Mortal Kombat 1 Shang Tsung Character Guide by Faysal

Mortal Kombat expanded on a lot of characters' features and movesets for this new installment, but among them, there is no denying Shang Tsung has been remade into a very complex and powerful one. Today, with the help of former top Cetrion player Faysal we at DashFight will be bringing you a detailed look at Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 1. His best buttons, strings, specials, and how to maximize his shapeshifting potential.

Shang Tsung's Gameplay Basics

Best Buttons & Strings

• D3: Great range.
• D4: Solid, though slower.
• D1: Box standard D1, which means it is a good 7F check.
• S1: You have no guaranteed jail after other than D1.
• F4: Go-to mid. Neither of his strings from this is perfect, but you can supplement them with Kameos.
  • F4,3,4: Great to put on pressure.
  • F4,1,2,1,4: As Old Shang Tsung you have access to this string.
• B1,2: Launcher, but to maximize it, you will need to swap to old Shang Tsung to get good damage in.

Specials

• BF1: Fireball, either across the screen when young or close, mid, and far-ranging with old. Plus all three when amplified as old, which is used in combos.
• DB3: Can be used as an anti-air in the young version. Old version can be used as a combo ended, and when amplified, it will steal your opponent's character, and you have more damage for a short time.
• DF2: Armored move. The young version is advancing, while old is just one long sweep.
• FDB4: You can shapeshift into your opponent as young Shang Tsung and get extra damage as well.

Best Kameos for Shang Tsung

Shang Tsung Bread & Butter Combos

In the notation below, we use FS(?) to denote a Form Shift mid-combo. The notation inside the parenthesis corresponds to the form shifting into Young (Y) or Old (O).

Young Shang Tsung

• 36% - B12, FS(O), S4, DF1, S4, DF1, F4, DF1, F4, DB3
• 32% - F4, FS(O), 1,2,1, DF1, S4, DF1, S4, DF1, F4, DF1, F4, DB3
• 29% - (Anti-air) DB3, 2,4, DF1, FS(O), S4, DF1, S4, DF1, S4, DB3
• 33% - DB3(AMP), S4, DB1, S4, DB1, S4, DB3

Old Shang Tsung

• 38% - F4,1,2, DF1, S4, DF1, S4, DF1, F4, DF1, F4, DB3
• 29% - (Anti-air) S2,4, DF1, S4, DF1, S4, DF1, S4, DB3
• 36% - S3, DF1, F-DASH, S4, DF1, S4, DF1, S4, DB3