Mortal Kombat 11's Joker has been out for nearly two weeks now, meaning the community is shifting from learning the character to perfecting their skills with tournament and custom variations. The Mortal Kombat 11 Tier list is pretty balanced, so for the most part, this is player preference. However, there have been a couple of variations that are widely praised.
Interestingly enough, Mortal Kombat 11 won't be at EVO 2020, so for fighting game fans, that's a fatal blow to the show. There will still be other tournaments it'll appear at, and there's even rumblings of bigger tournaments sponsored by the game's developers and publishers. In other words, variations of the Joker at a tournament level are nowhere near dead and gone. For simplicity's sake, here's the best tournament variation and two of the best kustom variations for the Joker.
Mortal Kombat 11 Joker - Ace of Knaves
In Mortal Kombat 11, Joker's Ace of Knaves is more about technical gameplay and seizing opportunity and advantage. It's a variation focused on setups for the Joker. Its special moves involve the Jack in the Box as a powerful amplification anti-air attack. In short, foes in Mortal Kombat 11 are going to hesitate when it comes to jumping, granting Joker the time to put out some combos and other setups
His second Jack in the Box attack sets up enemies for an easy combo and has a lot of block stun. Again, this requires players to be very technical, but once implemented, it does its job with great efficiency and helps Joker lock in the Mortal Kombat 11 win.
Mortal Kombat 11 Joker - Kapow and Batsy Pew Pew
One of the most popular kustom variations is the KAPOW and Batsy Pew Pew, which combines a 2-slot launcher and low projectile. This grants Joker two big advantages: it becomes easier to initiate a Mortal Kombat 11 combo, while also having a ranged set-up for trickier opponents. Kapow replaces Birdboy breakdown and sees Joker use his boxing gloves to land multiple hits, while Batsy Pew Pew sets Batsy-Poo on the ground to shoot several low bullets. At best and perhaps worst, it keeps the opponent at bay or forces them into the air, creating an opportunity for Joker to move in either way.
Alternatively, if players prefer to try to keep combat up close and personal, Batsy Pew Pew can be replaced with BOING. This allows the Joker to jump into the air and close distances creating by opponents in Mortal Kombat 11.
Mortal Kombat 11 Joker - Kapow and Corpse Trot
KAPOW, as described earlier, is a good ability to get in a variety of useful combos, so it shouldn't be a surprise to ever see a Mortal Kombat 11 enemy rocking this with Joker. When combined with Corpse Trot, which sees Joker dance with a dead body and throw it at the opponent, it turns Joker into a rushing power heavy that can keep the pressure on during a match.
At the end of the day, the possible variations are rather balance and dependent upon personal play. But whether its forcing heavy constant combat, maintaining variety in gameplay, or playing competitively in Mortal Kombat 11, there's a little something for everyone with the Joker.
Mortal Kombat 11 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One.
