MK11 Tier List [2023] – Ranking All 37 Characters

Mortal Kombat 11 has a diverse roster of 37 characters featuring some of the fantastic fighters from the franchise and a few new faces from movies and comics. Each kombatant or character plays out quite differently from the other character in the game, and not all perform exceptionally well. The combos and playstyle of some of the characters can be learned within days, while a few complex ones have a steady and challenging learning curve. This is why we have curated the MK11 tier list to rank the overall usability of fighters in the game.

Key Highlights

• Each of the 37 characters or “Kombatants” in MK11 manifests its own playstyle and belongs to a distinct species group. 
• Fighting playstyles in MK11 include Zoner, Damage Dealer, Grappler, and Rushdown. 
• Character ranking is based on one’s best combos, attack patterns, or special moves and hence accounts for Zoners and Damage Dealers to rank higher than Rushdowns and especially Grapplers. 
• The highlight picks of MK11 are Fujin, The Joker, Liu Kang, Jacqui Briggs, and Cetrion. 
• Skarlet, Robocop, and Shao Kahn must be your last choice if a smooth triumph in MK11 is your end goal. 

Here are the complete stats for all 37 characters: 

S-Tier

All of the characters listed in our S-tier are the best in their respective roles in the game. We have mentioned damage dealers, zoners, and rush down characters in this list. So, choose these kombatants and master them if you want to keep winning fights online or otherwise.

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Cetrion

Cetrion, by far, is the best Kombatant in our entire Mortal Kombat 11-tier list. Being an incredible zoner character, she is the master of striking enemies while maintaining a safe distance. Cetrion’s most used abilities and combos are associated with water and fire elements. She can land a five-to-seven combo hit quite conveniently. Keeping all this under consideration, she is probably the best and at the same time, the easiest choice to do Klassic Tower on hard mode.

Jacqui Briggs

Jacqui Briggs comes to our mind first when it comes to picking an excellent rush down fighting style kombatant in Mortal Kombat 11. She is the master of attacking the enemy frequently with her basic and advanced combo attacks. Jacqui Briggs is a perfect solution when it comes to taking down slow-moving kombatants.

Liu Kang

Liu Kang is a slightly less versatile rush down character than Jacqui Briggs, but still, he has his moments. He strikes the enemy with a variety of high, mid, and low basic attacks that deal a decent amount of damage. Besides that, Liu Kang can also keep an opponent at bay by spamming fireballs and flying dragon kick special moves.

The Joker

When it comes to dominating and destroying opponents in Klassic Tower or in online matches, the vicious version of ‘The Joker never disappoints. He has plenty of high, mid, and low combo attacks to rinse and repeat while fighting opponents. As a rush-down character, The Joker is another excellent pick players should start playing with.

Fujin

Raiden’s brother, Fujin, is nothing short of a surprise as he strikes his enemies using the Kusanagi no Tsurugi sword. He is the master of controlling wind and manipulates it to his advantage in carrying out special moves and combo attacks. Fujin will be our answer if you ask us which Zoner Kombatant comes close to Cetrion.

A-Tier

All of the characters in our A-tier list are very close to perfect fighters in the game world. They are not the best, but they will do the job and not disappoint you if you master them. So, start learning all the attack and defensive styles of these fighters, and the enemy will have a tough time defeating you. 

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Sheeva

Sheeva is by far the best grappler-style combatant in our tier list. She and Geras compete for neck to neck to become the best grappler-style-oriented fighter, but Sheeva easily takes the crown. This is because most of her attacks deal high damage, and executing her combos and special moves feels easier than Geras.

Kabal

Kabal is another excellent addition to the zoner-fighting playstyle. He is the kind of character whose special moves or combos cannot be exploited. Just like Scorpion’s teleports and staggers, you cannot frequently spam Kabal’s move sets and expect to hurt your opponent. This thing not only keeps the gameplay fresh but always keeps the enemy on alert. Because no one can anticipate which move you will execute with Kabal. Other than that, his damage is not significant, but overall, Kabal is a valuable kombatant in Mortal Kombat 11.

Geras

Geras is by far the best grappler playstyle combatant you will come across in the game. His special moves and combos deal massive damage and drain a good chunk of the enemy’s health bar. Whether you are playing online matches or single-player ones, mastering Geras will take time, but in the end, you will have a great chance of winning matches with him.

Spawn

Arguably, Spawn is probably the only rush down character in Mortal Kombat 11 that has a difficult learning curve. Mastering combos and executing the special moves in the right instances is very tricky while playing with Spawn. However, everything pays off when you fully get a good grasp on this kombatant.

Kano

Kano is yet again another great grapple playstyle combatant in our A-rank MK11 tier list. Unlike Spawn, he is not challenging to learn. Most of his combo attacks and special moves deal decent damage and are pretty fast in execution. If you have never played with Kano, we highly recommend going for the Ripper variation first.

Shang Tsung

Shang Tsung comes to our mind first when it comes to striking enemies with a variety of tools and a decent number of combos. He has an excellent range to attack an opponent. Many players use Shang Tsung to bait an enemy into approaching the kombatant, then take them by surprise. Additionally, he has got a few projectiles as well if you want to remain at a distance from the opponent.

Noob Saibot

Noob Saibot offers a mix of rush down and zoner playstyle characteristics. This gives the kombatant a lot of versatility when it comes to playing with different styles. For example, you can become an excellent space controller in fights and pressure your opponent, or you can spam his projectiles by mixing them with clone and ball attacks. This is why Noob Saibot is quite a dynamic character in Mortal Kombat 11.

Sub-Zero

Sub-Zero is another great fighter in our A-rank. Players who have been playing with him since MK9 or MKX will not feel disappointed with Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat 11. His B1 (B: Backwards, 1: Front Punch) is probably great to start long-range combos. Other than that, his B3, 2 (B: Backwards, 3: Front Kick, 2: Back Punch) feels super-fast in execution. All things considered, Sub-Zero is a great rush down character that has medium to long-range combos.  

Cassie Cage

All the variations of Cassie Cage make the character a better rush down player. She is an excellent kombatant in the game, and most of the time, if not all, you will be required to push an opponent into the corner and land combos. Cassie Cage never disappoints whether you are playing Spec Ops or Brawler variation or even a custom one. 

Kollector

Kollector is probably the only zoner playstyle character that shines best when you use the ‘Back in the Pack’ variation. Because in this variation, he can easily take an opponent into a corner with his basic and advanced combos. Additionally, his F12 is an excellent moveset to stagger or land a confirmed hit. So, keeping all things considered, Kollector may not be the best zoner kombatant, but he is undoubtedly not the worst one as well.

Kotal Kahn

Almost all of Kotal Kahn’s variations are great, and he can be a fantastic zoner character if you learn how to put pressure on opponents. However, if you are aiming for a high-damage dealer, then use the Ascension variation of the kombatant. Kotal Kahn lands some serious damage and has a close-range mid in the command grab.

B-Tier

All the fighters falling under B-tier in Mortal Kombat 11 are above-average zoners, grapplers, and rush down kombatants in the game. Unfortunately, some of these characters have a difficult learning curve, and mastering them will not be easy.

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Kung Lao

Kung Lao is a decent rushdown fighter in our B-rank Mortal Kombat 11 tier list. He can put great pressure on opponents and has satisfactory control over the space in a fight. Kung Lao’s F1 moveset is excellent for controlling. Out of all variations, the Hat Tricks is the one you should go for if you want to master this character quickly.

Johnny Cage

Johnny Cage is the kind of fighter who gets into conflict, lands a couple of combos, and gets out. Playing as a rushdown style with him will not give you the best results. It is because Johnny Cage’s fighting style is based more on the movement of the character. When he gets out of range, let the opponent approach and attack you first. Then, you need to wait it out and attack them back while they try to figure out how to counter Johnny’s moves. He is pretty fun to learn kombatant in Mortal Kombat 11.

Jade

Jade is a great fighter with the decent range to land surprise attacks on opponents. Out of all variations, her ‘Deadly Assassin’ is the one that has versatile combos. Jade’s 434 combo creates a lot of space between her and the other fighter. Her 2124 combo is a fantastic combo attack that most players anticipate pretty late because it has a lot of range. Finally, Jade’s parry can be amplified as well for some extra damage.

Sindel

Sindel is a great zoner fighting style kombatant in the game. Most of her attacks, if not all, deal high damage on the opponent. Sindel plays out more or less like Noob Saibot. Like him, she also has a slow learning curve. You can learn Sindel’s first two variations pretty quickly. Still, her third one is a bit difficult and requires a lot of time to properly utilize and execute all of her combos and special moves at the right time in a fight.

D’vorah

D’vorah is the perfect solution for countering the zoning opponents. Her high to mid and low combos are amazing when she is closer to the enemy; D’vorah can put a lot of pressure. She also has a good range of attacks and can fight opponents while maintaining a certain distance.

Erron Black

When it comes to mixing combos and special moves, Erron Black is a fantastic kombatant in our B-rank. Unfortunately, he does not land overwhelming damage on opponents while executing the combos. However, he makes up for the shortcomings in the combo department. Erron’s combo variety is good enough to keep an enemy at its toes.

Scorpion

Scorpion has some unsafe combos and special moves that sometimes can play out nicely while other times can destroy the game. His Teleport and Deathspin move are an example of unsafe moves. Other than that, most of his jump attacks are decent and land good damage. Scorpion’s pokes are excellent as well.

The Terminator

Terminator is a unique fighter than most of the kombatants in the game. His playstyle has a bit of both rushdown and zoner touch. Most of his attacks deal serious damage, but they lack in range except for a few projectile-based attacks.

Jax Briggs

Jax Briggs is a tough fighter to master, but you can pretty much learn most of his skills quickly. He can deal significant damage, has good projectile-based attacks, and a decent hitbox.

Raiden

Raiden is a rugged fighter to master in the game, but you can dominate most opponents if you know how and when to execute his combos and special moves. So, while you keep working on mixing your combos to confuse opponents, use Quick Charge, Electric Burst, and Storm Cell the most to land decent damage on enemies.

Sonya Blade

Sonya is by far a decent brawler and rushdown fighter in our B-rank MK11 tier list. Her zoning playstyle is excellent but go with her first variation if you are looking for a less zoning gameplay. Sonya is a great character to main if you are into throwing mix-up attacks between rushdown and zoning playstyle.

Frost

Frost offers a variety of tools and traps to hit an enemy. However, most of her combos and special moves are too complex to mix up and confuse opponents.

Rain

Like Terminator, Rain is another unique character with great potential in offering a variety of playstyle. Suppose you utilize his dash speed properly and have a decent grip on executing attacks from a range. In that case, you can keep on confusing opponents in throwing mix-up attacks and take them down every time with a surprise attack.

Mileena

Mileena is a fun character who offers anti Sheeva’s stomp attack and has significant zoning combo attacks. Learning all of her variations and utilizing them in fights may take time, but they pay off in the end.

C-Tier

All kombatants that come in our C-tier are below average and offer a playstyle that not everyone can master. In addition, these fighters have complex movesets, and executing them at a proper time during fights can become challenging.

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Rambo

Rambo is an above-average zoner fighting style kombatant in our Mortal Kombat 11 tier list. Most of his basic and advanced combo attacks are focused around overheads, and he does not have enough low attacks outside of his special moves. Still, Rambo’s FUBAR, Shoulder Roll, and grab combos are a few movesets that players frequently use during the fights.

Baraka

Baraka is the best when it comes to getting in up close, deal a couple of hits or a combo and get out of a difficult situation. He is also a great kombatant that comes with fast and high damage projectiles. Most of Baraka’s combos are oriented around mids and lows, so executing them frequently is never a problem. His jump kick is by far the most spammed basic attack by players.

Nightwolf

Nightwolf is not the best rushdown kombatant, but he certainly is not the worst. If you never tried using this character in the game, we highly recommend going with the Ancestral variation. For a rushdown playstyle, in this variation, Nightwolf performs more like a grappler. In this variation, he loses his launcher but receives a teleport moveset which becomes extremely useful in landing surprise attacks.

Kitana

Kitana’s fan combos and mid to high damage attacks have suffered since the day one patch. Over time she has received a lot of buffs that have made the kombatant a tad bit better. Still, she lacks versatility when it comes to executing combos under challenging situations. For a long time, players who wanted to keep playing Kitana have resorted to custom options, but that too does not become a game-changer for her.

D-Tier

The fighters under our D-tier ranking are slow and boring. They do not offer a rewarding value while playing online or on hard mode in single-player Klassic Tower games.

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Skarlet

For a zoner playstyle, Skarlet could be a difficult Kombatant to master in our D-rank Mortal Kombat 11 Characters. Even though her special moves and combo attacks deal a decent amount of damage, especially the high ones, executing them back to back may require a lot of timing. However, Skarlet’s teleport variation is a tad bit easy to master and is great for countering a zoner opponent.

Robocop

Robocop is probably the only zoner character in Mortal Kombat 11 whose movesets are heavily based on projectiles. He has a few terminator-stylized melee attack moves, but they lack variation and do not keep the gameplay fresh. If you are still looking to play with Robocop, his second variation is exceptionally strong to land decent damage on opponents and is excellent in zoning other kombatants.

Shao Kahn

Shao Kahn is too stiff and, at the same time, has slow movement, making the kombatant a weaker character in the game. On top of that, mastering his combos and executing them back to back during the fights also requires good timing and sharp memory. Considering all the downsides of Shao Kahn, the only bright side we think he has is that he hits hard and drains a good amount of health bar.

Summary

Now that you know our categorization of the entire character roster across five tiers, you may have a few questions in your mind. For example, you may think about the best attacker, zoner, grappler, or rushdown fighter in the game.

We are here to tell you that regardless of our answers if you are good with a C or D tier kombatant in the game, you must keep playing with it and ignore the rankings. 

That is pretty much everything you need to know about Mortal Kombat 11 Characters. Out of all characters, which one is your best zoner, grappler, and rushdown fighter in the game. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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