As one of the original Mortal Kombat fighters, the sinister sorcerer Shang Tsung has bedeviled players with his shape-shifting tricks since the early 90s arcade days. In the reimagined Mortal Kombat 1 universe, Shang Tsung returns with a brand new bag of tricks up his wizard sleeves.
Having competed with Shang Tsung across numerous tournaments, I‘ve come to know his moveset inside and out. Once you understand his combos and abilities at an expert level, you‘ll discover what makes him such a uniquely rewarding character to play.
In this advanced combo guide, we‘ll break down everything from fundamental chains to complex setups for dominating with the Dark Sorcerer himself!
A Brief History of Shang Tsung
Let‘s start with some backstory. Introduced as the final boss in the original Mortal Kombat, Shang Tsung is the scheming sorcerer who convinced warriors to partake in the tournament, then stole their souls after defeating them.
He serves the menacing Outworld emperor Shao Kahn and yearns to see Earthrealm fall as the next conquered kingdom. Despite his old age, he maintains a youthful visage by regularly consuming souls of the innocent.
In terms of gameplay, Shang Tsung set himself apart with the ability to morph into other fighters and use their own moves against them – a nightmarish sight! Let‘s see how this plays out combo-wise.
Shang Tsung‘s Core Fighting Style
Before diving into the combos, let‘s review Shang Tsung‘s intrinsic fighting style:
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Zoning/Keepaway
- His arcing Skull Fireball and Ground Eruption allow him to control space from a distance. Used properly, these keep out reckless opponents.
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Rushdown
- With quick pokes and special cancels, Shang enables aggressive pressure. B12 and F4 in particular start nasty frame trap strings.
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Shapeshifting Deception
- Shang‘s variable styles and move-thieving confuse opponents. Stealing a move at the right time can turn the tables!
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Reset Vortexes
- His corner combos allow for nasty knockdown setups and unblockable resets that loop the misery.
Now let‘s explore how to convert these into practical combo damage.
Basic Launcher Chains – 65-85 Damage
Fundamental BnB (bread and butter) combos use launchers to juggle opponents temporarily. They can be executed reliably in matches and offer excellent corner carry.
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F43~DF2 – His strongest launcher. Slow at 18 frames but pops them up high for max damage follow-ups. (65-70 damage)
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12~DF1 – His fastest 10 frame punisher. Launches at a lower angle but still ideal for basic chains. (65-75 damage)
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B22~DB3 – Quickly punishes from his low Back+2 starter. (60-65 damage)
I find these make excellent corner conversion starters. After a launch, dash in for extra hits then reset back to neutral. Now let‘s incorporate special attacks…
Special Move Cancels – 80-105 Damage
By canceling into specials, we extend combos for big damage. But their slower speed means we sacrifice corner carry in exchange.
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B12~D+S, 4~DF1 – Cancel his Back+1,2 into a Soul Steal grab then continue pressure. (85 damage)
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F4~D+S~121~DF1 – Cancel into Soul Steal, morph Sub-Zero, then launch with his Cold Shoulder for added icy juggles! (100 damage)
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12~BK1, D+S, F412~DF1 – Freeze with his stolen Ice Blast, stack old-man damage, then launch away! (105 damage)
Notice how canceling specials after launchers tacks on extra damage. Executed properly, these enable scary comeback potential!
Resetting Vortexes – Totally Inescapable!
"Vortexes" describe sequences that loop the same setup after knocking down the opponent. If they guess wrong on the 50/50, the misery continues!
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F4121~DF1, 4~DF1 – After his throw, use his advancing special for relentless high/low mixups. I like to throw again if they block low. (35+ percent damage each loop)
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B12~D+S, 4~DF1, NJP – End his Back+1,2 grab with a neutral jump punch to crossup or reset pressure. So dirty! (40+ percent damage)
Condition them to duck the NJP crossup. Then nail them with a raw Soul Steal for 45+ percent damage next time!
Max Damage Corner Combos – 125+ Damage
Now for the grand finale! When the opponent‘s back is literal
Closing Thoughts
Through years of tournament experience and hundred of hours in practice mode, I‘ve come to master nearly every aspect of Shang Tsung‘s toolkit. His difficulty makes him intimidating at first. But stay patient, stick to fundamentals, and become a shapeshifting sorcery master over time!
I hope these insights help you discover new combo potential with the Deceptive One. Let me know in the comments which you enjoy pulling off the most! For more Mortal Kombat videos and combo breakdowns, check out my YouTube channel here. Until next time, fellow kombatants!
References
Special thanks to MK expert ahmz1404 on YouTube for contributing excellent combo notations. Please give his channel a subscribe!
