Mortal Kombat 1 Geras Character Guide: All You Need to Know

Mortal Kombat 1 Geras Character Guide: All You Need to Know

Geras is a widely complex fighter. Although it is not hard to learn the basics of it, there is a sizeable gap between learning the basics of his time-stop moves and actually making the most out of his kit in a real fight. Geras is not the fastest character on the roster, and his mobility might seem very limited at first, but once you land on a rhythm, it can be quite difficult to break away from his pressure.

If you want a pro player to break down the character for you, you can check out our collaboration with Grr below to learn how a top player in the NRS competitive scene tackles this character.

However, this text guide is intended to give you a wider scope, and teach how to work up your way up with Geras so you can start taking names in Kombat League.

Geras' Gameplan & Specials

In Mortal Kombat 1, Geras fits the role of a rushdown character more so than his previous zoning and grappling self. A big focus of his gameplay centers around getting up into his opponent's faces and pressuring them, creating openings, and mixing up his approach. 

Geras' best pokes are D3 and D4, which give him extra range over the classic D1. Generally speaking, you will be reliant on two core strings, those being S1,2,2, which is also a good meterless ender and has the benefit of giving you a stack of time stops, which we will get into later. The other is F1,2, which you can also end with 1+3, giving you a very good end, though it is dangerous on block.

Timestop

Timestop has three options that you can use to do certain things. To start, the simplest version is just BF1, in which Geras will stop his opponent and side switch. If you hold back during it then you will avoid the side swap but lose out on some damage.

When amplified, you will only time stop your opponent, giving you a chance to add extra damage. It's worth noting here that you shouldn't just use the most damaging move, like D2 since the damage will still scale, and thus, it's not as powerful as handing out a string of hits or only a handful and setting up for mixup with a Kameo.

History Lesson / Follow-up Exam

It's a nice high-damage command grab that deals even more damage if thrown away from the corner. One version comes out from Geras towards his opponent, that is DF2, while the other comes from the other side with DB2. 

Redo

Redo, as BF3, allows you to set a point at which, once hit, you will go back to but you will still take the damage from the hit. Its amplified version is a little more interesting, however, since it gives you a clone that will mimic your inputs during the time stop, giving you a lot of potential mix-ups. There is a lot of depth here to create different situations versus opponents and how Kameos interact with this.

Countdown

Countdown, with DB3, is a charged special. When you have 3 charges, Geras will lock opponents in time stop like an amplified DF1 and also teleport Geras to the opponent. The interesting part about it is that DB3 is not the only way to stack up charges for it. Any move with an hourglass break will also stack it up. You can also use the amplified version in a pinch to gain 3 stacks immediately.

Another important detail is that these charges carry over rounds, so you can pre-stack before the end of a round that you are comfortably winning so that you are ready to unleash the full more at the start of the next one.

The other move you can do with a fully charged countdown is to amplify the same input, which will send Geras back a few seconds, regaining health and potentially avoiding a lot of combo damage. The key here is that you do still have a small window of time upon activation in which you could get hit, so you need to be mindful of that.

Denial

Good wake-up attack with DB4, or anti-air. Armored when amplified.

Sandstorm

A very nice projectile that you can range select with with DF4, near medium, or far. Depending on which side of the sandstorm the opponent is hit with, it will determine where they are launched towards. When amplified, it is slightly delayed, and it also gives you a stack for Countdown.

Geras' Best Kameos

Some of the Kameos Geras' needs center around helping him overcome some of his natural weaknesses. For example, Sub-Zero can greatly protect him from zoners via armor. Darrius and Kung Lao can also find themselves alongside Geras in a fight to provide extra damage to make the most out of all the setups Geras has.

It's also worth noting that Geras move set has a lot of long animations, and when paired with his command grabs, your kameo meter will fill up quicker than it would with characters that have a faster move set.

Geras' Bread & Butter Combos

Easy

• F4,4, J.2,1, S1,2,2,1+3
• B1,2, DB4, DASH, B1,2, DF2
• S1,2, BF1(AMP), F2,4,2, J.2,1, S1,2, DF2

Medium

• S1,2, BF1(AMP), F2,4,2, DF4(B), S1,2,2,1+3
• BF3(AMP), [S2,1], F4,4, J.2,1, S1,2,2,1+3
• B1,2, DB4, DASH, B1,2, BF1(AMP), S4, DB4, F2, DF2
• F2,4, DF4, F2,4, BF1(AMP), 4, DB4, F2, DF2
• F4,4, J.2,1, S1,2, BF1(AMP), 4, DB4, F1,2,1+3