Mortal Kombat 1/Quan Chi

Quan Chi
Base Health

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 a character of contrasts, boasting incredible range, mix potential and an arsenal of projectiles which comes at the cost of a lackluster defense and tying for the lowest health in the game. As long as he can keep his opponent out of his face, Quan Chi can be an oppressive presence thanks to his standing 4, a big teleporting boot to the head which spawns directly behind them regardless of how close they are to Quan Chi. He also has a strong zoning game with fireballs and ranged, disjointed buttons to keep opponents at bay. He also has setplay tools like Zone of Power and Bone Cage to enhance his fireballs and keep his opponent locked down respectively.

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;
Mid Screen Monsters: Many of his buttons have excellent range and are disjointed since they're 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 combo 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 Lord: 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: his new portal, Zone of Waste, drains Super Meter and gives him one hit of Armor if enough meter was drained, giving him more offensive opportunities. The repelling portal was also given a longer active duration, making his keepout game better than before;
Enhanced Mana Regen: Quan's reliance on special moves means he builds meter especially quickly;

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 combo extender, costs 2 bars, which limits how often he can actually rack up large combo damage. Otherwise, he needs to somehow set up Zone of Power to convert off his enhanced fireball for 1 bar and even then he's not gaining 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.

Normals and Strings

Grounded

1

File:MK1 Quan Chi 1.png

File:MK1 Quan Chi 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
-	-	-	-	-	-	H	-	-	-	-

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

File:MK1 Quan Chi d1.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

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

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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

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Not a bad mid by itself, being disjoint, active, and decently ranged. Useful as a more defensive option to cover space against approaching enemies, or as an a lower-commit oki normal from a distance. Mostly suffers from a lack of decent followups - the F21 string followup, while leaving no gap, 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 always the better option if applicable.

F21

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Not a bad mid by itself, being disjoint, active, and decently ranged. Useful as a more defensive option to cover space against approaching enemies, or as an a lower-commit oki normal from a distance. Mostly suffers from a lack of decent followups - the F21 string followup, while leaving no gap, 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 always the better option if applicable.

F2

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

File:MK1 Quan Chi 3.png

File:MK1 Quan Chi 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
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

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 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 kameo, who provides a lengthy suspend for additional followups and can easily fit into the up input of the kara cancel.

d3

File:MK1 Quan Chi d3.png

File:MK1 Quan Chi d3 hitbox.png

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d3

Crouching Front Kick