He’s one of the most iconic villains. He’s been tempered for daytime cartoons and left to his own murderous devices in movies and comic books. He’s the dark prince himself – The Joker.

The Joker is no stranger to videogames, but Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate features one of his most abhorrent, but fun, versions. Batman’s archnemesis is at the top of the coat pile in this game too. Sonicfox, arguably the best MK 11 player in the world, won international tournaments with the clown.

This begs the question of how do you beat him?

Joker has three preset tournament variations: Clown Prince, Ace of Knaves, and Mad Man. Let’s focus on Clown Prince and Ace of Knaves, courtesy of Kombat Academy.

Tips for Fighting The Clown Prince

The Clown Prince is a great “play from a distance” variation that creates zoning opportunities. The Joker becomes pretty hard to get close to thanks to the puppet’s strong defensive ability.

His mix-ups like canceling the gunshot are also strong.

Note he has powerful low gunshots (Batsy Poo) that reach across the entire screen. Two short hops and a jump will avoid the four shots. Keep in mind that high attacks might not be the best counter since Batsy Poo ducks under projectiles.

A better way to punish The Joker is to take advantage of his low projectiles’ recovery frames. However, this can lead to baits and mind games given the big bad can delay shots and amplify into combos.

Other opportunities to open him up: Joker’s 1,2,2 and Back, 3, 2, 4. For the first, wait until the middle or after the final hit. Flawless Blocks aren’t recommended because the string is punishable at -12 on block, leaving him open to a variety of tools. You’ll want to Flawless Block the second given The Joker’s quick recovery on block. Knowing when to defend and when to make your move are fundamental to learning matchups.

Playing Around The Joker’s Other Moves

• One Bad Day is 1,2,1. Crouch underneath the last hit and punish.
• Power of Laughter is Forward + 2, 1. Duck first hit and jab. If you don’t jab, block high for the second hit.
• His Forward + 3 is a kick called Laughing Lounge and can be punished with a flawless block at startup. Note that he can cancel the move, meaning the block won’t work.
• Block low when Joker is close and uses CCDDEGEC, which is Back, Forward, 4. You’ll have a small gap to flawless block and punish. Faster characters can also block high.

How to Beat the Ace of Knaves

Ace of Knaves is the more close up fighting variation that focuses on trapping. Joker gets to use his jack in the box move which gives him a high block advantage and additional projectiles.

Jumping Jester launches a projectile from the box on the ground, and then into the air. Dash forward and attack. Walk away when the Jack in the Box is kicked to escape. Otherwise, The Joker receives +24 on block.

Roll escape to get out of setups in this variation, as he will often end combos with 2,1 into Jack in the Box for a setup. Blocking is a good choice too, as Joker needs to pick which roll escape to punish.

When in doubt, try to stop his momentum with a breakaway out of the 2,1.

Remember that a large number of his attacks have a lot of pushback. If you’re playing a character that advances quickly they can be punished.

Turn the Competition into a Joke

Improve your Joker counterplay in the Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Open Series!