Mortal Kombat 1/General Shao/Strategy

Kameo Considerations

When picking a kameo for Shao, the main considerations are:

• Being able to turn Axe F2 into a full combo
• Giving a safe combo confirm from B3
• Maximizing the damage from Axe 22
• Giving an answer to enemy projectiles
• Covering the Power Strike (DF4) cancel gap
• An attack to use with the lengthy animation of Reverse Treechopper (DF2)
• A low attack to complement his overhead enders
• A safe, hopefully gapless ender for his midrange pokes and advancing normals
• An armored reversal to use in places where Devastator would be insufficient.

Shao is not very throw reliant, and he lacks multi-hit specials to go for chip blockstrings.

Kung Lao

Currently the most popular kameo, General Shao has excellent synergy with Lao.

• Low Hat fulfills quite a few of the above criteria by itself. Up close, being a +2 low allows it to be used with his overhead enders and midrange pokes, and from afar it's superb for counterzoning and getting in - deploy Low Hat on the ground, and then approach from the air with Axe J2. Holding Low Hat also lets him use it to cover the Power Strike gap.
• Spin, while not the best armored reversal, is still a usable alternative to Devastator and can be applied in situations where Devastator would whiff. From an Axe 22 confirm, Spin lets Shao continue the combo with J12 > 22 for better damage and corner carry.
• Away We Go (teleport) will let Shao get full combos from Axe F2 while giving him an additional tool (albeit a slow one) against zoning, though the Motaro teleport is generally better for these purposes.

Shao also has numerous opportunities to end combos with Low Hat for dangerous oki situations. These are amplified in Unarmed Stance, where Shao can armor break with held Low Hat into F2 and then continue the combo with B32 for significant damage.

Motaro

The most natural canonical pairing for Shao, Motaro is hampered by exceptionally long cooldowns. Beyond that weakness, Motaro emphasizes unique utility with Shao.

• Centaurian Warp is the main reason for Shao to pick Motaro. On top of giving the best reward from Axe F2 and being fast enough to properly contest projectiles, Shao can use it to skedaddle after unsafe options and catch the enemy's punish attempt. Shao can also interrupt Reverse Treechopper with the teleport to hit the enemy with a reset, with Shao being able to choose between an unarmed stance outcome or an Axe stance outcome depending on how early the teleport was done. Centaurian Warp can be caught and punished by patient enemies, but against overeager opponents it can be difficult to contest.
• Low Tail Shot is Motaro's primary projectile and armored option. It can be applied as a plus low attack from his midrange pokes, or used in tandem with his overhead enders to create 50/50s. As an armored reversal it allows Shao to continue his offense when blocked, though the armored frames on the attack are somewhat spotty. The projectile knocks down the enemy, making it a solid choice for counterzoning.
• Reflect isn't the best anti-projectile option, consuming lots of meter while not giving Shao a definite way in. He can put up the reflect and then try to zone with Death Quake, but without a high projectile to cover the air it is very easy to avoid. Probably the least useful of Motaro's moves.
• Shao can easily set up Tail Turret with F4, and once up it can let Shao enter Unarmed Stance safely or convert from B3.
• Motaro's Fatal Blow startup attack is a godsend for Shao, finally letting him confirm into super from more than one combo.

While Motaro carries a 50 HP penalty, Shao's superior health will offset this.

Sareena

Sareena doesn't have lows or plus attacks, instead emphasizing Shao's zoning and safety while giving him much better damage on confirms.

• Demonic Dance (flipkick) is probably the best kameo reversal in the game, and is Shao's premium pick for a Devastator replacement. The cancel is gapless from his go-to midrange normals, making it a fully safe cancel choice. In the corner, Flipkick can be continued with 2 > 22, giving him a safe confirm from his B3.
• Old Moon (FK) gives Shao a superb conventional projectile with lightning fast recovery, high enough to cover the air against Death Quake and greatly improve his fullscreen gameplan. Up close it can be used as a safe, gapless ender at -3 on block, and on hit it gives enough standing hitstun to jail into Axe B2.
• Kia's Blades, the infamous boomerangs, give Shao superb damage from his 22 confirms by letting him combo into Axe B2. On block, it can be used as a semi-safe midscreen pseudo-confirm from B3 (generally the worst you'll get is a D4).
• Jataaka's Kurse can be used with the long animation of Reverse Treechopper to deny a significant amount of meter, though the drain does not work at all points in the animation. In Axe stance, Shao can use the hex to incentivize the enemy to move, while staying behind Sareena to let her absorb a hit.

Sareena suits a more defensive Shao that stays in Axe stance longer, giving him better screen control and greater reward from confirms. Opening up the enemy is harder, but he can rely on Unarmed stance for that.

Stryker

Stryker is a highly versatile choice, suiting Shao for nearly any situation. Shao's health also helps to offset the health penalty.

• As always, the grenades are the main reason to pick Stryker. The main uses of the grenades (blockstrings, pickups, covering gaps, etc.) are all still there, but Shao gets specific uses out of them: for instance, Shao can give an Axe 22 confirm a bit of extra height, allowing him to combo into B32 for a much more dangerous route. The high hitbox of the grenades covers the sky during Death Quake zoning, and being an ambush makes it much easier to apply for this role. Shao can call Stryker grenades during Reverse Treechopper, letting him armor break with B1 on oki. Shao's high health and long range also lets him turn steal with the grenades much more effectively, taking proportionately less health in the exchange and getting easy pickups once the grenades land.
• Stryker's baton attacks are wonderful cancel options, letting him safely cancel his midrange normals while simultaneously mixing up the enemy and giving him plus frames. While the other kameo lows are reactable by aware enemies, Stryker having both an overhead and a low baton option lets him do a no-mixup-mixup with his overhead enders that makes Shao +6 even if they block correctly. On hit, the knockdown from the low is long enough for Shao to safely hit the axe buff and still meaty the enemy, and the overhead will let him meaty with Axe B2. The attacks are greatly weakened when used as armored reversals, but the options are still there.
• Stryker's cuffs are helpful for snagging enemies just outside of Axe range, and the hit advantage is long enough to B2. In Unarmed stance, ending the combo with the cuffs gives him an exceptionally dangerous three-way mixup between F2, Reverse Treechopper, and B3, while giving him enough advantage to jail into a 224.

Stryker, perhaps as atonement for Challenge Tower #269, has become one of Shao's most useful allies.