Evo 2024 Viewer's Guide: Mortal Kombat 1
Test your might. The latest installment of NetherRealm Studios’s flagship franchise, Mortal Kombat 1, makes its debut at Evo 2024. The Mortal Kombat series is no newcomer to Evo, but this year, its iconic gory action makes its way to the mainstage with a bevy of new systems and mechanics.
Mortal Kombat 1 features 28 main playable fighters, but also introduces the brand-new Kameo system - players choose a Kameo Fighters to supplement their main fighter similarly to assist characters in tag fighters. Each provides a set of specials that can help cover blind spots that your main fighter may possess. Kameos fall into two categories - some are Summons, which perform a move while your fighter remains stationary, while others are Ambushes, which come out regardless of the action your fighter is taking. Choosing a good Kameo that synergizes well with your team is the core of the gameplay of MK1.
Mortal Kombat 1 has also been well under its way with its first season of DLC, bringing back old franchise favorites with a series of guest characters perhaps best known for being enforcers of a strict code of law. Ermac and Quan-Chi supplement Invincible’s Omni-Man, The Boys’s Homelander, and Suicide Squad’s Peacemaker. Peacemaker, in particular, has made his competitive impact on the scene; his simple yet strong zoning has been extremely effective at all levels of play.
Evo falls right after the conclusion of Mortal Kombat’s primary competitive tour, the Mortal Kombat Pro Kompetition. The tour consisted of 20 players, gathered together via a combination of specific qualifier events, points on a leaderboard, and a last chance qualifier, all duking it out at Final Kombat this past June.
The past several years of competitive Mortal Kombat have come to be defined by two young Chilean twins - Nicolas and Scorpionprocs. These two youngsters dove onto the Mortal Kombat 11 scene post-COVID, finding themselves in grand finals of CEO 2021, Combo Breaker 2022, and Combo Breaker 2023. Scorpionprocs, in particular, found himself the champion of Evo 2022, and both of them would Top 3 at Evo 2023. They’ve carried their momentum well into Mortal Kombat 1, with Nicolas taking home the gold and Scorpionprocs finding himself in Top 8 of Combo Breaker 2024. Truthfully, it’s hard to imagine the state of Mortal Kombat without them, and both of them are on the hunt for the title of ‘first ever MK1 EVO champ.’
Of course, we can’t talk about NRS without talking about the singular player that defines its competitive scene - SonicFox. SonicFox currently has numerous laurels that they could rest on, with four Evo titles between Injustice and Mortal Kombat. With that said, though, they’ve come into Mortal Kombat 1 swinging, and despite balancing their time between a variety of other titles, they’ve begun this game’s lifespan at the front, winning Final Kombat over Nicolas. After winning Final Kombat, SonicFox declared with confidence over Twitter that Mortal Kombat “has always been [their] throne.” This EVO looks to be their title defense - can SonicFox keep their crown?
Mortal Kombat 1 brings its trademark gory action back to Evo, but its new mechanics and characters bring a fresh interpretation to the classic Mortal Kombat formula players have come to love over the past thirty years. This year, the stakes and competition are higher than they’ve ever been - make sure not to miss it!
