Mortal Kombat 1 (MK1) is finally here, inviting both veteran kombatants and new challengers to test their might in the reborn realm of Earthrealm. With his deadly mixups, tricky force balls, and acid-spitting antics, Reptile has slithered his way back into the roster – and he‘s already considered a top-tier threat by many players. Ready to unleash your inner lizard-man and leave your opponents seeing double? Then sink your claws into this in-depth guide to Reptile‘s most essential and effective combos in MK1.
Before we dive into the juicy combo breakdowns, let‘s quickly review what makes Reptile such a formidable fighter in this new era of MK. His overall gameplan revolves around rushing down the opponent with quick attacks, destabilizing them with force balls and acid puddles, then opening them up with high/low mixups and frame traps. He excels at getting in your face and making you guess wrong, chipping away at your health while generating momentum for even scarier combo starters.
Reptile‘s combo potential has been significantly buffed in MK1 compared to his previous incarnations. Many of his normals have better frame advantage or ko-cancel routes, he retains his nimble run speed and slippery dashes, and the new offensive mechanics like Kameo attacks and Fatal Blows give him even more ways to extend his damage output. If you lab out his optimal routes and reactions, this reptilian rushdown master can quickly melt the opponent‘s life bar with a few good reads.
So without further ado, here‘s a bestiary of basic bread-and-butter (BnB) combos that every Reptile main should know:
11~df1 – The classic jab ko-cancel into Reptile‘s Forceball is still his best meterless combo starter. Other launcher starters include f21, b31, and f31.
f21~bf2 – This kombo leads into Reptile‘s Acid Spit special move for solid damage and possible mixups. Also works off 11, b31, and f31 starters.
f32~bf4 – Ending with the Acid Puddle leaves your opponent in a tricky guessing situation. Frametrap starters include 11, f21, b31, f31, and f32.
3~db4 – Reptile‘s staple ko-cancel for big damage in the corner. The Krawl special move (db4) can also restand the opponent for mixups.
23, j233~db4 – The jumping 233 string is a strong overall combo extender that ko-cancels into Krawl.
hold b2, 23, f32~bf4 – Reptile‘s Forceball Invisibility can set up left/right acid puddle mixups.
f23, f23, f32~bf4 – A nice followup to stray f23 hits that leads back into Acid Puddle oki.
f23, 4~df3, j233~db4 – Sneaking in the 4~df3 Forceball Barrage after f23 catches opponents trying to interrupt your pressure.
Once you have those core routes down, try spicing things up with these more advanced combos and setups:
11~df3, j233~db4 – Burn a bar of offensive meter on EX Forceball for better damage and corner carry. Other ko-cancel starters work too.
f21~df3, f23, f32~bf4 – This damaging route builds a lot of meter thanks to the f32 portion.
f21~df3, f23, f32~du4 – Here the f32 ko-cancels into an invisible Acid Puddle setup.
b31~df3, f23, j12~db4 – Save the launcher for later in the combo to preserve the ground bounce and get max damage.
b31~df3, f23, dash, 2~df3f, j233~db4 – Dash after the launcher to land a trickier Forceball Barrage kombo. Vary the Forceball speeds!
b313~u+k, j233~db4 – Mix in Scorpion‘s Kameo overhead attack off your low b31 starter. They‘ll never see it coming!
b31~f+k, dash, f21~df3, j233~db4 – Or go for Scorpion‘s low Kameo attack and get a full kombo punish.
When you trap the opponent in the corner, Reptile becomes even scarier. Check out these pressure-heavy corner combos:
114, d1~f3, j233~db4 – Reptile‘s 11 string jails into his d1 poke for a tight execution, high damage link.
114, d1~f3, 4~df3f, j233~db4 – Follow up the link with Forceball Barrage before launching.
f21~df3f, f23, 4~df3, j233~db4 – Mixing a Forceball Barrage in between f21 and f23 makes this kombo much harder to block.
b313~k, 4~df3, j233~db4 – Condition your opponent with Scorpion‘s Kameo attacks, then surprise them with an overhead starter for big damage.
Finally, no Reptile combo guide would be complete without some Fatal Blow routes. While not as damaging as some other characters‘ FBs, Reptile‘s Acid Bath still chunks the opponent and leaves them in a puddle of poison for your post-FB mixup pleasure:
b31~fb – The quickest way to land Reptile‘s FB off a normal hit confirm. Great for stealing rounds!
f23, f23, f32~fb – A more damaging route thanks to the f32 ender before FB.
f31~df3 ex, f23, f32~fb – Spending meter on the EX Forceball leads to juicier kombo damage pre-FB.
At the end of the day, Reptile‘s combo game is all about rushing down the opponent, enforcing your oki setups, and constantly threatening them with force balls, acid, and Kameo mixups. The key is to vary your combo routes, adapt to your opponent‘s tendencies, and always be ready to improvise when you score a big hit.
With the right combo optimization and relentless pressure, even top players will struggle to block correctly against the lizard‘s onslaught. Of course, Reptile is still a young dragon in competitive MK1, so don‘t be surprised if players discover new tech or the developers adjust his balance in future patches. No matter what, though, you can count on Reptile‘s combo game to keep evolving and melting faces for many seasons to come.
Now that we‘ve reached the end of our Reptile combo safari, the only thing left to do is hit the lab and start grinding out those execution muscles. Remember, learning combos is a gradual process – don‘t get discouraged if you can‘t nail the hard links right away! Start with the basic routes, practice your hit confirms and launchers, and slowly work your way up to the flashier stuff. With patience and dedication, you too can become a venomous Reptile player and leave a trail of ko‘ed karkasses in your wake.
