The latest addition to the expansive roster of Mortal Kombat 11, is the crown prince of crime himself, Joker. The Batman antagonist returns to another Netherealm fighting game, this time taking root in the mythical world of Mortal Kombat. The fan-favorite villain provides the game with a unique and extremely fun playstyle. The character is not only beautifully animated but filled to the brim with personality and charm that some may say is lacking in the Mortal Kombat series. From his truly brutal Fatal Blow to throwing burning money at his opponent, this incarnation of the Joker embodies the chaotic nature of the comic book character like none other.
Regardless of how animated the Mortal Kombat iteration of the Joker is, to truly get mileage out of the character a player must master is tool kit. Joker’s three variations all satisfy a particular playstyle and allow for some player freedom on how they play the clown prince of crime. It is important to understand each of his three variations in order to decide which one is right for you. This guide will provide a general overview of each of Joker’s three variations and display their pros and cons.
Joker’s Standard Special Moves in Mortal Kombat 11
Joker possesses a decent arsenal of special moves. Regardless of which variation you play, it is important to understand his base special moves and their general function.
The first move at Joker’s disposal is his Batman doll gunshot special. The move is just as it sounds, Joker pulls out and fires a gunshot stemming from the mouth of a Batman hand puppet. As far as projectiles go it is nothing special, it is relatively fast and provides Joker a decent zoning game. When enhanced, this move covers a crazy amount of screen space as it fires a firecracker style projectiles that serpentines from the top of the screen downwards while always moving towards your enemy. This allows Joker to dominate screen space at the price of one bar of meter.
Joker’s second base special move is his “Bird Boy Beatdown” a returning move from the Injustice series. This attack is an overhead hitting special move that forces your opponent to stand to block it. It adds another layer to Joker’s mix up game while providing a decent combo ender. The move also has a powerful Krushing Blow that requires Joker to land it three ties during a match. This forces your opponent to respect the Bird Boy Beatdown and can allow them to open up to Joker’s low hitting strings.
Using Joker’s First Variation in Mortal Kombat 11
Joker’s “Clown Prince” variation is meant for players that enjoy a keep away style. It provides Joker with some extremely powerful zoning options and makes him a difficult character to approach.
This variation enhances Joker’s Batman puppet’s special moves. Turning the action of Joker holding the puppet into a powerful parry move. This allows Joker a new layer of defense and makes jumping in on the clown a more scary action than before.
Alongside this parry, Joker gains the ability to cancel his gunshot. This may seem like a minor addition but it allows for Joker players to mix up their zoning attempts. This could lead to an enemy jumping at Joker who cancels his gunshot and is hit with a powerful anti-air move. It also allows Joker a very scary mix-up presence as he can cancel his gunshot and apply offensive pressure.
The final weapon added to this variation is Joker’s low hitting gunshots. This attack is very straight forward it allows Joker to fire three low hitting shots along the length of the arena. This attack does hefty damage if all four hits connect and it even does a considerable amount of chip damage to an enemy.
This variation loses a lot of Joker’s powerful combo damage in favor of a zoning play style. Be wary when using his low hitting projectiles as it has glacial recovery frames and can be punished for high damage.
Using Joker’s Second Variation in Mortal Kombat 11
Joker’s “Ace of Knaves” variation emphasizes a trap style of play. Its strength lies in its ability to set up powerful trap style specials that are meant to frustrate an opponent and catch them making mistakes.
Joker gains access to powerful “jack in the box” special moves. The first being Joker gainst the ability to walk forward while cranking the jack in the box. As silly as this move looks it provides insane advantage on block. Allowing Joker to maintain his offensive presence and set up his traps.
This variation provides another jack in the box focused special moves that launch a Joker head at your opponent. This move can be aimed for either a close, medium or far ranged projectile. When enhanced it allows the head to continue bouncing towards your opponent. Coupled with Joker’s other special move, a sliding jack in the box bomb, this provides players with a strong set-up play style. As you can use your enhanced joker head special move to allow you the time to slide the bomb special leading to either a powerful explosion or simply a vast amount of chip damage.
This variation can be tricky to master. It requires patience and understanding of how to combine the different traps that Joker gains in order to make use of the variation properly. It also loses a lot of combo damage in exchange for his powerful trap focused special moves.
Using Joker’s Third Variation in Mortal Kombat 11
Joker’s final variation is his “Mad Man” style of play. This particular version of Joker roots its strengths to high damaging combos rather than zoning or set play.
Joker loses his Bird Boy Beatdown special in favor of a powerful boxing glove focused attack. This move has an immense range and can be used to keep any enemy out. However, the move is a high hitting attack and can be ducked if used in this manner. Its real strength lies in its ability to start combos for the Joker. When its enhanced this move allows for a powerful launcher that can be followed up for high damaging juggles. Although you lose your overhead mix up potential, the damage that these boxing gloves provide is ludicrous.
The only other move that this variation provides is the versatile gas cannister move. When using this special Joker will begin to pour gasoline on the arena and can be canceled when Joker lights a match on the poured area. This move allows for a “damage over time” effect which will slowly whittle down your enemy’s life bar. If enhanced the move provides a useful juggle state for combos. This gasoline move is mainly used to prevent your opponent from getting up safely and can be added to make your already oppressive offense even better.
This variation is the easiest to use and provides higher damage output than the other variations, making it a perfect choice for offensive players.
More: Mortal Kombat 11: How to Perform a Mercy
Mortal Kombat 11 is available on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.
