Broken Sindel Infinite in Mortal Kombat 1 Results in New Rulings In Tournaments
Earlier this month, the Mortal Kombat 1 Pro Kompetition was announced with a $255K prize pool. The circuit has a lot of rules in place to deal with some exploits and bugs in the game, however, as competitors wait for NetherRealm Studios to fix them.
This weekend, the East Coast Throwdown is coming, one of the tournaments in the circuit. Two new rules have been put in place beforehand that have the competitive FGC community pretty frustrated with developers.
Is Sindel Banned in Competitive Mortal Kombat 1?
The East Coast Throwdown currently has around 300 entrants, with first place getting about $5,500 and 400 Points towards the overall circuit. Going in, the participants were told that Sindel could be used, but that nobody may use an unblockable exploit that was recently found.
In addition, players who use Sindel have to inform judges ahead of time that they will be using Sindel so their gameplay can be monitored, even in pools. This is to ensure that the unblockable exploit is not used.
“Use of Sindel’s unblockable exploit is banned and will result in forfeiture of the round. Sindel players must inform bracket judges they will be using her in tournament,” NRSEsports confirmed on Twitter.
We’re adding two temporary rules for Pro Kompetition at ECT:
— NRSEsports (@NRSEsports) October 18, 2023
- Use of Sindel’s unblockable exploit is banned and will result in forfeiture of the round. Sindel players must inform bracket judges they will be using her in tournament
- Shujinko is banned VS. General Shao players
What is the Sindel Exploit?
Mortal Kombat 1 players found that Sindel has an unblockable reset when she is played against Sub-Zero. Many are claiming she is “broken” and “cheap.”
Sindel looked overpowered to begin with, but finding her infinite loop has basically broken the entire game. Sindel can guarantee a looped combo that brings enemies from zero to death without them being able to escape. She can do it right from the beginning of the match and it doesn’t need any meter to be filled or any other resources.
Even worse, Sindel is the only character who can make her Kameo fighter refill fast. This means her Kameo character can come out three times, making the infinite possible.
For now, players are waiting for NetherRealm to patch this unfair exploit.
Shujinko Banned as Kameo Against General Shao
Another rule in the upcoming tournament is that Shujinko can’t be used as a Kameo fighter if the opponent is playing General Shao. Since General Shao is very rarely used, this probably won’t come up too often but judges still have to be informed so they can ensure nobody is going against this rule during the tournament.
Basically, Shujinko can remove General Shao’s ax stance from the match. Once his ax is in the ground, all his opponent has to do is bring out Shujinko and then press down, forward, and then
use the Kameo special.
Hopefully, developers have taken note of this as well.
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!