Does Midway usually balance/patch their online games? In other words, do you think the characters will get buffed/nerfed eventually?
The only other PSN fighting game I played online was SF 2 HD remix, so I’m kind of online noob. Also doesn’t help that PSN is still down LOL
There isn’t much that has to be done. I’d assume kung lao with eventually get a slight nerf, though in what form noone knows. Some baraka/sheeva/jax buffs maybe? Besides that, I hope they don’t mess with it too much.
With Ermac’s 312 string, the second hit is high. If I’m not mistaken, you can crouch block the first hit, and if you do, you get a free uppercut between the second and third hits.
This was a post on TYM
So Kano will recieve buffs! and all 11 of us that play him will rejoice.
Yeah I was bitching really hard about this earlier. I ended up just switching to Nightwolf.
This makes me so happy. I’ve played Kano in every MK he’s been in. I thought he was pretty solid in this game already. Buffed upball and a low hitting combo starter is pretty sweet.
Nice thats too good! “cheers!”
Wow, NRS actually listened to me. That’s exactly what was asking for lol.
F3 to hit low and improve uball recovery to make it a viable cross-up shenanigan. XD I love it. I’m maining Kano for sure now. 
A few more things I hope they give him: Reduced start up/ recovery on Kano’s overhead (B2) and a little more pushback on command grab when its blocked. That would really help Kano out.
I’m glad he’s gonna get buffed a bit. Even if that’s all he gets I’m satisfied.
The f3 change is likely a fix. I think it should’ve been a low originally.
Is command grab safe on block? If so…I’d leave it as is, so long as it is safe enough to check the opponent with any ball. If it is unsafe, then BITCH MAKE IT SAFE! >:D
Hard to say… Recovery is weird in this game. Right now when I do a command grab and it gets blocked, Kano gets a small push back but still “seems” to recover slower than the opponent. It “looks” like it would be -3/-4 right now or something like that. I’m guessing quick pokes and fast enough specials could punish it.
If it’s not safe on block then that means Kano has no safe pressure at all. Not to mention his pokes are so slow. If he gets blocked he’s pretty much fucked and becomes free. Command grab is the only thing that can make his blockstrings a little safer.
I think knifes are his only safe option on block.
Are you guys sure? I’ve been under the influence that choke was safe on block, and I’ve been using it as such after unsafe strings to make those strings safe, and so far, my off-line gaming circle hasn’t punished me.
It could that they just suck though.
Either way, I’ve been ver yhappy with Kano so far- Tom Brady even said he is A+ as is. these buffs might be all he really needs.
Why do a lot of people keep referring to them as Midway? Midway is gone.
There ignorant of what has be happening with MK situation with em.
Yeah you might be right. After some testings and careful slow motion playback it does look indeed a little safer than I thought. -2 on block at the very worst imo. +1 at best.
Interesting that Tom would consider Kano A+. I had no idea. All I know is that he considers him to be tourney viable.
If it is like -5…it’s gonna be safe except vs fast specials.
Tom Brady posted that he considered Kano and Mileena to be A+ in his now defunct Ask Tom Brady thread over at MortalkombatUnited.com
I’d like to start talking about my favorite mall kop: Stryker. So I’m going to break this down into strengths and weaknesses as I see them. Feel free to add anything if you know something I don’t. Stryker doesn’t seem like a very explored character as of yet, and the only pro I know of trying him is OnlineTony, and he hasn’t been on stream yet. (Guess he didn’t make top 8 at WNF. )
Pros:
Gunshot- Can be delayed, can be faked, start-up is meh, but it’s instant once it’s out. Does two hits so beats some armor. Works as a long range anti-air. Pretty much the core of his offense.
Decent damage at mid screen, netting 34% plus a reset or 37-39% Also by switching his combo ender between roll and uppercut he can move you forwards or backwards toward the corner.
Good corner damage off both high and low combo starters, (45%) his overhead is good in the corner, can anti-air a jump attempt out of the corner to about 35-40% depending on ex.
Can use 3 to gunshot as a midscreen reset that you can’t wake up from. Gunshot can be fired, or canceled into dash for throw/sweep mixup, or jump for crossup punch mixup. Not perfectly safe but good anyway.
Long range poke/anti-air in 4 causes a weird semi-stagger that you can fake gunshot/dash after. Not long enough for a safe jump, but good for a quick high/low/throw mixup and reset-ing distance. If it hits as an anti-air, nets 18% or 25% for 1 meter. Can be followed by a full combo if anti-airing the opponent into a corner.
Fast sweep and fast uppercut.
Cons:
Slow normals/chains- Nothing except comes out quick. His 3 while it could be a good poke takes so long to get to active frames that it’s ridiculous. Back 3, 2 is a super obvious overhead that he can be punished out of on block. He can’t follow his 1,2 with anything. In fact his only two chains that lead to real damage are only useful as obvious punishes or after a jumping punch.
Zoning- His gunshot and grenades can be ducked. They’re unsafe from midscreen, especially on whiff. The grenades are finicky and take forever to get out on screen. Teleporters can basically devastate him on reaction, and while you can fake gunshot to try and bait things the fact that you cannot block until you complete a full dash animation means that fast teleports like Raiden’s still go through and he can still punish you. Also he can’t keep up in a zoning war against noob. He will trade badly with clones no matter which projectile he uses, and without a teleport, and with his fast special (roll) causing them to be far, he can’t even really stay on him. Worse unlike other zoning heavy characters, none of his projectiles knock down, so approaching him is much easier than approaching Noob or Shang. Also his projectiles never lead to more than 9% damage, so unlike Reptile/Shang/Ermac/Smoke, your opponent isn’t afraid of being scooped into huge damage.
Bad punishes- For many things with tight punishment windows like Kung Lao’s spin, his best punish is dash up 4 for 8% damage. It makes it completely worth risking things like spin/superman/shadow kick on him because his punishment is insubstantial.
Situational AA- For as much as I like as an anti-air it isn’t nearly as fool proof as something like up-clone or tele push. It has to be done early, it has a long window of vulnerability before active frames and even done perfectly often trades with jumping kicks. It nets him good damage, but still less than some characters, and at closer ranges he has to fall back on uppercut.
Nothing exceptional- Stryker can win, but I feel like all his tools are replicated elsewhere more effectively. He basically falls back on the basic guessing game to win. I don’t feel like I’m playing the strengths of the character as much as the engine. Especially with how easily his zoning breaks down in certain matchups and the weird almost buglike issue with his fake gunshot cancel being unsafe for so long, it’s hard to see how he is really supposed to be used.
Worst matchups- Hard to say since I haven’t played a ton, but Noob is stupendously hard, as is Ermac, anyone who forces you to approach really, his block dash isn’t super fast, so he has to block a lot on his way in, and his combo enders/specials tend to create distance. Kung Lao, since he isn’t afraid of spinning you. His teleport mixup is brutal on your zoning attempts, and your anti-projectile special (roll) doesn’t work against ground hat. Raiden- Honestly it feels almost unwinnable, his teleport beats everything you have for free. At the right distance you can’t punish superman for any damage. His chains come out faster than anything you have. You can’t ever whiff an attack against him. It’s just bad.
Also I haven’t played a good one since PowerUp but I feel like Reptile is probably a bad match too. If your zoning trades he wins because he gets a full combo. Plus Stryker gets most of his good damage opportunities from crossup jumpin punch which Reptile gets out of for free. Also reptile doesn’t approach much by jumping, so you can’t expect to pick up anti-air damage either.
I have a feeling Smoke/Shang are probably bad matchups too if only because trading projectiles against them costs you so much.
You make a lot of great and valid points. As a Stryker player myself I was a little disappointed to see how vulnerable Stryker was vs teleports, zoning and crouchers. Especially if you consider how hard Stryker is to use compared to overall better characters like Reptile, Nightwolf and Ermac.
Some things I think would really help Stryker:
-Being able to Gun Shot cancel into immediate block.
-Being able to cancel the second shot of Gun Shot.
-Reduce the start up frames of Grenade.
-Make mid Grenade hit crouchers? Or make grenades knockdown/break guard/stun or whatever. Just make them at least useful for something. Because right now Gun Shot is better in every way.
-Reduce start up on 3? it’s a front kick but feels like a bk.
-Make B2 an overhead? That and/or reduce start up of 2 in B3, 2. Stryker really needs a somewhat useful overhead because he has nothing vs crouchers.
-Reduce start up on D1. Just to help him space out vs rushdown characters.
-Make it possible to cancel 1, 2 and 3 into Gun Shot or Baton Trip.
**-Make 4 a more viable anti-air? **
In bold = the most important imo. The rest would be appreciated but not necessary.
I know it’s a lot to ask but I really think they’re all for the most part reasonable buffs. Funny thing is, it still wouldn’t make Stryker go up in the tier. But at least it would help him rival with S tier, quick zoners like Noob/Repile, rushdown characters and teleporters.
I think you’re asking for a bit much. Especially gunshot cancel on hit. My changes would be:
to make fake gunshot dash cancelable to block
To speed up back 1 so that he can get full combo punish off of Kung spin/reptile dash.
Give 4 better hitbox so it doesn’t trade with jumpkicks.
That’d be enough to make him work the way I think he’s supposed to.
Maybe changes. (these might be too much)
Knockdown on grenade hit.
Or
Speed up grenade startup.
Speed up standing 3 so you can poke with it.
Or
Change the stagger on standing 4 so you get a safe jump.
Maybe maybe changes. (this would probably make him too good)
Speed up the start of standing gunshot so that it trades fully with other fast zoning.