 30%
(f+4 or b+3), >> 2 1 f+2, >> 4 4~(flip kick or EN flip kick)
You may recognize this as an extension of one of Johnny's BnB's (and
I guess you could consider this it's own BnB). If you can, go for the
f+4 starter since it does more damage, but if your opponent keeps
poking you out of it, then you better go with b+3. You can try to hit
a jump in punch, and if you land it, then go for the f+4.
Its actually possible to dash and start the 21f+2 TOO soon, and Johnny
will miss the launch because you did it too fast. Basically, after you
hit the starter, dash forward and perform the 21f+2 when the opponent
is about at the level of Johnny's neck - this is how I judge it. Based
on your reaction time, you might need to start it a little sooner.
Your best bet it to take it into practice mode to get the timing down.
Damage with b+3: 31%
Damage with f+4: 34%
Damage with b+3 and EN flip kick: 35%
Damage with f+4 and EN flip kick: 37%
(f+4 or b+3), >> 2 1 f+2, >> f+3~(nut punch or EN nut punch)
Once again we are extending a simpler Johnny combo by adding another
launcher to the front. Same rules apply as always, go for the f+4 if
you have the opening or hit a jump in punch, use the b+3 if you have
a quick, poke-happy opponent.
Damage with b+3: 27%
Damage with f+4: 30%
Damage with b+3 and EN nut punch: 30%
Damage with f+4 and EN nut punch: 32%
(f+4 or b+3), >> 2, >> 2, >> 2, >> 4 4~(nut punch or EN nut punch)
Another great combo that leaves them standing. The tricky part is the
dash 2's... Oftentimes you may find that you're hitting f+2 instead of
dashing and hitting a plain 2. To overcome this, you might try
exaggerating dashing a bit early and hitting 2 immediately after you
have pressed forward twice. So literally, after hitting the launcher,
press FORWARD, FOWARD, 2 as quickly as you can while making sure to
quickly tap each button and do NOT hold them down for longer than you
have to. Practice mode is your friend on this one, and it's not as
hard as it may seem at first.
If you're having trouble juggling out three of the in air 2's, you can
always take one (or even two) of them out. This will lessen the
damage obviously, but if it's much more reliable for you, then it
may be the smarter decision.
This is probably my favorite combo because once you get the hang of
the juggling, its easy and hits for nice damage, all with a simple
b+3 or f+4 starter.
Damage with b+3: 31%
Damage with f+4: 34%
Damage with b+3 and EN nut punch: 34%
Damage with f+4 and EN nut punch: 36%
Damage with b+3 and only two >> 2's: 29%
Damage with f+4 and only two >> 2's: 32%
Damage with b+3, only two >> 2's, and EN nut punch: 32%
Damage with f+4, only two >> 2;s, and EN nut punch: 34%
Damage with b+3 and only one >> 2: 27%
Damage with f+4 and only one >> 2: 29%
Damage with b+3, only one >> 2, and EN nut punch: 29%
Damage with f+4, only one >> 2, and EN nut punch: 32%
(f+4 or b+3), >> 2 1 f+2, >> 4 4~EN nut punch
Another combo that must be done with the EN version of the nut punch
because the regular one will not reach. Good combo for one meter,
especially if you manage to land the f+4.
Damage with b+3: 34%
Damage with f+4: 37%
____________________________
__/ Corner only combos (adv04) \_________________________________________
2 1 f+2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 4 4~(flip kick or EN flip kick)
I would only recommend this corner combo if, for some strange reason,
you can't pull of a nut punch. Doing this exact same combo with a
nut punch instead of a flip kick does the same damage, but a nut punch
leaves the opponent standing. Stay away from this unless you really
do have trouble connecting the nut punch.
Damage: 40%
Damage with EN flip kick: 42%
2 1 f+2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 4 4~(nut punch or EN nut punch)
This is corner BnB number one. You'll be using this attack ALOT in the
corner. I would recommend doing the combo below instead of this one,
but I know many people have trouble with 114~nut punch, so here is an
alternative using 44~nut punch, which is easier to land in my opinion.
Damage: 40%
Damage with EN nut punch: 42%
2 1 f+2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1 1 4~(nut punch or EN nut punch)
THE best corner BnB, meterless, in my opinion. Don't bother using the
enhanced nut punch, it only adds 1% damage and isn't worth the meter.
Practice this combo, you will use it OFTEN. Cage is DANGEROUS in the
corner, and this is one reason why.
Damage: 41%
Damage with EN nut punch: 42%
X-Ray, >> b+3, >> b+3, 2, 2, 2, 4 4~nut punch
There are other corner X-Ray combos around, but in my honest opinion,
this one tops them all.
Damage: 54%
______________________
__/ X-Ray combos (adv05) \_______________________________________________
X-Ray, >> b+3, >> 2, >> 2, >> 4 4~nut punch
Here's an option for an X-Ray combo, but most likely, you'll be doing
the one listed below. It hits for 1% more damage and, in my opinion,
is easier to land. However, I'm sure there are a few people who will
have an easier time landing this one, so I put it here just in case.
Damage: 51%
X-Ray, >> b+3, >> 2 1 f+2, >> 4 4~flip kick
The X-Ray BnB. Every time you land an X-Ray you should be going for
this combo, unless you are in the corner (then do the one listed
below). Since the X-Ray pops the opponent up high enough to dash and
hit the b+3, you have quite a few options for after X-Ray combos, but
this is the highest-damage combo that is still pretty easy to land.
Damage: 52%
(CORNER ONLY): X-Ray, >> b+3, >> b+3, 2, 2, 2, 4 4~nut punch
This is the corner X-Ray BnB... I believe it might be possible to land
another 2 before the 44, but I haven't been able to do it, and so even
if it COULD happen, it's not very reliable.
Damage: 54%
____________________________________
__/ Anti-Air Jump Punch combos (adv06) \_________________________________
These are special combos that can only be done after "ANTI-AIR JUMP
PUNCHES" - what are they, you ask? An anti-air jump punch is when you and
your opponent are both in the air and you simply press 1 or 2 to punch
them, and they go flying back. (NOTE: you must be jumping towards the
opponent, not straight up in the air, or else you'll just be doing a njp).
Anti-air jump punches (AAjp for short) usually just end at that. But, if
you're smart about it, you can tack on another 15-20% damage by reacting
quickly, and every percent is worth it when you're fighting an expert.
All these combos start with an AAjp, and you must quickly dash foward after
you hit the ground to continue the combo. Here we go:
AAjp, >> 44~(shadow kick or flip kick or nut punch)
The simplest form of the AAjp combos. I would suggest only using this
combo if you absolutely can not execute the one below. And if you are
having trouble and you must use this combo, the best choice is of
course the nut punch - leaves them standing and does the most damage.
I would only say, use the shadow kick if you are trying to get them to
the corner. NOTE: for the nut punch version of this combo, you must
wait as long as possible to hit the 44, or else the nut punch will
miss. Do not use enhanced specials on this, not worth it.
Damage w/ shadow kick: 14%
Damage w/ flip kick: 15%
Damage w/ nut punch: 16%
AAjp, >> 2, >> 2, >> 44~nut punch
I recommend you use this one basically all of the time. You CAN link
another >> 2 into the combo, however the window is VERY tight and it
only adds 1% damage, so it is not recommended at all. You can also use
EN nut punch, but as well, it only adds 1% damage, which is not enough
to warrant using one bar of meter.
Damage: 21%
_______________________________
__/ Deep Jump Kick combos (adv07) \______________________________________
So, now what is a "DEEP" Jump Kick? Well, a regular jump kick is when you
jump towards your opponent and press 3 or 4 to kick them. A "deep" jump
kick is when you wait until you've almost landed from the jump to hit 3 or
4, rather than pressing it at the crest of your jump like normal.
This is a nice tactic for taking out opponents who are getting up after
being knocked down. Johnny can actually perform a few combos from his deep
jump kicks, making them more worthwhile.
Deep jump kick, >> 4 4~shadow kick
The one (and basically only) deep jk you'll want to do if you don't
want to use meter. Good for pushing the opponent towards the corner.
Damage: 22%
Deep jump kick, >> 4 4~EN nut punch
If you don't mind spending meter, here's a good way to get decent
damage off of a simple deep jk. If you want to do this combo, you
MUST use EN nut punch, as the regular one will not reach.
Damage: 27%
_____________________________
__/ d+1 anti-air combos (adv08) \________________________________________
Lastly we have the anti-air d+1 combos. (In case you weren't sure, when I
say d+1, I am simply referring to holding down and pressing button 1, which
is Johnny's best poke, or quick jab).
Johnny's d+1 is a very fast poke and can be used as an ANTI-AIR, when an
opponent is next to you and tries to jump over you - you can hit them with
a d+1 if you are fast enough, at the start of their jump, or you can hit
them on their way down, although you right getting hit by a quicker or out-
of-hitbox attack.
When done successfully, the d+1 will actually leave the opponent in the air
for a juggle. You must act very quickly, though, after the d+1 lands. Note
than you can not perform these combos when the opponent is on the ground.
Most importantly, you must learn the timing of when to hit the d+1. The
best advice I can give you, is to hit when the opponent is just past
Johnny's head while crouching. MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE D+1 POKE CAN BE FOUND
IN THE "ADVANCED TECHNIQUES" SECTION OF THE FAQ. And remember, after you
get the d+1 to hit, you must IMMEDIATELY dash and continue the combo. These
are probably some of the most difficult combos to get down, but they can be
the most rewarding once you finally do, since it's a good way to handle
opponents you like to jump and cross up too much.
d+1, >> 1, >> 1 1, >> 4 4~nut punch
Probably the easier of the two main d+1 combos, timing-wise. If you
do a 11 after the first dash instead of just a single 1, the damage
will actually LESSEN by 1%, due to scaling. Not worth using a meter
for EN nut punch.
Damage: 24%
d+1, >> 2, >> 2, >> 4 4~nut punch
This is the better of the two main d+1 combos, damage-wise. You can
also squeeze another >> 2 in there, but the timing window becomes VERY
tight, and it only adds 2% damage. To me, not worth the inconsistancy.
Not worth using a meter for EN nut punch.
Damage: 25%
_______________________________________________________________________
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
/ VIII. Advanced Techniques (tec01) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Here's the section where we will get down to the nitty-gritty of some more
| advanced methods and techniques of the MK universe. Please contact me if you
| think I should add a certain technique to this section and I'll do what I
can to add it in.
________________
__/ Poking (adv02) \_____________________________________________________
The "poking" techniques is just like it sounds - poking your opponent with
quick jabs, kicks, or other very fast attacks. The poke technique isn't
used to pile on massive damage, rather they are more used because of their
quick speed. Pokes are good for interrupting opponents trying to attack,
and since pokes are usually only 6-7 frames, they will interrupt more
attacks than you might think. Pokes may also give you a frame advantage,
which can be used to safely engage a new string. Lastly, pokes give you
space - a little room to breathe so that your opponent can't immediately
put you into a throw or other close attack, giving you a chance to get out.
Johnny has a nice variety of "pokes" (keep in mind, the usefulness of these
is somewhat subjective, so I'll do my best to explain what I can). Here's a
a little list of the pokes you may use:
d+1: Johnny's overall best poke for a number of reasons. We'll talk
about d+1 in more detail later on in this section.
d+3: Very fast, low poke. Good for keeping the opponent away. This
will not leave you at an advantage on block, however.
f+3: Quick, high knee. Advantage on hit and also on block. Can be
hit confirmed into f+3, 2 or f+3, 3.
f+3, 3: Quick knee along with two quick kicks to the face. Easy to hit
confirm into a special of choice (nut punch is the best) or
link to a f+3, 3, b+3 if the opponent is blocking low, since
the last b+3 will be an overhead hit.
1, 1: Quick string to use for standing opponents only. This one will
grant you a slight advantage on block.
You can also use a plain 1 or 2 to poke opponents up high, but there really
aren't any advantages to using these over one of the pokes listed above.
Pokes play a big role in making "advantaged" block strings safe, and will
sometimes allow you to continue attacking, or go into a new string. Here's
an example:
Johnny's f+3, 2 leaves you at an advantage on block. So after this
attack, you may choose to go for a d+1 poke. Since the initial attack
left you with a 2 frame advantage and the d+1 poke takes only 6 frames
to execute, this severely takes away your opponents options. They
can jump out, if timed right. If they keep blocking, unfortunately the
d+1 will not hit low, but it will allow you to keep attacking with
quick 6 or 7 frame strings since you still have a slight advantage.
If the opponent were to try and attack after they are hit with the
f+3, 2, your d+1 will most likely poke them out of the attack since
it will give you such a large advantage. Only the fastest attacks will
break this (including other pokes) and much of it depends on you and
your opponent's reflexes. This topic will be discussed more in the
next section, "Frame Traps".
So you can see how important pokes are - they may not hit for a lot of
damage, but they are so quick that you can use them to set yourself up for
a new string or attack. The following section will go into more detail
about Johnny's most versatile poke, d+1.
___________________
__/ Using d+1 (adv03) \__________________________________________________
Johnny's d+1 is, in my opinion, his best poke. With only 6 start-up frames,
it is very quick, leaves you space, and give you a small window, allowing
you to follow up with another quick string.
The d+1 can be used to take advantage of blocked strings, allowing you
to continue pressure while being able to interrupt most (not all) attacks
and tactics. For information about this, read the above "Pokes" section.
This poke can be worked into many of those strings, not just f+3, 2. Any
string that leaves Johnny at an advantage could benefit from following up
with d+1, and then following up with another quick string. Now we are
starting to get into frame traps, which will be discussed in the following
section (aptly titled, "Frame Traps").
One of the nice things about d+1, too, is that you're obviously crouching
when you execute, so some of the opponents high attacks, though they may
have (somehow) gotten it off faster, will miss anyway and you'll poke out
with the d+1. Most overhead attacks are too slow and will most definitely
be poked out.
The last and one of the most useful things to use d+1 for - ANTI AIR. Yes,
this is a nice tool for opponents jumping at you or over you, trying to
cross you up. Normally, an uppercut is a nice, easy anti-cross up tool. But
if you want to get the most bang for your buck, learn the d+1 anti-cross up
and you'll be happy you did.
When your opponent tries jumping over you, as they begin descending on your
opposite side, you can hit them with a d+1. The hardest part is getting the
timing down. You must execute as the opponent is just sailing past Johnny's
eyes while he is crouching (this is a bad description, I know, so take this
one into Practice mode and get a feel for it yourself). If you've done it
correctly, your opponent will be knocked out of the air!
So why would you choose d+1 over an uppercut, when an uppercut does way
more damage and is easier to pull off? Simple: juggling potential. When you
anti-air or anti-cross up with d+1, your opponent is left afloat in the air
for a split second - enough time for you to juggle if you can react fast
enough. You must be quick about it - as soon as you knock them out of the
air with d+1, you must dash towards them and continue the juggle! It may
be hard to execute at first, but practice, practice, practice! Trust me,
it's much nicer to get 24-25% from an attempted cross up than just 12%.
*NOTE: I've heard some people are having trouble with the anti-cross up d+1
because Johnny is facing the wrong direction. You may have to move slightly
in the direction of where your opponent will be for this to work. It's
literally just tapping the pad in the new direction. IE, if the opponent is
on your left and jumping over to you the right, you may ever-so-slightly
tap right on the D-Pad, then immediately crouch for your d+1 anti air. Like
I said, this is hard to execute at first, but if you manage to pull it off
consistantly, it will be a great tool for you to have.*
Here are the two combos you'll want to use for your d+1 juggles. I suggest
using whichever one you can land more consistantly. (A good way to test
this out it to go into Practice mode and set the AI mode to "jump", then
crouch next to them and practice your anti-air d+1 timing there. Of course
things are different and more intense during a real fight, but this will
help you with the timing and juggle execution).
d+1, >> 1, >> 1 1, >> 4 4~nut punch
Probably the easier of the two main d+1 combos, timing-wise. If you
do a 11 after the first dash instead of just a single 1, the damage
will actually LESSEN by 1%, due to scaling. Not worth using a meter
for EN nut punch.
Damage: 24%
d+1, >> 2, >> 2, >> 4 4~nut punch
This is the better of the two main d+1 combos, damage-wise. You can
also squeeze another >> 2 in there, but the timing window becomes VERY
tight, and it only adds 2% damage. To me, not worth the inconsistancy.
Not worth using a meter for EN nut punch.
Damage: 25%
Get to know these combos - they can severly increase your game and will
definitely make your opponent think twice about trying to cross you up next
time. One thing you should be aware of, however: If you time the d+1
correctly, you can usually knock your opponent out of the air if he/she was
attempting a jump in punch - but if your opponent crosses over and goes for
a jump kick, they will most likely hit you. Nevertheless, jump kick damage
isn't severe and it's worth a shot to go for the d+1 and try to get a 25%
combo out of it - 95% of the time, they are going for a cross up punch, and
not a kick anyway. Just something to be aware of.
_____________________
__/ Frame Traps (adv04) \________________________________________________
Okay, so I've you've read any part of my guide, chances are you heard me
mention "frame traps". And if you read the "Frames" section near the top of
the guide, then you already have a little introduction to what they are.
This section will provide a little more information about frame traps and
some of Johnny's best ones.
FIRST OF ALL, HERE ARE SOME RULES YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FRAME TRAPS AND
THE LIKE:
(1) Frame traps are NOT the same thing as infinites. Just because you
land one hit, it doesn't mean you're going to 100% the opponent.
(2) Do not expect frame traps to be fool proof and work every single
time. You must take into account HUMAN ERROR AND REFLEXES (I have
mentioned this previously). For frame traps to work as intended,
you must have pinpoint accuracy and cat like reflexes - which is
not likely every single time. But remember, you must account for
your opponents reflexes, too. So really, for frame traps to work,
you must have better reflexes than your opponent... sort of. Which
brings me to the third rule:
(3) Nothing is definite - there's always an exception. Frame traps
will work in certain scenerios and stuff many attacks - but there
ARE attacks that will escape it, due to a combination of attack
start-up speeds and, again, human reflexes.
(4) I'm not here to tell you exactly how to do frame traps and which
ones to do. They are dependent upon many things, and so you must
adjust your execution as YOU see fit. My job is to just give you
the basic info and let you run with it from there.
Frame traps work like this:
Every time you do an attack, whether the opponent is blocking or not, both
of you guys will have a "recovery" time. You will have a recovery time
after attacking before you can attack again. Your opponent, if hit, will
have to recover from the hit before he/she can attack, as well. If they
block, they will enter "block stun" which is basically the same thing -
they have a certain recovery time before they can attack again. Your
recovery time after attacking can depend on whether or not your first
attack successful hit them, or they blocked it.
In Johnny Cage's case, many of his strings and attacks give him an
advantage, either upon hit, block, or sometimes both. This means that
Johnny will recover in LESS frames than his opponent.
For an actual example: let's say you're playing as Johnny Cage and you
toss out a f+3, 2 (his best frame trap string). If the opponent blocks, you
will recover from the attack BEFORE your opponent recovers from the block
stun. This advantage may only be one or two frames - very small fractions
of a second. Which is why you may choose to follow up a blocked f+3, 2
with a d+1 poke. The d+1 will have you ducking and only has 6 start up
frames. So if you execute this perfectly, you leave your opponent a very
small, 4-5 frame window to escape from your poke. If they were to try and
attack after the blocked f+3, 2, since they only have a 4-5 frame opening,
you will poke them out of MOST attacks. If they keep blocking through the
d+1 poke, you are still at slight advantage, so if you think they're going
to keep blocking, immediately stand up and hit them with a 1, 1 string.
If you guess right and they DO keep blocking, the 1, 1 string also leaves
you at an advantage when blocked, so now you can attempt a throw and it
will be a definite connect if timed correctly.
Now the great thing about Johnny's f+3, 2 is that he is also left at an
advantage when the attack hits. So lets say you throw out a f+3, 2 and it
hits - if you can "hit confirm" it (meaning, you can react quick enough
and notice that you've hit them without blocking), then you can quickly
like a nut punch after it. When Johnny's nut punch hits, he once again has
an advantage. And while you can not truly link a combo after a landed nut
punch, you can step forward and begin another string since you have an
advantage. You may choose to go for a d+1 or a 1,1 or a f+3, 3, or another
f+3, 2.
Landing a nut punch also gives you the opportunity to go for a cross up
jump punch. If it hits, continue with an f+4, >> 21f+2, >> f+3~nut punch,
and then start it all over again. If the jump punch gets blocked, your
first and probably best option would be to go for a throw as it is nearly
guaranteed here. Your second option, if you can't hit confirm fast enough
on the jump in punch, would be to link the f+4 anyway, and if the f+4 is
blocked, you have a small advantage. From there, you can either d+1 and
continue to either try for another f+3, 2 or a 1, 1 or something else. If
the f+3, 2 hits, link the nut punch and go from there. If the 1, 1 hits,
you can try starting up another f+3, 2, going into nut punch on hit, and
d+1 on block. If the 1, 1 is blocked, attempt a throw or go back to d+1.
As you can see, there are MANY different frame trap options. The success of
them depends on you and your opponent's skill, as well as the attacks them-
selves. Like I said before, frame traps are not 100% guaranteed to work and
completely stop your opponent. But, by getting to know them and perfecting
their execution, you'll find that you can stop many attacks and open up
opportunities for bigger combos this way. Also, working through all of
these block strings is a good way to build up your meter.
One of the easiest and most simple frame trap strings is:
f+3, 2, d+1, repeat
Upon block, just keep repeating. The only way out is if the opponent has a
5 or 6 frame attack (assuming you have perfect execution), and if they get
hit by the f+3, 2, then link a nut punch and proceed to use one of the post
nut punch methods mentioned a few paragraphs up.
Frame traps will come in time and you will begin to invent your own strings
and traps as you see fit. The strings you want to use in frame traps are
the ones that leave Johnny at an advantage. These strings are listed in the
"Simple strings" section near the top of he FAQ - look under the "NOTES"
for each string - if it says it leaves Johnny at an advantage, then it can
be used for frame traps. To make it simple for you, the ones you'll most
likely end up using the most are (f+3, 2), (f+3, 3), (d+1), and (1, 1).
Blocked sweeps also leave Cage with an advantage, and can be followed up
with a d+1 for safety.
I've already said it but I'll say it again: nothing is definite. There are
moves that exist that WILL break out of these traps, and some of it may
also have to do with your execution. Do not get discourage, and do not just
assume that you can win with frame trapping. Do not run around the whole
match just trying to frame trap. It will not work - you will get a feel for
when it is safe to attempt them and when you should just go for something
else. But approaching like a fool and attempting f+3, 2 the entire match is
not a good way of trying to win - anyone who knows what they are doing will
certainly let you have it.
Lastly, a big part of frame traps are EN low force balls - since they play
a big roll in many different aspects, I gave them their own section. Please
see the section below:
_________________________________
__/ Using EN Low Force Ball (tec05) \____________________________________
Hopefully you read the previous section, and now you know how frame traps
work. You should know about frame advantages and all that stuff. If you
don't, then you should go back and read the section above. Once you've got
a nice grasp of the concepts, you're ready for this part:
The EN Low Force Ball gives you a big advantage when it's blocked up close.
And since it's a special move, you can link it to the end of Johnny's
block strings to make them safe and give you an advantage, to where you can
attempt another trap string or something.
For example, say you are going for 21f+2, but you notice the opponent is
blocking high after the first hit. Your first option would be to change the
f+2 to b+4 on reaction (so, perform 21b+4), and the b+4 hits low and gets
them out of block. But it can't be linked and it's only worth 5% damage.
Instead, if they're blocking high and you can catch it on reaction, switch
to a 21~EN low force ball. When they block the EN low force ball, you'll
have a big frame advantage and you can dash forward and attempt a d+1 poke,
f+3, 2, or f+3, 3, or 1, 1, and then carry on with your preferred frame
trap method of choice. Remember, you can link EN low force ball to the end
of f+3, 2 and f+3, 3, and even f+3, 3, b+3 to mix it up and give yourself
a pretty big advanage.
_______________________________________________________________________
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
/ IX. Match-ups/Strategy (mat00) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| This section will discuss specific tactics for dealing with each member of
| the cast. Obviously certain characters are used more than others, so there
| will be more detailed strategies for them in most cases.
If you feel that I've missed an important bit of information regarding a
certain character match-up, or you have your own strategy/input that isn't
listed in my FAQ, please feel free to e-mail it to me so I can add it, and
I will credit you for it. I will need someone to give me a Kratos strategy
since I don't have the PS3 version.
*PLEASE NOTE: This is the first section in which I mention a tactic called
"Dash Blocking", so I will explain what it is. Very simple, and it's just
like it sounds - dash, then block. The trick is to basically cancel the end
of your dash into a block, so you quickly zip forward and immediately begin
blocking to avoid taking hits. This is the basic tactic for getting close to
projectile spammers.
_________________________________________
__/ Basic Strategy, playing as Cage (mat01) \____________________________
In case you haven't figured it out by now, Johnny Cage's main stratgy is
RUSHDOWN. He is (or, rather, CAN be) nearly unstoppable if he gets in close
to an opponent. His attacks are quick and he has many chances to take
frame advantages - make sure you use them.
Do whatever you can to keep pressure on the opponent. Here are a few basic
tips and tricks to help out:
- End combos in nut punch if you can. This takes away your opponents
ability to perform a wake-up attack, allowing you to stay close with-
out too much worry.
- If you DO end a combo/string with the opponent getting knocked down,
move in and be prepared to block the wake-up, then punish if you
are successful. It helps by knowing your opponent's possible wake up
options. Liu Kang can wake up with a low fireball or a diving kick -
one hits high, one hits low. Since the diving kick is faster, it's
best to block high, then crouch upon reaction if you see him coming
out with a low fireball. This stuff will come in time.
- Learn your pokes and make sure you can poke your opponents out of
the air and any kind of trap strings they may try to get you in.
Johnny's d+1 works wonders.
- Johnny suffers from mid to far range (especially far) because his
projectile is very slow and easy to react to. It's best to save the
forceballs for jumping or turtling opponents.
- Your best tool for "closing the gap" is Johnny's Enhanced Shadow
Kick. Every now and then you'll run into an opponent who tries to keep
their distance from you and stay far away, throwing projectiles (and
in reality, this is the best strategy against Cage). Johnny's
Enhanced Shadow Kick goes full screen and has armor, meaning it will
absorb an enemies attack without ruining the Shadow Kick. So if your
opponent is spamming knives across the screen, wait until he lets one
go and hit them with the EN shadow kick. It will hit them, plus it
will close that gap and put you close to them - exactly where you want
to be. Keep in mind, though, that Johnny still take the damage from
the projectle.
________________
__/ Baraka (mat02) \_____________________________________________________
Difficulty: 3/10
Not too bad of a match up here, should be easy to beat. Baraka has a few
quick specials, as well as some trap potentials, but Johnny is just a bit
faster, giving him the edge in almost every scenario.
Be on the look out for the Baraka lunging his blades forward, that attack
is hard to react to. Also, since you'll be jumping in a lot and keeping
things close quarters, you're bound to see a ton of "Chop Chop" - learn to
block this move, then attack upon recovery. The hard part is making sure
the attack is in the recovery phase and is still not active.
You shouldn't have too much trouble, like I said - just keep an eye out
for the blade lunge and the chop chop. Baraka's projectile is hella slow,
so he'll be looking to fight a CQB with you as well, and with Cage's speed,
it should be no contest.
________________________
__/ Cyber Sub-Zero (mat03) \_____________________________________________
Difficulty: 5/10
Your biggest problem with CSZ will be his Ice Parry. Since Cage's game is
mostly punching the opponent and beating them down up close, your likely to
run into someone who will spam the Ice Parry.
The best way to handle this is to sweep. Act just like the AI from all the
2-D mortal kombat games - jump in and sweep, jump over and sweep. After
sweeping them out of the parry a few times, they will be less likely to
throw it out there. The d+1 is also a viable option.
If I'm not mistaken, his parry is quick enough to interrupt some of
Cage's traps, so if you're playing against a good CSZ who knows what they
are doing, I would avoid doing too many of these.
Luckily, many of CSZ's strings are slow, and so if you block them, you'll
have access to a full combo of your choice. If he starts getting trigger
happy with ice balls from across the screen, surprise him with enhanced
shadow kick. Lastly, watch out for the slide. It's CSZ fastest moving
special move besides the ice parry and it hits LOW, so when you're at a
jump distance, always block low! The slide has an incredibly long recovery
time when it's blocked, so you'll be doing yourself a huge favor by
blocking low.
_______________
__/ Cyrax (mat04) \______________________________________________________
Difficulty: 5/10
Now this can be a very tough match-up no matter who you are, and a lot of
it has to do with how well your opponents knows Cyrax. If you hesitate and
let Cyrax start up with his bomb trap shenanigans, he could easily steal
the match from under your nose.
The best thing to do against Cyrax is be aggressive. Be on the attack.
Dash block often to avoid getting trapped by the net, or use your EN
shadow kick to get it. Cyrax doesn't have many good tools for getting some-
one off of him.
You'll need to keep an eye out for the chest blade attack. It CAN work as
an anti-air if he puts it out in time. However, if it's blocked, you can
unleash a full combo. As for the bombs he throws out, they are very easy
to react to, so when you see him toss one, punish him if you are close
enough, or move in closer!
Cyrax's teleport is easy to spot on reaction, so you shouldn't have any
troubles there. When he teleports, jump at him and attack. It's not wise to
sit and block against Cyrax because he will continue to lay on pressure and
you could get caught in his command grab which is awful.
_______________
__/ Ermac (mat05) \______________________________________________________
Difficulty: 4.5/10
You know, I used to think this match-up was pretty hard, but Ermac doesn't
scare me anymore. You'll be dash blocking quite a bit to get in close. Do
whatever you can to avoid jumping in at him - each time you jump at him,
you risk being caught in the Forec Lift, which can lead to a 30+% combo
very easily.
His Force Push also has insane range, so watch out for that and just re-
member to dash block all the time. Once you get in close, start shredding
him up. Johnny is way faster than Ermac, so if you start pressuring him,
he's in trouble.
End your combos in a nut punch, since any knockdown can lead to a wake-up
force lift. If you DO knock him down, then obviously be on the lookout for
that. His teleport is pretty easy to block on reaction and then punish it
accordingly.
______________
__/ Jade (mat06) \_______________________________________________________
Difficulty: 4/10
I haven't fought too many Jades, so I can't give much insight on this match
up, but I know I've never had too much trouble with the few Jades I have
played against.
Look out for the quick shadow kick (much like Johnny's!) and the staff
pokes. Her boomerangs are easy to react to (block low when you see them)
and you should be able to jump away from the overhead staff smash. If you
are quick enough, you can flip kick her out of it.
Her projectile flash special isn't a big threat since Johnny doesn't rely
on his forceballs to win matches.
_____________
__/ Jax (mat07) \________________________________________________________
Difficulty: 4/10
Jax use to be a bum in my eyes, but you've gotta show him some respect now.
In the right hands, Jax can be very dangerous. You must keep an eye out for
his grabs. If you're blocking low, watch out for the over head elbow smash.
His ground pounds, though unblockable, are very slow and easy to react to.
However, given the last patch, he can cancel out of them now, so if you
jump in to punish a ground pound, watch out for a trap instead!
If you find yourselves jumping in the air, try your best to kick or punch
him down ASAP, since he will try and hit you with his jump kick air grab.
Also, watch out for his X-Ray - unblockable grab worth 41% damage! You must
jump out of the way to avoid getting hit. If you happen to have a full
meter also, you can use YOUR X-Ray and parry Jax's X-Ray.
__________________________________
__/ Johnny Cage mirror match (mat08) \___________________________________
Difficulty: 6/10
Johnny is a tough character to mirror with. Luckily for you, you'll know\
all the tricks he has up his sleeve. From longer distances, crouch the
shadow kicks for an easy punish (block to be safe, since the EN shadow kick
hits crouchers).
The best plan here is to outwit the enemy Cage and attack when you get the
chance. It's a battle of execution - whoever makes the most mistakes will
lose. Take every opportunity you can to punish hard, but make sure you
don't whiff, or you could be eating some painful combos yourself.
_______________
__/ Kabal (mat09) \______________________________________________________
Difficulty: 7/10
Seriously, I HATE a good Kabal. Don't get too slick with jumping at them,
or they will dash spin you into oblivion. The best way to approach a Kabal
is dash blocking, possibly baiting out the dash spins, and then punishing
it when you block it (luckily the dash spin has a huge recovery on block,
so you'll have plenty of time to punish).
The trouble with Kabal are the tools in his pocket. The ground saw can be
a pain in the butt and when you try jumping over them, you get to eat the
dash spin or a gas ball. It's good to be aggressive, but don't be foolish,
you still want to be safe.
______________
__/ Kano (mat10) \_______________________________________________________
Difficulty: 5/10
I used to think this was a much worse match-up, but I really don't think
it's all that bad anymore. Everybody is aware of Kano's two nasty specials:
the Up Ball and the Knives.
The Up Ball will only hit you when you're close - please do NOT be so
ignorant as to keep jumping in at Kano - any good player will make you eat
the Up Ball ALL DAY. Once again, dash blocking is the key.
If you block a regular ball, the recovery is slow and you can combo easily
(I suggest a b+3 start, but whatever you prefer is fine). The Up Ball has
a MUCH smaller recovery time, but can still be punished by Johnny's b+3
since it's so fast. If you're having trouble, don't forget about your super
quick uppercut - not as scary as a full combo, but an uppercut isn't
anything to laugh at, either.
The Knives might be trouble since they are quick and this recovery is so
fast. Dash block, and when you get into jump distance or closer and he is
still throwing them, block the next one and then IMMEDIATELY go in for the
jump in punch to full combo. If you don't do it right away, he will recover
fast enough to do the Up Ball.
Your other option is the Enhanced Shadow Kick. If you do this a couple
times to a Knife spammer, they may think twice about sitting back throwing
knives all day. One thing to look out for when doing this - the EN shadow
kick will knock Kano down, meaning he'll probably be looking to do an Up
Ball on wake up, so dash in and be prepared to block it.
________________
__/ Kitana (mat11) \_____________________________________________________
Difficulty: 6/10
Kitana can be a huge pain in the ass if she decides to try and zone you
out. If she sits back and throws fans all day, then your only option is to
dash block or enhanced shadow kick to get in close.
Be cautious of jumping too much, or she will do that thing where she zips
across the screen. If she does it while you're on the ground, however, you
can counter with a flip kick and it will knock her out of it. If you're
farther away, a high forceball will do the trick.
Jumping too much can also get you caught in her air fans which will lead
to her huge combos. Kitana is possibly one of the worst people you can just
jump aimlessly against, so learn to dash block, and only jump when it's
safe (IE, she is recovering from a whiffed attack, or if you think you can
time a jump over a fan throw).
Get ready to block all of her close attacks and punish whenever you get a
small window. I sometimes have a hard time telling when her attacks are in
the recovery phase and she's not getting ready to unleash another one. The
best advice I can give it to fight Kitana in practice mode and learn her
basic strings and how to punish them when you block.
________________
__/ Kratos (mat12) \_____________________________________________________
I'll need some help with this once since I have an Xbox360.
__________________
__/ Kung Lao (mat13) \___________________________________________________
Difficulty: 7/10
This match is difficult for anybody, really. Kung Lao has an amazing tool
box. He has a nice mix up of starters with highs and lows, so once again
your best chance it to fight against Kung Lao and learn his strings. Know
when to block high and when to block low. And if you play online, chances
are you've played against a million Kung Laos anyway.
One thing you're bound to see often from Kung Lao - the Spin. The second
fastest attack in the game and probably the overall best. It's super fast,
pops up, and has decent recovery. If you block the spin, you must punish
quickly (b+3 is your best bet). It's difficut to cross up a blocked spin
since he may have recovered before you punch.
When he teleports, if you react fast enough, you can uppercut before he
tries to attack. If not, just take a dash step back and his three options
will whiff and you can dash back in for a combo.
Another thing to look out for is the Low Hat. Its fast, and if you get hit
with it, Kung Lao is at a huge advantage. Your best option is to block low
whenever you see a hat coming out, or jump over it if you're far enough
away. Enhanced shadow kick is a nice counter to this, as well.
__________________
__/ Liu Kang (mat14) \___________________________________________________
Difficulty: 4/10
Don't be afraid of Liu Kang. He's got some nice mix-ups and a few strings
that he can juggle you all the way across the screen with, but you should
never fear him. Just don't let him get in and start pressuring you - just
pressure him back when this happens.
His bicycle kick is easy to react to and block, but the flying kick is a
little faster. Nevertheless, his specials won't hurt too bad, just make
sure he doesn't get a chance to start his strings.
He does have a parry which can be a pain in the ass, but handle it the same
way you handle CSZ's - sweep if you suspect it.
When you knock down Liu, he has four wake up options - bicycle kick, flying
kick, low fireball, and parry. So if you knock him down, dash up to him and
sweep as you see him getting up. It will hit the parry and duck under the
kicks. You might get hit by a low fireball but barely any Liu's wake up
with this - it's slow and doesn't hit for much damage.
_________________
__/ Mileena (mat15) \____________________________________________________
Difficulty: 5/10
Mileena is kind of like a gnat - just annoying, but not threatening at all
really. Against her, you're really going to want to block high almost all
of the time when you're at jump distance - all of her specials can be
blocked high, even the roll. When close, her low pokes are very fast and
can lead to launches. So also has an overhead, but her overhead is easy
to recognize and can be punished by either an uppercut, a d+1 poke, or a
flip kick. An uppercut or poke is the best option since they are the
fastest, and the uppercut does the most damage. If you have lightning
speed reflexes, you can attempt a b+3 into a juggle, but you must be very
fast if you want the b+3 to knock her out of the overhead.
Her teleport kick is fairly easy to react to and can be punished with a
b+3 or even a f+4 if you start immediately. Your safest bet is the b+3
since the f+4 has a tricky hit box when the opponent is in the air. When
you block this kick, you want to punish her before she touches the ground,
becuase then she will be able to block. The roll probably has one of the
slowest recoveries ever, so you can punish this one the same way. Be
Her sais can be a nuisance if she starts whipping tons of them out from
the other side of the screen, along with her instant air sias. Flip kick
her if you're close enough, EN shadow kick from afar.
Something to also keep an eye out for is her enhanced teleport kick,
which kicks you from one side, then immediately teleports and kicks you
from the other side. If you get fooled and think it's a regular one,
you might end up blocking the first kick, then letting go of block to
try and punish, and then the second one will hit you. The best thing to
do is try and delay your punishment, just to confirm whether or not the
kick is regular or enhanced. She floats down slow enough so that you can
still punish before she hits the ground, just making sure she won't
teleport to the other side and get you.
Another thing that many Mileena player do is throw out the air sais after
a blocked teleport kick. This will give her a slight "boost" upwards and
can make you whiff your punish. If your opponent is doing this often, wait
slightly to punish. If Mileena manages to get her feet on the ground, then
she'll be able to block again, so your best bet at that point is to start
up a block string/frame trap and go from there.
And about that damn d+4 - jump in kick. Start the kick early and you'll
knock her out of it. If they keep spamming d+4, just back all the way
up and throw forceballs - then if they start trying to trade sais with
you, EN shadow kick your way back in.
___________________
__/ Nightwolf (mat16) \__________________________________________________
Difficulty: 5/10
Nightwolf can be a tricky match up because he's got tools for up close as
well as far away. When you're close to him, you'll have to watch out for
the hatchet and the shoulder. Far away, keep and eye out for lightning and
arrows.
The shoulder can be annoying, but if you expect it or the guy is just
spamming it - duck it and uppercut for a quick-fix. Keep in mind, you do
NOT need to crouch block the shoulder, if you're crouching, it will miss.
If you're looking for a combo to punish it, b+3 is the way to go, f+4 is
a little too slow.
Keep a look out all the time for lightning, especially when you're standing
there blocking. If you see it coming, jump towards Nightwolf. The recovery
is super slow and you'll have time for a combo of choice.
_____________________
__/ Noob Saibot (mat17) \________________________________________________
Difficulty: 7/10
Johnny Cage likes to be in close to people. It seems Noob Saibot was made
specifically to keep people off of him. Jumping towards him, you'll
probably eat alot of up knees. If you stand back, you'll see the shadow
tackle and shadow slide (those can be EN shadow kicked through).
To handle the up knees, dash block in and use your d+1 and d+3 pokes to
get him out of it. f+3, 3 is another quick one to follow up with.
This can be a very tough match up for someone who is spamming shadows all
day. Try to jump them if you can, or dash block, but remember to dash
block LOW for the shadow slides.
__________________
__/ Quan Chi (mat18) \___________________________________________________
Difficulty: 3/10
Quan Chi's got some nice strings and mixups including lows and overheads,
but he is far to slow to compete with Johnny Cage. His wake up game is
pathetic, meaning you can PRESSURE ALL DAY. Jump in punches, cross ups,
you name it. Quan Chi is yours for the taking.
The thing that might cause you trouble is jumping into trances, but as long
and you time your jump ins after blocked strings or missed attacks, there's
no way he'll get you with it. The teleport punch can be a pain too, but it
is very easy to react and block, and the recovery is looooong, giving you
plenty of time to punish.
________________
__/ Raiden (mat19) \_____________________________________________________
Difficulty: 6/10
Raiden is another character that can be tough for anybody, but he's
definitely manageable if you know all of his strings and specials. He's
got a few strings with overheads, so watch out if you're a crouch blocker.
I don't believe he has any lows that lead to combos, though.
His biggest threats are the teleport and superman, but by now you should be
so used to seeing and handling these things. The teleport is fast, I'll
give it that, but you should be able to spot it. Raiden can not attack
until 24 or 26 frames after his teleport is started up. Shadow kick him
when he appears on the other side! Or if you have a Raiden who likes to
teleport and then cross up - uppercut. It will stop them every time.
The superman is very fast and annoying, so if you're ever just standing
from full screen to jump range - block. And remember that his EN superman
will go through projectiles, and the wake up version has invincibility
frames, so look out for the superman if you knock Raiden down!
_________________
__/ Reptile (mat20) \____________________________________________________
Difficulty: 6/10
Reptile is a tough character whose biggest threats are his forceballs and
his elbow dash.
The forceballs will surprise you since you won't know if they are fast or
slow until it leaves his hand, and the enhanced versions only make it even
faster or even slower. The enhanced slow forceball can stay on the screen
forever, as Reptile dashes in and attacks while you have to keep an eye
on that damn forceball. HOWEVER, when you see forceballs coming - use your
enhanced shadow kick. It's best to save your meter in this match up
specifically for this reason.
The elbow dash is an excellent move - it's fast and is pretty safe when you
consider how short the recovery is. Even Johnny will have a hard time
punishing this when blocked, but b+3 is the best combo starter.
Reptile has a low starter as well as an overhead starter, so it's best to
play a bunch of matches against Reptile to become familiar with his
starters so you know how to block.
Though it's not a HUGE threat and can't be used to start combos, you still
need to watch out for his slide, because it's also very quick. If you're
blocking high, waiting for the elbow dash, Reptile can throw in a slide to
knock you off your feet and keep you on your toes. So from outside sweep
range, block low.
__________________
__/ Scorpion (mat21) \___________________________________________________
Difficulty: 5/10
This match up is very dependent upon how well the opponent utilizes all of
Scorpions tools and strings. Scorpion has some good things going for him
and he can be a pain in the butt if you let your guard down. His combos are
pretty easy to pull off and can hit for over 30% just from getting caught
by a spear. Every mistake will cost you in this match up.
First off all, obviously, the spear. Do NOT get caught by this. Jump only
when you feel it is safe (if he is in the recovery phase from a missed
attack or something). Otherwise, he can hit you with the spear during your
descent and you'll be in a world of hurt. If you him it perfectly, your
jump in punch can knock him out of the spear start up. However, there IS a
certain point when it will still connect (I'm not exactly sure how many
frames this is). You'll find more often than not, though, that you will
knock him out of it as long as you hit it ASAP.
Teleport punchers can always stir things up for Johnny, and Scorpion is no
exception. He can also link some decent strings from landing a teleport
punch - so watch out! The animation for the punch is easy to recognize
(Scorpion will turn around and be still, then he appears on your side of
the screen, punching) so you SHOULD be able to block on reaction, then
punish with a b+3 combo. This is another thing you'll have to look out for
whenever you're jumping. Don't go jumping around aimlessly.
The biggest pest of the match will be his hellfire attack, until you get
used to it. It tracks and is unblockable, forcing you to move around a lot.
But like I said, you don't want to go moving and jumping around aimlessly,
becuase that's how you'll fall into his other traps. The hellfire start up
is pretty quick, but still slow enough to react if you've got decent
relexes! If you do escape, the recovery is slow and he can be punished with
a full combo. His scissor take down hits low, so remember to block low if
your opponent is throwing out a lot of those.
________________
__/ Sektor (mat22) \_____________________________________________________
Difficulty: 4/10
This is another match up that I'm not extremely familiar with since I
haven't played many Sektors, but I'll tell you what I know:
Many Sektor's will become slap-happy and overuse the teleport punch. This
move is pretty easy to react to and should be blocked high, as this will
put them in the spinning ball recovery, allowing you to full combo. There
are some decent damage combos that can come from being hit by an EN tele-
port uppercut (or even a regular one I suppose), so always be aware of it
and be ready to react.
Since Johnny plays best close-in, Sektor will try and use his flamethrower
attack to keep you away. It has good range and will catch you if you're
jumping in, so the best way to handle this is to dash block and as soon
as the flame begins to go out, jump in punch link to full combo! If you
do it quick enough, you should get him every time. If he recovers and
starts blocking, you can at least get him with some of your block string
traps. Another option is, of course, the EN shadow kick - I believe this
will go through flamethrower.
Other than that, watch out for his missiles, but the start up is pretty
slow so you should have no trouble reacting and blocking. The up missiles
can be punished by a shadow kick at half screen, or if you are closer,
dash in and start a 21f+2 or f+4 combo.
_____________________
__/ Shang Tsung (mat23) \________________________________________________
Difficulty: 4/10
Shang Tsung's match-up depends heavily on the skill of the player who is
playing as Shang. Though this could be said for any character, it is
especially true about Shang.
The one thing Shang lacks is a good wake-up game, which is good news for
Johnny. Cage should have no trouble staying close to Shang once he gets
in. The soul steal is always something to look out for, but it can be
jumped, and if you start a jump in punch, and he starts a soul steal, you
will jump over the steal and hit him with your jump in punch.
His only real "keep away" option is his close ground skull, which also can
be stopped by nailing him with jump in punches. If you let Shang hit you
with any kind of skull - it could mean danger. And if you are at half
screen or more with no meter against a good Shang, you could have a rough
time getting in, thanks to Shangs tight zoning game. (If you DO have meter,
however, the EN shadow kick is your "get in" maneuver as always).
________________
__/ Sheeva (mat24) \_____________________________________________________
Difficulty: 3/10
This is another one where my rating may be so low because I have yet to
play a good Sheeva. Many of them will, sadly, spam the teleport stomp. This
can be punished simply by stepping to the side and comboing them when they
miss. If you have a smarter spammer, who begins adjusting the stop to hit
you as you move left or right, then you can bust out the flip kick and it
will beat out her stomp (at least, it's worked for me each time).
Sheeva has a few enhanced grabs with armor, so you'll benefit by throwing
in a bunch of cross up jump in punches when playing her. Most of the throws
are reasonably slow start-up, so you should be able to evade most of them.
Her only projectile is the fireball, which can be either blocked or EN
shadow kicked if you're farther away. If anyone has some more Sheeva tips,
I would appreciate them, but this match up really shouldn't be any trouble.
________________
__/ Sindel (mat25) \_____________________________________________________
Difficulty: 6/10
Sindel can be really dangerous if you're facing someone who knows how to
zone well with her. A good Sindel can keep you beyond half screen by using
fireballs and air fireballs. And yes, as always with projectiles, you can
EN shadow kick your way in close, but you are limited by your special
meter. If she is levitating, your shadow kicks will miss. So if you're
close, use flip kick and if you're farther away, use the high force ball.
When in close, she can trouble you with the hair whip and her annoying-as-
hell cartwheel. Luckily, she doesn't have many good wake up options, but
she does have some strings that launch you to the other side of the screen.
So you must CONSTANTLY apply pressure to Sindel. Her mix up of highs and
lows that toss you away can be trouble.
It also should be noted that her scream will catch you in the air. Luckily,
it has a pretty slow start up, so as long as she starts it after you jump,
you should be able to jump punch her before it comes out.
_______________
__/ Smoke (mat26) \______________________________________________________
Difficulty: 5/10
Smoke can be a tricky character, but you shouldn't fret too much. Watch out
for smoke bombs - even though they hit low, you can block them high. Dash
blocking is your safest best here, since jumps can be met with his tele-
port punch or even an air throw up he jumps, too.
His shake will counter projectiles so don't bother throwing force balls
unless you absolutely have to. Do you best to make sure Smoke doesn't get
any strings in on you, since he will juggle you all day.
Teleport punches are easily punished on block and a smoke bomb spammer can
be punished by an EN shadow kick, or even a regular shadow kick if you're
close enough.
_______________
__/ Sonya (mat27) \______________________________________________________
Difficulty: 4/10
Sonya can be tricky with her military stance cancelling shenanigans, but I
have yet to face a Sonya who uses this method properly. It is to my best
knowledge that when you get caught by one of her traps, it is possible to
poke out with d+1, in which you may be able to catch her in your f+3, 2
trap if you're quick enough. Sonya's d+1 is very quick, however, so she
may be able to use that to escape.
Her specials aren't anything to write home about. The kiss has crappy range
and is slow on start-up. It can be crouched and punished with an uppercut.
Her military stance can be dangerous, as she can low, high, or overhead
from it, and force you to play a big guessing game.
The dive kick is quick, but can be blocked upon reaction. It's hard to
punish if it goes over your head, though. A flip kick might interrupt it if
you time it correctly.
_________________
__/ Stryker (mat28) \____________________________________________________
Difficulty: 3.5/10
Stryker can be a tricky opponent if you run into someone who knows what
they're doing. Problem is, there aren't many good Strykers out there, and
because they're so rare, it can be hard to fight them effectively since you
won't know what they're capable of.
Stykers got some good strings that hit high, low, and overhead, so you'll
have to react and block accordingly. As I've mentioned before, the best way
to learn his strings is against the Expert AI in Practice mode. After a few
minutes, you'll get used to all of his different starters and strings.
His gun shot can be a nuisance, but you can always EN shadow kick on
reaction. If you're out of meter, dash block. The grenades can also be
avoided with an EN shadow kick. Although, most good Strykers won't throw
grenades unless you're airborne.
You also must watch out for Stryker's roll toss. If he's close enough (at
about 3/4 screen or inward), he can roll toss each time you start up a
force ball and it will go right under the force ball and you'll get tossed.
Forceballs are only completely safe at full screen, out of the roll toss
reach, or up close as part of your frame trap. Even then, a really good
Stryker can whip out the gun upon force ball reaction.
This match up is more difficult that I originally thought (due to my lack
of playing good Strykers), but once Johnny get's in close on Stryker, it
should be game over. Styker has a fast uppercut and decent sweep, but Cage
has a slight speed advantage and can stomp Stryker in close combat.
__________________
__/ Sub-Zero (mat29) \___________________________________________________
Difficulty: 8/10
In my opinion, this is Johnny's hardest match up. Sub Zero was made to be
defensive and Johnny Cage was made to be offensive. Whoever plays a smarter
game will be the victor here.
Your biggest tool in this match up is the EN shadow kick. One of the most
popular Sub Zero tactics is throwing out an ice clone and hiding behind it
while throwing out ice balls. Your EN shadow kick will go right through the
clone, so when you see Sub Zero throwing out an ice ball, let it rip.
Whenever you jump in close, a smart Sub will toss an ice clone and you'll
get caught, setting him up for his 25-30% njp combo. However, you must
realize that if you are TOUCHING Sub Zero, his ice clone will come out. So
Once you get in on him, STAY IN!
His wake up options are ice clone and slide. If you're touching him, his
ice clone will not come out. So the best thing to do upon knockdown is get
right next to him and block low. His ice close will not work and you will
be in position to block his slide. If slide is blocked, it can be punished
big time.
He's got an overhead that links into iceball but luckily no low. Johnny's
forceballs are too slow to trade with ice balls, but if you're close enough
and you react quick enough, you can shadow kick him before the ice ball
comes out.
_______________________________________________________________________
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
/ IX. Special Thanks, etc. (spe01) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
| Special thanks to testyourmight.com, where I learned many of these combos
| and tactics in the first place. Thanks to NRS for finally making a new
| generation Mortal Kombat game that doesn't suck.
Special thanks to:
+ jonoisgood - information about the EN low forceball string adv's,
deep jump kick combos, and some Mileena tactics.
+ ELC1837 - noticing that the Scorpion match up was missing!
+ scorpion41 - Stryker match up information
+ BoBo_273 - More Mileena and Kitana match up information!
And thank you all for reading my guide. Hopefully you learned something.
#####################################################################
Copyright 2011 (c) tectecactoe
So long, enjoy, and get the hell out of here!!
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