Mortal Kombat 1/Quan Chi

Overview

Strategy

Combos

Synergy

Matchups

Frame Data

Resources

#MK1_Quan_Chi

Introduction

Netherrealm Sorcerer

"Quan Chi was born into hard labor in an Outworld mine. He had no future, just the guarantee of certain death in its dark tunnels. To curry favor with the mine’s owner, Quan Chi informed on fellow workers who were planning a strike. It was broken and many strikers killed. The survivors were not going to forgive and forget. They plotted to kill Quan Chi. Quan Chi’s life was saved by a mysterious benefactor. In exchange for his service, she offered to free him from the mines and train him in dark magic. Quan Chi eagerly accepted. Now a master of the Netherrealm's most vile sorcery, Quan Chi plots with Shang Tsung to conquer the realms. He will not be denied."

Quan Chi is an unorthodox Zoner/Setplay sorcerer with the lowest health in the game (900 HP) as a trade-off for having various oppressive projectile/trap options as well as mixup potential; his S4 is an unsafe but tracking High boot that hits directly behind the opponent at any point onscreen and can be used to convert into kombos/projectiles. Although most of his strings have gaps vulnerable to armor reversals, he has several safe, disjointed and/or long-reaching attacks that can still hit opponents for trying to kounter his various mixups without armor; some of his tools include a jab with a safe Overhead launcher (S13), another jab string full of disjointed Low/Overhead options (213/2144) that can lead to kombos, and a safe forward-advancing Low B3 starter. Unsafe specials such as his armor reversal (EX BF4) and Low 2-bar launch (EX DB4) can also be covered by Kameo assists to remain safe and/or convert into kombos. Quan Chi’s gameplan is built on setting up various “Zone” portals that buff his powers and/or control the screen; two different portals can be placed onscreen and be moved forward or backward. Zone Of Power (DB3) alters his projectile properties, Zone Of Fear (EX DB3) repels the opponent, and Zone Of Waste (DF3) grants him armor by draining their meter; when EX Waste is properly set up, Quan's gap-filled offense closes completely and puts the opponent in an extremely unfavorable position. He can also trap opponents with his directable Field Of Bones (BDF2) which restricts their forward/backward movement even on block and can lead to resets, setups, and/or kombos on hit.

Strengths

Weaknesses

I Am Everywhere: Quan Chi's standing 4 tracks the opponent no matter where they are on screen; when used in conjunction with his projectiles and teleport, Quan Chi can punish at ranges most other characters can only dream of; Skull O'Maniac: Quan Chi has a plethora of fireballs to frustrate his opponents, with straight skulls which can destroy incoming projectiles when enhanced, aimable overhead skulls that reward reading the opponent's movement and an air fireball which fires at an oppressive angle, especially for those who can master the instant air timing. This only gets stronger when he summons his Zone of Power to enhance his fireball game further; Midscreen Monsters: Many of his buttons have excellent range and are disjointed since they are summoned creatures rather than part of Quan's own body; F21 launches a skeleton to keep opponents away on the ground, standing 3 is a tentacle lash which covers a lot of airspace, and B342 is a strong whiff punisher that full kombo launches when confirmed into. Many of these buttons also have the benefit of pushing his opponents back on hit, which keeps them at his preferred range; Trap Setups: Bone Cage can lock down his opponent even if they block, scaring them into attempting to jump out and giving Quan time to run his improved portal game; Portal Kombat: The reworked portals can now be active simultaneously and come with notable improvements, namely with Zone of Fear being given a longer active duration, making his keepout game better than before. Special mentions goes to his new portal: Zone of Waste: A summonable portal that drains meter is already pretty strong but it providing armor if enough is drained (up to three hits' worth when Enhanced) lets Quan Chi create borderline unfair okizeme and mixup scenarios in his favor; it can even give him the equivalent of MK11's Breakaway if he gets the armor while being kombo'd; Meter Advantage: Quan's reliance on special moves means he builds meter especially quickly, with Zone of Waste's drain only widening the gap in the course of a match;

No Panic Button: His basic pokes are uniquely slow, as his D1 is 9F startup and -10 on block; he can get steamrolled if his opponent gets in on him and he can't punish their pokes like everyone else can. This weakness in defense is exacerbated by the next point; Squishy Wizard: He starts at 900 HP, tied with Nitara for the lowest in the game, so he dies faster than any other character in the game for his mistakes. This also affects his choice of Kameos as he may prefer one which gives him extra HP to address this weakness; Dicey Reversal: Much like in MKX, his Enhanced teleport drop has a lot of problems when used on wakeup, as its slow startup and awkward tracking can make it punishable in more situations than other characters will encounter with theirs; Meter Issues: Enhanced Beyond the Fog, (which would otherwise be his main kombo extender) costs 2 bars, which limits how often he can actually rack up large kombo damage. Otherwise, he needs to somehow set up Zone of Power to convert off his enhanced fireball for 1 bar and even then does not gain much damage from it; Gaps Absolutely Everywhere: Quan Chi is the most gap-plagued character in the game, with most of his normals having no gapless cancel options whatsoever; he needs to spend meter in Enhanced Zone of Waste if he wants to make his pressure real.

Quan Chi
Base Health	900.00
Availability

Normals and Strings

Grounded

1

1

File:MK1 Quan Chi 1 hitbox.png

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1

Sorceror Smack

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
8	2	20	17	20	3.00	H	16	0	0	-

A mediocre jab by itself, with average range and recovery but slightly longer startup. Like most of Quan's normals, every single cancel option will leave an armorable gap, including kameo summons. Has two followup routes:

• 122 follows up with slow but massive claw attacks, creating enormous pushback (with a gap). The third hit is a high, but it jails from the mid second hit. Flawless blocking does not appear to affect the pushback or frame data in any way, only mitigating the chip. Superb for creating some space on turn, as long as the enemy does not mash, and it leaves the fighters at 0 on block for a true neutral reset. 12 has curiously long cancel advantage on hit, allowing it to combo into nearly anything - in particular, 12 is one of the only strings that can combo into Cyrax Net by itself, giving Quan all the time he needs for setups. Without Cyrax, 12 can be confirmed into EX Psycho Skull for a less expensive route than EX From the Fog (low tentacle).
• 13 is an overhead that gives a meterless bounce. Crucial for close range punishes and combo construction. Eminently reactable on its own, but can be combined with From the Fog for a rewarding, if expensive and fuzzyable 50/50. Unlike Shao's 12 bounce string it will work on airborne opponents, but the second 13 in a combo will splat the enemy.

12

File:MK1 Quan Chi 12 hitbox.png

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12

Dangerous Ally

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
19	2	32	27	50	7.50	M	10	-2	-2	-

A mediocre jab by itself, with average range and recovery but slightly longer startup. Like most of Quan's normals, every single cancel option will leave an armorable gap, including kameo summons. Has two followup routes:

• 122 follows up with slow but massive claw attacks, creating enormous pushback (with a gap). The third hit is a high, but it jails from the mid second hit. Flawless blocking does not appear to affect the pushback or frame data in any way, only mitigating the chip. Superb for creating some space on turn, as long as the enemy does not mash, and it leaves the fighters at 0 on block for a true neutral reset. 12 has curiously long cancel advantage on hit, allowing it to combo into nearly anything - in particular, 12 is one of the only strings that can combo into Cyrax Net by itself, giving Quan all the time he needs for setups. Without Cyrax, 12 can be confirmed into EX Psycho Skull for a less expensive route than EX From the Fog (low tentacle).
• 13 is an overhead that gives a meterless bounce. Crucial for close range punishes and combo construction. Eminently reactable on its own, but can be combined with From the Fog for a rewarding, if expensive and fuzzyable 50/50. Unlike Shao's 12 bounce string it will work on airborne opponents, but the second 13 in a combo will splat the enemy.

122

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122

Tamed Impaler

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
23	4	28	~	50	7.50	H	36	0	0	-

A mediocre jab by itself, with average range and recovery but slightly longer startup. Like most of Quan's normals, every single cancel option will leave an armorable gap, including kameo summons. Has two followup routes:

• 122 follows up with slow but massive claw attacks, creating enormous pushback (with a gap). The third hit is a high, but it jails from the mid second hit. Flawless blocking does not appear to affect the pushback or frame data in any way, only mitigating the chip. Superb for creating some space on turn, as long as the enemy does not mash, and it leaves the fighters at 0 on block for a true neutral reset. 12 has curiously long cancel advantage on hit, allowing it to combo into nearly anything - in particular, 12 is one of the only strings that can combo into Cyrax Net by itself, giving Quan all the time he needs for setups. Without Cyrax, 12 can be confirmed into EX Psycho Skull for a less expensive route than EX From the Fog (low tentacle).
• 13 is an overhead that gives a meterless bounce. Crucial for close range punishes and combo construction. Eminently reactable on its own, but can be combined with From the Fog for a rewarding, if expensive and fuzzyable 50/50. Unlike Shao's 12 bounce string it will work on airborne opponents, but the second 13 in a combo will splat the enemy.

13

File:MK1 Quan Chi 13 hitbox.png

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13

Skewer Strike

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
24	3	26	~	70	10.50	OH	52	-7	-7	-

A mediocre jab by itself, with average range and recovery but slightly longer startup. Like most of Quan's normals, every single cancel option will leave an armorable gap, including kameo summons. Has two followup routes:

• 122 follows up with slow but massive claw attacks, creating enormous pushback (with a gap). The third hit is a high, but it jails from the mid second hit. Flawless blocking does not appear to affect the pushback or frame data in any way, only mitigating the chip. Superb for creating some space on turn, as long as the enemy does not mash, and it leaves the fighters at 0 on block for a true neutral reset. 12 has curiously long cancel advantage on hit, allowing it to combo into nearly anything - in particular, 12 is one of the only strings that can combo into Cyrax Net by itself, giving Quan all the time he needs for setups. Without Cyrax, 12 can be confirmed into EX Psycho Skull for a less expensive route than EX From the Fog (low tentacle).
• 13 is an overhead that gives a meterless bounce. Crucial for close range punishes and combo construction. Eminently reactable on its own, but can be combined with From the Fog for a rewarding, if expensive and fuzzyable 50/50. Unlike Shao's 12 bounce string it will work on airborne opponents, but the second 13 in a combo will splat the enemy.

D1

D1

File:MK1 Quan Chi d1.png

File:MK1 Quan Chi d1 hitbox.png

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d1

Crouching Front Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

The main reason why Quan's defense is terrible. Long recovery and nine frame startup make this the worst D1 in the game. Disjoint is nice but being -10 on block will nearly guarantee the counterpoke punish, regardless of the enemy character. Also hampers his offensive capability, as he is much more likely to get counterpoked if trying to interrupt on offense.

D1s are generally a non-optional move to use - being the character's fastest mid while low profiling and being special cancellable, it must be applied in certain situations. Do not entirely neglect Quan's D1, but be judicious with its usage.

2

2

File:MK1 Quan Chi 2.png

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2

Standing Back Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Important but flawed jabstring. Solid range and built in 50/50 make it a straightforward starting point for offense. Easy to confirm, but without a kameo the only combo starting option is EX Low Tentacle - a kameo that can combo from the overhead or especially the low will go a long way towards properly establishing the string's threat. While the first overhead comes out much earlier than the low, the second overhead hit will require more accurate fuzzying from the enemy, and Quan can cancel the first overhead kick into Low Tentacle to catch their fuzzy timing. Extreme gap between the first and second hit means it is very easy to mash on, so use it at a distance.

• Like most of Quan's strings, the 2 will have a gap with any cancel option.

21

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Important but flawed jabstring. Solid range and built in 50/50 make it a straightforward starting point for offense. Easy to confirm, but without a kameo the only combo starting option is EX Low Tentacle - a kameo that can combo from the overhead or especially the low will go a long way towards properly establishing the string's threat. While the first overhead comes out much earlier than the low, the second overhead hit will require more accurate fuzzying from the enemy, and Quan can cancel the first overhead kick into Low Tentacle to catch their fuzzy timing. Extreme gap between the first and second hit means it is very easy to mash on, so use it at a distance.

• Like most of Quan's strings, the 2 will have a gap with any cancel option.

2

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Important but flawed jabstring. Solid range and built in 50/50 make it a straightforward starting point for offense. Easy to confirm, but without a kameo the only combo starting option is EX Low Tentacle - a kameo that can combo from the overhead or especially the low will go a long way towards properly establishing the string's threat. While the first overhead comes out much earlier than the low, the second overhead hit will require more accurate fuzzying from the enemy, and Quan can cancel the first overhead kick into Low Tentacle to catch their fuzzy timing. Extreme gap between the first and second hit means it is very easy to mash on, so use it at a distance.

• Like most of Quan's strings, the 2 will have a gap with any cancel option.

2144

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Important but flawed jabstring. Solid range and built in 50/50 make it a straightforward starting point for offense. Easy to confirm, but without a kameo the only combo starting option is EX Low Tentacle - a kameo that can combo from the overhead or especially the low will go a long way towards properly establishing the string's threat. While the first overhead comes out much earlier than the low, the second overhead hit will require more accurate fuzzying from the enemy, and Quan can cancel the first overhead kick into Low Tentacle to catch their fuzzy timing. Extreme gap between the first and second hit means it is very easy to mash on, so use it at a distance.

• Like most of Quan's strings, the 2 will have a gap with any cancel option.

2144

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Important but flawed jabstring. Solid range and built in 50/50 make it a straightforward starting point for offense. Easy to confirm, but without a kameo the only combo starting option is EX Low Tentacle - a kameo that can combo from the overhead or especially the low will go a long way towards properly establishing the string's threat. While the first overhead comes out much earlier than the low, the second overhead hit will require more accurate fuzzying from the enemy, and Quan can cancel the first overhead kick into Low Tentacle to catch their fuzzy timing. Extreme gap between the first and second hit means it is very easy to mash on, so use it at a distance.

• Like most of Quan's strings, the 2 will have a gap with any cancel option.

B2

B2

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An awful overhead on paper, but a plethora of applications when combined with setups gives it more usefulness then expected. Make no mistake though - it is indisputably terrible when used as a conventional attack by itself, being reactable, short ranged, death on block, lacking cheap or safe followups, and having an annoying effect where the enemy stumbles backwards during the reeling animation and causes most kameo followups to whiff. When used by itself, it should only be applied as a rare surprise attack. Don't even think about using the fully charged version by itself - you will eat a full combo for trying it.

Kameos will not exactly improve the reactibility, but will give the safety and reward on hit necessary for B2 to be a usable common option. Attack kameo setups like Sektor Missile will allow B2 to be turned into a cheap combo and pressure on block, while cancelling into a safe ender like Jax Energy Wave or Sub-Zero Shoulder allow him to mostly escape full combo punishment (albeit with an armorable gap). While many summon combo starters will whiff when cancelled from B2 due to the stumble reaction on hit, the ones that do work are absolute godsends and should always be applied instead of EX Low Tentacle. Certain kameo starters will also let Quan incorporate a fully charged B2 into the combo.

The new armor portal (Zone of Waste, DF3) finally gives the fully charged B2 a definitive use outside of combos as an oki tool. On a knockdown with the portal, Quan can charge B2, armor through the enemy's armored wakeup, and then punish them with the fully charged attack for a full combo into the same situation. If the enemy blocks or delays getup, Quan will be +8. The solution to this is to getup with a string, a jump, or a multi-hitting special, but it is highly matchup dependent and Quan can shut that down with Zone of Fear instead.

B2

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An awful overhead on paper, but a plethora of applications when combined with setups gives it more usefulness then expected. Make no mistake though - it is indisputably terrible when used as a conventional attack by itself, being reactable, short ranged, death on block, lacking cheap or safe followups, and having an annoying effect where the enemy stumbles backwards during the reeling animation and causes most kameo followups to whiff. When used by itself, it should only be applied as a rare surprise attack. Don't even think about using the fully charged version by itself - you will eat a full combo for trying it.

Kameos will not exactly improve the reactibility, but will give the safety and reward on hit necessary for B2 to be a usable common option. Attack kameo setups like Sektor Missile will allow B2 to be turned into a cheap combo and pressure on block, while cancelling into a safe ender like Jax Energy Wave or Sub-Zero Shoulder allow him to mostly escape full combo punishment (albeit with an armorable gap). While many summon combo starters will whiff when cancelled from B2 due to the stumble reaction on hit, the ones that do work are absolute godsends and should always be applied instead of EX Low Tentacle. Certain kameo starters will also let Quan incorporate a fully charged B2 into the combo.

The new armor portal (Zone of Waste, DF3) finally gives the fully charged B2 a definitive use outside of combos as an oki tool. On a knockdown with the portal, Quan can charge B2, armor through the enemy's armored wakeup, and then punish them with the fully charged attack for a full combo into the same situation. If the enemy blocks or delays getup, Quan will be +8. The solution to this is to getup with a string, a jump, or a multi-hitting special, but it is highly matchup dependent and Quan can shut that down with Zone of Fear instead.

F2

F2

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Quan's go-to mid, being disjoint, active, and decently ranged. One of only two normals that combos into EX Psycho Skull directly, being the fastest standing mid that gives him a combo. Fantastic for covering space when anticipating a grounded enemy approach, and also excellent on oki with EX Psycho Skull buffered behind it to safely convert on hit. Pushback on block also allows Quan to attempt a poke whiff punish with backdash into B3. The followup hit of F21 is a critical part of his zoning, covering a huge grounded area while causing a fullscreen knockdown and thus forcing them to retry their approach from scratch. F21 has no gap, but is unsafe at point blank and causes next to no pushback. A safe, comboing kameo followup will give it a dependable cancel option, but some will whiff if done from too far away. Mid-combo, F21 can be used as a fullscreen ender if F44 would whiff, but the longer knockdown of F44 means that it is usually the better option if applicable - the exception being in some long combos where F21 will deal a tiny bit more damage for some unknown reason.

As F2 can combo into EX Psycho Skull by itself, F2 buffered into EX Psycho Skull becomes an exceptional OS to apply when zoning. If the F2 whiffs the input will finish the string into F21, allowing Quan to still get the second hit of F21 out to cover the most space. On hit, it can be confirmed into a full combo, and on block the double hit of EX Psycho Skull will deal significant chip and pushback, leave Quan at only -3, and armor break the enemy if they try to block F2 and then swing with armor. To punish, the enemy can either jump forward or block the F2, dash forward to avoid the overhead projectile, and then armor through the mid blast. However, Quan can punish both options on a read by just inputting F2 and seeing the enemy action. The F2 ~ EX Psycho Skull OS superbly improves Quan's grounded presence, and should never be left on the table against enemies who know to stay grounded against Quan's dangerous antiairs.

F21

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Solid mid string, being disjoint, active, and decently ranged. Finishing the string into F21 is a superb defensive option and a critical part of his zoning, halting the enemy advance while causing a fullscreen knockdown and thus forcing them to retry their approach from scratch. The first hit by itself is also useful as a low commit oki option. F21 has no gap, but is unsafe at point blank and causes next to no pushback, and his natural cancel options are either unsafe or will not combo on hit. A safe, comboing kameo followup will give it a dependable cancel option, but some will whiff if done from too far away. Mid-combo, F21 can be used as a fullscreen ender if F44 would whiff, but the longer knockdown of F44 means that it is usually the better option if applicable - the exception being in some long combos where F21 will deal a tiny bit more damage for some unknown reason.

D2

d2

File:MK1 Quan Chi d2.png

File:MK1 Quan Chi d2 hitbox.png

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d2

Crouching Back Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Solid antiair if S3 would be too slow. Not as wide as the biggest D2s, but the disjoint is still useful. Quan barely moves his body during the attack, making it less likely to accidentally step forward into the enemy's jump trajectory. If fully prepared to antiair, S3 should be used instead for greater reward.

3

3

File:MK1 Quan Chi 3.png

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3

Standing Front Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Licc.

One of Quan's best tools - a huge, disjoint attack that sweeps the air and gives easy combo followups. Superb for space covering and whiff punishing. Many of Quan's moves will entice the enemy to jump, chief among them being Bone Cage and Slow EX Skull - S3 completes these moves by giving Quan a highly rewarding, near-incontestable defense against jump-ins when prepared. Also safe on block, and if properly spaced a blocked S3 can lead into another raw S3 to catch overeager enemies.

Being a meterless jump cancel, S3 is crucial for combo pathing and can be used for kara jump cancels, usually to set up a portal with a combo extending kameo. Hold up while in the recovery of S3, and cancel the prejump frames into the desired move. Best used with the Scorpion or Janet kameos, who provide lengthy suspends for additional followups. Appears to have a limit of two per combo, as the third will knock the enemy away.

B3

B3

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Extraordinarily important string: low, advancing, mostly safe, and confirmable. As such, it is Quan's most important string for a number of situations - most notably in footsies, where it is Quan's second best whiff punisher behind S3 and the large and disjoint second hit make it itself difficult to whiff punish. Also important as a meaty, as compared to F2 it gives a full meterless combo on hit and plays around delayed getup better. When a Zone of Waste is up, B3 will give better damage than 13 while catching crouching pokes.

In the corner, the height from B31 will allow certain quick recharge kameo summons to combo, including Jax Energy Wave and Frost Ice Krash, fully giving Quan a safe or even plus combo starting blockstring. As Psycho Skull is very slow and interruptible on block, cancelling B31 into one of these summons is a much more attractive option.

D3

d3

File:MK1 Quan Chi d3.png

File:MK1 Quan Chi d3 hitbox.png

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d3

Crouching Front Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

A poke that, while better than D1 in many ways, kind of lacks a niche. D1 remains the better choice if Quan absolutely must interrupt, and if speed isn't a priority D4 has superior range, pushback, active frames, and cancel advantage. Technically Quan's fastest recovering crouching poke, but its range is even shorter than D1. Most applicable for applying cancel mindgames from a faster poke than D4, as D3 cancelled into Low Tentacle or Zone of Fear is much more airtight than D1.

4

4

File:MK1 Quan Chi 4.png

File:MK1 Reiko 4 hitbox.png

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4

Standing Back Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Quan Chi's most important tool, and the most peculiar normal in the game. S4 will track the enemy from anywhere onscreen, including midair and mid-combo, and allow Quan to special cancel on both hit and block. It is the glue that holds the character together, and the key to his zoning, unconventional combo structure, and fullscreen punish ability.

Twelve frames is much faster than any projectile, especially at range. With this startup, S4 gives Quan a punish game that is wholly unique; anything that is -13 or worse is a guaranteed catch regardless of the pushback, fast setup moves like Shao's axe buff can be punished on reaction from fullscreen, and nearly anything can be caught on a read as long as it doesn't move out of the attack's way. The special cancel property also means that Quan can instantly start his gameplan, even on block, and certain kameos will even allow him to get a full combo. The most common special cancel is the bone cage, as it maintains the advantage on hit while still restraining the enemy on block.

Mid-combo, S4 kicks the enemy towards Quan and provides the most damage out of his single-hit special cancellable normals. Certain combo extending ambushes like Jax and Sonya will not work beyond close range, requiring S4 to kick the enemy closer and allow the ambushes to catch. Combos can be ended with S4 cancelled into a spell, allowing him to go for setup combos on both up-close and fullscreen knockdown situations. The kick-towards property is also crucial for Zone of Waste (orange) setups to keep the enemy under the portal on knockdown. With the tracking property, certain high juggles will incorporate an S4 to squeeze out more damage, such as after Sektor's Telepunch or Purple EX Skull.

S4 has two main deficiencies to consider, both relating to using it for zoning: it is easy to avoid by forward dashing or jumping, and it does not hit crouchblocking opponents. These are not minor issues, and they require Quan to approach his zoning with more nuance; still, they can be accounted for. Avoiding S4 requires the enemy to advance, where Quan can cover the space with S3, Low Tentacle, or purple fireballs, and the inability to hit crouchblocking enemies means he must properly represent the threat of Psycho Skull from fullscreen.

S4 is one of the most, if not the most commonly used of Quan's tools. Its ability to give Quan an opening to start his gameplan from anywhere onscreen is crucial to maximizing his opportunities, and cannot be left ignored for a character with a latent health penalty. Apply it whenever possible.

F4

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Exceedingly important for combos, entirely worthless outside of it. Against airborne opponents, F4 will cause a ground bounce while giving early cancel frames, giving Quan definitive routes for kameo extensions and his slower specials. Fatal Blow and Sky Drop will work unless in high gravity (and Quan should be trying to cancel into the Fatal Blow as early as possible anyways), and Low Tentacle will almost always work. Finishing the string into F44 will give a lengthy, fullscreen knockdown and is Quan's ender of choice for distance and knockdown advantage, allowing him to start a zoning gameplan or get a kameo setup.

Don't even think of using it outside of combos; it has almost no range, lengthy recovery when not cancelled, and hits high. The one upside is that F44 is one of Quan's only two natural sequences that has no gap, the other being F21.

B4

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Not a great sweep, especially compared to the extremely powerful sweeps it competes with. Still, it's Quan's fastest standing mid, and applying it is a solid low-risk way to check the enemy when plus. The immediate knockdown is also useful to kill time for Zone of Waste to give armor.

D4

d4

File:MK1 Quan Chi d4.png

File:MK1 Quan Chi d4 hitbox.png

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d4

Crouching Back Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	{{{flawlessBlockAdv}}}	-

Quan's best crouching poke, boasting a strong disjoint and surprisingly generous recovery time. Quan's best option to put a low-commit hitbox onscreen, and with a handful of useful buffer options; EX Zone of Fear (DB3) will allow it to safely create space, Low Tentacle will stop counterpokes, and EX Zone of Waste (DF3) is difficult to punish when done at maximum range and immediately starts a dangerous portal situation. D1 is still faster and remains better for interruptions, but outside of point-blank abare D4 is a much stronger option.

D+F+4

d+f+4

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A strange kick, intended as a mid counterpart to S4 but flawed in its practicality. Being even slower than S4, all the ways to dodge that attack are even more applicable against D+F+4, meaning that it's rather difficult to get it to land at all - Bone Cage seems to be the best option. While being able to hit crouchblocking enemies is a boon compared to S4, being unable to special cancel the attack means that its reward on both block and hit is rather limited, and S4 remains a more lucrative option in most situations. The move is still quite new and remains underexplored, but for now it seems like its only real use is as a mid check against an already pinned enemy.

Aerial

J122

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Jumping Front Punch

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Air string meant for maximum space creation, shoving the enemy fullscreen while pushing Quan backwards. Despite its extremely sick animation it is rarely used, as it can whiff if done at high gravity and J21 into F44 deals more damage with a longer knockdown. Certain routes will incorporate its backwards movement to keep Quan within range of a purple portal to immediately begin zoning, but they are very rare. As J1 has quicker startup than J2 it is a better choice for air-to-airs, but in most combos J21 remains a better filler due to its larger hitbox, the exception being in some very high gravity routes where the slower startup necessitates a J12 ~ Sky Drop instead of a J21.

J21

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Jumping Back Punch

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Quan's ground bounce string, also with an extremely sick animation but much more widely used than J122. An important part of nearly every Quan Chi combo, with some of them incorporating it as both starter and ender. The two hits (and especially the first hit from J2) have a surprisingly wide hitbox, greatly widening its applicability, alleviating its on-the-slower-side 11 frame startup, and encouraging its usage as an improvisational extender. The ground bounce means that as long as both hits connect a Sky Drop cancel is guaranteed to work, even in Cyrax chopper throw combos with extreme gravity scaling.

J24, the alternative followup to J2, is intended as a close-range ender but is not terribly useful. J21 ~ Sky Drop will deal more damage, J21 by itself deals less damage but will give a longer knockdown in almost every situation (on top of the special cancel for a better oki situation), and in the corner J24 has a nasty tendency to side switch. Like the rest of Quan's air strings, it does have a very cool animation though.

JK

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A strong jumpkick, even if Quan doesn't frequently jump in on the enemy. Still, if he is looking to (say, he's fighting another zoner and is looking to jump over a fireball), it will perform admirably. On hit, S4 will pick up reliably and allow him to put down a spell, and S4 ~ From the Fog will pick up in most situations. On block, cancelling into Zone of Fear will keep him safe and give him space for further spells. As always, be prepared to empty jump to bait an upblock - B342 is a fantastic string to punish on a successful read.

Specials

Head Rush (BF1)

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Pretty basic, even mediocre projectile on its own. Quan rarely uses the regular version on its own, though; he can fire it from the air to hit mid, he can do the EX skull to cover the ground, destroy projectiles, and start combos, and he can use the Zone of Power skulls for a fantastic all-in-one zoning tool. The plethora of strong fireball versions means that the basic, BF1-on-the-ground version is largely irrelevant in his gameplan, and he should be looking to apply its various and robust upgrades.

The air skull fires downwards and hits mid. As always in MK, instant air fireballs are the fastest way to create a mid projectile, so be sure to practice them. Be wary of its unusually shallow angle; it can be difficult to apply it against enemies at close or moderate range, further emphasizing the importance of instant air skulls. The fastest way to input them (on a controller) is to combine the jump and back inputs by doing up+back and then quickly doing forward + 1.

EX Skull creates a massive skull with a number of properties. It moves at the speed that Quan dictates, it destroys projectiles as it advances, and it puts the enemy into an elongated, comboable hitstun once it connects. The natural recovery on Quan is too long to combo from a point blank 12 ~ EX Skull path, but from anything beyond point blank it is a functional pickup. The startup is long, but if he can put it up an EX Skull immediately gives Quan total control over the fireball situation, which he can press by putting up a spell or applying additional fireballs to cover the sky. Air EX skull won't cause a comboable hitstun, but has a much faster startup, making it preferable for anti-zoning and quick space covering.

With a nearby Zone of Power, Head Rush fires two additional projectiles that hit mid and weave in a sine pattern, superbly improving its utility in zoning the enemy out and applying chip damage. As always against a zoner, enemies will be trying to jump the fireball, but the wide hitboxes of the Zone of Power skulls make it much harder to jump and thus allow Quan to apply the fireball at jump distance. Against grounded opponents, Zone of Power fireballs are safer on block (and slightly less plus on hit, though that's rarely a concern), allowing them to be applied as blockstring enders to keep Quan mostly safe. Being able to combo from any grounded normal, they are also used for kameo pickups when Field of Bones does not combo (i.e. after 214). Air Head Rush does not gain the additional projectiles, only gaining a mild tracking property, so if the portal is up there's generally no need to do the air fireballs. Zone of Power EX Head Rush causes the skull to teleport the enemy above Quan on hit, giving him a much more threatening combo followup that works at any range. The biggest beneficiary is the 12 string, which can be confirmed on hit into EX Head Rush for substantial damage with only one bar spent. Air EX Head Rush maintains all the speed of its non-Zone of Power version, becoming a crucial pickup for kameo combos.

Psycho Skull (DB1)

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Exceptionally important special move, applied for all offensive purposes. The main thing that drives it is the property that against airborne opponents, Psycho Skull causes a fixed ground bounce that can be followed up regardless of the combo gravity - and with S4, it can be picked up from any distance. This makes it a potent tool for discouraging jumping while zoning, as its lenient aim time means it can be properly directed regardless of if the enemy jumped or not, and an airborne catch will bring spectacular reward. As an overhead it can be upblocked, but this is hardly a concern in zoning, as an enemy looking to upblock will stay grounded and further the move's purpose. In combos, it's too slow to combo from anything but 12 on the ground, but many kameo pickups will incorporate a Psycho Skull to squeeze out damage and guarantee the S4 for the special cancel.

EX Psycho Skull will automatically pick the correct distance and cause an additional explosion on the ground, allowing combo pickups against grounded enemies. The ground explosion is quick enough to cause an armor break, and the knockdown from F44 is perfectly timed to oki every armored getup in the game that only has one hit of armor. Delayed getup from F44 will avoid it entirely, but the recovery is quick enough to safely block.

With a Zone of Power nearby, Psycho Skull becomes a barrage of mid projectiles - worse for HTBs, but far stronger for every other purpose, and also letting him armor break without needing to spend meter. Power Psycho Skull is his best zoning tool, covering a massive area in both the air and the ground, leaving Quan plus on block, and maintaining the bounce property against airborne opponents. Whenever Quan doesn't immediately need the fast startup of Power Head Rush, Power Psycho Skull is his go-to projectile. On EX, Power Psycho Skull retains the tracking overhead bouncing projectile on top of the mid barrage - a peerless zoning tool that smothers the screen in projectiles, breaks nearly any armored move, and forces them to react defensively.

The most recent development in the usage of Psycho Skull is combining it with Darrius low heelturn for a dangerous combo starting HTB. On a knockdown, call Darrius, and then hold the Kameo button while doing a Psycho Skull. The mixup lies in whether his low sweep or the overhead skull lands first; if the low sweep lands first, the overhead will bounce the enemy for a combo followup, and if the overhead lands first the sweep will give Quan a brief window to pick up. This is admittedly difficult to execute, as you need to be pressing down when you release the kameo button to get the sweep to come out, but Psycho Skull needs to be aimed. The way to do this is to move the Psycho Skull aiming to the very end of the allowed window and call the Darrius sweep with D+release K first - in sequence, the motions are DK (hold K, release D), DB1, press D while releasing K, hold the desired distance (usually B for closest).

Field of Bones (BDF2)

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A cage of bones that restricts enemy movement, summonable at any range. Highly active and plus on hit, and will erupt to restrict movement on both block and hit. No cooldown, so it can be spammed. Central for zoning, setups, oki, and defense.

Bone Cage, being an important part of his zoner toolkit, is one of Quan's moves that entices the enemy to jump, allowing him to apply his dangerous antiairs. Compared to EX Head Rush, his primary other tool for this purpose, it is harder to apply but much more effective at forcing it as the enemy must either destroy the cage or leap out of it. One D2 will destroy the cage, but this is highly inadvisable, as Quan can notice the D2 and punish the lengthy recovery with S4. A much more advisable option is to sweep twice, which takes more time overall but will usually low profile Quan's S4.

S4 into Bone Cage is a central action - on hit it gives Quan enough time to put up any spell as well as most kameo summons (including another Bone Cage), and on block it will still restrict movement. The startup is long enough for the enemy to jump away, but if they start getting wise Quan can instead cancel into Psycho Skull to catch their jump.

As Bone Cage keeps the enemy standing, is exceptionally plus on hit, and has a lengthy animation, it is ideal for ambush kameo interactions. Motaro and Kung Lao allow Quan to combo from Bone Cage, giving him S4 pickups as well as cheap routes from 214, 12, B2, and F2. Jax is given plenty of time to land his Ground Pound, an interaction that's even better with an EX Zone of Waste up to either kill ample time for armor to appear, or armor through the pound itself. Frost is also given enough time to put up an Ice Wall.

Bone Cage will stop forced movement abilities. In neutral, Quan can cast a Bone Cage in the ground between the two fighters to read an advancing move, and on oki he can put it in front of the opponent to catch their armored getup - he will not be able to punish their armored getup unless he uses EX Bone Cage or an ambush kameo was called beforehand, but it remains a low-risk move to restrict their options.

EX Bone Cage transforms the move into another setup option beyond the portals. It remains on the ground until it erupts, where it will deals damage over time and allows combo followups on hit, on top of the behaviors of regular Bone Cage. Superb for oki and creating a lingering obstacle between the fighters. EX Bone Cage also allows the move to entice jumping in multiple forms; when placed on the ground, and when activated. Like Kitana's Wind Bomb, placing an EX Bone Cage just outside of the enemy's getup location will give Quan a throw combo. Certain lengthy kameo suspends like Cyrax Net or Sub-Zero Freeze will also use an EX Bone Cage in their combos for even more setup time.

Zone of Power (DB3)

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The first of Quan's three portals, and probably the weakest. As previously stated, Zone of Power transforms Quan's fireballs for improved zoning and setups. A nearby Zone of Power also lets Quan get substantial one-bar combos from 12 ~ EX Head Rush. Recovery is too long to be safely used at point blank on block, but at a distance, the presence of S4 allows it to be put up with minimal risk. In combos, F4 ~ Zone of Power is also plus unless in extreme gravity. Despite lacking the immediate impact of its other two peers, Zone of Power is still a crucial move to display whenever possible.

Zone of Fear (DB3 EX)

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A portal that (imperfectly) shoves the enemy away. Always a strong tool, especially on oki, but especially worth it in matchups where the enemy lacks disjoints or projectiles, giving Quan space to create more distance or get things set up. Once up, it won't go away on hit, allowing Quan to disrupt combos by moving it and shoving the enemy off him. Enemies trying to move through the field can easily be caught by S4 or S3. Not actually that common in fullscreen zoning, as it only appears directly in front of Quan, and the time and meter cost at fullscreen is generally better spent on a Zone of Power or an EX projectile.

Zone of Fear is saddled with its odd, frustrating inconsistency at doing its job. Enemies are occasionally able to barely dashblock through the portal; this appears to be exacerbated by high ping, moving the portal, and having multiple portals up. This sucks, and it's not your fault, but keep it in mind whenever putting it down.

• Zone of Fear with a Frost wall is very funny.

Zone of Waste (DF3)

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Extraordinary lockdown tool, infamous salt machine, and the foundation of Quan's up close game. Zone of Waste drains meter from the enemy, just enough to deny breaker, and grants Quan a hit of armor if the enemy has stayed long enough in it. As such, his goal is to kill time until the armor appears, while the enemy's goal is to interrupt him and leave the area. Mashing against Quan becomes an exceedingly dangerous option, with the possibility of an unbreakable combo if Quan has delayed the enemy for long enough. Delayed getup is also inadvisable, as it passively gives the portal time to generate armor without taking countermeasures, though in certain routes it lets the enemy getup in an armorless window.

To delay the enemy, Quan has a number of tools up his sleeve. 2144 is a lengthy string with a 50/50 to force attention, EX Psycho Skull won't combo from most strings but it forces a block against defensive opponents, and Sky Drop is unsafe but the enemy risks a drop into a counter-combo if the armor takes effect mid-punish. On hit, confirming a string into Bone Cage is ideal, as the lengthy hitstun will guarantee an armor tick. Many kameos also give superb options for delaying - Shujinko can do a universal attack into a steal for significant time used, Darrius can put a mixup on them alongside Quan's options, and even Sareena boomerangs on block are a great choice, boasting a lengthy animation and a punish that is rarely worse than a crouching poke (an ideal punish for Quan, as it denies a combo that could have taken the enemy out of the portal reach).

By himself, Quan cannot guarantee an armor tick on oki; without the assistance of kameos, the enemy will always have a brief window to fight back or jump out of the area. Throws are the most dangerous thing for Quan to look out for, as they can absorb an armor tick mid-animation without halting the throw, and often move Quan out of ideal distance. To avoid throws and whiff punish mashing, Quan can backdash and try to fill the space with B34, but if the enemy does a forward jump or an armored getup he will be caught - not the worst situation, as the armor will continue to tick and possibly give Quan a drop combo, but still less than ideal. Kameos that force an armor tick on oki like Sub-Zero will allow Quan to bypass this risky window entirely, vastly improving his pressure. Keep in mind that if the armor takes effect during the enemy's attacks, you don't need to wait for the enemy's blockstring to finish - let go of block and counterattack immediately.

Once Quan has properly established that the enemy cannot mash or armored reversal during Zone of Waste, he can use the enemy's defensive posture to spam spells - Zone of Power at point blank, Field of Bones on block, even slow kameo summons like Frost's Snowflakes become risky to interrupt.

• Remember to keep the portal under the enemy during their combo with Block + Direction.
• If you use Zone of Waste to beat someone who's complained about it before, you are legally obliged to teabag.

Falling Death/Sky Drop (BF4)

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Quan's venerable armored option. Technically the best version of Sky Drop that has ever existed, and still pretty bad. As always, its lethargic speed is its undoing; its 25 frame startup is longer than the recovery of most pokes, allowing the enemy to still block the drop as it comes down even if Quan had armored through their poke. Also has an unpleasant tendency to whiff against certain highly advancing moves, such as the gap in Baraka's DF2. Generally too slow and easily anticipated to be an anti-zoning tool, though it's not bad for snagging enemies in flight stances.

Still, make no mistake - as far as 2D MK goes, this is the best that Sky Drop has ever been. On whiff it recovers in a surprisingly quick 19 frames, allowing it to be intentionally whiffed on oki to move yourself next to the enemy and kill time for a Zone of Waste. Kameos will allow it to be turned into a combo on hit or be safe on block. As a combo ender, it will always combo from J21 and kills plenty of time for a guaranteed armor proc from Zone of Waste, but without a zone nearby its reward on hit is mediocre at best and other enders should be applied instead.

From the Fog/Low Tentacle (DB4)

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This move looks absolutely awful on paper, and to a degree it is - extremely unsafe on block, no greater damage (and less hit advantage) than a simple string ender, infamous two bar EX cost, and its notoriously stringent kameo continuation options (only Sektor and Janet, basically). All of these are true; unless going for the riskiest, most expensive, once in a round yolo mixups possible, this is not a useful move outside of enders, and maybe trying to squeeze out a bit of damage in a long combo to secure a round. You should be certain of the EX's necessity before trying it, as its expensive cost will leave you sorely depleted if they're still alive.

From the Fog is not primarily a mixup tool or a combo starter - it is here to give a 100% consistent knockdown situation with a lengthy animation, with those other two purposes thrown in as last-ditch surprise options. No matter the circumstances or the combo gravity when landing it, From the Fog will put you at the same distance, the same knockdown advantage, and provide a long enough animation to guarantee a Jax Ground Pound, a Sektor missile, a Darrius heelturn, or any other ambush kameo that needs time to land. This is especially important for Zone of Waste; From the Fog will always give you enough time for an armor proc to appear, while giving Quan enough space to attempt an unantiairable jump-in or an armored escape.

Not a great tool for covering space; if the enemy is beyond F2 or B3 range, they are within prime jump-in distance, and From the Fog will entirely whiff. From those ranges, an S3 or an instant air fireball is a better idea.

• When midscreen, make sure to move your Zone of Waste while From the Fog is snagging the enemy. In the corner you don't need to do any adjustments, but the midscreen hit reaction will put the enemy behind the portal in most situations. Use the ample time to push the portal back and position it correctly for oki.

Journey Through Hell (Fatal Blow)

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A pretty good super. Initial claw attack already has wide coverage, and the followup tentacles go to about 2/3rds maximum distance. Will combo from S4 unless fullscreen. In combos the F4 bounce will guarantee a super in most gravity situations, but due to how Quan's meterless bounce strings scale damage, it is always better to route into it as soon as possible - crucially, super will allow Quan to get damage from 21 without needing to do EX From the Fog.

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