In Mortal Kombat 1, taunts are mocking moves that players use to provoke or instill fear in their opponents. While they have been present in the franchise before, taunts have undergone slight changes in MK1, leaving players curious about the process of teasing.
In contrast to Mortal Kombat 11, where mocking animations were primarily Kosmetic items, they have now become an integral part of a Kombatants’ default moveset, enabling in-game provocation. This guide aims to clarify these recent changes, offering instructions on performing a taunt and providing tips for unlocking new ones.
How to Do a Taunt
To taunt the opponent in Mortal Kombat 1, players will need to press down four times. On the controller, this can be done using both the D-pad and the left joystick. On PC, players can tease the enemy by pressing the D or down arrow key. Essentially, teabagging results in a taunt.
When Should You Taunt?
Since provocations are not cancelable moves, players should taunt when certain the opponent won't attack. Otherwise, they risk being vulnerable to grabs and Kounters for a minimum of three seconds. The optimal moment to tease is right before executing a Fatality, even though this may eliminate the opportunity for a Fatality.
How to Unlock New Taunts
Master Ranks grants MK1 players access to additional mocking moves, and to acquire new taunts, players must level up their characters. When reaching Master Ranks 4, 8, 12, 17, 22, 26, and 29, players unlock fresh taunts that are added to the character's move list.
By default, each Kombatant comes with up to four teases. However, players can get seven more animations through the Mastery Ranks, increasing the total number of mocks to 10-11.
Taunting Frame Data
Considering that MK1’s cutscenes are locked at 30 FPS, doing a taunt will take at least 90 frames. On average, mocking animations are 3 seconds long, giving the opponent a good chunk of invincible frames—which can go as high as 180 frames.
To minimize risk, it is generally advisable to avoid taunting unless the player is confident in the outcome. Mocking moves should only be performed when the enemy is stunned or positioned on the opposite side of the arena.
Nitara has some of the shortest basic taunts, making her a good option for risk-free mocking.
Mortal Kombat 1 is available now for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.