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Anyone wanting to dive intoMortal Kombat 1will come across plenty of awesome characters. Ever since the first game, people immediately fell in love with Scorpion, so it’s not surprising that people like to play as him and see what the character offers.
Related:Mortal Kombat 1: Smoke Guide
If you want to turn this fire-using ninja into your character of choice, you may question how you can use him to win. This goes beyond learning his different attacks but understanding what his special moves offer. As you get a feel for this fast and fun character, you can use him to his potential and have plenty of fun in this solid fighting game.
Scorpion Overview
Scorpion is amix-up focused character with various tools in his arsenalto handle different situations. He’s designed to trick the enemy, sneak in hits, and get long combos going when you may get a punish against your opponent.
For example, you’ll have someexcellent anti-air tools, like your Kyo Snag. On the other hand, you have yourFlame-Port, which lets you sneak behind an enemy if they’re staying away from you. Scorpion can have a bit of trouble against ranged opponents, but if you find an opening in their moves, you’re able to punish them hard.
You’ll seemost of your success at the mid-rangesince you’ll outrange many of your opponents with your normal moves. This alsoprevents zoners from keeping you away. You can easily punish them if they try any ranged attacks since you can block then attack.
You can also have trouble against people who close the distance on you or trap you in the corner. Try tomaintain screen control and use your tricks to make the best of various situations.
Scorpion Special Moves
You’ll notice that Scorpion has a wide range of special moves. Since they aren’t always clear, and there are multiple moves to learn, you shouldspend some time getting a feel for each one and seeing what it offers.
Spear
Back, Forward, 1
You shoot out a knife attached to a rope andpull the opponent to you, leaving them open to combos. The enhanced version deals more damage.
Blazing Charge
Back, Forward, 2
You dash forward, dealing damage to the opponent and going to the other side of them.If you enhance it, it deals more damage and has armor.
Kyo Snag (Air Only)
You throw your weapon out,hitting enemies in the air. you may enhance it to deal more damage.
Kyo Snag (Air Close)
Down, Back, 2
You perform acloser range version of the previous move, with the enhanced version dealing more damage.
Twisted Kyo
Youspin your weapon around, hitting multiple timesand dealing more damage if you enhance it.
Flame-Port
Down, Back, 3
Youteleport behind the enemy and attack them. The enhanced version teleports without attacking.
Air Flame-Port
It’s the same as the previous move, butdone in the air while still performing an attack. The enhanced version deals more damage.
Devouring Flame
Back, Forward, 4
You place afire spot on the ground, dealing damage to enemieswherever they stand. If you enhance it, it becomes unblockable and deals damage over time.
To keep things simple between versions, so you don’t have to look up the button combinations, theinputs use a consistent notation for simplicity’s sake. On top of that, directions can vary if you’re on the left or right side of the screen, making it important to specify the direction.
Here’s a quick guide if you aren’t familiar with this setup.
Forward: Toward your opponent
Back: Away from your opponent
Scorpion Tips
Good Combo-ing
Spear won’t be the best move to use alone since it can get punished in certain situations, but it’s a great comboing tool.If you land it on an opponent in the air, you’ll pull them toward youandput them on their feet again so you can continue the combo.
If you want a really easy combo that deals decent damage, do a3, 3, 3, Spear, 3, 3, Twisted Kyo. Your kicks have good range and can easily combo into other moves, making it an excellent starting point as you learn combos. It doesn’t hurt to go into Practice mode and see what you may learn.
Distance Control
Scorpion can struggle if he can’t find a way to get in. For instance, if you’re getting walled off by Li Mei, Liu Kang, or Kitana, you’ll need to try other attacks to get close. If you notice one of their moves has a lot of end lag, you cango for a Flame-Port to hit them and make them panic.
The same applies to opponents who are low on health and trying to spam projectiles. You canuse your Enhanced Devouring Flame to make them take unblockable damage, which could secure the round in certain circumstances.
They may try to jump away or guard, sopunish with either your Kyo Snag or throw to give yourself the advantage.
As for when you feel trapped, you’re able to rely on your Blazing Charge, which can deal damage while forcing you out of the corner.The Enhanced version can work even better against an opponent constantly attackingsince the armor will help you escape.
Other Remarks
Don’t let the mixup and speed fool you:Scorpion has some amazing damage potential, reaching over one-third of the opponent’s life in certain situations. With the right setups, you can take your opponents down in a few combos.
Scorpion performs best when he has his opponents scared and guessing themselves, so keep experimenting and trying different strategies.
Related:Mortal Kombat 1: Kenshi Guide
Scorpion Kameo Tips
Scorpion will perform well with all the Kameo fightersthanks to his versatility. It comes down to what you prefer regarding your playstyle, but if you want some solid picks with a wide arsenal to cover your needs, you can’t go wrong withFrost, Sareena, and Jax.
Frost’s forward Kameo is an easy combo toolthat’ll be easy to follow up, allowing you to pile up the damage. You can also get creative with her back Kameo, using it in the middle of a combo to extend the damage. Choose Frost if you wantutility mixed with combo potential.
As for Sareena, she adds some range to Scorpion’s moveset through her Forward and Back Kameo moves.The back one is also a great way to extend combos, leading to an easy 3, 3, 3 string into your Spear, resetting the opponent, so pick her for combos and range.
Jax’s forward Kameo is a great way to catch the opponent, reset them, and extend combos. Jax also provides additional anti-air moves without having Scorpion commit to jumping, making him an excellent choice against opponents who like to jump.
With that in mind, if you struggle against ranged characters,Gorocan also be a good choice since he’ll force them to approach or fight you.Sonyacan also be an excellent way to anti-air your opponents without committing to jumping, so experiment.
Scorpion Fatalities
You have two Fatalities with Scorpion: one you start with, and the otheryou must unlock by getting Scorpion to level 14 mastery. Both require you to stand at mid-range to land, so if you have trouble with them, go to Learn and pick Fatalities to practice.
