Some MK1 fans can’t understand why Sub-Zero mains stay loyal to the character given ongoing concerns about his damage output.
Even before Mortal Kombat 1‘s early access launch, Sub-Zero’s abilities were cause for much concern. During the beta period, players thought the Lin Kuei ninja felt way too overpowered. Now, there’s a contingent of users who believe he could benefit from a buff.
In the beta, an 18-hit combo could deal more than 455 damage. “Before and after” footage shared on Reddit shows that an identical combo now won’t cross over the 300 damage mark.
Something had to give, of course, but such talk has some Mortal Kombat 1 players wondering why Sub-Zero remains so popular in online matches.
Sub-Zero’s damage issues in MK1 raise questions about fan loyalty
A Reddit post featuring a close-up of Bi-han has a caption reading, “This guy’s mains are loyal.” In the post itself, the Redditor notes that despite “all the talk about his damage,” they still see “more Sub-Zeroes than any other opponent” when playing online.
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The poster additionally called attention to the many tier lists from pros who often feature Sub-Zero dead last. Several other people in the thread said they’ve similarly noticed Sub-Zero favoritism in Ranked and Versus matches. But it seems the character’s iconic design and general gameplay simplicity continue to win out.
Even in acknowledging the damage problem, Reddit users in the thread quickly came to Sub-Zero’s defense. One person wrote, “Dude looks cool (no pun intended), has some flashy relatively easy combos, and while not being the best, is still pretty fun to play.”
For some others, loyalty to the blue-clad ninja runs especially deep. That much is evidenced in the following: “…Loyalist is definitely the right word though. I’ve mained my frost boy for 12 straight games. I don’t care if he’s Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, a tragic hero, or a seething edge lord; all I care is that he’s the blue dude who freezes his opponents.”
NetherRealm has yet to state whether or not it plans to buff Sub-Zero in a future patch. For now, the studio is also busy tackling other issues, such as the Player 1 advantage bug.