Counter Breakers

Even though combo breaking is difficult for the defense, and even though failing a combo breaker attempt leads to good damage on average, the concept of combo breaking is still lacking a key component. There needs to be a looming threat in the background, that even though you’re able to break, there may be times you don’t want to. Killer Instinct allows offense to take total control of any situation if he’s able to successfully make a hard read on a break-happy opponent through the use of a counter breaker.

A counter breaker attempt from close range, far away, and in the air. All of them are punishable. Spinal lands a successful counter breaker and starts his damage loop. (sound)
When you are performing any combo that has an opener, including air combos, press MP+MK at any time to perform a counter breaker. You will stop the combo immediately and enter a very punishable counter poseNo matter where you are on the stage, you will end up in front of your opponent if you try to counter break. If you are far away on the ground, your character will teleport close. If you or your opponent is in the air, you will jump up to meet them, and then fall to the ground at the same time where he can start a punish., similar to a shadow counter. If the opponent attempts to combo break with any strength while you are in this pose, it’s bad news for him. You will hit the opponent with a giant energy blast and immediately re-enter the combo sequence with 0 KV, and your opponent will be locked out for 4 seconds. You can take advantage of this 4 second lockout to hit with your most damaging punish, which for most characters will be well over 50% damage even with no shadow meter spent. If the opponent does not try to combo break, you will instead be left fully vulnerable directly in his face, and he can capitalize by starting his own combo.

If you want to feel like this on a regular basis, Killer Instinct counter breakers are for you. Footage courtesy of Armshouse TV (sound)
Counter breakers are the strongest offensive read possible in Killer Instinct, and can only be done in anticipation of a break attempt, not on reaction to one. Counter breakers are never safeSome characters are able to attempt "safe counter breakers" if certain conditions are met. The developers of Season 2 have explained they feel this breaks the spirit of the game, so they continue to patch these strategies out of the game as they are found. For example, if you try to cover your counter breaker attempt with a projectile or assist, the game will simply destroy the projectile, leaving you vulnerable. to attempt, but they lead to the most damage possible in the combo system, and the threat that the offense can counter break at any time will make defenders perpetually nervous. They are also very satisfying to perform; the announcer shouts loudly, the screen zooms in for the defender’s punishment, and then you get 4 seconds to press as many buttons as you want. It accentuates the emotional high or low of doing the right or the wrong thing in a fighting game extremely well, and the satisfaction of planning a counter breaker and being correct is one of Killer Instinct's best feelings.

What should you do when you land a counter breaker? You should immediately transition into your character’s damage loop, which is a fairly easy-to-find 4 second combo that does the most damage. Since heavy auto-doubles do the most damage per second in the game, the combo will likely consist of as many heavy doubles as you can fit in the 4 second window with as little filler as possible between them. Many characters will simply do a heavy auto-double into the light version of their most damaging linker three times, and then perform a damage ender. Some characters may be able to do slightly better than this by utilizing their combo trait (for example, Sabrewulf will use heavy rabid doubles over and over again), and you can always increase the damage if you’re willing to spend some meter. If your character has a very fast shadow linker (like Glacius’ shadow Cold Shoulder), you can use two shadow linkers after a series of heavy auto-doubles to push the damage as high as 70%.

Glacius shows a modified damage loop that uses two stocks of shadow meter to squeeze all the damage possible out of the 4 second lockout. (sound)
(show combo)
---- Counter Breaker ----
HP auto-double (2 hits)
Light Puddle Punch linker (1 hit)
HP auto-double (2 hits)
Light Puddle Punch linker (1 hit)
HP auto-double (2 hits)
Shadow Cold Shoulder linker (5 hits)
Shadow Cold Shoulder linker (5 hits)
Puddle Punch ender (Level 4 = 4 hits)
Jago starts his counter breaker punish with crouching HP into Shadow Laser Sword opener for 19% unbreakable damage, then continues his combo as normal. (sound)
(show combo)
Crouching HP (1 hit)
Shadow Laser Sword opener (5 hits)
MP auto-double (2 hits)
Heavy Wind Kick linker (3 hits)
HP auto-double (2 hits)
Light Laser Sword linker (1 hit)
Tiger Fury ender (Level 4 = 4 hits)

What should you do if your opponent tried to counter break and you didn’t bite? Well, the first thing you should not do is try to throw them or activate instinct. Because these techniques are executed with LP+LK and HP+HK respectively, the game will likely treat this as an attempt to combo break and you will trigger the counter breaker accidentally. Instead, you should start your punish combo with a high-damaging heavy normal and cancel it into a high-damaging opener (shadow openers work best, if you can spare the meter), then perform a combo as usual. Your opponent will be able to break this combo after the opener if he so chooses, but you can also counter break.

The mind game of when and when not to counter break is very unique to Killer Instinct, and it’s almost like a test of footsies during a combo. You can test your opponent’s reactions and his willingness to commit to high-risk, low-reward options, and vary your combo for a standard lockout or take a hard read for even more reward. You can notice patterns in your opponent, and perform baits of many varieties. For more discussion on this, see the Combo Breaking Strategy section.

You know, I need more parrying in my life.

Breaking Shadow Linkers