After covering the concepts of meter management and frame data in previous episodes, PND Ketchup and Mustard tackle the concept of attack direction and how it is handled in Mortal Kombat XL.
They begin with Highs, which are generally used for anti-airing due to their fast startup. However, they can be neutral crouched, which could lead to full-combo punishes if not used carefully. They suggest only using these attacks for pokes when outside of the opponent’s range, as AAs or as punishes.
Next up, they tackle Mids. These normals can hit crouching opponents, but can be blocked both standing and ducking. This makes them dangerous in the neutral game, due to the respect they demand, but they should primarily be used for special canceling and combo extension.
Ketchup and Mustard note that Overheads must be blocked standing, while Lows must be blocked crouching, which is the basis for basic 50/50 mixups. In this game, most of these attacks are slow, single-hitting or are in the middle of certain strings, but such attacks can also come in the form of special moves.
While we’ve seen a lot about Fuzzy Guarding in Street Fighter and the Arc System Works games, in MKXL, you can avoid certain mixups, such as Scorpion’s B3/F2 Overhead/Low mixup, by first crouch blocking the low and standing up on reaction to the overhead’s animation.
Unblockables include attacks such as throws, command throws and certain special moves, such as Shinnok’s Scepter Strike and Scepter Quake in the Bone Shaper variation.
Though the information contained here is likely second-nature to the majority of our readers, it is crucial knowledge for any beginning player looking to improve their game.
Source: ESL