Mortal Kombat 1/Reptile

Overview

Strategy

Combos

Synergy

Matchups

Frame Data

Resources

#MK1_Reptile

Introduction

Zaterran Slave

”Reptile is Zaterran, one of the reptiloid race which lives on Outworld’s fringes. Like other reptiles, Zaterrans can camouflage themselves. But Reptile possesses a unique mutation: one which allows him to shift shape to appear human. Bullied mercilessly by Zaterrans for this ability, Reptile left home to make his future elsewhere.”

Reptile is a Rushdown/Mixup kombatant that excels at playing neutral with close and mid-range buttons to whiff-punish and/or hit-confirm into kombos; he has different string starters that share the same enders which launch meterlessly or convert into juggles with Kameos, safe longer-reaching Low attacks (i.e. B3, B4), and a High-Mid S3 tail whip that can be cancelled after the first hit into his aerial Overhead DB4 (which can also be cancelled to establish pressure/mix and extend grounded kombos). Despite weaker zoning from fullscreen, his Mid projectile Force Ball (DF3) has a large hitbox that reaches midscreen and provides a meterless launch that can be extended with another Force Ball in the same juggle kombo by using the EX version or changing its speed. Reptile’s mixup game is enhanced by setting up his Invisibility manually (DU4) or automatically after cancelling (Air) DB4, which disappears if the opponent connects with him on hit or block; this helps him establish unseeable mix and bait the opponent into throwing out whiff-punishable attacks in an attempt to hit him and terminate the invisibility.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Flexible Lizard: Reptile boasts a robust moveset that has tools for every range; the double hitting mid Force Ball from a distance, numerous normals for the midrange, and close range stagger and mix options. Nimble Lizard: With strong dashes, above average walk speed, and a command dash, Reptile is a highly mobile fighter on the ground. Hard to Keep Out: On top of his solid mobility, Reptile can can cover his approach with a slow EX Force Ball. The forceball also allows him to safely apply his skip-neutral moves: Dash Attack (BF2), a fast command dash with a safe on block EX version, Falling Fangs (DB4), a tracking overhead teleport, and Death Roll (BF4), a low profiling, 3/4ths screen armored reversal. Beware the Tail: While Reptile is comfortable at any range, he is at his strongest in the midrange, where he can apply a variety of space controlling normals. Foremost among them is his B313 string, a confirmable advancing Low that can be special cancelled at any point. Meter Efficient Kombos: With two meterless Force Balls per juggle, two kombo starting strings, a safe jabstring that starts kombos in the corner, and two aerial strings that suspend the enemy, Reptile rarely needs to spend primary meter to perform kombos. "To Catch Me...": Reptile is one of the two characters with access to invisibility. Though it has a bit of a delay, he can implement it in his kombo structure to cover the startup. Krocodilian D2: Reptile's D2 has a huge semicircular hitbox, boasting superb vertical and horizontal coverage. Certain kombos will also use a D2 to lead into a reset. Versatile Kameo Choice: With long suspends and useful confirmable mids, Reptile can easily fit Kameos into his gameplan. Common choices include Scorpion for combos and invisibility setups, Motaro (for even better pressure from EX Force Ball, new kombo routes from EX Acid Spit, and easier Fatal Blow kombos), and Mavado for combos from throws and sweeps.

Meter-Dependent Neutral: While Reptile rarely needs to spend meter on kombos, his neutral gameplan is highly meter dependent to create space with EX Acid Spit and Force Balls, advance with EX Elbow Dash, or swiftly enter Invisibility. Mediocre Armored Reversal: Death Roll low profiles and has great range, but its slow startup makes it vulnerable to armor breaks, easy to safe jump, and prone to unintentional whiffing on certain gaps. It also creates almost no space on block, making the punish basically guaranteed. Flawless Blocked: Reptile is uniquely vulnerable to flawless block, with many of his string enders becoming exceptionally unsafe on flawless block. He can use EX Elbow Dash to be safe, but it creates an armorable gap and costs meter. Lacks X-Factor: Reptile lacks the extreme damage, relentless pressure, and terrifying mix of the game's top tiers. He must rely on a disciplined, fundamentals-centered gameplan to win.

Reptile
Base Health	1000.00
Availability

Normals and Strings

Grounded

114

1

File:MK1 Reptile 1.png

File:MK1 Reptile 1 hitbox.png

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1

Standing Front Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
7	2	18	-	20.00	3.00	High	4	2	2	-

Standing jabstring. The first hit has quick recovery and is plus on block. Horizontal range is limited, but decent vertical reach for antiairs.
11 has slow startup but good range for a mid jab followup. It will combo into Force Ball for his fastest standing punishes, though this cancel will knock the enemy behind Reptile and necessitate a backdash for proper continuation.
114 cannot be special cancelled, but in the corner it will allow for pickups with 1 into Force Ball. Midscreen 114 requires a kameo to be continued.

11

File:MK1 Reptile 11.png

File:MK1 Reptile 11 hitbox.png

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1

Standing Front Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
14f	2f	20f	-	30.00	3.00	Mid	12f	0f	0f	-

Standing jabstring. The first hit has quick recovery and is plus on block. Horizontal range is limited, but decent vertical reach for antiairs.
11 has slow startup but good range for a mid jab followup. It will combo into Force Ball for his fastest standing punishes, though this cancel will knock the enemy behind Reptile and necessitate a backdash for proper continuation.
114 cannot be special cancelled, but in the corner it will allow for pickups with 1 into Force Ball. Midscreen 114 requires a kameo to be continued.

114

File:MK1 Reptile 114.png

File:MK1 Reptile 114 hitbox.png

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114

Standing Front Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
15f	2f	27f	-	70.00	10.500	Mid	27f	33f	-7f	-

Standing jabstring. The first hit has quick recovery and is plus on block. Horizontal range is limited, but decent vertical reach for antiairs.
11 has slow startup but good range for a mid jab followup. It will combo into Force Ball for his fastest standing punishes, though this cancel will knock the enemy behind Reptile and necessitate a backdash for proper continuation.
114 cannot be special cancelled, but in the corner it will allow for pickups with 1 into Force Ball. Midscreen 114 requires a kameo to be continued.

D1

D1

File:MK1 Reptile d1.png

File:MK1 Reptile 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
7f	2f	23f	-	20.00	3.00	Mid	12f	-8f	-8f	-

A fairly typical D1 by itself. Bolstered by the presence of EX Elbow Dash, a mid special that will catch counterpokes, deal decent chip damage, and leave Reptile safe at -5 with pushback (unless the enemy punishes with a flawless block or an armored reversal). Like all D1 attacks, almost exclusively used for checking and abare as it will not combo on hit.

23 / 24

2

File:MK1 Reptile 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
9f	3f	19f	-	30.00	4.500	High	17f	0f	0f	-

Bigger, heavier jab than 1 with a larger hitbox. However it lacks confirmable followups, relegating its use mostly to combo filling and antiairs. Has two natural string followups:

• 23 is a meterless combo bounce string. The second hit is identical in every way to the F23 bounce, though in most situations F23 is the preferred pickup due to the greater damage and forward advancement of F2. Still, 23 will connect in several important situations where F23 would be difficult to land, such as in corner 114 combos and after a charged B2.
• 24 follows up 2 with a nearly fullscreen low tail swipe. Like F23 it is identical to the F2 followup version, though this branch is generally more useful than F24 as the quicker recovery of 2 means that the tail comes out sooner. Nigh-unpunishable on a grounded block if spaced correctly, but very vulnerable to jump-ins. Reward on hit is pretty good, giving a decently long knockdown with as much damage as a sweep, but kameos can allow for full combo continuations from it.

23

File:MK1 Reptile 23.png

File:MK1 Reptile 23 hitbox.png

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23

Standing Front Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
13f	3f	33f	-	70.00	10.500	High	51f	-14f	-14f	-

Bigger, heavier jab than 1 with a larger hitbox. However it lacks confirmable followups, relegating its use mostly to combo filling and antiairs. Has two natural string followups:

• 23 is a meterless combo bounce string. The second hit is identical in every way to the F23 bounce, though in most situations F23 is the preferred pickup due to the greater damage and forward advancement of F2. Still, 23 will connect in several important situations where F23 would be difficult to land, such as in corner 114 combos and after a charged B2.
• 24 follows up 2 with a nearly fullscreen low tail swipe. Like F23 it is identical to the F2 followup version, though this branch is generally more useful than F24 as the quicker recovery of 2 means that the tail comes out sooner. Nigh-unpunishable on a grounded block if spaced correctly, but very vulnerable to jump-ins. Reward on hit is pretty good, giving a decently long knockdown with as much damage as a sweep, but kameos can allow for full combo continuations from it.

24

File:MK1 Reptile 24.png

File:MK1 Reptile 24 hitbox.png

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24

Standing Front Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
20f	2f	30f	-	70.00	10.500	Low	27f	-5f	-5f	-

Bigger, heavier jab than 1 with a larger hitbox. However it lacks confirmable followups, relegating its use mostly to combo filling and antiairs. Has two natural string followups:

• 23 is a meterless combo bounce string. The second hit is identical in every way to the F23 bounce, though in most situations F23 is the preferred pickup due to the greater damage and forward advancement of F2. Still, 23 will connect in several important situations where F23 would be difficult to land, such as in corner 114 combos and after a charged B2.
• 24 follows up 2 with a nearly fullscreen low tail swipe. Like F23 it is identical to the F2 followup version, though this branch is generally more useful than F24 as the quicker recovery of 2 means that the tail comes out sooner. Nigh-unpunishable on a grounded block if spaced correctly, but very vulnerable to jump-ins. Reward on hit is pretty good, giving a decently long knockdown with as much damage as a sweep, but kameos can allow for full combo continuations from it.

B2

B2

File:MK1 Reptile b2.png

File:MK1 Reptile b2 hitbox.png

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b2

Standing Front Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
19f	4f	27f	-	50.00	7.500	H	24f	-4f	-4f	-

An overhead chop that can be held and charged. The tap B2 is a dependable if unimpressive overhead, dealing only 50 damage and having short range but giving a close and workable knockdown while being safe on block. An important part of Reptile's close range options, adding another element to his F21 strike-throw staggers, and properly representing it will improve the hit rate of his B31.

Holding B2 will broadly improve the attack itself in exchange for becoming reactable (the minimum charge will give it 31 frame startup, while the maximum charge comes out at 43 frames), but it will also allow Reptile to kara cancel into a kameo summon or a handful of select specials. Of his base moves the Death Roll cancel is the most important by far, turning the startup of a charged B2 into a retreating 50/50 situation with a safe overhead, an armored low, and potential combos from both options. Beyond the kara cancel 50/50, the charged B2 is mostly used while invisible as an overhead combo starter.

Despite what may seem natural, the purpose of the kara kameo summon is not to try and mix them with a summon low, as they are much more reactable than the kara Death Roll. Rather, its purpose is to create some respect so that the enemy doesn't try to mash or armor. Almost all enemies will see an overhead coming and react by blocking high - take advantage of that defensive response to give the summon attack some room. Slow, plus kameo summons like Motaro Tail Turret, Cyrax Net, and some Shujinko moves are the biggest beneficiaries of this, but it can be applied for nearly any summon option.

• While the fully charged version is safe on regular block, it becomes outrageously unsafe on upblock at a minimum risk of -35.

B2 (Half Charge)

File:MK1 Reptile b2 half.png

File:MK1 Reptile b2 half hitbox.png

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b2 (hold)

Standing Front Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Chip	Guard	On Hit	On Block	On Flawless Block	Cost
33f	3f	31f	-	70.00	10.500	H	24f	-4f	-4f	-

An overhead chop that can be held and charged. The tap B2 is a dependable if unimpressive overhead, dealing only 50 damage and having short range but giving a close and workable knockdown while being safe on block. An important part of Reptile's close range options, adding another element to his F21 strike-throw staggers, and properly representing it will improve the hit rate of his B31.

Holding B2 will broadly improve the attack itself in exchange for becoming reactable (the minimum charge will give it 31 frame startup, while the maximum charge comes out at 43 frames), but it will also allow Reptile to kara cancel into a kameo summon or a handful of select specials. Of his base moves the Death Roll cancel is the most important by far, turning the startup of a charged B2 into a retreating 50/50 situation with a safe overhead, an armored low, and potential combos from both options. Beyond the kara cancel 50/50, the charged B2 is mostly used while invisible as an overhead combo starter.

Despite what may seem natural, the purpose of the kara kameo summon is not to try and mix them with a summon low, as they are much more reactable than the kara Death Roll. Rather, its purpose is to create some respect so that the enemy doesn't try to mash or armor. Almost all enemies will see an overhead coming and react by blocking high - take advantage of that defensive response to give the summon attack some room. Slow, plus kameo summons like Motaro Tail Turret, Cyrax Net, and some Shujinko moves are the biggest beneficiaries of this, but it can be applied for nearly any summon option.

• While the fully charged version is safe on regular block, it becomes outrageously unsafe on upblock at a minimum risk of -35.

B2 (Full Charge)

File:MK1 Reptile b2 full.png

File:MK1 Reptile b2 full hitbox.png

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b2 (hold)

Standing Front Punch

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

An overhead chop that can be held and charged. The tap B2 is a dependable if unimpressive overhead, dealing only 50 damage and having short range but giving a close and workable knockdown while being safe on block. An important part of Reptile's close range options, adding another element to his F21 strike-throw staggers, and properly representing it will improve the hit rate of his B31.

Holding B2 will broadly improve the attack itself in exchange for becoming reactable (the minimum charge will give it 31 frame startup, while the maximum charge comes out at 43 frames), but it will also allow Reptile to kara cancel into a kameo summon or a handful of select specials. Of his base moves the Death Roll cancel is the most important by far, turning the startup of a charged B2 into a retreating 50/50 situation with a safe overhead, an armored low, and potential combos from both options. Beyond the kara cancel 50/50, the charged B2 is mostly used while invisible as an overhead combo starter.

Despite what may seem natural, the purpose of the kara kameo summon is not to try and mix them with a summon low, as they are much more reactable than the kara Death Roll. Rather, its purpose is to create some respect so that the enemy doesn't try to mash or armor. Almost all enemies will see an overhead coming and react by blocking high - take advantage of that defensive response to give the summon attack some room. Slow, plus kameo summons like Motaro Tail Turret, Cyrax Net, and some Shujinko moves are the biggest beneficiaries of this, but it can be applied for nearly any summon option.

• While the fully charged version is safe on regular block, it becomes outrageously unsafe on upblock at a minimum risk of -35.

F211 / F23 / F24

F2

File:MK1 Reptile f2.png

File:MK1 Reptile f2 hitbox.png

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f2

Standing Front Punch

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

Reptile's one-stop shop for close range mids. Short ranged, but leads into a variety of crucial followups:

• F211 is Reptile's ideal string for close range hit confirms and staggers. From a stagger Reptile has a wealth of options to follow up; immediate overhead/low with B2 vs B3, a surprise B2 kara cancel 50/50, a throw, or another F21. F211, the third hit, finishes the string with a safe ender that creates significant distance on block and leaves no gap. While it can be punished on flawless block, Reptile can cancel into an EX Elbow Dash instead to throw off their timing. Certain kameos will also allow Reptile to combo from F211, giving him a safe advancing gapless mid string that can start combos from any point.
• F23, a meterless bounce string, is a crucial part of Reptile's combo structure. The knee is identical to the 23 knee, but the greater damage and forward advancement of F23 make it the more preferable followup in most situations. Choosing combo paths that use both available Force Balls with at least one F23 is important to maximizing the bite from Reptile's honest, footsies-centered gameplan. Deals more direct damage than a normal into a Force Ball, but the drop is faster.
• The F24 tail swipe creates a frame trap that will catch mashing and backdashes, and allows for rudementary 50/50s from F2 with the Stryker or Scorpion kameos.

F21

File:MK1 Reptile f21.png

File:MK1 Reptile f21 hitbox.png

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f21

Standing Front Punch

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

Reptile's one-stop shop for close range mids. Short ranged, but leads into a variety of crucial followups:

• F211 is Reptile's ideal string for close range hit confirms and staggers. From a stagger Reptile has a wealth of options to follow up; immediate overhead/low with B2 vs B3, a surprise B2 kara cancel 50/50, a throw, or another F21. F211, the third hit, finishes the string with a safe ender that creates significant distance on block and leaves no gap. While it can be punished on flawless block, Reptile can cancel into an EX Elbow Dash instead to throw off their timing. Certain kameos will also allow Reptile to combo from F211, giving him a safe advancing gapless mid string that can start combos from any point.
• F23, a meterless bounce string, is a crucial part of Reptile's combo structure. The knee is identical to the 23 knee, but the greater damage and forward advancement of F23 make it the more preferable followup in most situations. Choosing combo paths that use both available Force Balls with at least one F23 is important to maximizing the bite from Reptile's honest, footsies-centered gameplan. Deals more direct damage than a normal into a Force Ball, but the drop is faster.
• The F24 tail swipe creates a frame trap that will catch mashing and backdashes, and allows for rudementary 50/50s from F2 with the Stryker or Scorpion kameos.

F211

File:MK1 Reptile f211.png

File:MK1 Reptile f211 hitbox.png

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f211

Standing Front Punch

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

Reptile's one-stop shop for close range mids. Short ranged, but leads into a variety of crucial followups:

• F211 is Reptile's ideal string for close range hit confirms and staggers. From a stagger Reptile has a wealth of options to follow up; immediate overhead/low with B2 vs B3, a surprise B2 kara cancel 50/50, a throw, or another F21. F211, the third hit, finishes the string with a safe ender that creates significant distance on block and leaves no gap. While it can be punished on flawless block, Reptile can cancel into an EX Elbow Dash instead to throw off their timing. Certain kameos will also allow Reptile to combo from F211, giving him a safe advancing gapless mid string that can start combos from any point.
• F23, a meterless bounce string, is a crucial part of Reptile's combo structure. The knee is identical to the 23 knee, but the greater damage and forward advancement of F23 make it the more preferable followup in most situations. Choosing combo paths that use both available Force Balls with at least one F23 is important to maximizing the bite from Reptile's honest, footsies-centered gameplan. Deals more direct damage than a normal into a Force Ball, but the drop is faster.
• The F24 tail swipe creates a frame trap that will catch mashing and backdashes, and allows for rudementary 50/50s from F2 with the Stryker or Scorpion kameos.

F23

File:MK1 Reptile f23.png

File:MK1 Reptile f23 hitbox.png

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f23

Standing Front Punch

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

Reptile's one-stop shop for close range mids. Short ranged, but leads into a variety of crucial followups:

• F211 is Reptile's ideal string for close range hit confirms and staggers. From a stagger Reptile has a wealth of options to follow up; immediate overhead/low with B2 vs B3, a surprise B2 kara cancel 50/50, a throw, or another F21. F211, the third hit, finishes the string with a safe ender that creates significant distance on block and leaves no gap. While it can be punished on flawless block, Reptile can cancel into an EX Elbow Dash instead to throw off their timing. Certain kameos will also allow Reptile to combo from F211, giving him a safe advancing gapless mid string that can start combos from any point.
• F23, a meterless bounce string, is a crucial part of Reptile's combo structure. The knee is identical to the 23 knee, but the greater damage and forward advancement of F23 make it the more preferable followup in most situations. Choosing combo paths that use both available Force Balls with at least one F23 is important to maximizing the bite from Reptile's honest, footsies-centered gameplan. Deals more direct damage than a normal into a Force Ball, but the drop is faster.
• The F24 tail swipe creates a frame trap that will catch mashing and backdashes, and allows for rudementary 50/50s from F2 with the Stryker or Scorpion kameos.

F24

File:MK1 Reptile f24.png

File:MK1 Reptile f24 hitbox.png

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f24

Standing Front Punch

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

Reptile's one-stop shop for close range mids. Short ranged, but leads into a variety of crucial followups:

• F211 is Reptile's ideal string for close range hit confirms and staggers. From a stagger Reptile has a wealth of options to follow up; immediate overhead/low with B2 vs B3, a surprise B2 kara cancel 50/50, a throw, or another F21. F211, the third hit, finishes the string with a safe ender that creates significant distance on block and leaves no gap. While it can be punished on flawless block, Reptile can cancel into an EX Elbow Dash instead to throw off their timing. Certain kameos will also allow Reptile to combo from F211, giving him a safe advancing gapless mid string that can start combos from any point.
• F23, a meterless bounce string, is a crucial part of Reptile's combo structure. The knee is identical to the 23 knee, but the greater damage and forward advancement of F23 make it the more preferable followup in most situations. Choosing combo paths that use both available Force Balls with at least one F23 is important to maximizing the bite from Reptile's honest, footsies-centered gameplan. Deals more direct damage than a normal into a Force Ball, but the drop is faster.
• The F24 tail swipe creates a frame trap that will catch mashing and backdashes, and allows for rudementary 50/50s from F2 with the Stryker or Scorpion kameos.

D2

d2

File:MK1 Reptile d2.png

File:MK1 Reptile 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
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Reptile shifts into his lizard form and goes (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻, sweeping a giant area in front and above him. Perfect for all uppercut applications of antiairs, chip damage, pickups, and reckless disrespecting. In scrambles, swinging the D2 is difficult to punish, deals strong damage, infuriates your opponents, and can be continued with kameos. Though it doesn't quite go as behind Reptile as other uppercuts (especially compared to, say, the Ashrah and Kitana uppercuts) it is still an excellent antiair. The generous bounce of Force Ball also allows certain combos to incorporate a D2 surprisingly late into their structure and still be continued, despite the high accumulated gravity.

3

3

File:MK1 Reptile 3.png

File:MK1 Reptile 3 hitbox.png

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3

Standing Front Kick

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

(Out of date: since the April 2024 patch, the Falling Fangs cancel also allows S3 to combo midscreen.)
A leaping tail swipe that hits twice as a high-mid, with excellent range for its speed. Being a leaping attack it avoids throws on the way up. Slightly less horizontal range than Reptile's 24 and F24 tail normals, but with much greater vertical coverage. Quick recovery and long range make it very difficult to punish on the ground when properly spaced, and its large vertical coverage will require highly accurate jumping to safely clear. Already a great normal by itself, but when combined with a kameo that allows for continuation it becomes one of Reptile's best tools for midscreen combo fishing.

An interesting property of the move is that it can be cancelled into Falling Fangs (the belly flop), despite not being special cancellable. This cancel will even work on whiff, and on hit it appears to apply no hit scaling. Though curious, this property appears to have limited practical applications; damage is not substantially better than a regular 3 by itself (and is obviously much worse than linking the 3 into a kameo combo), the belly flop remains highly reactable at 28 frames of functional startup, and the cancel turns what is normally a difficult punish into a trivially easy punish.

B313

b3

File:MK1 Reptile b3.png

File:MK1 Reptile b3 hitbox.png

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b3

Standing Front Kick

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

Reptile's best normal. B313 does it all: strong range, starts and ends with a low, easily hit confirmable, fast recovery for staggers, and mostly safe. Remarkable for whiff punishes. Much of Reptile's gameplan is centered around fishing with B31 in the midrange to confirm into combos on hit and start offense on block. Back input also makes it easy to use with backdashes, synergizing well with Reptile's strong dashes and pushback.

• B3 has Reptile keep much of his upper body back, making it an ideal normal for counterpoking highs.
• Has a gap between B3 and B31. Use this gap to add an anti-reversal bait-and-punish element to his B3 offense.
• B313 has Reptile perform a classic slide, low profiling highs while advancing about half-screen distance. Unlike other mid string enders it can be special cancelled, giving him even more options for safety and anti-mashing.

b31

File:MK1 Reptile b31.png

File:MK1 Reptile b31 hitbox.png

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b31

Standing Front Kick

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

Reptile's best normal. B313 does it all: strong range, starts and ends with a low, easily hit confirmable, fast recovery for staggers, and mostly safe. Remarkable for whiff punishes. Much of Reptile's gameplan is centered around fishing with B31 in the midrange to confirm into combos on hit and start offense on block. Back input also makes it easy to use with backdashes, synergizing well with Reptile's strong dashes and pushback.

• B3 has Reptile keep much of his upper body back, making it an ideal normal for counterpoking highs.
• Has a gap between B3 and B31. Use this gap to add an anti-reversal bait-and-punish element to his B3 offense.
• B313 has Reptile perform a classic slide, low profiling highs while advancing about half-screen distance. Unlike other mid string enders it can be special cancelled, giving him even more options for safety and anti-mashing.

b313

File:MK1 Reptile b313.png

File:MK1 Reptile b313 hitbox.png

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b313

Standing Front Kick

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

Reptile's best normal. B313 does it all: strong range, starts and ends with a low, easily hit confirmable, fast recovery for staggers, and mostly safe. Remarkable for whiff punishes. Much of Reptile's gameplan is centered around fishing with B31 in the midrange to confirm into combos on hit and start offense on block. Back input also makes it easy to use with backdashes, synergizing well with Reptile's strong dashes and pushback.

• B3 has Reptile keep much of his upper body back, making it an ideal normal for counterpoking highs.
• Has a gap between B3 and B31. Use this gap to add an anti-reversal bait-and-punish element to his B3 offense.
• B313 has Reptile perform a classic slide, low profiling highs while advancing about half-screen distance. Unlike other mid string enders it can be special cancelled, giving him even more options for safety and anti-mashing.

F311 / F32

f3

File:MK1 Reptile f3.png

File:MK1 Reptile f3 hitbox.png

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f3

Standing Front Kick

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

An advancing high with excellent range. Generally overshadowed in neutral by B313, but still an important normal for combo structure and whiff punishing moves that are unsafe with pushback (like Mileena ball roll). Vertical hitbox is also usable for high reward antiairs, though only when entirely ready for the jump. F-input also makes it easy to combine with a forward dash for even better reach. Has two followup paths:

• F311 will perform the superb F211 string followups, letting Reptile turn his most advancing normal into a gapless, staggerable confirm string. The same rules apply; use the final hit to create space, use a kameo to combo from the whole string, and use EX Elbow to mess with their flawless block timing.
• F32 will briefly restand the enemy before falling down, during which Reptile can cancel into Invisibility, Death Roll, Acid Spit, or Fatal Blow (the same collection of specials as his B2 kara cancel). A central part of Reptile's combo construction - at the very basic level, the brief capture state allows Reptile to end combos with the Death Roll for greater corner carry and a closer knockdown, combo into Invisibility, or guarantee a super (though it does apply significant scaling). Reptile doesn't even need to cancel into something, as the hit advantage from landing F32 by itself is long enough to safe jump or perform an oki setup. With kameos the move becomes fully unlocked, becoming a mid-combo tool alongside its use as an ender. By far the best kameo to use with F32 is Scorpion, who gives Reptile the ability to hit Invisibility and still continue the combo with a Force Ball (oddly enough, the up fireballs will connect despite the enemy ostensibly being on the ground). J233 ~ Belly Flop will deal more damage than F32 as a combo ender, but if the gravity is too high or Reptile wants to go for invisibility F32 is the move of choice.

f31

File:MK1 Reptile f31.png

File:MK1 Reptile f31 hitbox.png

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f31

Standing Front Kick

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

An advancing high with excellent range. Generally overshadowed in neutral by B313, but still an important normal for combo structure and whiff punishing moves that are unsafe with pushback (like Mileena ball roll). Vertical hitbox is also usable for high reward antiairs, though only when entirely ready for the jump. F-input also makes it easy to combine with a forward dash for even better reach. Has two followup paths:

• F311 will perform the superb F211 string followups, letting Reptile turn his most advancing normal into a gapless, staggerable confirm string. The same rules apply; use the final hit to create space, use a kameo to combo from the whole string, and use EX Elbow to mess with their flawless block timing.
• F32 will briefly restand the enemy before falling down, during which Reptile can cancel into Invisibility, Death Roll, Acid Spit, or Fatal Blow (the same collection of specials as his B2 kara cancel). A central part of Reptile's combo construction - at the very basic level, the brief capture state allows Reptile to end combos with the Death Roll for greater corner carry and a closer knockdown, combo into Invisibility, or guarantee a super (though it does apply significant scaling). Reptile doesn't even need to cancel into something, as the hit advantage from landing F32 by itself is long enough to safe jump or perform an oki setup. With kameos the move becomes fully unlocked, becoming a mid-combo tool alongside its use as an ender. By far the best kameo to use with F32 is Scorpion, who gives Reptile the ability to hit Invisibility and still continue the combo with a Force Ball (oddly enough, the up fireballs will connect despite the enemy ostensibly being on the ground). J233 ~ Belly Flop will deal more damage than F32 as a combo ender, but if the gravity is too high or Reptile wants to go for invisibility F32 is the move of choice.

f311

File:MK1 Reptile f311.png

File:MK1 Reptile f311 hitbox.png

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f311

Standing Front Kick

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

An advancing high with excellent range. Generally overshadowed in neutral by B313, but still an important normal for combo structure and whiff punishing moves that are unsafe with pushback (like Mileena ball roll). Vertical hitbox is also usable for high reward antiairs, though only when entirely ready for the jump. F-input also makes it easy to combine with a forward dash for even better reach. Has two followup paths:

• F311 will perform the superb F211 string followups, letting Reptile turn his most advancing normal into a gapless, staggerable confirm string. The same rules apply; use the final hit to create space, use a kameo to combo from the whole string, and use EX Elbow to mess with their flawless block timing.
• F32 will briefly restand the enemy before falling down, during which Reptile can cancel into Invisibility, Death Roll, Acid Spit, or Fatal Blow (the same collection of specials as his B2 kara cancel). A central part of Reptile's combo construction - at the very basic level, the brief capture state allows Reptile to end combos with the Death Roll for greater corner carry and a closer knockdown, combo into Invisibility, or guarantee a super (though it does apply significant scaling). Reptile doesn't even need to cancel into something, as the hit advantage from landing F32 by itself is long enough to safe jump or perform an oki setup. With kameos the move becomes fully unlocked, becoming a mid-combo tool alongside its use as an ender. By far the best kameo to use with F32 is Scorpion, who gives Reptile the ability to hit Invisibility and still continue the combo with a Force Ball (oddly enough, the up fireballs will connect despite the enemy ostensibly being on the ground). J233 ~ Belly Flop will deal more damage than F32 as a combo ender, but if the gravity is too high or Reptile wants to go for invisibility F32 is the move of choice.

f32

File:MK1 Reptile f32.png

File:MK1 Reptile f32 hitbox.png

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f32

Standing Front Kick

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

An advancing high with excellent range. Generally overshadowed in neutral by B313, but still an important normal for combo structure and whiff punishing moves that are unsafe with pushback (like Mileena ball roll). Vertical hitbox is also usable for high reward antiairs, though only when entirely ready for the jump. F-input also makes it easy to combine with a forward dash for even better reach. Has two followup paths:

• F311 will perform the superb F211 string followups, letting Reptile turn his most advancing normal into a gapless, staggerable confirm string. The same rules apply; use the final hit to create space, use a kameo to combo from the whole string, and use EX Elbow to mess with their flawless block timing.
• F32 will briefly restand the enemy before falling down, during which Reptile can cancel into Invisibility, Death Roll, Acid Spit, or Fatal Blow (the same collection of specials as his B2 kara cancel). A central part of Reptile's combo construction - at the very basic level, the brief capture state allows Reptile to end combos with the Death Roll for greater corner carry and a closer knockdown, combo into Invisibility, or guarantee a super (though it does apply significant scaling). Reptile doesn't even need to cancel into something, as the hit advantage from landing F32 by itself is long enough to safe jump or perform an oki setup. With kameos the move becomes fully unlocked, becoming a mid-combo tool alongside its use as an ender. By far the best kameo to use with F32 is Scorpion, who gives Reptile the ability to hit Invisibility and still continue the combo with a Force Ball (oddly enough, the up fireballs will connect despite the enemy ostensibly being on the ground). J233 ~ Belly Flop will deal more damage than F32 as a combo ender, but if the gravity is too high or Reptile wants to go for invisibility F32 is the move of choice.

D3

d3

File:MK1 Reptile d3.png

File:MK1 Reptile 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
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Lighter, lower commit option for a crouching poke. Less hit and cancel advantage than D4, but with less recovery and slightly better range and startup. Generally a better choice for midrange poking, as its shorter overall time is less likely to be caught.

4

4

File:MK1 Reptile 4.png

File:MK1 Reptile 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
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Very important normal for combo filling. Deals a decent 7% damage by itself, has quick startup and a high hitbox, and sends the enemy upwards for easier Force Ball connections. Compared to other upward-hitting normals it appears to apply less gravity scaling, and being only one hit means it also applies minimal damage scaling. Has some uses outside of combo filling as it is +1 on block and hits high for antiairs, but other attacks are almost always more useful.

B4

b4

File:MK1 Reptile b4.png

File:MK1 Reptile b4 hitbox.png

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b4

Crouching Back Kick

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

Absurdly fast sweep for its range, and bolstered by an exceptional low profile. Perfect as a low-commit defensive tool for counterpoking, whiff punishing and contesting space in neutral, though its long recovery and lack of forward advancement hamper its usage as an offensive tool - especially compared to other sweeps which can be plus, highly advancing, or both. On hit, the brief advantage (only +7 on hit) and the space created also make it hard to guarantee oki, so if the player chooses to dash up on hit they should not mash. Harder than expected to punish on whiff despite its longer than average recovery, due to how Reptile pulls back his body in the animation.

D4

d4

File:MK1 Reptile d4.png

File:MK1 Reptile 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
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Heavier and more rewarding crouching kick option. Generally better than D3 for interrupts and aggressive frametraps, though more likely to be caught in the midrange due to its shorter range and longer overall time.

• Cancelling into Elbow Dash will leave no gap, unlike D1 and D3.

Aerial

J12

j1

File:MK1 Reptile j1.png

File:MK1 Reptile j1 hitbox.png

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j1

Jumping Front Punch

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

Air jabstring with a slight upward combo suspension, similar to Sub-Zero's J21. Fast startup and centered hitbox of J1 compared to J2 makes it a generally better choice for air-to-airs, and the upward reaction on hit will make full combo pickups easier than J233, but the pickup is still very hard to land. Also used for midscreen optimals from a grounded confirm string, but these pickups are even more difficult. As a combo ender, J12 will give lower damage than J233 but will work in higher gravity, while still facilitating the belly flop to land with the upward reaction. If Reptile has already jumped but it looks like the high gravity will cause J233 to whiff, switch to a last minute J12.

• Faster startup and centered hitbox also makes it much easier to land for instant J12 situations, such as in grounded antiairs or low Force Ball bounces.

j12

File:MK1 Reptile j12.png

File:MK1 Reptile j12 hitbox.png

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j12

Jumping Front Punch

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

Air jabstring with a slight upward combo suspension, similar to Sub-Zero's J21. Fast startup and centered hitbox of J1 compared to J2 makes it a generally better choice for air-to-airs, and the upward reaction on hit will make full combo pickups easier than J233, but the pickup is still very hard to land. Also used for midscreen optimals from a grounded confirm string, but these pickups are even more difficult. As a combo ender, J12 will give lower damage than J233 but will work in higher gravity, while still facilitating the belly flop to land with the upward reaction. If Reptile has already jumped but it looks like the high gravity will cause J233 to whiff, switch to a last minute J12.

• Faster startup and centered hitbox also makes it much easier to land for instant J12 situations, such as in grounded antiairs or low Force Ball bounces.

J233

j2

File:MK1 Reptile j2.png

File:MK1 Reptile j2 hitbox.png

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j2

Jumping Back Punch

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

Reptile's ground bounce string, with markedly higher damage than its peers. A crucial element of Reptile's excellent meterless damage, as J233 ~ Belly Flop is his highest damage combo ender - and Force Ball allows him to combo into it even with high accumulated gravity. Kameos will also allow the string to be used as filler as well as an ender, fully taking advantage of the string's superb damage and corner carry. Though the ground bounce is not quite as high as other bounces and cannot be continued in most midscreen situations, it will nearly guarantee the Belly Flop cancel as long as the string landed, while making kameo pickups easier. The forward advancement also allows it to easily course correct if Reptile is on the wrong side for the combo.

J233, while central for combos, is overshadowed by Reptile's other air normals in other situations. The longer startup and smaller hitbox of J2 compared to J1 makes it much harder to land for jumpins and air-to-airs (and far easier to antiair), and Reptile's excellent jump kick is a dependable air-to-ground option. Still, J233 remains one of Reptile's most important tools for maximizing damage.

j2

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Reptile's ground bounce string, with markedly higher damage than its peers. A crucial element of Reptile's excellent meterless damage, as J233 ~ Belly Flop is his highest damage combo ender - and Force Ball allows him to combo into it even with high accumulated gravity. Kameos will also allow the string to be used as filler as well as an ender, fully taking advantage of the string's superb damage and corner carry. Though the ground bounce is not quite as high as other bounces and cannot be continued in most midscreen situations, it will nearly guarantee the Belly Flop cancel as long as the string landed, while making kameo pickups easier. The forward advancement also allows it to easily course correct if Reptile is on the wrong side for the combo.

J233, while central for combos, is overshadowed by Reptile's other air normals in other situations. The longer startup and smaller hitbox of J2 compared to J1 makes it much harder to land for jumpins and air-to-airs (and far easier to antiair), and Reptile's excellent jump kick is a dependable air-to-ground option. Still, J233 remains one of Reptile's most important tools for maximizing damage.

j2

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Reptile's ground bounce string, with markedly higher damage than its peers. A crucial element of Reptile's excellent meterless damage, as J233 ~ Belly Flop is his highest damage combo ender - and Force Ball allows him to combo into it even with high accumulated gravity. Kameos will also allow the string to be used as filler as well as an ender, fully taking advantage of the string's superb damage and corner carry. Though the ground bounce is not quite as high as other bounces and cannot be continued in most midscreen situations, it will nearly guarantee the Belly Flop cancel as long as the string landed, while making kameo pickups easier. The forward advancement also allows it to easily course correct if Reptile is on the wrong side for the combo.

J233, while central for combos, is overshadowed by Reptile's other air normals in other situations. The longer startup and smaller hitbox of J2 compared to J1 makes it much harder to land for jumpins and air-to-airs (and far easier to antiair), and Reptile's excellent jump kick is a dependable air-to-ground option. Still, J233 remains one of Reptile's most important tools for maximizing damage.

JK

jk

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Solid jump kick with usable active frames and a favorable angle. Easy to pick up midscreen with 23. Reptile's high damage gives it good reward on hit, and on block he can frametrap into his F21 confirmable mid. Reptile's air-to-ground normal of choice.

Specials

Acid Spit (DF1)

df1

File:MK1 Reptile df1.png

File:MK1 Reptile df1 hitbox.png

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df1

Crouching Front Punch

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

Reptile transforms his upper half and releases a hazardous spray. Disjointed and highly active, though it also has slow startup, short range, and extreme risk on block. The regular version is vastly overshadowed by the EX version, transforming what is otherwise Reptile's least useful move into an hilariously powerful space denial tool that smothers a huge portion of the screen. Perfect as a preemptive action for denying enemy approaches. Also usable on oki as a mostly safe, if unrewarding option to cover both regular and wakeup timing.

On hit, Acid Spit puts the enemy into lengthy standing hitstun - potentially up to +42 on a meaty or from a distance. At the farthest edge of the hitbox, Reptile can safely close the distance with a whiffed Elbow Dash. Comboing into it from a confirmed string can be used to hold the enemy in place for a dangerous kameo-assisted setup, but most of the time Reptile will want to cancel into Force Ball instead for meterless damage. Do not use as a juggle ender, as the lengthy recovery will deny most of your plus frames.

• While -21 on an immediate point blank block, it can be up to -2 with a full meaty.
• The Motaro kameo teleport allows Reptile to convert Acid Spit into a full combo.

df1 + block

File:MK1 Reptile df1ex.png

File:MK1 Reptile df1ex hitbox.png

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df1 + block

Crouching Front Punch

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

Reptile transforms his upper half and releases a hazardous spray. Disjointed and highly active, though it also has slow startup, short range, and extreme risk on block. The regular version is vastly overshadowed by the EX version, transforming what is otherwise Reptile's least useful move into an hilariously powerful space denial tool that smothers a huge portion of the screen. Perfect as a preemptive action for denying enemy approaches. Also usable on oki as a mostly safe, if unrewarding option to cover both regular and wakeup timing.

On hit, Acid Spit puts the enemy into lengthy standing hitstun - potentially up to +42 on a meaty or from a distance. At the farthest edge of the hitbox, Reptile can safely close the distance with a whiffed Elbow Dash. Comboing into it from a confirmed string can be used to hold the enemy in place for a dangerous kameo-assisted setup, but most of the time Reptile will want to cancel into Force Ball instead for meterless damage. Do not use as a juggle ender, as the lengthy recovery will deny most of your plus frames.

• While -21 on an immediate point blank block, it can be up to -2 with a full meaty.
• The Motaro kameo teleport allows Reptile to convert Acid Spit into a full combo.

Dash Attack aka Elbow Dash (BF2)

bf2

File:MK1 Reptile bf2.png

File:MK1 Reptile bf2 hitbox.png

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bf2

Crouching Front Punch

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

Reptile scurries forward. If he connects with a hit, he side switches and knocks the enemy down with an overhead strike. If the enemy is airborne or juggled, the initial hit will not connect and he will not perform the overhead attack. EX Elbow Dash has quicker recovery and will perform the followup overhead on block.

Central special with a variety of applications. From a distance, whiffing Elbow Dash is used to quickly close the gap, especially when combined with an EX Force Ball to cover his approach and start his offense once he's in. On a knockdown, Elbow Dash can also be used to corpse hop to secure the corner positioning, or Reptile can do an ambiguous cross-over to mess with their wakeup inputs. The cross-over is only effective against characters whose armored reversal uses a down input instead of a back-forward input (such as Geras), as characters with a back-forward input will be able to OS the correct direction by inputting their armored reversal twice twice.

EX Elbow Dash gives the move applications on block as well. Cancel into EX Elbow to steal turns, end blockstrings, throw off the enemy flawless block timing, and surprise attack the enemy from a distance in neutral. On regular block it is entirely safe at -5, with enough distance for a spacing trap. It can be punished with a flawless block or an armored reversal, but a kameo can be used to cover this weakness - of particular note is the Kung Lao low hat, which not only makes him potentially plus from EX Elbow on block but gives the move an HTB mixup. EX Elbow can also be used on invisibility to hit the enemy with a quick, safe on block overhead, but exceptionally aware enemies will be able to react to the sudden camera shift.

Elbow Dash will not connect on airborne enemies, but this can be put to Reptile's advantage by using it for a reset. During a combo with high accumulated gravity, cancel into EX Elbow Dash instead of the expected combo continuing special. The best normal to do this with is standing 1, as it has the earliest cancel frames and gives the enemy the least time to react to the reset. Following up with B2, B3, or a throw is the more unreactable option but it can be mashed, while following up with F21 will sacrifice mix but catch mashing and allow for a full combo confirm.

• Do not underestimate its range. From maximum distance, Reptile is put within throw reach with a single Elbow Dash.

bf2 + block

File:MK1 Reptile bf2ex.png

File:MK1 Reptile bf2ex hitbox.png

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bf2 + block

Crouching Front Punch

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

Reptile scurries forward. If he connects with a hit, he side switches and knocks the enemy down with an overhead strike. If the enemy is airborne or juggled, the initial hit will not connect and he will not perform the overhead attack. EX Elbow Dash has quicker recovery and will perform the followup overhead on block.

Central special with a variety of applications. From a distance, whiffing Elbow Dash is used to quickly close the gap, especially when combined with an EX Force Ball to cover his approach and start his offense once he's in. On a knockdown, Elbow Dash can also be used to corpse hop to secure the corner positioning, or Reptile can do an ambiguous cross-over to mess with their wakeup inputs. The cross-over is only effective against characters whose armored reversal uses a down input instead of a back-forward input (such as Geras), as characters with a back-forward input will be able to OS the correct direction by inputting their armored reversal twice twice.

EX Elbow Dash gives the move applications on block as well. Cancel into EX Elbow to steal turns, end blockstrings, throw off the enemy flawless block timing, and surprise attack the enemy from a distance in neutral. On regular block it is entirely safe at -5, with enough distance for a spacing trap. It can be punished with a flawless block or an armored reversal, but a kameo can be used to cover this weakness - of particular note is the Kung Lao low hat, which not only makes him potentially plus from EX Elbow on block but gives the move an HTB mixup. EX Elbow can also be used on invisibility to hit the enemy with a quick, safe on block overhead, but exceptionally aware enemies will be able to react to the sudden camera shift.

Elbow Dash will not connect on airborne enemies, but this can be put to Reptile's advantage by using it for a reset. During a combo with high accumulated gravity, cancel into EX Elbow Dash instead of the expected combo continuing special. The best normal to do this with is standing 1, as it has the earliest cancel frames and gives the enemy the least time to react to the reset. Following up with B2, B3, or a throw is the more unreactable option but it can be mashed, while following up with F21 will sacrifice mix but catch mashing and allow for a full combo confirm.

• Do not underestimate its range. From maximum distance, Reptile is put within throw reach with a single Elbow Dash.

Force Ball (DF3)

df3

File:MK1 Reptile df3.png

File:MK1 Reptile df3 hitbox.png

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df3

Crouching Front Punch

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

Reptile's most important move, and for a reason. Force Ball is one of the best projectiles in the game, powering Reptile's combo structure by giving strong and consistent reward from his suite of confirmable normals, while also giving him a superbly rewarding attack for smothering the midrange.

All who wish to play Reptile should make themselves familiar with the Force Ball combo rules: two meterless Force Balls will bounce the enemy upwards in a combo as long as the second Force Ball is a different speed from the first, and EX Force Balls will always bounce if they connect. Force Balls that impede on this will knock the enemy away instead of upwards, ending the combo unless a kameo is used. Most of the time the first Force Ball will be the fast one to ensure midscreen connection, necessitating a neutral Force Ball for the second. Regular Force Balls will apply significant damage scaling to the combo, while EX Force Balls appear to apply regular scaling.

While unsafe at point blank block, the long active frames and slow travel speed will make it plus if performed at a distance. Standing a bit away and loosing Force Balls can be exceptionally annoying to contest, especially when combined with Reptile's midrange normals to dissuade them from approaching. On hit, Reptile can do forward dash ~ F3 ~ Force Ball to connect at nearly any range for excellent reward. EX Force Balls will last much longer, giving Reptile an excellent way to cover his approach. An active EX Force Ball can allow Reptile to use Elbow Dash - already an excellent move for closing the distance - with near impunity, and allows him to use Falling Fangs and Death Roll on block without fear of punishment.

Much of Reptile's gameplan is dedicated to landing this move. Unless the enemy is blocking at point blank range, a Force Ball, especially an EX Force Ball, is almost never a bad idea. Don't leave Zikandur without it.

Death Roll (BF4)

BF4

File:MK1 Reptile bf4.png

File:MK1 Reptile bf4 hitbox.png

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bf4

Crouching Front Punch

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

Reptile's grounded armor attack. By far the best move in the game by raw coolness factor, though with some concerning flaws in its actual usage. Low profiles high attacks (which includes most projectiles), making it one of three low profiling armored attacks in the game. Boasts excellent range, almost enough to reach maximum distance, and EX Death Roll will go slightly farther. As a grounded ender, F32 ~ Death Roll will give less damage and corner carry compared to J233 ~ Belly Flop but will work in nearly any level of gravity, making it ideal as a last minute path switch to avoid punishment in situations where the air ender would probably drop.

Despite this, its defensive merits are middling at best. The long startup makes it easy to interrupt, even accidentally, while making safe jumps against Reptile trivially easy. While it low profiles, its hitbox is also very low, causing Reptile to harmlessly scooch underneath the enemy in certain situations (such as the gap in Baraka's DF2). Death Roll is also of debatable efficacy against zoners despite the low profile, who can usually react to the long startup and punish Reptile severely. Compared to other strong armored moves, Death Roll creates absolutely no space on block and is devastatingly unsafe at -30 (in comparison Liu Kang's EX Bicycle Kicks are -15, and Kung Lao's EX Shaolin Shimmy is only -7), giving the enemy carte blanche to do any punish that they want. Comboing from EX Death Roll is also oddly restrictive, as the unorthodox hit animation and significant forward advancement will disallow nearly any ambush kameo pickup. From testing, the only kameos that appear to be able to combo from EX Death Roll (with inputs done after the Death Roll input, so they can be done on wakeup) are Goro, Cyrax and Darrius. All of these require the enemy to be cornered except Darrius, who gets an extremely brief window to land it midscreen.

Death Roll is not EX Shaolin Shimmy, EX Ice Slide, or even EX Geyser. It's much harder to get away with random EX Death Rolls in neutral even compared to other armored attacks. Recognizing its shortcomings will go a long way towards proper Reptile play.

Invisibility (DU4)

DU4

File:MK1 Reptile du4.png

File:MK1 Reptile du4 hitbox.png

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du4

Crouching Front Punch

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

Reptile throws up over himself, fading into invisibility over the next few seconds. The EX version lasts much longer and takes effect quicker.

Of the two sources of invisibility this one is by far the weaker one, taking time instead of being instantaneous while going away on block. Reptile also has weaker point blank mix than Smoke, so his options while invisible aren't as threatening. Still, Reptile can easily use F32 to set up Invisibility as an ender, and combining it with Force Ball will keep the enemy away during the fadeout, cover his approach, and make himself plus. Fully charged B2 is an obvious choice once invisible, but it should absolutely never be used as an autopilot option - the enemy can punish it severely with an upblock or walk backwards to make it whiff, and aware players can react to the sound and the camera shift. Partially charged B2 and EX Elbow Dash are safer, if less rewarding overhead options. For the most part, play similarly to visible Reptile.

• Before the October patch, people were unsure about what EX Invisibility did. Many claimed that it did absolutely nothing, while some swore up and down that it caused the ticker to pause while mid-combo so that it would last longer.

DU4+block

File:MK1 Reptile du4ex.png

File:MK1 Reptile du4ex hitbox.png

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du4+block

Crouching Front Punch

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

Reptile throws up over himself, fading into invisibility over the next few seconds. The EX version lasts much longer and takes effect quicker.

Of the two sources of invisibility this one is by far the weaker one, taking time instead of being instantaneous while going away on block. Reptile also has weaker point blank mix than Smoke, so his options while invisible aren't as threatening. Still, Reptile can easily use F32 to set up Invisibility as an ender, and combining it with Force Ball will keep the enemy away during the fadeout, cover his approach, and make himself plus. Fully charged B2 is an obvious choice once invisible, but it should absolutely never be used as an autopilot option - the enemy can punish it severely with an upblock or walk backwards to make it whiff, and aware players can react to the sound and the camera shift. Partially charged B2 and EX Elbow Dash are safer, if less rewarding overhead options. For the most part, play similarly to visible Reptile.

• Before the October patch, people were unsure about what EX Invisibility did. Many claimed that it did absolutely nothing, while some swore up and down that it caused the ticker to pause while mid-combo so that it would last longer.

(Air) Falling Fangs aka Belly Flop (DB4)

DB4

File:MK1 Reptile db4.png

File:MK1 Reptile db4 hitbox.png

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Hitboxes On

db4

Crouching Front Punch

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

(OUT OF DATE - April 2024 patch allows Reptile to cancel Falling Fangs into a brief period of invisibility) Reptile vanishes before dropping from the sky in his lizard form. The regular version will track to about 2/3rds screen, while holding back will fall in place. An excellent ender with how both of his air strings facilitate landing it, and also a solid if risky move for pouncing on zoners. A well timed EX Force Ball can cover the recovery, allowing him to approach the enemy from above. The EX version adds armor and while it is too slow to be used as a reversal option, it can be used to bait and punish enemy antiairs. EX Belly Flop is also unbreakable, giving him a solid option to end unbreakable Force Ball sequences.

Reptile needs to be absolutely certain about attempting this move in neutral - while a kameo or a Force Ball can cover it, if those are not available it becomes one of the most punishable attacks in the game, sitting at -35 on a regular block and even worse with an upblock. On a whiff, it leaves Reptile vulnerable for an entire 52 frames. Just like with Death Roll, don't try to outrandom the enemy with surprise neutral Belly Flops.

DB4+block

File:MK1 Reptile db4ex.png

File:MK1 Reptile db4ex hitbox.png

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Hitboxes On

db4+block

Crouching Front Punch

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

(OUT OF DATE - April 2024 patch allows Reptile to cancel Falling Fangs into a brief period of invisibility) Reptile vanishes before dropping from the sky in his lizard form. The regular version will track to about 2/3rds screen, while holding back will fall in place. An excellent ender with how both of his air strings facilitate landing it, and also a solid if risky move for pouncing on zoners. A well timed EX Force Ball can cover the recovery, allowing him to approach the enemy from above. The EX version adds armor and while it is too slow to be used as a reversal option, it can be used to bait and punish enemy antiairs. EX Belly Flop is also unbreakable, giving him a solid option to end unbreakable Force Ball sequences.

Reptile needs to be absolutely certain about attempting this move in neutral - while a kameo or a Force Ball can cover it, if those are not available it becomes one of the most punishable attacks in the game, sitting at -35 on a regular block and even worse with an upblock. On a whiff, it leaves Reptile vulnerable for an entire 52 frames. Just like with Death Roll, don't try to outrandom the enemy with surprise neutral Belly Flops.

The Beast Unleashed (SS+Block)

SS+block

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Not a great Fatal Blow by itself, with slow speed and limited range. Reptile does fling himself into the air during the startup, potentially high profiling low attacks, but don't rely on it. The practicality of the move comes from F32, which allows Reptile to easily apply it in high gravity, giving him a reliable high damage ender that can be executed from any of his combos. Whenever available, end combos with F32 ~ Fatal Blow.

Overview

Strategy

Combos

Synergy

Matchups

Frame Data

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