Mortal Kombat has become a household name over the years, giving us almost 30 years of entertainment from movies and video games; even an awesome soundtrack. Most people have heard the phrase ''Finish Him!'' by now and the bloody fatalities have made their way around even if you've never played the games.
In Mortal Kombat X we were introduced to the variations feature. A specific version of any character that usually focused and boosted an aspect of the game. This gave the game a feeling of control over the characters more than ever. Now the players are left to sort through the options and choose what path to take, with a few shining options that stand out among the rest.
10 Erron Black - 52 Kard Pickup
Who didn't want to be a cowboy at one point in their life? You get to ride a horse, shoot a gun, and look good doing it. Now, most of us will never make it there in the real world, that's why we have Erron Black.
The 52 kard pickup variation of the gunslinger has been tried and tested the best option you have. Especially when you have arguably the best Mortal Kombat competitor in the world using the very same variation.
9 Baraka - Marauder
The Tarkatan general has been with us since Mortal Kombat 2. One of the few characters that have managed to stand the tests of time, mostly because of his horrifying look and extremely brutal style of play that Mortal Kombat has become known for. His moves aren't the most complex of the bunch but if raw, unfiltered attacks are what you're looking for then you've come to the right place.
The Marauder variation contains Baraka's most entertaining and damage-dealing moves. Marauder opens you up to taking half of your opponent's health with a single combo.
8 Scorpion - Searing Rage
Scorpion is one of the most recognizable characters to come from the franchise. Sub-Zero's vengeful rival since the series began. Scorpion is the hot-headed warrior we've been chaining opponents up with since 1992.
The searing rage variation allows you to create some serious confusion with the fundamentals of the game. The moves you have with Searing Rage also increase the attack potential of combos. The range of attack and defense makes it the most complete build in the game.
7 Sonya - Ring Master
The general of earth's outer world forces, Sonya Blade is the first gritty female warrior the franchise ever had. The most agile fighter on the roster, she has unique abilities due to her special weapons and lethal training. This combination makes her not only a range threat but a close distance danger as well, all while being a regular ol' human.
Ring Master gives the ability to call forward a turret gun and keep the opponent at bay. The power to corner your opponent and deal massive damage while they are pinned against the wall is a pretty good perk as well. Controlling the distance is key when you don't have much room per stage as it is and this variation is one of the best in the game at that.
6 Sub-Zero - Thin Ice
The other half to the dynamic duo of fire and ice. The coolest character the game in every meaning of the word, Sub-Zero has been a fan favourite for decades. With the range of abilities, he's able to pull off its easy to see why a seemingly invincible ice ninja? it doesn't get much better.
Thin ice allows you to deal with a good amount of damage at range with his Ice Axe attack. Once your opponent figures out an answer for this you can close the distance incredibly fast with his slide. This opens you up to a variety of close-quarters combos.
5 Liu Kang - Luohan Quan
The series favourite and Mortal Kombat champion. Liu Kang is the winner of the first 4 Mortal Kombat tournaments and earth greatest warrior. His only downfall is he looks like a half-price Bruce Lee, and there's too many of those as is.
The main advantage of using Liu Kang is the stagger heavy strategy he uses. Luohan compliments this style of play letting you string together combos off the stagger and dealing big damage with it.
4 Geras - Infinite Warden
When thinking about powerful abilities for a fighter, usually fire or super strength comes to mind, not the ability to control time itself. That's right, he's a regular old Marty Mcfly.
There are not many things more satisfying than a throw in a fighting game. They hit hard, do big damage, and will most likely have your opponent throwing fits. This is what Infinite Warden gives you, that and the ability to hit through blocks makes this a powerful variation.
3 Skarlet - Blood Drive
A character born from a glitch, or so the rumour goes. The witch with a taste for blood magic, Skarlet is a powerful assassin that uses her magic in an array of ways. From turning it into projectiles to using the opponent's own blood to form a weapon.
A higher land rate draws people to Blood Drive but the real fun is in becoming a vampire. You can launch bloody projectiles and once they start to dodge this, you can catch them in mid-air with Cell Siphon turning the tables in the health gauge.
2 Noob Saibot - Dark Sabbath
This is a tricky one to explain. Noob is the original Sub-Zero brought back from the dead. killed by Scorpion in Mortal Kombat 2 Sub-Zero was stripped of his humanity and returned, instead of ice he now controls the shadows. Leaving his younger brother to take on the name Sub-Zero. Phew, now that's out of the way.
Dark Sabbath lends itself better to Noobs base play style. With much a much higher damage output and long string combinations, Noob becomes a nightmare for most players, especially if you're an attack-oriented player.
1 Raiden - Thunder Wave
Mortal Kombats answer to Thor, the god of thunder. Raiden now joins the very short list of characters that have been in the franchise since day 1. Raiden is considered in the top tier of characters to have fought in the game. With powers of teleportation and lightning strikes its hard to handle when you're standing across the stage from him.
Now Raiden has never been a character for the uninitiated. He takes skill and patience to put him to use at a high level. Thunder Wave gives you great mobility around the screen along with a quick long-range strike that's hard to evade. This basically allows you to chip away at your opponent while taking away your opponent's ability to land.