Abbreviation Key:

U = UP
D = Down
B = Back
F = Forward
LP = Low Punch 4.8% (Throw when close)
LK = Low Kick 12.6% (10% close “Knee”)
HP = High Punch 6.6% (9.6% close “Elbow”)
HK = High Kick 14.4% (10% close “Knee”)
BL = Block
R = Run
RH = Roundhouse 17.4%
Uppercut = 21.6%
Sweep = 12%
cLP = 3.6%
cLK = 3.6%
cHK = 7.2%
JP = Jump Punch 9.6% (Liu Kang’s angled JP does 7.8%)
JK = Jump Kick 15.6% (angled, activates Damage Scaling on grounded opponent – note when they bleed on hit)
JPS = Jump Punch Starter 9.6% (jump attack typically added to the beginning of Auto Combos, can be done either Neutral or angled)
nJK = Neutral Jump Kick 11.4% (jump attack typically added to the beginning of Auto Combos that can only be done while Neutral Jumping)
HPHP = Two consecutive, uninterrupted HP Jabs
HP,HP = Two HP Jabs, with a Run tap in between canceling the first, usually requires a Micro Walk (step) between actions
+ = Pressing two or more inputs simultaneously, in many cases, one button can be held and the other(s) may then be pressed. During Auto Combos, the direction should be pressed first and held until the attack input is pressed. You can technically press an input and then a direction within a frame or so, and the input normal will still work.

The Frame Data for all sections maybe be revised or redefined at some point to include the buffer input window for a more accurate representation. This will result in a few frame shift, but universal relative to other attacks so the numbers will be different, but the math should not be. Everything is currently based on the visual change in animation between attack and response, however this does not always reflect the true difference in recoveries, plus or minus.

Prefixes / Suffixes

(lowercase designations for modifiers or data that appear before or after moves for common and/or specific combo situations)

c = Crouching
aa = Anti Air (attack done to opponent while in air, prefix added to Juggle combos)
otg = On the Ground (specific scenario when you can hit your opponent while on the ground in recovery)
gc = Glitch Cancel (explained in detail below)
n = Neutral (Jumping straight up)
inf = This is an Infinite Combo in parentheses ( )
i = Move can be done on the way up in a jump at the earliest point possible
f = Suffix! # of frames + (plus/positive) or – (minus/negative) after a move in a normal situation

Special Move Abbreviations

TKS = Telekinetic Slam
TP = Teleport Punch
TPU = Teleport Uppercut
GP = Ground Pound
FB = Fireball (generic projectiles without given names)
AFB = Air Fireball
iAFB = Instant Air Fireball (performed on the way up into the jump)

Damage Abbreviations

DP = Damage Scaling (formerly referred to as “Damage Protection”), or the state your opponent enters after specific moves cut damage output roughly in half. Certain hits in Auto Combos, like Launchers, Final hits, Sub-zero’s LP in his 6 hit combo, Jax’s mini Launcher, activate Scaling. Combo hits, while doing typically small percentages, are not typically scaled the first time they are used. You can see this with a break in an Auto Combo while using Cryax’s Bombs. Will probably refer to this as “Scaling” from here on and phase out DP.
DDP = Double Damage Scaling (Protection), or the state your opponent enters after specific moves cut damage to 1/4 normal. Happens in Auto Combos for example, Liu Kang (B+LP Launcher) Jade (4th hit of 7 hit combo), this is also the same as chip damage typically.
SDP = Special Damage Scaling (Protection), for Sonya and Stryker’s command throws in an already Scaled combo. Explained more in depth in characters specific guides.

Jabs:

The single most crucial element to meta in the arcade MK games. Jabs. They are fast, flow with movement, can be canceled at essentially any time with Specials, or Block. The perfect way to bait your opponent into attack. Jabs have slightly different collision detection across all characters, with the exception of palette swaps which have the same frame data across each respective set. But you will notice some characters have advantage in range, like Kabal and the Female Ninjas, or a character like Stryker, who can is unable to Jab the most characters when they are ducking and Blocking. Learn how to use Jab pressure to enhance your game, and built your offense around it. It is also possible to use Jabs in a defensive manner for zoning and keep away.

Jab Data

Jabs can chain in any order, regardless of which you start with, and alternate back and forth. Jabs have a set of rules that all them to cycle, similar to Auto Combo chains. You must leave at least 3 frames between button presses for a subsequent hit to chain, but the number of frames you have to chain them following each hit changes depending on the animation duration created by the speed of Jabs. After the first Jab you have up to 14 frames to press the next Jab or the chain will end, but the window for a 3rd Jab depends on when the next input happens. You cannot simply put 3 frames between each press indefinitely because eventually the frames of animation for Jab cycles will exceed the input window, but essentially, it’s not feasibly possible to mash Jabs too quickly.

The total animation for an uncanceled initial Jab is 14f Start Up, until 18f (last frame Jab is active), and the recovery is 8f – 4f depending when the Jab connects. You cannot cancel a Jab once it reaches the final frame active Frame but you can still Block. Outside of Special Moves, you can cancel a Jab with another Jab, which chains into the successive Jab, or by pressing HK, BL, LK, or Run. These button presses will cancel the animation of the Jab. You must wait at least 3 frames to cancel an initial Jab with a button, similar to chaining, and it will reduce the recovery animation by as much as 4f. This is important for Juggle combos with trickier timing, as it gives you cushion and makes some Juggles possible that wouldn’t be without the canceling technique. You cancel any Jab in any cycle this way, so secondary, tertiary Jabs and beyond still follow these rules. For example, Scorpion’s Punisher Juggle using aaHPHP in the beginning can be done using aaHPHP with a Run button tap cancel, allowing you to jump 4 frames sooner, and making the JK confirm easier.

The average Jab window to continue maximum flow speed is 4 frames. For LPs, this will push your opponent back on 5 hits without being Blocked, for HPs, 6 hits. If you perform a containment that allows you to re-stand into Jabs, any Jabs you did before the containment that comboed, or chained on the ground, will count towards Pushback accumulation. Alternating Jabs will share the Pushback accumulation and follow the rules of the specific Jab upon the final hit which would cause Pushback. For example, if you start with LP, then do 4 HPs (5 hits), they will not Pushback, but if you do LP, 3 HPs, LP (5 hits), they will Pushback. In the corner, Jabs will Pushback on Block at 3 hits unless you do perform a slow chain pattern. Juggling 2 Jabs in the corner, or any hit that “counts as a hit” in a Combo followed by a Jab Juggle, will Pushback so mind your corners when Juggling to optimize damage.

HP and LP also behave differently on Block Mid Screen, as LPs push your opponent further back and HPs still push back how they did in MK3. Some characters can use HPs as Run Jabs, but this gets a little tricky due to HPs becoming Combo starters at close range, and HPs tend to not have as much range as LPs. Sindel can use this against the most characters, and Stryker, Kano, Nightwolf and Kabal can use it against Kung Lao, Kabal, Jax and Sheeva, with Sheeva being vulnerable to basically every other character but herself.

Run Jabs

You can cancel a LP or HP by tapping any other attack button, however, Run performs no action when you tap it (except if you hold it even without Run meter you can no longer do special moves) so there is no chance of accidentally throwing out a HK or LK or blocking, and you can create a rhythm to continue advancing forward, or doing a double LP, cancel with Run. What this does is it forces the LP or HP to
retract the instant it completes it’s contact frame, rather than holding it, reducing the total jab duration by 1/3. It may not seem like much, but it is in the heat of battle. The best way to Run jab is to keep your meter from emptying for as long as possible. This means you should hold forward, and alternating
tapping Run and LP, and releasing forward briefly during the LP, so the Run meter doesn’t drop anymore than it has too. This is a very offensive tactic and dramatically changes the game when used effectively. Not only does it give you multiple chances of landing a throw, but its really good chip damage and it moves the victim towards the evil, evil corners. Doing more than 2 LP Run Jabs in the corner will result in push back, so try to keep it to a pace of 2, and mix up with other attacks when you see an opening. Watch for early counter ducking LKs or uppercuts.

Kara Jabs

Canceling a LP or HP with block can be a very good idea against characters with fast wake up moves, specifically Kabal. Essentially, you should make it a point to throw out some LPs, in effort to bait a Nomad Dash out of Kabal, and cancel that LP with block so the instant the Dash happens, you will go into block frames. As long as you are holding block on or before the frame of contact, the Dash will not be able to connect, even if you hear the jab sound, nothing will come out, you will just block. This also sets up the chance for snuffs and throws out of special moves, especially one that require a forward tap. The LP will either connect, you will throw them, or you will block. As long as you are dong this properly there is very little chance a surprise move will get you. You might want to try practicing against Kabal players, try to get a basic combo or a sweep to knock him down, then Run in and labor an obvious LP. This will generally cause the Kabal player to react with a wake up Dash. On the average player, the Dash will plow through them, but if you Kara Jab rather than Run Jab, the Dash will be blocked and you can punish Kabal. This tactic works well on just about any character with a special move like this.

Corner Run Jabs

Once you have someone backed into the corner and blocking, Run up to them and tap LP, Run, LP, Run, or LP,LP, Run etc. to throw out really fast Run Jabs. They will be in the corner, and they will eat pixel after pixel of block damage. Don’t do more than 3 Jabs in succession or you will suffer “pushback”. The only thing that the victim can really do is escape with a special move (teleport, fly kick, square punch, etc), uppercut, or crouching LK. If you can sniff out when they are going to try to do any of those, do a knee or special move, preferably a containment. If they block a knee you will be pushed back, so do it wisely to keep them trapped in the corner. Try to throw out 4-6 Run Jabs then knee, because that’s usually when people realize that they are losing a lot of energy to chip damage. If the knee hits, continue to Run Jab and keep them locked down. Also, don’t forget to hold back while you do the corner Run Jabs so that they can’t
counter throw. If you are under corner Run Jab pressure, after the first 1 or 2, try and spam on HK, and you have a good chance of sneaking out a Knee on them right as they are about to do another Run Jab.

Corner Jab Frame Traps

You can tap Jabs at a slow enough speed to noticeably reduce the cycling rate. You can use this “Slow Jab” technique to frame trap opponents in the corner. This will chain Jabs in such a way that they will not exceed the accumulation window, and never cause pushback. This is a relatively inescapable scenario where you can lock down your opponent as a Block String Infinite. The only way to “escape” is through a special movie that doesn’t require releasing Block to perform, such as D, U, Teleports or simultaneous button presses, in which, these are still not guaranteed and more disruptive.

Another form of this frame trap is to throw 2 Jabs at max speed, then cancel the second with Run, reducing the recovery animation by several frames, and repeating. This must be done to the frame or your opponent can duck, which will allow them some opportunity to escape.

Jabs also accumulate hits into a buffer when performed without a certain amount of time, and cause pushback mid screen. This buffer is also shared with aaJabs, though it’s typically less noticeable. Corners have their own rules for Jab accumulation, which is few total than mid screen. There is a consistent speed of button pressing that will result in the fast Jab chaining possible that doesn’t require meaningful timing. You also cannot stack too many combo inputs into the buffer, so if you input buttons too quickly, the combo will drop. The first true Combo Hit must be pressed with 12 frames of pressing the Initial Hit.

Glitch/Defense Jabs

Glitch, or “Defense” Jabs are a unique mechanic, in which you can cycle Jabs, while also holding block, back to prevent Throws and down to prevent Sweeps. Do this by beginning a Jab cycle (HPHP / LPLP / HPLP / LPHP etc) then press and hold block immediately before the first Jab loop completes. Your character will not block as long as you press the next Jab within the normal cancel window. Remember, tapping Jab repeatable is essentially canceling a Jab into another Jab. You can then quickly add in your “Back” and “Down” inputs to create a full Defense Posture and bait your opponent into attacking with little to no risk. This is loosely referred to as a “Glitch” because generally, no games, with the exception of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters on Sega Genesis, allow you to attack while reserving the “Option Select” of block.

Auto Combos

Auto Combos as of MK3 (first seen in MKII with Baraka’s HK, HK double kick mini Launcher, which is Blockable between hits) are a new way to get more confirmed ground damage in close range scenarios, chaining off the original MK and MKII’s close range HP (Elbow) and HK (Knee), which in previous games either caused stump, or knockdown, similar to JP and JK. They range from as low as 2 hits – 15% (Sektor), or as high damage as 7 hits – 42%, (Sheeva). Auto Combos are essentially the pre-programmed “dial combo” chains characters have to establish some variety to power rating.

Some characters only have short, low damage Auto Combos like Scorpion and Kitana, or longer combos to make up for weaknesses in mobility or special moves. Others have a mix of short and longer combos for heavier damage, such as Kung Lao, and then others more have a mix of combos along with Launchers in Kabal or Sonya’s case, which allow for even more damage through Juggles. There are other nuances in between and variety here and there.

The difference between Auto Combos and normal attacks is, the first attack, either Elbow or Knee, is considered a normal attack, but is now possible to chain into another designated combo hit. After this “Initial Hit,” your opponent is put into a collision state like Sweeps and some Special Moves, where this is now a Hurtbox around them that is the full perimeter of each specific Sprite, top to bottom, front to back. This is different from their normal Hurtbox, which is roughly 30% the total width of each specific Sprite, but still top to bottom. This was done to ensure collision on combo hits during chains and also why you see characters getting hit from nearly half screen on Sweeps during attacks like the Harpoon or under HKs. This is there for a reason, and if you tried the game without this, you’d see why. Now your opponent is in actual Auto Combo hits.

You must leave at least 3 frames between button presses for a subsequent hit to chain, but the number of frames you have to combo following hits changes depending on the duration of certain animations. You also cannot stack too many combo inputs into the buffer, so if you input buttons too quickly, the combo will drop. The first true Combo Hit must be pressed with 12 frames of pressing the Initial Hit. The following hits are frame dependent. This is a ton of data and might be fully explored, but the concept of Auto Combos is not so daunting to require this at the moment. The best way to explain this technique is “Just press the buttons without thinking about it.”

For Kung Lao’s 7 hit, pressing HP, then leaving 3 empty frames, LP, 3 empty frames. HP, 3 empty frames, LP – will only result in the first 3 hits instead of 4, because the last hit was performed before it could received based on the frame data of the attack before, dropping the rest of the combo. This can happen during intense situations. As long as the button is pressed within the correct number of frames of the next hit’s duration, the following hit will come out as soon as it’s available, but can still be delayed. This is similar to how Jab cycling works. There is a timing, it’s just relatively intuitive and small.

Auto Combos are good for chip damage and position mid screen, but many combos leave you negative (-#f), or a frame deficit on block, or even whiff mid combo chain if not done quickly enough. For the sake of this guide, we will refer only to situations for the player with “Frame Advantage” in examples, as the player with “Disadvantage” adds an extra frame for comparable data.

Contrastly, leaving intentional gaps between presses has both pros and cons for position micromanagement, including further pushback but also greater chance for combo interrupts by your opponent. This exists even in some of the fastest combo chains, which can be interrupt punished during a Block string. It is best to learn a rhythm that satisfies the most scenarios, and avoid using combos with gaps. This is easier said than done.

For example, the Knee is -9 on Block, and creates about a 48 pixel gap between characters. This leaves it punishable by some of the faster special moves with horizontal movement, such the Nomad Dash, and Roll which only need 6 frames and compensate for the proximity with the forward velocity. Subsequent hits can be anywhere from also -4 to -23. Launcher hits are usually + with a lot of pushback. When leaving off hits mid Block string, some examples are: Stryker’s HP, HP string is -4, Kitana’s HP, HP is -5, most are -9, Sub-zero’s HP, HP, LP, LK is -12, Kabal’s HK, HK, LK is -20. Eventually, all this data will be documented.

You will figure out when to finish a ground combo on block depending on the recovery scenarios. Even negative recovery can create a bait situation that can end up in your favor if only a neutral reset. Stopping a ground combo before the last hit keeps you close so you can continue the rush down and is typical very close to Neutral in a -5 frame situation, like Kitana’s first 2 hits of her Fan Combo is an unpunishable Block string, but her Knee Combo’s 2nd hit is punishable.

Juggles

Juggle means exactly what it sounds like. Keeping your opponent in air without letting them touch the ground. Some characters are harder to juggle than others due to their collision boxes. For example, Shang Tsung has a very narrow hit box compared to his push box, making two consecutive HPs difficult to connect all the time, especially if he is falling away from you. Other characters are very easy to juggle, like Jax. His collision box is spread out nicely compared to his push box so a lot of things are possible on him specifically that aren’t on other characters. Some characters have more Juggle potential than others. You will learn more about this in the individual guides.

Normals

All characters have what are essentially the same Normals, with relatively standardized reactions, damage, etc, with limited exceptions. There is some variance in collision detection, frame data and other properties here and there, but the normal arsenal consists of LP and HP Jabs (explained in depth in their own section), LK and HK, and directional input + Normal buttons for things like Uppercut, Roundhouse, Sweep, cLP, cLK and cHK. Jabs can be canceled and are essentially always safe. Kicks are not safe, they have recovery and counterable frames.

LK

Standing LK is a basic pressure tool. Frame data is the same for everyone, 11f start up, -11f on hit, -14 on Block. Due to the negative nature of standing LKs, you might consider avoiding using them if you don’t have a good enough randomness to your offense. There are opportunities to use LK as a longer range, last second anti air, and the situations will be obvious when there’s a hesitation to use a RH at the same distance for example. Many moves can punish it depending on placement. This catches Ducking and Blocking opponents with all characters, but some characters can hit their standing LKs against other characters when just Ducking.

HK

Standing HK is a very common tool during pressure, it often comes out instead of an Auto Combo attempt that was just out of range. It is most effectively used as a reliable anti air against a jumpy opponent. It isn’t fool proof, but definitely a go-to as the trajectories involved nearly always result in it winning out a trade. It’s also a good close knockdown in situations where you might not be confident an optimal punish will work. HK also has a 11f start up, it is however +3f on hit which is good, and -14 on Block like a standing LK. Some standing HKs will hit Shang Tsung Ducking such as Sonya, Jax and the Robot Ninjas.

Sweep

All Sweeps have a 20 frame startup. Sweeps change your opponent’s Hurtbox while it is active. Normally a Hurtbox is the height of any given Sprite and width changes constantly to reflect the width of the active Sprite, which is approximately 30% the width of the Sprite, centered at the axis. So there is a box around the character, top to bottom, left to right and a smaller Hurtbox in the middle. During a Sweep, your opponent’s Hurtbox becomes the entire perimeter of whatever sprite is active, which allows characters to be hit from long distance, such catching Scorpion under his finger tip with a Sweep, or an example from MKII, under Baraka’s Blade in his Blade Spark. It’s a significantly larger hittable area, this also happens during some special moves and Auto Combos.

Sweep recovery varies very little. Normal recovery is about 24f and +4f on hit, -10f on Block. For fast Sweepers, Kano, Jax and Sonya, they are +10f on hit so they recover faster than other characters on hit. If a Sweep connects on an airborne opponent, it will Juggle them, recovery is still the same but frame advantage can be more, at least up to +10f. So there are 36 active frames for normal Sweeps vs 30 for “Sweepers” but connecting a Sweep does add about 4 frames. Certain characters are more likely to Juggle their Sweeps than others due to larger collision boxes, and your opponent’s Hurtbox also factors into this, so watch for corner combos where you can Juggle a Sweep at the end. Oh and 12% damage when Unscaled.

RoundHouse

Roundhouse is a great anti air option from a distance and in some cases sets up significant Juggle potential. You can even use one running underneath your opponent’s jumps as a mind game to show your opponent if they are really being predictable. RH is usually +19f on hit (unless otherwise noted), and up to at least +10f more if aa depending on the characters in play.

They have varying frame data:
Sonya: 14f Start Up (+11f) this is the fasest RH with the least advantage in the game.
Shang Tsung, the Male Ninjas, Female Ninjas, Liu Kang, Jax, Kabal, Nightwolf, Kano (+15f): 17f Start Up
Unmasked Sub-zero, Sindel, Sheeva, Robot Ninjas and Stryker (+15f) are 20f Start Up. Stryker’s is the slowest RH with the least advantage in that category.

Uppercut

Uppercut Start Up for all characters is 11f and recovery is +14f on hit for everyone except Kabal and Sheeva who are +10f. It is -6 on block for everyone except Sheeva and Kabal, who are -10. Uppercut recovery hold is dependent on how far your opponent is from the ground so connecting an aaUppercut will result in the same +f, however corner Pushback scenario will change if you are close to the wall, allow Juggle hits in many scenarios due to Uppercut advantage becoming something like +19f. Uppercuts will also hold frozen on Block if your opponent becomes airborne before it connects or recovers from Block, allowing for free counters, especially in the corner. You will notice this mostly on Teleport Uppercut fake outs baiting Uppercut counters but it happens a lot. After Finish Him/Her, Uppercut recovery is essentially removed to allow movement into place for Fatalities, so you can take advantage of this with some stylish custom “Brutality” type combos.

Crouching

Essentially everything in the game can be Crouch Blocked, and only a few moves must be, like Sweeps, Sonya’s Leg Grab, and Stryker’s Baton Trip. Neutral Crouch does not prevent throws, so hold Back as well and watch for Crossups that flip your controls.

Crouching also has different height for each character’s Hurtbox and this varies from Crouch Block as well. The height of the Crouch Hurtbox is not necessarily the number of pixels of the Sprite, but is dependent on the placement of the character’s Sprite relative to the floor, which can be seen changes a bit for some characters. For example, Female Ninjas have the tallest ducking Sprite in terms of raw pixels, but they are placed slightly lower on the field and end being 4 pixels shorter than Shang. The lowest Neutral Crouch is Sindel, which is 13 pixels lower than the tallest, Shang Tsung. He gets hit by the most attacks while ducking, like some Fireballs that are not intended to be Mid Hits, Standing LKs, for example, Shang can ONLY neutral duck Kano, the Robots, Kung Lao, and Sheeva’s Standing LKs. Kano, and Kabal who have the next hightest Crouching Hurtboxes, can NOT Neutral duck Shang, Male Ninjas, Liu Kang, Nightwolf, Kabal, or Sonya’s Standing LKs.

Crouch Block has a more significant range of Hurtbox height, with Sheeva having the highest, and Stryker being the lowest, a full 25 pixels lower than Sheeva’s. To put into perspective, the actual height of the screen in pixels for UMK3 is 254 pixels, so that is about 10% of the screen height. Some standing HPs work better than LPs as Run Jabs, such as Sindel and Stryker, so watch on Crouch Block for Mid Screen traps. The characters specifics will be listed in the individual guides, there’s quite a bit of variance.

Crouching Attacks

cLP is a classic “get off me” move, causing separation during rush down, but it is not often used in the MK3 due to the overall betterness of cLK’s collision, however it does push back more. It serves a similar function but typically is not as low profiled as a cLK either. You can use them in the corner to extend juggles similar to MKII, but this is also uncommon, even Infinites are possible with proper positioning on reverse contact collisions. The only aspect of a cLP collision that might be considered a benefit is that they typically don’t extend the attack’s Hurtbox that much relative to a neutral duck. cLP is more plus than cLK typically but a few frames.

I believe all cLPs are 14 frame start up, +6 on Hit and Block, and 3.6% damage.

cLK is your best choice for “get off me” moves, it can avoid some attacks, most are relatively quick and even can be used to mix up rush down patterns, although this is seen more in MKT for N64. Some are pointer than others, with characters like Sonya and Kung Lao for example having very good cLKs, and then Kano and Shang’s being not so good. Relatively neutral on block and hit, it’s a couple frames at best.

Shang, Stryker, Liu, Kabal, Kung Lao, Kung, Sheeva, Sonya, Sub Male, Female and Robot Ninjas all have 11 frame start up.

Jax, Nightwolf, Kano and Sindel are 13f startup.

I believe all 11f startups are +2 on Hit and Block. 13f startups are relatively neutral, possibly minus. This could be off by a few frames that might make all cLKs negative by a frame or 2 and will be verified. All cLKs are 3.6% damage.

cHK is a considerably slower crouching attack option, and in UMK3, you rarely see anyone use them. Functionally more similar to cLP, it does twice the damage at 7.2%, but also has more start up than cLK and more recovery time across the board. One benefit is that it pushes your opponent back the most of these three attacks.

Stryker, Nightwolf, Liu, Kano, Kabal, Kung, Sindel, Sub, Male, Female and Robot Ninjas have 17 frame start up. Shang, Jax, Sheeva and Sonya are 14f startup.

Everyone is -16f on Hit and Block, except Shang who is -12f and Sheeva who is -13f. These are odd differences but both were checked with Frame Advantage as default. Further verification on exact frame data to be listed.

Crouching attacks’ frame data changes in corner Pushback range, making some attacks that are plus into negatives, and also shortening the recovery time on others. For example, cLP goes from +6f to -8f on hit with Corner Pushback. More on this to be explained later.

Block

Blocking in MK is different from virtually every fighting game. Obviously, there is a button for block, rather than holding back, which eliminates the need for Proximity Blocking entirely, and you can buffer moves easily while blocking. A not so obvious concept about blocking in MK is frame update. Character Sprite updates are 3 frames behind in MK, so a clear example of this, is if you block a Sweep on or about the frame it connects, the animation will not allow them duck, but it must allow them to Block, and therefor it will look like as if you Blocked a Sweep standing. There is a similar concept in SFA3 called “Blue Blocking” which your character turns blue and it takes away less guard stun meter. It is a good idea to learn how to block only when absolutely needed, so you aren’t stuck in standing back up frames after releasing block, rather, releasing block at the end of the contact and standing up while unblocking.

Run

In simplest usage, the Run Bar depletes when you press the Run button and forward, and you continue to Run by holding forward, not forward+Run. You can hold Run and tap forward repeatedly to take small, medium, and large Running steps. If you hold forward+Run after the Run Bar has been depleted in any
situation, the Run Bar will not refill until you release either forward, or Run. Run Bar is depleted in slightly different delegations for an aaLP or HP, a little more for aaLPLP or HPHP, and on moves like the Teleport Uppercut, and Liu Kang’s Bike Kick it is completely depleted. After a Launcher Combo, you can walk forward and let the Run Bar begin to fill up, once you get a sliver of green, you can take a “Run Burst” and get an extra HP before many juggle combos.

Throws

Throws are an integral part of gameplay. The must be defended against similarly to Blocking in most other games by holding “back.” They create a break in momentum through interrupting pressure, or adding to pressure due to the chance of being thrown during Jab rush down. Throws are performed within a few pixels of your opponent by pressing LP. They have virtually 0 start up and will interrupt any physical attack so long as your opponent is not holding back. Throws are also +1 on Frame Disadvantage instead of -1 additional frame. This enables some throws to be punished in the corner with an Uppercut in addition to anything faster.

Throws Damages and Special Reactions:

19%: Kitana (+26f), Nightwolf (+16f), Jade (+4f), Sektor (+10f), Sindel (+13f), Stryker (+10f), Kung Lao (+15f), Kabal (+16f), Shang Tsung (+15f), Robot Smoke (+23f)

14.5%: Kano (+6f), Mileena (+10f), Sub-zero (+18f, can Juggle in corner), Sonya (-12f), Liu Kang (-12f), Male Ninjas (-12f)

Jax: 6% for each of 4 possible slams, (+12f)
Cyrax: 8% (Damage Scaling, bounces opponent close, +36f, significant Juggle potential)
Sheeva: 21% (Damage Scaling, bounces opponent far, +59f, limited Juggle potential mid screen, more in corner, allows for some traps)

Throw Defense

Hold “Back” and you will not be thrown. Up+Back, Down+Back, Down+Back+Block also works. Many people complain about throws, but throw prevention is pretty easy in MK, and it’s been this way from MK1 through MK4. Watch for crossups and know the range of throw traps.

Crossup Throws

This tactic is best used while an opponent is being defensive. The best way to describe this is when you are at jump distance, do an early JK, so you land directly on top of the victim, without hitting them. You will land overlapping the victim’s sprite. If you hit LP right as you land, you will have a very good chance of connecting a throw because they have to hold back to prevent the throw, and the direction is pretty hard to determine in such a close situation in a small amount of time. A good example of this is with Kano’s upward Cannonball. You can place this move to descend directly on top of your opponent, and this results in a free throw very, very often if they don’t have time to counter you before you land, which is limited generally to an uppercut, followed by their rush down, and your choice of counter uppercut, or Cannonball wake up.

Anti-Air

Commonly referred to as “aa” directly in front of the attack which would be used as anti-air. These are attacks which are used to take someone out of the air. It is very important to understand every character’s best aa opportunities. A standing HK is a very simple and effective way to anti air someone. Look to use
this in close range if someone tries to jump away from a Run Jab scenario, but also sometimes use the Run Jabs to juggle into a special move. Some characters can aaHP others out of the air very easily, setting up decent, to super high damage combos. Off a single aaHP, Ermac can achieve 82% on almost every
character, but Jade can only get 18% when countering a jumping attack. Some characters should go for RHs on their aa because it will set up combos, traps, or other tactics and set ups. The best simple form of aa is the uppercut. Try and scout early JKs, Run under, and uppercut them from the other side. It is a great psychological tactic. Run under RHs work well also with certain characters who hit high on the RH. Some characters have special moves which serve this purpose, like Ermac’s TKS. It can be used if the person jumps from far away, which can be baited by use of a non side switching teleport punch. Sindel’s scream is excellent anti air, as well as Kano’s upward ball. Kabal’s Dash can be used as anti air from even a ducking position.

Jump Starters

In UMK3, JP, nJP and nJK can now link into Auto Combos. This increases combo output generally by about 10%. There are many Auto Combos in the game that can started with a LK used as the Knee instead of a HK, but it is probably best to make it a habit in using the HK button as the Knee, because you cannot link a LK from a Jump Starter, it will simply do nothing. Only HK can link from Jump Starters, and also, if you mistime and get a HK as a Knockdown, it’s better damage. No Auto Combos begin with LP so HP is the only input option in this situation.

In the case of the Female Ninjas, their Pushbox doesn’t properly line up with their Hurtbox, and a number of characters Auto Combos will whiff after a Jump Starter mid screen, including several other Normals and Special Moves as well. In the corner, it’s possible to connect these combos with most of the characters who cannot mid screen, some requiring a pause between the Jump Starter and the fist hit of the Auto Combo. This will be covered more in depth in characters specific guides. In general, Jump Starters on Blocking opponents increase the chance of Block String breaks, especially if you opponent can manipulate your landing approach with Kara Jabs.

Crossups

I’m sure everyone knows what this is in games with hold Back and/Proximity Blocking, but its purpose is a little different in UMK3. The main purpose of this is to “flip” the controls of the victim to confuse inputs as auto correct isn’t as consistent, and of course, setting up potential crossup throws. It’s also useful to crossup and try for a jumping HP starter to ground combo, which if timed correctly, can snuff uppercuts. There are a lot of character specific tactics for jumping HP linkers, for example, Kabal can often times land within the collision area of an uppercut and start his combo without getting hit, or Jax and the female ninjas can crossup while still in the air, and connect a jump punch starter with their foot behind them, because the attack started before you crossed the other player’s axis, but the collision box became hot after, thus putting it directly behind them. Another crossup concept is the reverse hitting in general. You can time sweeps to connect behind you if someone does a shallow crossup to try and land for a crossup throw. The opponent will land right behind you, and you if you time it right, the sweep will be out in front of you, and your back side will touch them. This also works on standing LKs very often in similar situations.

Special Moves

Most special moves in UMK3 are performed by “taps” of individual directions. For instance, Ermac’s TKS is Back, Down, Back HK. Most street fighter players loosely interpret this as a “Dragon Punch” (F, D, D+F) motion. It can work like that still, but keep in mind that all you need to do is register the BACK switch, then the DOWN switch, then the BACK switch, and hit HK. No fluid motion is needed and you will find your game improving as you become faster, but more labored in your direction hitting. This game was made for switches and not 360’s. A lot of players have trouble Juggling with moves like Kitana’s Air Fan, or even Kabal’s AFB. It’s pretty easy to do once you understand how “taps” work. After an aaHP,HP, punisher, hit Forward+UP+HK for the jumpkick, then hit Forward+HP+LP to toss out the fan instantly, and very high, enabling a good follow up juggle. Remember that you can generally buffer move directions with a pause, and while blocking to hide your movements, and then pressing the activating attack button shortly after.

Punishment Mode

When certain moves are blocked, they will roll up into a ball and float right next to a player setting up a punisher juggle. Blocked moves that cause this are Kano’s regular Cannonball, The Ninjas’ teleports, Kung Lao’s dive kick, Mileena’s Roll, and Stryker’s Baton Dash. Other characters who have a definition air
punishment set up are Sektor and Robot Smoke’s teleport uppercut, which has somewhat limited options to punish depending on who you are using, Liu Kang’s Bike Kick, and Mileena’s Drop Kick. Other punishment scenarios to look for are against Liu Kang’s Dragon Kick, Kabal’s Dash, Sonya’s leg grab, Reptile’s Elbow Dash and Ninja Slides. All of these, when blocked, make them stay locked in place, generally very close to you, free to be countered, but only within a very brief time. This is not much longer than the amount of time it takes you get out of blocked so you must react quickly.

Damage Scaling

This is a very necessary concept in games with single moves that do as much as 21% and no air hit-limit Juggle Combos. It is a safeguard that makes attacks do approximately half their normal damage (chip damage is generally 25% normal damage). Grounded JKs activate Damage Scaling, so anything you connect after a JK will do half damage. Damage Scaling does not stack if you do additional moves which activate it. There are a few exceptions with moves that do this, but performing JK to TP will not do Double Scaling after the TP.

Certain special moves activate Damage Scaling, like Male Ninja Teleport Punches, Stryker’s Riot Gun, Mileena’s Roll, etc, while others do not, like Robot Ninja Teleport Uppercuts, Harpoons, and Shang Tsung’s Ground Eruption. Cyrax’s and Sheeva’s Throws can be used to Juggle, and they both activate Damage Scaling. In MK3 they did not, and you could score reasonable damage off them. This can be viewed a pointless nerf, as they are now even more crippled than before.

Stryker and Sonya’s command throws (the Baton Dash and the Leg Grab) have their own Damage Scaling built in, in which the move itself is reduced to half damage after 3 hits combo before it, and if you get them in an Auto Combo or in a Juggle that activates Scaling before the 3rd hit, they will do 1/4 their normal damage if the combo goes beyond 3 hits. Kabal’s Dash is the only attack that can turn off Damage Scaling. If you do his Launcher Combo, and only the uppercut connects, Nomad Dash them and let them fall to the ground. On the way to the ground do aaHPHP, JK, AFB, and you will get the full damage for the juggle, plus 1% for the uppercut in his combo, and 1 pixel from the Dash, totaling 45%.

Example character: Human Smoke

Block a teleport punch from Another Human Smoke,and he goes into punishment mode. If you are mid screen, do aaHPHP, JK, teleport punch, harpoon, 3 hit Launcher, aaHP, JK, air throw. The result is (with the air throw counting as a hit and adding damage) 11 hits 68%. To break this down completely and understand where the Scaling comes into play: aaHPHP = 13.6%, JK = 15.6%, teleport punch = 9.5% (activates Scaling), and now your harpoon does 2.5% instead of 5%, and the 3 hit Launcher do 9% instead of 19%, (the remainder of the hits do what they should do after his Launcher).

Your new combo is aaHPHP(13.2%), teleport punch (miss)(0%), aaHP (6.6% and replacing the teleport punch which does 3% more), JK (15.5%) harpoon(5%), 3 hit Launcher (19%), aaHP, JK, air throw. 11 hits 78%. Even if you do aaHPHP, TP miss, aaHPHP harpoon, the combo will do 1% more than the other.

This is not always a usable combo because it depends on how close to the edge of the screen Human Smoke is, but it shows that the same amount of hits, with one hit doing less damage than the Scaling activated by the alternate move, will result in more damage.

Example character: Sonya

aaHP, JK, leg grab 3 hits 43% (no Scaling)
JK (Scaling), aaHP, leg grab 3 hits 29%
aaHPHP, JK, (Move specific Scaling) leg grab, 4 hits 33%

Example Character Ermac:

JK, TKS, aaHPHP, JK, TKS, aaHPHP, aaHP, JK 8 hits 52% (counting the slams’ damage)

aaJK (meaning while both players are in the air) TKS, aaHPHP, JK, TKS, aaHPHP, aaHP, JK 8 hits 91% (again counting the slams damage) – identical combos, huge damage difference because the JK hit in the air. The Unscaled combo is far less likely to occur in a match.

Other moves that activate Damage Scaling or have Special Damage Scaling properties:

Kitana’s Fan Lift
Kitana’s Fan Toss
Scorpion, Ermac, and Human Smoke’s TP
Reptile’s Forceballs
Kung Lao’s Spin
Stryker’s Riot Gun
Nightwolf’s Axe Uppercut
Mileena’s Roll
Mileena’s Sai Shot

Liu Kang’s Uppercut in his pop up does unnecessary amounts of Damage Scaling

Sub-zero’s LP in his ground combo Damage Scales and causes the disparity in the logic of his Auto Combo progression.

It is in your best interest when doing a punisher combo, or, a combo that is free to deal out when a character does a move which puts them in a position where they are in the air and cannot block, to try avoiding moves that activate Damage Scaling if possible. For instance, if you are Scorpion and Smoke TPs you, you block it, generally in that situation you will see someone do a standing HP, maybe two, and then a Harpoon, into Auto Combo, resulting in 6 hits 35%. That is lame and for noobs! You wanna really make them pay for doing a stupid TP, and what you can do in the most efficient bang for your buck is, take a small step in, aaHPHP, JK, TP, Harpoon, Auto Combo resulting in 9 hits 51%, from Scorpion! It is also theoretically possible, however more difficult to get, HP, HP, JK, Harpoon, 4 hit auto Combo, 8 hits 57%. By not connecting the TP, you are avoiding Damage Scaling, and making up for the lost damage of the TP through gaining full damage from the Harpoon and Auto Combo.

Depending where you are on the screen when you get the first two HPs, it is also possible to get HPHP, TP to the other side without hitting, then HP, HP again, Harpoon, 4 hit ground combo, 9 hits 55%. If you can do this, you might want to try upping the devastation a little more with, HP, HP, TP miss, HP, JK, Harpoon, 4 hit Auto Combo, 9 hits 64%. So here we have gone in one instance, you have a choice of a wonderment of different punishers, the maximum damage you can achieve in any given situation, and it is all up to you, the player. You can stick with your inadequate 35%, or try to reach nearly 60%, with everyone’s favorite, Scorpion. Now pick Smoke and see just how much more you can do! Also, a lot of Kitana players are obsessed with her fan lift, and it crushes damage in her combos. If you block a move that is punishable, and do her fan lift just to get the cliched JK, fan throw run in HK or Uppercut combo, you’re looking at best, 25%. If you really get the timing down, HP, HP, JK, fan throw, run in HK is easily possible, and that is about 50%.

This is the best way to get people to understand it. It’s not all just about punishers, it’s not all about big combos, it’s about winning. You have to remember that applying tactics is at least 90% of the game, and the big combos come to those of us who know the tactics so well that anyone who isn’t up to par is going to get hurt. You’ll notice in competitive play, a lot of the damage is chip damage, and very little comboing at all, but when the combos do happen, they happen big like the above mentioned 64%, but no one who is serious about competitive MK would ever use Scorpion…

Pushback

If you block a normal attack in the corner, the attacker gets pushed back to just under jump distance (with the exception of LP Jabs, as you should know by now). If you juggle someone in the corner with two LP/HP Jabs, or a jab after just about any other hit, you will be pushed back, but you can cancel this with any special move. The same thing applies to when you throw out 3 Jabs in succession and they are blocked, the third punch frame will freeze and you will be pushed back. At any time during the “Ice Skate”, you can cancel out with a special move.

Fake Ducking

When rushing down someone with Jabs, an interesting tactic to use is a fake duck. Run in, duck outside of normal attack range, stand up and Run in again after they attack and counter with a combo, or at least a standing HK. This is a great bait move to throw in every now and then if you are having a hard time getting in for Run Jabs. Perhaps mix it up with cLKs as well, but be sure to confuse your opponent. You must be very fast and aware of placement for this to work, it is good for a character like Nightwolf, or Sonya.

Corner Dominance

This is going to be difficult to explain in text, but I will do the best I can. So back to what I was saying about crossup throws, when you land on top of them and the sprites overlap, if you dont throw, the attacker will “ice skate” out of the overlap. Theres rules for this when it happens in the corner, and its very
useful to know. Let me start out with mock up of the starting positions:

p1 – player one’s starting position
p2 – player two’s starting position
p1c – player one corner
p2c – player two corner
| – wall

|p1c p1 p2 p2c|

p2 backs p1 all the way back into p1c so that he can’t go any further. Now, when p2 jumps on top of p1’s sprite, he will always be pushed back out of the corner and p1 will remain in the corner. p2 will not be able to get behind p1 while p1 is backed all the way into p1c.

so, if p2 is backed all the way in p1c, and p1 jumps on top of p2’s sprite, then p1 will be in the corner and p2 will be pushed out. So why is this useful? Read about kabals corner trap below and you shall see.

example character: kabal

its kabal vs. kabal. im p2 and I back p1 all the way into HIS corner, and he blocks. I start the corner Run Jabs while waiting for him to let go of block. once he does, I hit him with the flash (B, F + LK) then the corner reset pushes me back OUT of the corner. Instead of doing the uppercut combo (which will push me back on the final hit), I continue to Run Jab until he lets go of block and i hit him with the flash once more. Again, the corner reset keeps him trapped in the corner, but this time I sweep him. The most common reaction to this is to “wake up jump” out of the corner. So after I hit him w/ the sweep, I hit LP to juggle him immediatley after he jumps, and I get pushed back cause its a juggle. THEN, I cancel with the flash during the “iceskate” and Nomad Dash him in the air. Since his forward jump brought him out of the corner a little bit, and he was NOT all the way back into the corner, I DON’T get pushed out of the corner. Instead, he’s hovering off of the ground and I get flipped around, setting me up for an easy 2xHP, JK, Fireball juggle for 42%.

Relaunch Combos

Launcher Combos put your opponent in one of the most negative states in the game, with some variance in the number of frames, where they drift in the air and arc back down, allowing you to Juggle them freely. For most Launcher Combos, there is a shared rule where your opponent is vulnerable to a Re-stand by following their air born state and connecting a Jump Punch on the frame they touch the ground. This is limited to character sprite collision, how soon you can Jump after a Launcher and times, only if you Frame Advantage. If you mistime it, they will either be Juggled by the Jump Punch, missed, or they will be able to block it. There are various instances where you can Combo opponents with other moves when they touch the ground under special circumstances.

Not everyone can Relaunch every character due to collision detection. Kano, Ermac and Human Smoke can Relaunch everyone. Sonya, Kabal and Classic Sub-zero can relaunch a lot of characters, and so and so forth. Some characters are very hard to Relaunch, some are easy when it’s the computer, like the Robots and Sheeva, because they don’t block until the combo breaks and their vertical collisions are taller than others. This means they are touching the ground and still hittable for longer duration, but they are in Blockable frames longer as well, so ultimately they have just as small a window to legit Relaunch. With characters like Sonya, Ermac, Human Smoke, and Kano, you must pause after their Launcher before jumping forward since they recover faster than Kabal and Classic Sub-zero. With the latter, you can just hold Up+Forward after the Launcher and getting Relaunchers with them is very easy. In general, this is another advanced, somewhat cheap tactic, and generally not worth it unless you have mastered the timing.

To give a specific example of the success window for a simple Relaunch, Classic Sub vs Nightwolf, the succession of frame states up until the last Juggle hit after Launch when opponent is fully airborne, followed by the Restand frame (half air – half ground), after this the JP is Blockable on the ground for 3 frames, then the JP will whiff after that for each frame until the punch does not come out.

On the Ground

OTG means “On the Ground,” or off the ground, depending on if you look at it as glass half empty or half full, but I say “On” because I treat any hit done in air as a Juggle, which has a reaction that is not dependent on the frame before or after that behaves abnormally. The one exception would be when Shang Tsung morphs back, he is considered “Off the Ground” and Juggles. More confusing is in MKII with Raiden’s Superman that behaves in both manners depending on specific scenarios. In most cases, OTGs are relatively impossible in MK because the character can Block the instant they touch the ground in a situation where they wouldn’t be Juggled, but appear as if they are in recovery. When you are knocked down by a JK, or anti air attacks like Jabs, HK, Uppercut, etc, you are able to Block as soon as you touch the ground. There is still a 1 frame window to otg into combos, similarly to Relaunches.

However, after the final hit of a combo that knocks down, you cannot Block on for 10 frames after landing, which is why you can Sweep after Jade’s and Kitana’s 4 hit punch combos and Jax’s 7 hitter (minus the the last hit), or ducking LKs in the corner after many Auto Combos in the corner. The ducking LKs can result in free counters however, so do not use them against someone like Kabal, who can just allow your ducking LK to connect and Nomad Dash you immediately. Robot Smoke, who can Teleport Uppercut for free as well. Nightwolf has a 3 hit kick combo and the first hit is very low to the ground, allowing him to hit characters with taller ground Hurtboxes, like the Robots, Kabal, Kano, and Sheeva while they are laying completely on the ground in the corner within the duration of time you have before they can block. In any other situation, if you hit someone while they are lying on the ground, or in the first landing/blockable frame you will instantly appear blocking if holding block.

If you connect a standing LK or HK after an Auto Combo the opponent will appear in a Re-stand reaction, unable to block. For characters like Sonya, Jax and Kano, their sweep recovery is very fast and wake up otgs are possible, however blockable. If you get a sweep close enough, you can start an Auto Combo with a Knee directly afterwards, and it is very difficult to react in time to block it. Liu Kang can do this to some extent as well with his kick combo, so can Nightwolf and Kabal.

Glitch Cancels

Glitch Canceling is the property inherited by the Player in the round that has “Frame Disadvantage,” meaning, their frame update is 1 tick behind the other Player, who has “Frame Advantage,” which is determined randomly at the start of each round, and the player with frame advantage keeps it the entire round. In MK and MKII, Player 2 always has Frame Advantage. This is what prevents simultaneous physical collision, or “Double KOs” even in the case of Projectile clashes in arcade MK games. This is a technical and observable disparity that gives the Disadvantaged player the ability to cancel into moves with a hard limit an extra hit beyond that limit. Originally thought to be a random glitch, we loosely call this “Glitch Canceling” and have in later years adopted the term “Advantage Canceling.” A better term is perhaps something more like “Input Deficit” or “Frame Lag.” Jabs and Jump attacks can be canceled and both benefit from this.

Many special moves in MK have a specific number of hits you can do before that move is locked out. Moves like the Harpoon and Teleport Punch have a limit of 4 hits, and if you do more than that, these moves are disabled/locked out until the combo breaks and/or their cool down times are satisfied where applicable. MKII does have very specific cases where single frame input difference matters, but does not really take full advantage of it as there are no moves disabled due to the number of hits before it. But they start implementing time limit usage on moves, which still exists in UMK3. You can cancel a LP, HP, JP, or JK on the frame of contact, into a special move with a hit limit, one hit beyond that limit. In other games this technique is referred to as “Just Frames” meaning essentially you have just one frame in 60 to get this to work.

Example character: Scorpion

Block a Teleport Punch, counter with aaHPHP, JK, Teleport Punch, Run in, aaHP (Glitch Cancel on contact frame) – Harpoon. You have just broken the rules and done 5 hits before a Harpoon.

Other examples of moves with hit limit cancels: Kitana’s Fan lift (0) Sub’s Freeze (1), Mileena’s Roll (2), Reptile’s Forceball (3), Ermac’s Telekinetic Slam (4).

Sindel’s Scream has very strange properties. The Scream itself has no defined limit, if you connect a single aaHP or LP between Screams, you can continue doing Screams until they are too low to the ground because connecting 1 subtracts a hit, but if you connect 2 hits between Screams, it adds 1 hit, however the general hit limit is 2 accumulated hits within the Scream’s self-imposed rules, but you can still Glitch Cancel it whenever it applies.

You can also Glitch Cancel her Scream multiple times: aaHPHP (limit reached), aaHPHPgc, aaHP gc, etc. This concept in general is a very advanced tactic and you should stay away from it in game until you know what you are doing, but the easiest character to practice this with is Sub-zero, as you will
see more gcing with him than anyone.

That’s it for now folks. Enjoy the read, and start playing.