Mortal Kombat 11/Shang Tsung

Shang Tsung #MK11_TSU
INFLUENCE Soul Sorcerer and historic host of the Mortal Kombat. Born in Earthrealm, Shang Tsung’s relentless pursuit of powerful magic led him to Outworld, where Shao Kahn offered him a dark power that no sorcerer on Earthrealm could. Shang Tsung pledged his eternal loyalty to Shao Kahn in exchange for this evil magic, but he is no faithful servant. He dreams of the day his sorcery will overtake Shao Kahn’s, and he’ll pay any price to get there.
Data
Health	1000.00
Hitbox	Male

Overview Matchups

Introduction

Shang Tsung is a versatile fighter who can scrap for an advantage at any range, zoning the enemy out with his unduckable projectiles at a distance and then transitioning to plus frames and frame traps when up close.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Comfortable at Any Range: Shang Tsung has go-to options for any distance: zoning from afar with Fire Skull, Corpse Drop, and Crashing Flames/Ground Eruption, mid-range plus frames with F242 and F4, mid-range mixups with F3 and B1, and point blank options with his superb 1 jab string and B3, the fastest combo starting low in the game. Plan B: Shang Tsung's central normals usually have an alternate form that covers their primary weakness, broadly improving his safety and giving him more ways to bait and punish the enemy. Numerous Plus Frames: Shang Tsung has five normals which make him plus. Three of them also have an alternate form that safely punishes the enemy for attempting to duck or flawless block. Devious Short Hop Mix: B3 has brilliant synergy with his SHK, which is extremely delayable and has a near-identical startup animation. Excellent Jab String: Shang Tsung's 112 string, while having much less forward advancement and range than other jab strings, gives him a wealth of options when applied offensively. 1 and 11 have lighting fast recovery for staggers and pressure resets. 112 gives a fullscreen +42 knockdown on hit, makes him +6 with mid-screen distance on block, and has a perfect animation for an auto shimmy. While 112 has a flawless block gap, 113 will safely catch the enemy for attempting to FB. Ninja Squad: Shang Tsung's ninja kustoms give him surprising utility for the slots spent: Ermac Lift is a rare example of a one-slot combo extender that works on both grounded and airborne enemies, Rain Superkick gives him pressure, staggers, single hit confirms, longer combos, and unbreakable damage, Smoke Shake is one of the best anti-projectile moves in the game, and Reptile Slide gives him new 50/50s, fireball avoidance, and another KB to use in combos (though the KB is very hard to apply).

Weak Reversal Attacks: Shang Tsung's reversal U2 and U3, while having a quick startup, also have tiny hitboxes that are prone to unintentional whiffing. His U2 is also notoriously difficult to follow up due to its low bounce, lack of forward advancement, and Shang Tsung's slow forward dash. Comes With A Cost: Many of Shang Tsung's kustom variations either modify a base move or remove it entirely, often necessitating a differing combo structure and approach. Poor Dashes: Shang Tsung has very sluggish dashes. Lengthy recovery and poor acceleration also mean that his wavedash is very slow. This is partially compensated by his above-average walk speed, though. Weak Krushing Blows: Shang Tsung's Krushing Blows are notoriously difficult to land, with his Rain Superkick having perhaps the most impractical KB in the game.

Movelist

Normals and Strings

1

Face Smasher
1

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	9	2	11
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	23	4	4	-
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2

Face Smasher
2

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	9	2	11
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	23	4	4	-
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3

Face Smasher
3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	9	2	11
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	23	4	4	-
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4

Face Smasher
1

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	9	2	11
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	23	4	4	-
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Jump and Hop Attacks

Face Smasher
1

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	9	2	11
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	23	4	4	-
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Getup and Flawless Block Attacks

Face Smasher
3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	9	2	11
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	23	4	4	-
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Throws

Face Smasher
3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	9	2	11
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	23	4	4	-
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Special Moves

Face Smasher
3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	9	2	11
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	23	4	4	-
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Fatal Blow

Face Smasher
3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	9	2	11
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	23	4	4	-
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Kustom Abilities

DEEP FREEZE

"Modifies Ice Ball. Can amplify Ice Ball Special Move. Absorbs other projectiles."

2 Slots, No Conflicts, No Requirements

Face Smasher
3

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery
20.00 / 3.00 / 0.30	High	9	2	11
Cancel	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	F/Blk Adv	Cost
12	23	4	4	-
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