Mortal Kombat 1 Johnny Cage guide: Basic combos, advanced combos, best Kameo pair, and more

Mortal Kombat 1’s Johnny Cage has the potential to be one of the most powerful characters in the game. He already had a great moveset, but with his new Hype Meter, he can do things no other character can. By taunting or finishing combos with taunts, he builds Hype, which carries over between rounds. When the meter is full, he can activate it to cancel specials into other specials for 10 seconds. That is an enormous amount of power when used wisely.

However, like all the other combo guides here on Sportskeeda, Johnny Cage’s Mortal Kombat 1 guide is a work in progress. We’ll highlight basic, easy combos alongside more advanced content for the kombatant. Then, we’ll look at who could be his best Kameos, though that could also change over time.

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Basic combos for Mortal Kombat 1’s Johnny Cage

General inputs

• 1: Front Punch
• 2: Back Punch
• 3: Front Kick
• 4: Back Kick
• L1: Throw
• L2: Stance Switch
• R1: Kameo
• R2: Meter Burn/Amplify Special
• FS: Flip Stance
• Movement is Forward, Back, Up/Jump, Down (FBJD)
• ~: Cancel into (immediately input)

Note: Certain moves in Johnny Cage's moveset can increase his Hype meter after the move ends when you use FS (Flip Stance). These are BD1 FS (Ball Buster), FDB2 FS (Throwing Shade), DB3 FS (Rising Star), and BF4 FS (Shadow Kick).

• Input: 11~DB3

These combos come courtesy of ahmz1404 on YouTube. One of the easiest ways to get damage on Mortal Kombat 1's resident Hollywood superstar is the 11 into Rising Star. You can also use it to build Hype by ending it with FS. It's also worth noting you have a few other inputs to lead into Rising Star easily: F12, 21, and F32.

• Input: F321~BF4

This combo is another nice, simple one you can perform by canceling Forward 3, 2, 1 into a Shadow Kick. This move pushes the enemy away and is yet another move you can use to build Hype. If you have a Kameo Fighter with ranged powers like Kano, this might be a great time to follow up with one.

• Input: F4, Dash, 4~BF4

This is a solid Kick combo for this character in Mortal Kombat 1. To perform it, you must knock your opponent away with the flip kick (F4), dash forward to chase, and cancel a neutral kick into the Shadow Kick again, adding Hype if you like.

• Input: 212, J244

I like this combo for Johnny Cage because it doesn't require any fancy inputs. No intense canceling, just a few normals strung together with a jump.

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Advanced combos for Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 1

• Input: 11~DB3 R1, J2, Dash, 4~BF4

Things get a bit more complicated here for Mortal Kombat 1's Johnny Cage. You'll need to do two cancels in this combo, the first coming before a Meter Burned Rising Star and the second after you dash, chaining the Back Kick into a Shadow Kick. It does decent damage and looks incredibly flashy.

• Input: F32~DB1~DB1, B+R1, J1, 212, J244

This combo uses Johnny Cage's Hype Meter. Activate Wowing Out (FDB4) to ignite it and start the combo. You cancel two Show Offs into one another, and after that, a Back Kano summon before the air juggle. It really shows off just how dangerous Johnny Cage can be.

• Input: 212, Dash, F34, Dash, F12~BD1

This combo is a solid offering from The Kompetitor on YouTube. It's primarily normals, with dashes to get command normals for more dashes. Johnny's Forward Normals are quite good, so you use those to get dashes. Finally, you link a Forward 1 and 2 and cancel that into his infamous Ball Buster.

• Input: F32~BD1 R1, B+R2, J2, 212~BD1 R1, B+R2, J2, 212, Dash, F34, Dash, F12~BD1

This might be the most intense Johnny Cage combo I've seen for Mortal Kombat 1 so far. It focuses heavily on canceling into EX Ball Busters and using the Back Kano assist. You'll use Kano twice and burn three meters to make this combo pop off.

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Who are Johnny Cage’s best Kameo partners in Mortal Kombat 1?

Kano's one of the better Kameo fighters (Image via NetherRealm Software)

This could certainly change in the future, but I like Kano and Sonya Blade the most for this kombatant. I also really like Jax and Sub-Zero. But arguably, my favorite has to be Kano. His laser beam is great, and the knife throw is excellent at extending combos for further juggle potential.

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Mortal Kombat 1 is still a game that's growing. Our review is in progress, but you can find our preview thoughts right here.