Nitara Arrives in Mortal Kombat 1: The Ultimate Guide to Combos, Tech, and Strategies

The long-awaited new era of Mortal Kombat is finally here with the release of Mortal Kombat 1. Developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games, MK1 reboots the iconic fighting game franchise with a fresh story, gameplay mechanics, and roster. Amidst fan-favorite characters like Liu Kang and Sub-Zero, one of the most intriguing additions is Nitara, the vampiress from Vaeternus making her first playable appearance since 2002‘s Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.

As a tech enthusiast and avid fighting game player, I‘ve been eagerly labbing Nitara since her gameplay was first revealed. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll be sharing everything you need to know to optimize Nitara‘s bloody combos, mixups, and strategies in MK1. We‘ll dive deep into her frame data, Kameo synergies, and esports potential. So sharpen those fangs and get ready to spill some blood!

Table of Contents

• Nitara Overview
  • Story and Background
  • Playstyle and Strengths
• Key Normals and Specials
  • Frame Data
  • Combo Starters
  • Advantages and Disadvantages
• Bread and Butter Combos
  • Midscreen Combos
  • Corner Combos
  • Fatal Blow Combos
• Kameo Fighter Synergies
  • Combo Extensions
  • Offensive Pressure
  • Defensive Options
• Matchups and Tier List Placement
  • Favorable and Unfavorable Matchups
  • Tournament Viability
  • Pro Player Opinions
• Social Media Discussion and Tech
  • Trending Topics and Hashtags
  • Memes and Reactions
  • Influencer Opinions
• Esports Potential
  • Representation in Tournaments
  • Nitara Specialists and Players to Watch
  • Interview Excerpts and Analysis

Nitara Overview

Story and Background

Nitara is a vampire from the realm of Vaeternus, which was conquered and enslaved by Shao Kahn long ago. Seeking to liberate her people, Nitara enters a shaky alliance with Earthrealm‘s heroes and sets out to gather the ancient relics needed to separate her realm from Outworld permanently.

Playstyle and Strengths

In MK1, Nitara is a rushdown-heavy fighter who thrives in close quarters. Her speed and aerial mobility allow her to quickly close distances, while her blood magic lets her pull opponents in to maintain offensive pressure. Nitara excels at relentless blockstring pressure and excels at a close-range poking game that frustrates opponents.

Key Normals and Specials

To master Nitara‘s playstyle in MK1, you need to know her key moves and frame data inside out. Let‘s break down her essential normals and specials:

Standing Normals

Nitara‘s jab (1) is her fastest normal, acting as a 7-frame punish that leaves her at a solid +8 on hit. Her standing 1 and 2 are her primary combo starters and blockstring openers, with the 2 also working as a 10-frame punish. The standing 4 is a great mid poke that scores a knockdown on hit.

Special Moves

Nitara‘s signature Blood Siphon is essential for her gameplan. While minus on block, it pulls the opponent closer on hit and allows for damaging combos. Sheer Side Blade is a combo ender that deals good damage but is unsafe, so use with caution. Wing Evade and Air Blood Spit are useful for evasion and keepaway.

Combo Starters

Some of Nitara‘s most important combo starters include:

• 1, 2 xx Blood Siphon
• B2 xx Sheer Side Blade
• D1 xx Blood Siphon

The 1, 2 check is a solid way to start your combos from a safe mid blockstring. B2 is an advancing mid that can punish from far away, and D1 is a low poke that jails into Blood Siphon on hit. These are your most consistent ways to get combo damage started.

Bread and Butter Combos

Now that you understand Nitara‘s key buttons, let‘s look at her most essential combos. Damage values are listed in parentheses.

Midscreen

• 1, 2, BF2 xx 4, DB1, D1 xx BF2 (242)
• B2 xx DF1 xx 1, 1, 2, BF2 xx 4, 2, 1+3 (306)
• D1, BF2 xx J3, 2, DF2 xx 2, 4 (270)

Optimal midscreen combos for Nitara rely on Blood Siphon to extend juggle states. After launching with Sheer Side Blade or a normal string, add Blood Siphons, jump-ins, and normal strings to max out your damage before ending in a special or Fatal Blow.

Corner

• B2 xx DF1 xx BF2 xx 2, 1, 4, BF2 xx 1, 2, DF1 (372)
• D1, BF2 xx 4, DF1 xx BF2 xx 4, 1+3 (288)
• 1, 2, BF2 xx DF1 xx BF2 xx 2, 4, D1 xx BF2 (324)

The corner is where Nitara‘s damage potential skyrockets. Her juggle combos can loop multiple Blood Siphons to devastating effect. These combos also demonstrate how well her enders like Sheer Side Blade and the 1+3 string work when the opponent is cornered.

Fatal Blow

• D1, BF2 xx D1, Fatal Blow (360)
• B2 xx DF1 xx BF2 xx 2, 1, Fatal Blow (422)
• 4, 2, BF2 xx Fatal Blow (382)

With Fatal Blow being such a comeback mechanic, Nitara wants easy ways to land it. Her D1 low starter is perfect for a quick Fatal Blow conversion, while her 4, 2 string is a great way to land it after a jump-in punish. The big damage ender uses her low starter into Blood Siphon for huge unscaled damage.

Kameo Fighter Synergies

MK1‘s assist-style Kameo fighters add a whole new layer to the game‘s combo system and Nitara has some great options. Her go-to Kameos include:

Kintaro

• B2 xx DF1 xx BF2 xx [K], 1, 2, DF1 (410)
• 1, 1, BF2 xx [K] xx 2, 1, 2, BF2 (397)

Kintaro‘s grapple Kameo attack is perfect for extending Nitara‘s midscreen combos and carrying the opponent to the corner. His high damage output also lets you cash out in big damage when you don‘t have Fatal Blow.

Smoke

• D1, BF2 xx [K], 4, 2, DB1, BF2 (360)
• B2 xx DF1 xx BF2 xx [K], 2, 1, BF2 (377)

Smoke‘s teleport Kameo gives Nitara tricky ways to mix up her offense. In combos, it sets up strong restand situations that let you get big damage in the corner.

Cyrax

• D1, BF2 xx [K], 4, DF1 xx BF2 (402)
• 4, 2, BF2 xx [K] xx 2, 1, 2 (379)

Cyrax‘s net Kameo is great for locking the opponent down in the corner. After a Blood Siphon, you can combo into the net to keep them standing for a brutal loop setup.

Matchups and Tier List Placement

Nitara has been making waves in the early MK1 competitive scene. Her explosive damage output, strong neutral tools, and Kameo synergies have many players calling her a top ten character. However, she does struggle in some key matchups.

Nitara‘s excellent buttons and advancd mobility make her great against big-body characters like Geras and close-range grapplers like Jax. She can easily whiff punish their slower attacks and keep them guessing with her mixups.

Her most difficult matchups are against zoners like Tanya, who can keep her out with projectiles. Nitara‘s lack of a reliable long-range attack means she has to take risks to get in. Other rush down characters like Liu Kang can also give her trouble by matching her speed and pressure.

Overall though, Nitara is a strong contender for top tier in MK1. Pro players like Tekken Master and Rewind have been placing her in S tier alongside the likes of Sub-Zero and Scorpion. Once players fully optimize her setups and Kameo synergies, she could become a true monster.

Social Media Discussion and Tech

As a new character, Nitara has been generating plenty of buzz on social media within the fighting game community. Across Twitter, Reddit, and Discord, players have been discussing her optimal combos, mixups, and matchup spreads.

The #NitaraMK1 hashtag has been consistently trending, with posts ranging from beginner-friendly combo guides to more advanced okizeme setups. FGC content creators like PnDMK and Super have also released video breakdowns of her frame data and pressure tools.

Nitara has also drawn attention outside of hardcore fighting game spaces. Popular streamer Pokimane shared a clip of Nitara‘s intro animation, praising it as "the most badass character intro I‘ve ever seen in a game." The clip quickly went viral, racking up over 500,000 views.

Even U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known to be an avid gamer, tweeted about Nitara. She shared a screenshot of the character with the caption "Nitara said let them drink blood!" The tweet drew a positive response from her followers and brought more mainstream visibility to MK1.

The Mortal Kombat subreddit has been flooded with Nitara appreciation threads, memes, and combo showcase videos. Some of the most popular posts include a stylish Nitara combo video by Scar that earned over 10,000 upvotes, and a satirical "Virgin Liu Kang vs Chad Nitara" meme contrasting the characters‘ playstyles.

Fan artists have also been sharing their renditions of Nitara, with many pieces emphasizing her gothic beauty and ferocity in battle. A popular piece by Twitter user @bosslogic depicting Nitara lounging on a throne of bones was retweeted over 5,000 times.

Esports Potential

With Mortal Kombat 1 shaping up to be another successful global esport for the FGC, many fans are wondering how viable Nitara will be at the highest levels of play.

So far, Nitara has had a strong showing in early MK1 invitational events and weekly tournaments. At Combo Breaker 2023, the first major MK1 event, Tweedy placed 5th with a Nitara/Sub-Zero team. His Nitara scored clutch wins against top players like Ninjakilla and Sonic Fox, demonstrating her comeback potential.

Other notable Nitara players to watch include Grr, the online warrior known for his previous Skarlet play, and up-and-coming competitor Foxy Grampa, whose Nitara combos have earned praise from the likes of Sonic Fox.

"I think Nitara has a ton of potential," said Sonic Fox in a post-tournament interview. "Her damage output is insane and she can just melt your life bar with one opening. Grr and Foxy Grampa are definitely leveling up the Nitara meta."

As for matchups, Tweedy believe Nitara is a strong counterpick to some of the cast‘s top tiers. "She can give Sub-Zero hell with her quick buttons and Blood Siphon," Tweedy explained. "If you know the matchup, you can totally shut him down. I think she‘s a great tourney pick."

However, both players emphasized that Nitara‘s true potential hasn‘t been unlocked yet. Sonic thinks her ideal Kameo pairings could provide the key to pushing her higher on the tier list. "Right now, she‘s high-mid to low-top tier, but with the right Kameos and more time in the lab, I could see her being a top 5 problem," they said.

As the MK1 tournament scene develops, it will be exciting to see how Nitara stacks up against the rest of the cast at the highest level. If early results are any indication, this bloodthirsty vampiress could quickly become the new queen of Mortal Kombat.