Kabal was part of Mortal Kombat 11's 25 character starting lineup, and was available to play upon the game's release back on April 23, 2019.
He was first introduced back on April 15, 1995 when Mortal Kombat 3 rolled out into arcades, and has been spinning, stabbing, and freaking opponents out in main game appearances ever since.
You'll surely be able to recognize the Black Dragon enforcer in Mortal Kombat 11 as he wears his unmistakable gas mask. He also retains his long black hair and has green clothing over black armor. The parts of his skin that are exposed are lifeless and blackened from the fire that engulfed his entire body years back.
True to his character identity, Kabal excels at maneuvering about the screen quickly, which means he's able to cause foes to whiff and take advantage of those whiffs with very powerful punishes. He'll usually start by hanging out at a relatively far distance, hoping for an easy in when an opponent either tries to hit him or makes an attempt to close the gap too haphazardly.
Once he scores a knockdown, Kabal has plenty of good set up pressure that opponents will have a hard time trying to escape from. His Slight Gas is amazing for redirecting in mid air, giving Kabal really strong mix up options for approach. If an opponent misses any attacks, be ready with his trademark Nomad Dash for a free punish, and use his Hook Grab to extend combos for max damage.
Professional Mortal Kombat 11 competitors tend to rank Kabal in the top 10. His strengths are especially good as he's one of the few who can score physical hits from farther ranges, and his utility is limited really only by his user's imagination and creativity. That said, he does have a harder time up close as his forward-moving maneuvers lose effectiveness when he's nearer than about jump distance.
Kabal is for MK11 players who want to be active and mess with the minds of opponents. He must take certain risks with things like occasional obvious jump ins or forward dashes, but hides them with gimmicky maneuvers that make him unpredictable. Keep your opponents guessing, then take advantage when they're in the midst of the chaos.
