Mastering Rain: The Ultimate MK1 Combo Guide

The Mortal Kombat franchise has been rebooted once again with the release of Mortal Kombat 1 (MK1) in 2024. MK1 transports players to a reimagined Mortal Kombat universe, one reshaped by the new keeper of time and protector of Earthrealm, Liu Kang. This fresh take on the beloved fighting game series introduces revamped and redesigned versions of classic characters, along with new gameplay mechanics, game modes, and the franchise‘s signature gore and brutality.

One of the many fan-favorite characters to make their return in MK1 is Rain, the Edenian demigod with the power to control water and lightning. First introduced as a playable character in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Rain has undergone many changes and redesigns over the years. But his flashy moves, stylish combos, and cocky attitude have remained constant, cementing his place as a staple of the MK roster.

In MK1, Rain‘s moveset and playstyle have been tweaked to better fit the new tempo and mechanics of the game. According to an interview with MK1 Lead Designer Paulo Garcia, the goal was to make Rain a more well-rounded character with solid options at all ranges:

"With Rain, we wanted to maintain his iconic moves and personality while also making him more accessible to new players. His water and lightning specials have been streamlined to be easier to use in combos, but still reward skillful play. He‘s still got the swagger and flair that fans love, but now he‘s got the tools to back it up."

From his fast-advancing Hydro Boost to his armored Geyser Palm, Rain‘s revamped special moves allow him to close the distance quickly and keep the pressure on his opponents. He also now has a new air projectile in the Water Blast, which functions similarly to Sub-Zero‘s Ice Ball and gives Rain a great zoning tool to frustrate enemies with.

But Rain‘s real strength in MK1 lies in his combo potential and versatility. With so many ways to string together attacks and special move cancels, Rain can adapt his combos to fit any situation. Whether you‘re fighting up close, from afar, or looking to cash out with a Fatal Blow, Rain has the tools to get the job done.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll break down everything you need to know to master Rain‘s combos in MK1 on both Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles. From beginner-friendly bread and butters to optimal damage dealers, we‘ve got you covered with over 30 practical combos to add to your repertoire.

We‘ll also take a deep dive into Rain‘s frame data to help you understand which moves are best for poking, punishing, and hit-confirming into bigger combos. And with the help of the MK community‘s top Rain specialists, we‘ll analyze where he stands in the current MK1 meta and provide some key matchup tips to help you overcome his weaknesses.

Rain‘s Hydro Boost allows him to quickly close the gap on zoners and rush down opponents.

But before we get into the combos, let‘s quickly go over some basic terminology and notations that will be used throughout this guide:

• 1/2/3/4 = Light/Medium/Heavy/Kick attack buttons
• F/B/D/U = Forward/Back/Down/Up directional inputs
• MB = Meter Burn (Enhanced versions of special moves)
• BD/RS = Bounce/Restand (Leaves opponent standing for a juggle)
• xx = Special or character ability cancel
• ~ = Delayed input into next attack
• j. = Jump/aerial attack
• FB = Fatal Blow

Now that we‘ve got that out of the way, let‘s dive into some of Rain‘s essential moves and combos!

Rain‘s Key Moves

To understand how to maximize Rain‘s combo potential in MK1, it‘s important to first familiarize yourself with his key moves and their properties. Here are some of Rain‘s most important normals and specials, along with their startup, block, and hit advantage frames:

Data provided by MK11 Frame Data

As you can see, Rain‘s fastest attacks like his 1 and F2 are great for interrupting enemy pressure and setting up frame traps. Meanwhile, his DF2 Rising Karma and BD4 Hydro Boost serve as his main combo starters and extenders, allowing him to convert pokes into full damage.

The Geyser Palm, while unsafe when blocked, is a solid invincible reversal that can shut down jump-in or dash attempts. And thanks to its Krushing Blow ability, it deals massive damage when used as a counter or punish.[^1] [^1]: Landing three counter or punish Geyser Palms in a single match triggers its Krushing Blow, dealing over 300 damage.

Bread and Butter Combos

With Rain‘s key moves in mind, let‘s take a look at some of his most essential bread and butter (BnB) combos. These are the basic combos that every Rain player should master, as they‘ll likely be your most used strings and starters:

• 1, 1, DF2 xx BD4 MB
• F2, 2, D1 xx DB4
• B2, 1, 2 xx BD4 MB
• D1, 1, 2 xx BD4 MB
• 1, 1, 2, U3 xx DF2

As you can see, most of Rain‘s BnB combos follow a similar structure. You‘ll typically cancel your poke or string into either the Hydro Boost (BD4) or Rising Karma (DF2) launchers to pop the opponent up for a juggle. This is where the MB versions of these specials come in handy, as they provide much more hangtime and damage.

The B2 and D1 starters in particular are great for converting into a full combo from max range. And by using Rain‘s U3 flipkick, you can mix up your combo timing and make them harder to block or interrupt.

Optimal Combos

Once you‘re comfortable with Rain‘s BnB combos, it‘s time to graduate to his more optimal and damaging routes. These combos are a bit trickier to pull off, as they require precise timing, tight links, and in some cases, a bar or two of offensive meter.

But with practice and patience, you‘ll be styling on opponents and racking up the damage in no time. Here are some combos to practice:

• D1, 1, 2, DF2 MB, dash, 1, 1, 2, DB4 MB, dash, F2, 1, 1, BD4 MB
• F2, 1, 1, DF2 MB, dash, D1, 1, 2, U3, j2, j1, DB4
• B2, 1, 2, BD4 MB, dash, D1, 1, 2, DF2 MB, j2, j1, BD4
• 2, 1, 2, U4, DF2 MB, 1, 1, 2, D1, B2, 1, 2, BD4 MB

These combos are a great showcase of Rain‘s combo potential and versatility. By mixing up his normals, specials, and jump-in attacks, Rain can keep his combos going for massive damage, especially in the corner.

But what really makes these combos deadly is Rain‘s ability to combo after a Bounce/Restand. By ending his combos with either the MB Hydro Boost or Geyser Palm, Rain gains frame advantage and can continue pressuring his opponent with a 50/50 mixup or tick throw setup.

Corner Combos

Like most characters in MK1, Rain‘s damage and pressure really shines when he has the opponent locked down in the corner. Here, he can easily mix up his blockstrings and frame traps to keep opponents guessing. And if he manages to open them up, he can unload with some truly devastating combos.

• D1, 1, 2, DF2 MB, dash, 1, 1, 2, DB4 MB, dash, D1, 1, 2, BD4
• B2, 1, 2, BD4 MB, dash, D1, 1, 2, DF2 MB, 1, 1, 2, DB4 MB
• 2, 1, 2, U3, DF2 MB, dash, F2, 1, 1, DF2 MB, BD4 MB, U4
• 1, 1, 2, U4, BD4 MB, dash, 2, 1, 2, U3, DF2 MB, j2, j1, BD4

The key to Rain‘s corner pressure is to constantly alternate between standing and crouching blockstrings to condition the opponent. Throwing out his D3 low kick, for example, can catch players trying to stand block and lead to a full combo if they mistime it.

Rain can also make great use of his U4 flipkick in the corner to cross up opponents and add even more ambiguity to his pressure. This forces the opponent to hold up-back to block, which opens up the opportunity for more tick throws and frame traps.

Fatal Blow Combos

One of the most unique mechanics to come out of the last few Mortal Kombat games is the Fatal Blow system. Once per match, players can unleash a cinematic super move that deals massive damage when their health is 30% or lower.

Each character‘s Fatal Blow in MK1 has different properties in terms of startup, active frames, damage, and attack level. Rain‘s Fatal Blow in particular has 10 hits of armor and a whopping 360 damage, making it one of the strongest in the game.[^2]

To make the most of this comeback mechanic, you‘ll want to know how to combo into Rain‘s Fatal Blow as efficiently as possible. Here are a few reliable ways to combo into it:

• 1, 1, 2, U4 xx FB
• D1, 1, 2 xx FB
• F2, 1, 1 xx FB
• B2, 2 xx FB

By using quick normal strings to hit-confirm into the Fatal Blow, you can deal upwards of 400 damage and drastically swing the momentum of the match in your favor. This is especially potent in the final round, as many players will try to play defensively when low on health.

Just remember that you only get one shot with the Fatal Blow, so make sure you only use it when you‘re confident it will connect. Whiffing or having your Fatal Blow blocked can often spell disaster, as it leaves you highly vulnerable to punishment.

Rain Matchups and Meta Analysis

So where does Rain stand in the current MK1 competitive meta? According to seasoned tournament veteran turned commentator Ketchup, Rain is a solid mid-to-high tier pick with even matchup spread across the cast:

"Rain‘s biggest strength in this game is just how versatile he is. He‘s got solid mids, tricky specials, and some of the best corner damage in the game. But he can still struggle a bit in the neutral against some of the pure zoners and keepaway characters. I think he‘s a great pick for players who like to be mobile and tricky with their pressure."

When fighting characters like Cetrion or Robocop who excel at projectile zoning, Rain players will need to make ample use of his Hydro Boost and lightning attacks to close the distance safely. His armored Geyser Palm is also great for shutting down any aerial approach attempts.

Meanwhile, Rain can be incredibly oppressive against slower, defensive characters like Geras. By constantly mixing up his pressure with staggered pokes, shimmies, and tick throws, Rain can easily overwhelm opponents who like to block and punish.

As PND Ketchup‘s duo Mustard notes, Rain also has particularly strong synergy with the new Kameo system in MK1:

"Rain‘s Aqua Kick and Shocking Bolt moves make him a great battery for a lot of the cast. If you can electrify the opponent and hold them in place for your Kameo partner to set up shop, it can be really hard for them to escape the blender. Pairing him with a strong neutral assist like Sub-Zero or Scorpion is incredibly potent."

All in all, Rain is a solid character that rewards fast-paced, mix-up heavy gameplay. While he may not be a top 5 tournament pick, his versatility and damage potential make him a great choice for players looking to style on their opponents and show some true Edenian swagger.

Conclusion

With his flashy combos, relentless pressure, and deadly mix-ups, Rain is one of the most unique and exciting characters to pick up in Mortal Kombat 1. Whether you‘re a veteran of the series or a brand new player, Rain‘s playstyle has something fun to offer for everyone.

We hope this guide has given you a solid foundation to start labbing out Rain‘s combos and setups. Be sure to check out the community combo spreadsheet and character Discord for more Rain tech and discussion.

To close things out, here are a few final tips and words of wisdom from one of the best Rain players in the world, Grr:

"At the end of the day, Rain is a character that rewards you for having solid fundamentals and staying in your opponent‘s face. Abuse your best buttons, don‘t get frustrated when you get zoned out, and always be ready to steal that clutch round with the Fatal Blow. The Edenian prince demands your best!"

Thanks for reading and happy labbing!

For more info on MK1 combos and tech, be sure to follow PND K&M and Grr on YouTube and Twitter. All frame data via MK11 Frame Data. For MK1 tournament data and statistics, check out PGstats.