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While the likes of Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero from the first game still serve as stars in the franchise, MK11shakes up the meta by having them alongside brand new and equally-deadly characters. However, just how do all the fighters from the first MK game fare in MK11 in terms of viability?

7 Sonya Blade

It’s not all the time that a Special Forces member is sent to deal with extra-dimensional threats, and yet Sonya Blade has got the skills to deal with the likes of gods, sorcerers, and monsters all hell-bent on conquering Earthrealm. And thanks to advanced military technology, Sonya has more than enough firepower to keep even the fiercest of enemies out of her sight. Signature moves and specials such as Energy Rings, Grenades, and Drones give her a ranged edge to keep opponents at bay. And her array of kicks and throws is more than enough to wipe the floor with enemies when they get up close.

In Mortal Kombat 11, Sonya’s combos force her to juggle between a zoning and rushdown playstyle, and players need to know which suits the situation best to maximize her potential. While her mix-ups deal decent damage, using the wrong approach can punish Sonya greatly in the long term.

6 Raiden

It’s only in Mortal Kombat where the likes of gods actually go toe to toe with the likes of mere mortals, but that’s what Raiden ultimately does. Appointed as guardian of Earthrealm, Lord Raiden uses his godship over thunder and lightning to augment his martial arts with electricity. As a result, Raiden actively uses speed and specialized attacks to deal with enemy threats. Moves such as Teleport and Torpedo let Raiden control the field of battle, whereas Electricity, Shocker, and Static Trap slow and stun opponents to get them out of their mojo.

With these techniques, Raiden is a rushdown specialist that suffers from a rather complicated moveset. After all, unlike other fighters, Raiden excels more in disorienting his opponents with his disabling moves. As such, fans who start to get a hang of Raiden’s toolkit can mix and match these combos to confuse opponents.

5 Scorpion

It’s undeniable that Scorpion became the face of Mortal Kombat throughout the years, thanks in part to both his iconic appearance and a rather tragic backstory. These elements also translate to his techniques, with his mastery over fast and loose ninjutsu augmented by hellfire and flame-themed attacks. For instance, Spear can drag opponents towards Scorpion for a fierce knock-up, Hellfire Punch is a nasty teleport punch, and Fire Ball is a vicious long-ranged attack.

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At its core, Scorpion’s moves inspire him to either work as a rushdown specialist for offensive combos or a zoner to secure the battlefield’s space. Quite appropriately, his special attacks all inspire aggression and offense on the part of the user. However, unlike other characters, Scorpion’s special moves and combos often leave him in quite a vulnerable position. In turn, players unaware of the unnecessary risks of some of Scorpion’s special moves can make using him quite a bummer.

4 Johnny Cage

Washed-out action star Johnny Cage remains a fan-favorite in Mortal Kombat due to his humor (albeit dry at times) and sheer comic relief. However, his penchant for comedy doesn’t make him any weaker than other humans. Thanks to his ancestry, Johnny Cage augments his martial arts with mysterious green energy. And thanks to his humor, a lot of Johnny Cage’s special attacks also involve movie elements - stunt doubles, sunglasses, a camera, and the like.

In Mortal Kombat 11, Johnny Cage is more of a situational fighter at best. Instead of initiating combat, Johnny Cage excels more with a reactionary fighting style. This is a change of pace for most players, as this provides the extra challenge of knowing which moves to perform depending on the situation. Timing is key to using Johnny Cage, as his most effective combos require the right setup. Missing these timings will leave him quite vulnerable, which is a stark disadvantage compared to other characters.

3 Sub-Zero

Players who want an alternative to Scorpion’s more aggressive moveset will greatly enjoy the combo-flexible nature of Sub-Zero. Arguably gaming’s most famous cryomancer, Sub-Zero uses his cryomancy to augment his martial arts with a slew of ice-based attacks. This essentially gives Sub-Zero a mid-to-long-ranged moveset, which when combined with his sheer speed transforms him into a rushdown character.

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Ice Blast is a flash-freeze neutralizer for most combos, whereas Slide is a nifty way to escape an enemy while giving them a good knockdown. Moreover, his Tombstone Teleport remains a great combo escape to return to neutral and initiate a counter-attack. Compared to other characters, Sub-Zero’s ice abilities give him incredible scope over the battlefield. While his damage isn’t as high as others, Sub-Zero’s mobility makes him deadlier with combos.

2 Kano

Mercenary Kano doesn’t hesitate to play dirty just to get his way in a fight, which is why he doesn’t shy away from using cybernetics and heavy weaponry to go toe-to-toe against Mortal Kombat’s more mystical foes. Despite his status as a grappler character, Kano isn’t by any means slow. Rather, his specials and combos specialize in catching opponents off-guard - often knocking them down or up in the air and leaving them open for more punishments.

In Mortal Kombat 11, Kano is arguably one of the easier characters to learn with this kind of heavy moveset. His signature Cannon Ball, Knife Throw, Blade Spin, and Eye Laser all serve as effective zoning abilities to keep players at bay or at a single position. Players with a knack for heavy-hitting won’t go wrong with Kano.

1 Liu Kang

Even before Liu Kang became Fire God Liu Kang, his character was always destined for greatness since the first Mortal Kombat game. Being essentially the equivalent of Ryu from Street Fighter, Liu Kang was meant to be the most accessible character throughout the original roster. Since the first game, Liu Kang employs a healthy variant of low, mid, and high attacks that mesh in seamlessly with various combos. As such, the games consistently peg him as a rushdown character.

In Mortal Kombat, his fighting style remains consistently the same. While he doesn’t dish as much damage compared to others, Liu Kang specializes in spamming his special moves, such as his Flying Dragon Kick, Bicycle Kick, and multi-directional Fireballs. This makes Liu Kang a very beginner-friendly character that even experts can transform into a deadly foe.

Mortal Kombat 11 was released in 2019 for the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia.

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