We got the chance to chat with Arman "ArnKratos" Mkrtchyan about competitive MK11, frame data impacting online play, and RoboCop. ArnKratos is a regular in the Playstation Open Series and competes internationally.

Right now, he’s part of the CIS Community with other notable players like Dubasik, Aladar, School-_-Man, and Mercer. Check out his Twitch and Twitter for more FGC insights after the interview.

How did you get into competitive gaming?

It started in 2015 when Mortal Kombat X came out. I played for fun with my friends and I started to win and get noticed. I didn’t start playing competitively until Injustice 2 came out, until then I just played for fun.

When MK 11 came out, I started playing casual online tournaments and surprised myself by winning a few in a row. Then I started doing offline tournaments. I got a big sponsor, started traveling, and placing high in different countries against really good players, like SonicFox.

When did you realize you could go pro?

I think it was after I played my second big offline tournament in Russia. After I won, more people at the CIS community started to talk about me and I got more known in Europe and the U.S. After I got the sponsor, I started to think I could compete at the highest levels.

How did you go about gaining a deeper knowledge of the game?

I started to learn frame rates and mix-ups in MK9. I learned for my own knowledge but I learned the MK 11 mechanics very well and those mechanics are very similar to Injustice 2 so I had a good advantage. It took about a year to really learn, but I’m still learning. You never want to stop learning.

What’s been your biggest setback so far?

When it comes to setbacks, the hardest thing is playing online tournaments. They’re harder because offline you’re in contact with other players and you can concentrate on them.

Online, it’s harder to concentrate because you have to play for five or six hours and watch a screen the whole time. There’s a lot of good players online that you don’t usually run into.

What adjustments have you made to compensate for the online play?

Online and offline are two different games and every pro player knows this. The big adjustments come in gameplay tactic changes. I’ll change some combos because they won’t work online.

For example, Shang Tsung has a ground eruption combo that is hard to do even offline, it takes precision and good timing. Online I just do the basic one.

Usually offline you can try to throw an opponent to the outside corner but you have to be careful in case they try a tackle. When playing online you don’t have to care about that as much because of the delay; the frame advantage is different, so there’s less chance of a reaction.

Talk a little more about the frame differences in online play.

When it comes to online frame advantages and frame stuff you need to concentrate and think. Offline, it’s easier to react but online you need to wait and see sometimes. You don’t want to interrupt a move. The frame data makes it dangerous if you miss your timing.

It’s not talked about a lot but it’s a really big difference in online and offline frame rates. In MK, delay is a huge tool and without it you can react on bigger moves.

You’re known as a player who makes his own way, especially in terms of the characters you choose. How important is it to follow your instincts?

In my opinion, almost every character in MK 11 is viable. It’s important to know which are hardest in terms of match ups too. If I’m playing with Shang Tsung I need to know who does well against him and who’s top tier at the moment. Those things aren’t hard to figure out.

I know who’s strongest in my head. I have my own tier list of 6 or 7 that are stronger than the rest.

Who’s the worst MK 11 character?

Shao Kahn. Every character has a safe attack option to go for a combo except him. He’s viable but he has a lot of bad matchups like against Jacqui you’ll get worked.

There’s a lot of talk about you and RoboCop. Do you feel like you wanted to prove people wrong about him?

I started playing RoboCop on my stream when Aftermath was released and people started saying he’s trash and useless. I didn’t agree because I knew he was better than people thought.

I wanted to prove everyone wrong.

I practiced for a week every day with RoboCop with all the variations and was able to find the best tool for me. I played against good players but no one knew the matchups and RoboCop has a lot of good tools. He has good mobility, buttons, zoning, and a good command grab. Everything you need. I’m not saying he’s amazing but he’s an OK character at least.

Now, after kustoms no one says RoboCop is bad anymore and I’m not saying that’s because of me but you get my point (laughs).

Thanks again to ArnKratos for taking the time to chat! Learn more about RoboCop, defying tier lists, and more in his Final Round interview with Ketchup and Mustard.

Join the Open Series for a chance to be featured and potentially fight players like ArnKratos.