Mortal Kombat 11 Scorpion Guide Featuring AVirk13

Professional Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate players often will main one character, perhaps two, and then a small list of secondary characters to adapt to unique situations in the high-intensity brackets of international competition. Given the number of characters in the game's roster, it can seem quite hard to pick one or even get started on what you need to learn first. You might not be looking to top the rankings at Evo or NRS Esports this year, but taking the first step in understanding is the most important part.

At DashFight, we want to help you grow your skills with each one, so we recruited the help of NRS Pros like Arsam "AVirk13" Virk, the best Scorpion player in the world right now, to build up a strong foundation for you to start and to come back on for a refresher. You can watch the full guide narrated by AVirk below and then follow along more closely with this text guide.

AVirk's Scorpion Guide

Scorpion's Best Buttons

The Best Buttons are the key moves for the character. Either as players or opponents, you are likely to want to use or see these in play since they offer the best neutral, anti-air, and pressure value.

• B1 - Best Hit confirmable Mid.
• B2 - Incredible reach and good utility for hit confirming. But be careful; it can be punished.
• F3 - Great pressure tool
• 1, 1, 2 - Great pressure tool, leaves you on plus if your opponent blocks.
• 2, 1 - Great pressure tool, leaves you on plus if your opponent blocks.
• 1, 2, 1 - Great pressure tool, leaves you on plus if your opponent blocks.
• 1 - Good anti-air if you can time it right
• 4 - A better anti-air for when the opponent does a deep jump in; can even lead to a combo.

Scorpion's Gameplan

Gone are the days of smashing buttons and spamming that one combo we learned five years ago. If you want to compete or impress your mates, you have to go into each match with a Gameplan to carry through to victory. Here are your key principles:

• Hell Port and Hell Port Cancel are great tools to reset the neutral and keep you safe. Avrik is one of the very few players who can consistently cancel the Hell Port on block but do not let that discourage you from getting better at it since it is a fantastic way to secure good hit confirms. Even better, Hell Port will help you avoid getting zoned.
• F3 is going to help you open up your opponent. It can be used alongside the Hell Port cancel tech, and with enough practice, you can get Krushing Blows and combos on the back of it.
• You want to use some of your Best Strings to gain a small plus advantage (+2/+4). Thanks to your hit confirms, you will be able to stretch that lead if they decide to counter and eventually get a much more helpful +7 or more advantage to initiate combos.

Scorpion's Best Variation

Since players can now use their custom Variations in tournament settings, there is no excuse not to learn what goes well together. Here is AVirk's Scorpion variation:

1. Hell Port - DB3
2. Sin Blade - D2 (Air)
3. Demon Slam - DL1 (Air)

Scorpion's Best Strings

No one wins on the back of single punches. Having a memorized list of the Best Strings you can use and change throughout the match will vastly improve your chances of coming out ahead.

• B1, 4, 3 - Alongside the B1, this string can lead to a great combo, and it's safe.
• F3, 4 - Same pressure, but it also carries with it a Krushing Blow.

Scorpion's Bread and Butter Combos

Knowing how to adapt to the changing landscape of a fight is important. That is why Combos play a crucial role in letting you shape it and extract the most out of your inputs. Here are the combos you should be looking to pull off:

The basics:

• 1, 1, DB3, R1, F3, 1, 1, 1, 2
• 1, 1, DB3, R1, F3, 1, 1, BF1

Optimals:

• 1, 1, DB3, R1, F3, 1, 1, BF1, R1, F2, 1, 2
• 1, 1, DB3, R1, 4, DB3, R1, F3, BF1

Scorpion's Guide Conclusion

For AVirk, Scorpion sits among the top mid-tier characters. His biggest weakness is that he cannot deal with opponents who pressure Scorpion, which can snowball into loss rapidly. Nevertheless, he is a strong character who performs excellently when players take the time to go over his moves in detail and practice his tech until it is consistent in every match. Which, in fairness, might not be what you are looking for in a character. But give it a try. You might just Get Over the initial investment and find an excellent main.