Selecting a character to call your own and hone can be just as difficult as winning matches.

Train with different archetypes like zoners and brawlers to get a feel for the roster. Time playing different fighters is never wasted. Gain a better understanding of matchups, character-specific combos, and countermeasures to further your main in the meta.

Learn more about playstyles, strategies, and maybe even your own preferences with fighting game enthusiast Rooflemonger’s Mortal Kombat 11 character guide. Discover all of the archetypes to pick a main.

Pick a Character to Teach You the Basics

You might have more to worry about than just character selection if you’re new to the game. Pick a character that will help teach you combos, projectiles, and spacing like Sub-Zero, Shao Kahn, or Johnny Cage. These characters excel at Mortal Kombat 11 fundamentals. They don’t rely on gimmicks or unique mechanics to master.

Characters best suited for beginners have decent range and safe strings. In other words, they can attack and start simple combos from a bit further away than the average fighter without getting punished, or taking a lot of damage, for messing up.

Combos are consecutive moves that the opponent can only escape if the attacker mistimes an input. This is called dropping a combo.

The complexity of combos depends on precision, position, and inputs. For instance, easy combos don’t require proper spacing or tricky timing. Simply press a few buttons in the proper order to deal more damage.

This makes beginner characters more accessible since players have less to learn and worry about when optimizing their playstyle.

All three of the aforementioned characters also teach punishing 101 thanks to moves that rush forward. Throw out these moves if the opponent misspaces attacks or does something unsafe, then close the gap and deal damage. Unsafe moves like some of Shao Kahn’s hammer swings have longer recovery times, leaving users vulnerable to counter attacks.

The fighting game community commonly calls the opportunity to go in on your opponent and start strings after blocking or dodging attacks, your turn to press buttons.

Zoners

Zoners play keep away, sit back from a safe distance, and let their projectiles do the talking.

Cetrion, Sonya, and Skarlet are all zoners with effective fireballs. They don’t actually shoot balls of fire. The phrase originated in Street Fighter and is now synonymous with projectiles throughout the genre.

Skarlet, for example, shoots blood-based projectiles straight and along the ground. She can even vary their size and speed, making it harder for the opponent to approach. This archetype also combos into get off me tools like projectiles in order to maintain distance.

Other zoners use lasers, boulders, and different objects with unique properties like movement and effects to distinguish their playstyles. Zoners aren’t traditionally overpowered because they are supposed to struggle under pressure at close range. Many often lack strong combo games in exchange for powerful projectile pressure.

Strong Neutral Characters

Characters in this category have the moves and frame data to prosper when neither character has the advantage or disadvantage. This state of play is called the neutral.

All fighting game matches start in neutral. Players use different movements and maneuvers like safe spacing, low committal moves and whiff punishes to go from the neutral to the advantage state. Players in advantage state have momentum and control the match. They’ll usually pressure opponents with strings or push them back to capitalize on corner combos. The other player is conversely in the disadvantaged state, but can turn the tide in their favor. Always look for an opening after blocking attacks to start your own strings or reset to neutral.

Scorpion, Frost, Kabal, and Johnny Cage are all neutral heavy characters with good footsies. Footsies is slang for the situation where players poke instead of going in with combos. Pokes are quick, long-range moves that create distance, counter offense, and deal low-risk damage. They also build block pressure and can make it your turn.

Characters with strong neutral have tools, like projectiles, teleports, and lunges to control everything on the screen. Screen control is manipulating both player’s spacing. It creates opportunities for combos and Krushing Blows because you’re not letting your opponent play the way they want to play.

Gimmicky Characters

Gimmicky characters like Kano, Erron Black, and Sub-Zero are less honest. Playing honest means respecting your opponent and not going crazy with risky tools or relying too heavily on one option. These characters do the opposite.

Less honest characters have techniques like 50/50s. This is a coin toss between two options since the attacker has a 50% chance of landing the hit based on the defender’s choice, such as blocking high or low.

Gimmicky characters can perform misleading moves such as overhead lows. Character knowledge is one of the biggest counters to gimmicks. Understand and anticipate to mitigate some of these character’s strengths. This is also the main reason why you shouldn’t fall back on the same option. Good players adapt throughout longer matches. If your best tactic is one move or gimmick, then chances are you will not win.

Brawlers

This archetype is filled with short-range fighters that want to stay close and constantly apply pressure. Brawlers like Baraka and Jax are easy to pick up and play thanks to their straightforward gameplan. Rushdown foes and attack to pressure opponents.

Never confuse simplicity with weakness. Some of the strongest fighting game characters, like Cable in Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and Wolf in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, aren’t hard to master compared to the rest of their rosters.

Brawlers often have command grabs that can even make blocking risky. These unique grabs are similar to normal grabs, except they require special move inputs. One of Baraka’s command grabs is a leap that can only be dodged if you duck.

These grabs create mixup potential and pressure. Mixups make attacks difficult to predict. Play unpredictably to outsmart your opponent. That way they are less likely to know what you’re going to do next.

Characters like Jax make up for their lack of range with high damage output. They want to get enemies into the corner to combo chunks of their health. Play patiently to close the gap and find openings to go on the offensive.

Tier List or Performance Pick

The fighting game community creates tier lists to determine which characters have the greatest competitive advantage compared to the rest of the roster. These lists can be controversial due to subjective factors like people arguing players carrying characters. However, others see them as road maps to success in the meta.

The community frequently discusses tiers as new techniques and strategies develop throughout a game’s lifespan. Patches and DLC also impact the meta, so tiers are constantly changing.

Don’t Forget to Have Fun

Playing well is important, but if you’re not having a good time with a character, then are they really worth the time and effort? Some will say yes, although many might say otherwise. Have fun with your main!

Miscellaneous Reasons to Pick Characters

• Character Loyalist: You’ve played someone like Scorpion for years throughout multiple Mortal Kombats and will never change.
• Lore and Personality: You relate to a character like Shao Kahn and have an insatiable thirst for destruction.
• Aesthetic: You believe a character such as Nightwolf is too cool to not main.
• Counter Pick: You struggle with a specific matchup like zoners and need a pocket character to come out on top.
• The Disrespect: You only whip out this character for style and showboating, or you just want to beat someone with their own character for bragging rights.