I was playing random challengers last night, using my main, Sub-Zero. I played one guy who chose Ermac. Let me give you a shortened run-down of how almost all the matches went. He would gain distance from me, either with pew-pewing his green fireball repeatedly, or by trying the lift and then backing away, or just simply jump back. Once he was long range, it was pew, pew, pew, pew. I jump towards him, levitated, slammed down, combo’d. He continues to back away and gain distance. Pew, Pew, Pew. I try to slide under one, PEW to the face. He jumps back. Pew, Pew, Pew, I jump over one fireball and wait…lift misses, I go to slide, PEW’d in the face or levitated into a massive combo. He then jumps away. Pew, Pew, Pew, I jump over one fireball and try to jump another. I land right next to him, as he teleports off-screen. Pew, pew, pew…and the madness continues. What could I have done here?
Also tried simply throwing out ice across the screen…interrupted before I could even get the motion off, by another of the endless green fireballs. Slide, levitated into large combo that knocks me away from him…pew, pew.
Dash block is your friend.
I actually didn’t realize that was in the game until late last night, watching some MK tourney vid. I gotta practice that.
Don’t give him room to breathe. When you get a knockdown, you rush him down nonstop. I find that a jumping BK or FK that is blocked leaves just enough blockstun to start up the back FP -> BP link that you can easily hitconfirm into an ice ball. If the kick lands, just dash in after the knockdown and continue to stay on him. You can’t let ermac have any time to think. One lift and then an xray after you lose 50%.
Block dash over to him. You can’t really outzone him. Jumping is a really bad idea - he has a million ways to punish it on reaction. If you block a lift, you get a free combo (slide if you’re uncomfortable punishing - but make sure you hurt him for it so he can’t do it for free).
Just doing that should help you out against most of your complaints of the match up. There are more complicated things you can do, but mastering these things is quick and will get you the most reward for your time.
Arnold voice: “Thanks for the tip!” LOL
Block dash is super easy to do. You can use it to bait a gravity squeeze and then punish that shit with slide if you’re fast enough.
This, with some 2,2 pressure.
Oh, and watch out for his safe wake up attacks. Stay on him but be smart about it.
Depends on how you wanna play it.
You can rush him the fuck down. But then you’re kinda at risk to wakeup TKS, random TKP, stuff like that.
I like to troll people with Subby. Just get the life lead. Then I drop an Ice Clone and stand just outside of TKP range he can’t walk forward to try to catch you. I like to work the life lead angle.
Watch his dashes, try to projectile trade, etc. Keep throwing ice balls. Ermac gets afraid to throw them because he shouldn’t be risking proj. trades vs Sub. It’s not in Ermac’s favor at all. Lame it out.
All of the above is correct. If Ermac gets tired of using a super move to try for control and attempts to melee combo you, ice block can also be your best friend.
Alright, I’m just going to put this right here. I have not lost to a single Ermac player since I started using this strategy.
-Start by shooting ice. Keep distance and trade fireballs if possible. He can’t TK Lift you from that range, and you can always use it to bait teleports. Most importantly, you’re using this to build meter for a Breaker or an X-Ray
-Dash blocks are indeed your friend. If you’re successful, slide if you’re close enough. Or you can try jumping in with a 22 freeze combo. Careful he’s not blocking, and 22 Slide if he is.
-If your back is to a corner, make sure he’s not doing the repeated back-away-and-low-block routine. If he’s actively trying to hit you with a TK Lift or Force Push, EX Slide him into the corner.
And this is where your beatdown begins.
-Once you have an Ermac in the corner, prop a clone. Do NOT use this off an EX Slide or he will punish. Save it starting with a fuzzy guard.
-If you pushed your Ermac into a corner via 222 (knockdown), prop your clone and block. More than likely, he will try to TK Lift you through the clone. Block and punish accordingly
-He’ll try to teleport. Block punish this, combo, EX Slide back into the corner.
I think you get the rest of the picture. Make sure to mix grabs in if he starts turtling.
Yeah but couldn’t Ermac counter, say you go into the slide then tele and fireball spam again but now your in the other corner? granted spamming is only going to chip, but if the ermac was played right he could go from spam into a combo.
Then again remember
When in doubt Mash it out!