MK11 Guide: How To Play Against Rambo featuring Grr

Rambo is one of the best-recognized characters in modern culture. He’s a skilled soldier who’s ready for everything to punish evil and restore justice. In his films, Rambo uses all sorts of bloody methods to punish bad guys — so yeah, his style is quite in tune with the atmosphere of Mortal Kombat.

Rambo was added to MK11 as a DLC character. Let's be honest, he is not the strongest one in the roster, and players rarely use him in matches. And that might be his biggest advantage, as many opponents don’t understand what Rambo is capable of and how to counter his attacks.

Don’t worry! DashFight has you covered. In collaboration with Grr, we published a new MK11 guide on our YouTube channel. It explains how to fight against Rambo.

Grr is a well-known esports professional. He proved his skills at quite a few top-level events, and his Mortal Kombat guides are always very detailed and practical. Just delve into the video if you want to get better at the game!

Mortal Kombat 11 | How to Play Against Rambo | Guide by Grr

Rambo’s Normals

Grr starts the video by explaining the basic abilities of Rambo.

The character has 7-frame D1 and 8-frame Standing 1. His Mids are pretty decent. 

F1 and B2 have 11 frames of startup. They lead to a whole combo. 

F3 is a kick attack. Rambo moves forward.

B3 has a decent range. The follow-up is safe on block.

F4 is actually an overhead. It has the KB feature. The attack is used in Rambo’s basic mixups. For example, after D1 — Strike / Throw or F4.

Frame data of many Rambo’s attacks give you a chance to take your turn after them.

Rambo’s Specials

Special moves of this character are very unique.

• Hunting Bow, DB2 — this projectile is special, as it’s a stance. You can combo three arrows. 
• Savage Slide, BF4 — it’s a low attack. Rambo players like to use it for mixups.

Whip Trap

This is one of Rambo’s main zoning / counter-zoning tools. It has two versions: close and far. It’s a tricky one if you don’t know it. Inexperienced opponents easily get hit by Whip Trap. Rambo crouches down and avoids many projectiles — only mid/low ones can trade. 

The attack is mid, and you don’t have to block low.

Variations

Grr highlights this variation for Rambo:

• Snare Trap (DB3)
• Shoulder Roll (BF4)

Some players use a mixup-based offensive variation: FUBAR, Leopard Krawl, and Commando.

A zoning variation is Artillery Strike, Claymore, and M.R.E.

Rambo has a lot of possible variations, and as an under-represented character, he brings the element of surprise into the match. If you don’t know him, he can get away with a lot of gimmicks. 

You’ll find more info on Rambo in this guide by VideoGamezYo.

Weaknesses

Having short-range normals is a general weakness of Rambo.

His punishes are rather weak and deal little damage. If you do something unsafe on Rambo, like -10, you only risk getting small damage. In MK11, damaging punishes are important. 

Also, Rambo’s mixups and command grab are not very damaging either.

In comparison to other low-damage characters, such as Cetrion or Jade, Rambo doesn’t have the same level of safety. Many of his strings have gaps. 

Due to the weaknesses, it’s hard to win with Rambo on the high level. The players should rely on gimmicks and knowledge checking. 

String Gaps

This section of the video guide is very practical. Grr demonstrates gaps in Rambo’s strings and explains how you can punish them.

Please, check out the String Gaps on video — it’s the best way to understand them.

Savage Slide

This move has different variations. 

The normal one is -12 on block. 

Rambo can move back to avoid punish, but you can hit him with a projectile. This version is -28, but it might be hard to reach the guy.

Also, Rambo can extend the reach. The move becomes more negative on block (-16).

Shoulder Roll

Depending on Rambo’s actions, this move can be safe or unsafe. It has a good Krushing Blow and deals huge damage on counter-attack. Try not to get hit by this while you are throwing projectiles. 

In general, you need to practice dealing with this move.

Leopard Krawl

From this move, Rambo has different options: grab or parry. You cannot block the grab. Rambo players use it in mixups. You can jump over this attack. If Rambo doesn’t cancel his Leopard Krawl, he will not turn around, and you can catch him. 

Still, the move is not damaging, so sometimes it’s better to just get hit. 

Ability Restrictions

Grr mentions that Ramb can equip only one of the specials he shows in the guide. It makes your tasks easier as you need to be prepared only for one: Savage Slide, Shoulder Roll, or Leopard Krawl.

Commando Strings

Rambo players can equip this ability to have additional strings. Most of them are pretty gimmicky. They don’t damage too much, and you can easily defend against them. 

Grr demonstrates how you can punish Commando Strings — check this out шn the video. 

Slide Gimmicks

Rambo players use this move to mix up between overhead strings and lows. You need to keep blocking overhead and then react to the low because it’s very slow. 

Claymore

It’s one of Rambo’s unique moves. The trap explodes in five seconds or on contact. It’s unblockable. Rambo players can amplify it and make the trap invisible. 

Rambo can trigger Claymore himself. It might even be difficult for him to jump over the trap. 

You can easily deal with Claymore if you have a teleport. Just move your character behind Rambo to push the opponent to the trap.

And if you don’t want / can’t do this, just wait 5 seconds while keeping a distance. Don’t try to jump over Claymore. And be aware of Rambo’s zoning tools. 

You also can move back to take some space from Rambo.

Matchups

Here are the worst matchups for Rambo:

In the video, Grr demonstrates how to punish Rambo’s attacks with moves of different characters. Don’t miss this!

Rambo is a gimmicky character, who strongly relies on the opponent’s lack of knowledge. When you are aware of his tools, you will have a better time fighting Rambo.

Grr says that Rambo is one of the weakest characters in Mortal Kombat 11. He points out that there are fighters with better offensive tools and more reliable damage.

To improve your knowledge on how to fight against various MK11 characters, check out DashFight’s guides with tips vs Noob Saibot.

Take a look at Grr’s guide on How to Play Against Geras, the main character of this player.