Mortal Kombat 1 continues the long series tradition of being violent and grotesque with its over-the-top ways to decimate your opponents. There is one thing, however, that is more disgusting than any Fatality the game has to offer: Taunting. While some fighting game fans would like to believe that there should be a sense of respect between opponents, the roots of the genre lie in not the heart of battle but in the trenches of the saltiest of waters. The ability to taunt one’s opponent mid-match is one of the quickest ways to turn a simple exhibition into a rage-fueled encounter, and thankfully, Mortal Kombat 1 decided that it needed that ability and I couldn’t be more happy about it. Players that want to truly get in their opponents’ heads with a few distasteful gestures, allow me to explain how it’s done. This guide will provide players with an explanation of how to Taunt in Mortal Kombat 1.
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How To Taunt In Mortal Kombat 1
To perform a mid-match Taunt, you will need to press the down button 4 times in a row in quick succession. This means you will need to perform the disrespectful “Teabagging” that is synonymous in many gaming circles but is closely tied to multi-time EVO champion SonicFox. Even in the most high-stakes battles, they would often find an opening to Teabag their opponent on the road to first place. Pressing the down button 4 times will play one of a collection of animations that express some character from your chosen fighter and display your prowess (or arrogance) in the face of your opponent.
Even outside of fighting games, Teabagging is an action that can quickly anger your opposition, so this seems to be a compromise by NetherRealm Studios to allow players to be a little disrespectful by allowing them to perform the taunt instead of infinitely crouching. That being said, be careful you do decide to use the taunt because it leaves you open for an attack and an opponent that sees this will want to punish you for the disrespect. If timed perfectly, you might even be able to bait them in for some sort of strategy but you should make sure you use it wisely.
An important note is that these taunts that you perform in the middle of a match are different than the animations listed under Taunts in the Kustomize menu. You are able to unlock new animations for each character by increasing your Character Mastery and selecting them in the Taunt menu of Kustomize but these are animations that play between rounds that you win, not moves for when you perform a Taunt motion.
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