Mortal Kombat 11 has a Mercy mechanic – brought back after making its debut in Mortal Kombat 3 – and the pros are unafraid to bust it out during the game’s first big tournament.
Mercy gives your opponent a second chance at the end of a match. You trigger it with an input when your opponent is staggering about, waiting for a Fatality or some other match ender. Do it, and your opponent gets around 20 per cent of their life back, and they’re back in the game. There’s nothing righteous about showing your enemy Mercy in Mortal Kombat – it’s seen as the ultimate insult. Here’s how it looks:
How To Do ‘MERCY’ – MORTAL KOMBAT 11 Watch on YouTube
And so we come to Combo Breaker, an ongoing fighting game tournament taking place in the US starring some of the biggest names in the community. Mortal Kombat 11 is being played, and so far the pros are showing maximum disrespect with Mercy.
I’ve seen multiple matches end with Mercy so far (Mortal Kombat 11 finished its pools section overnight). Most of the time, a player will only show Mercy when they’re confident of victory. Either they’ve dominated to the point where they know they’ll win – again – or they’re just messing about safe in the knowledge they have enough of a life lead to close it out.