MK9 | See my Shadow? The MK9 Noob Saibot Guide/Discussion Thread

LOL I LOVE HATEMAIL ! Here’s mines :wink:

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Well…when I play against a Smoke player I relax myself. It’s all about baiting Smoke to do what I want him to do. He doesn’t have a high-low mix-up game so I really don’t have to worry about close range combos that trip me off my block decisions. Against Smoke it’s all about the bait. Smoke players know that they have to come toward me to get damage. I can stay a jump distance away and force him to dash, jump, or teleport toward me. Well, When he jumps I anti-air punch him into a 22% combo which sets him back where he started (on the other side of the screen) If he dashes I can cr FK to an upkick to stop him in his tracks and knock him back just in case he tried dashing to a cross-over. If he teleports (which is what most of them do) while spinning in the air I can start the [ back +1,2,1,4 ] combo. Happens all the time. His Smoke Cloud is fast and tricky at times but don’t let it scare you Noob players. It takes no damage and if your at a jump distance away and you can predict it, jump it and execute a jump punch combo and make him desperate to dash toward you and try rushing you down but everything just repeats itself.

^ All of this.

Patience is key with Noob. He is slow to get damage and you actually have to think, rather than just mindlessly launching a shadow assault team. Bait your opponent and make them play to you.

^ QFT. Ghostball traps in the corner are by far this characters most damaging tool-set. Get these programmed into your muscle memory.

LOL Fighting games… it’s serious bidness, yo! xD

Overview:

Noob is an extremely popular zoning character, but there are some dirty tricks and secrets that make him an unpredictable, and deadly, foe. Possessing 3(?) resets, one of which comes in at least half a dozen versions, the aforementioned zoning, the ability to safety virtually all strings on block, at least 1-2 frame traps(?), and a 50/50 are a few things that make Noob one tricky son of a bitch.

Strings (In order of usefulness):

f4,3 13%- Best used in corner combos, or for flashyness. Can be punished with uppercut due to second hit going completely over a ducking opponent (similar to Sektor’s f4,4). Otherwise not too useful.

1,2 9%- Best used for juggles both midscreen and corner. Least powerful, but suffers little damage scaling because of it. Safe on block. Pushes opponent back. Can be used for pressure.

b1,2,f4 13%- Part of the 50/50. Acts as a reset(?). If low hits only, but is otherwise blocked, does 10% chip. Very punishable. Only string that can’t be special cancelled. Best used for mixups.

2,1,2 12%- Best used for corner combos and max x-ray damage midscreen. Delay on 3rd hit. Can be made safe on block with shadows.

f3,3,3 14%- Best used for pressure. Closest thing to a frame trap (if not a frame trap) Noob has. Can be stopped short for pokes, sweeps, shadows, restarts, etc. Safe on block if full string is done.

b1,2,1,4 16%- Most commonly seen string. 3rd hit is overhead. Safe on block (kinda). Easily cancellable. Equal advantage if stopped on 1st hit. Stop after 1st hit is blocked and uppercut, throw, etc.

b2,1,413%- Fast starting, easy juggle, semi-safe on block. 2nd hit is overhead. Sets up ambiguous situations.

Specials:

Ghostball- Disables blocking. Ex also mixes up opponent’s controls. Glitch means the confuse part doesn’t work online. Best used for setups. Easily punishable.

Black Hole- 3 versions. Best used for resets, but not possible for that purpose on MK2 costume. Can be used for traps. Rather punishable. Juggle from it midscreen for best results. Results in at least half a dozen reset options. Ex lands almost instantly.

Teleport- Highly punishable on block. Fast. Can be stopped with projectiles that hit from above (up skulls, up missiles). 10% normally, 14% Ex.

Shadow Tackle- Most popular projectile. Most damaging. Can be an AA. Punishable. Can be blocked high or low. Ex does more damage, but takes longer to recover.

Shadow Slide- Low projectile. Must be crouch blocked. Best used to force jumps. Ex resets.

Shadow Upknee- One of the best defensive moves in game. Fast and covers wide area around Noob. Ex is extremely hard to avoid. Safe on block. Can be comboed off of as an AA, or when Ex’d anytime.

Resets:

String- b1,2,f4 can technically be a reset. Dash in after the low hits to restart offense. Hard to wake up from. Must be tech rolled or blocked. Mix in b1,2,1,4 for hard to predict situations.

Shadow Slide- After hitting your opponent with any knockback string (b1,2,1,4; b2,1,4; etc.) used an Ex. shadow slide to knock them up to half screen back to you.

Black Hole- Comes in many versions and followups. Use b1,2,1,4 then behind BH then tackle to keep them in hole’s area. Can be tech rolled out of all versions most of the time. Use b2,1,4 into either above BH without tackle/slide if they lay there, or behind with shadow for reset. Follow any up with 1,2; b2,1,4; or b1,2,1,4 to continue reset.

Additional Move notes:

Has one of the fastest uppercuts in game, but has small hitbox. Use upknee instead. Sweep is kinda slow. All but the b1,2,f4 string can be safe on block with any shadow moves.

Easy no meter 41% corner combo (adjust to situation accordingly): JP; 2,1,2; upknee; 2,1,2; upknee; 1,2; upknee; 1,2 upknee.

Matchup ratings 1-10:

Scorpion- 4
Liu Kang- 6
Kung Lao- 4
Sub Zero- 7
Sindel- 5
Ermac- 7
Reptile- 5
Kitana- 5
Johnny Cage- 4
Jade- 7
Mileena- 4
Nightwolf- 4
Cyrax- 6
Noob- 5
Smoke- 4
Sektor- 4
Sonya- 5
Jax- 5
Kano- 6
Stryker- 5
Shang Tsung- 4
Baraka- 8
Kabal- 3
Raiden- 2
Cyber Sub- 7
Sheeva- 8
Quan Chi- 5
Skarlet- 5
Kenshi- 6
Rain- 5
Freddy- 3

These ratings are kinda random, but the lower the number the tougher the matchup, so those are the best counter picks if you’re a scrub that has to do so.

Potential updates in future.