Mortal Kombat 1 Shang Tsung Guide – MK1 Move List and Best Combos

Looking for a guide to Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 1? This cunning trickster returns to the reborn Mortal Kombat universe. And while he has a new backstory this time, most of his old moves still pack a punch.

To learn more about the characters in the game, check out our detailed Mortal Kombat 1 roster tier list. And check out some Mortal Kombat 1 tips and tricks if you’re just getting to grips with the new fighting system.

Mortal Kombat 1 Shang Tsung Guide

This guide will help you tackle Shang Tsung’s diverse skill set. You could even transform into your enemies and use their combos against them. This can be done alongside a Kameo fighter who can extend your combos and offer support throughout the match. Here’s how to unlock all Kameo fighters in Mortal Kombat 1 like Shujinko and Motaro.

Before you check out all of Shang Tsung’s moves, here’s a chart that will let you understand this irrespective of which platform you’re on.

Notation	Attack	PlayStation	Xbox	Nintendo Switch	PC
1	Front Punch	Square	X	Y	J
2	Back Punch	Triangle	Y	X	I
3	Front Kick	Cross	A	B	K
4	Back Kick	Circle	B	A	L

Shang Tsung Move List

The latest iteration of the MK franchise refines its foundation but doesn’t tinker too much with what previous games got right. Moves in Mortal Kombat 1 can be classified into the following:

• Basic Attacks
• Aerial Attacks
• Throws
• Special Moves
• Fatal Blow
• Fatalities
• Brutalities

Shang Tsung Basic Attacks

You’ll need basic attacks to start, extend, and end combos. Here are all of Shang Tsung’s basic attacks in Mortal Kombat 1:

• Spurned God: Front Punch
• Die-agnosis: Front Punch, Back Punch
• Puse Check: Front Punch, Back Punch, Back Kick
• Quick Cut: Down + Front Punch
• Vision Test: Back Punch
• Fatal Incision: Back + Back Punch
• Lowtap : Back + Back Punch, Back Punch
• Laid Low: Back + Back Punch, Back Punch, Front Kick
• Up Klaw: Down + Back Punch
• Sinister Strike: Front Kick
• A God’s Whimsy: Forward + Front Kick
• Femurder: Down + Front Kick
• Facebreaker: Back Kick
• Kneedler: Forward + Back Kick
• Kareer-Ender: Back + Back Kick
• Longfoot: Down + Back Kick

Here are the Young form basic attacks of Shang Tsung in MK1:

• Deceptive Slash: Back + Front Punch
• Snake Oil: Back + Front Punch, Back Punch
• Silent Killer: Back Punch, Back Kick
• Die-V: Forward + Back Kick, Front Kick
• Spin Kick: Forward + Back Kick, Front Kick, Back Kick

And here are the Old form basic attacks of Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 1:

• Spurned Man: Back + Front Punch
• Operation: Back + Front Punch, Back Punch
• Reflex Test: Back Punch
• Knee Reverser: Back Punch, Back Kick
• Goal Kick: Forward + Front Kick
• Power Manifest: Forward + Front Kick, Back Punch
• Board Breaker: Forward + Back Kick, Front Punch
• Nerve Endings: Forward + Back Kick, Front Punch, Back Punch
• Dissection: Forward + Back Kick, Front Punch, Back Punch, Back Punch
• Age Before Beauty: Forward + Back Kick, Front Punch, Back Punch, Back Punch, Back Kick

Shang Tsung Aerial Attacks

With Mortal Kombat 1’s focus on aerial combat, keep track of how you can land aerial combos. Here are Shang Tsung’s aerial attacks in MK1:

• Above You: Forward + Up + Front Punch
• Surgery: Forward + Up + Front Punch, Back Punch
• Major Complications: Forward + Up + Front Punch, Back Punch, Back Punch
• Experiment: Forward + Up + Back Punch
• Festering Wounds: Forward + Up + Back Punch, Back Punch
• Deadly Kick: Forward + Up + Front Kick or Back Kick

Shang Tsung Throws

Here are Shang Tsung’s throws in Mortal Kombat 1:

• Shove: Forward + Thow or Front Punch + Front Kick
• Not Covered By Insurance: Throw or Front Punch + Front Kick

Shang Tsung Breakers and Taunts

A Kombo Breaker lets you break free from enemy combos by using your entire Super Meter. Taunts let you distract your enemies, prompting them to attack in haste. Here are Shang Tsung’s Breakers and Taunts:

• Kombo Breaker: Forward + Block
• Taunts: Down, Down, Down, Down

Shang Tsung Special Moves

Shang Tsung’s arsenal has plenty of lethal special moves. Here’s how to enhance special moves in Mortal Kombat 1. And here they are:

• Quick Age Morph: Down + Flip Stance
• Form Stealer: Forward, Down, Back, Back Kick
• Perfect Form: Forward, Back, Back Kick

Here are Young form special moves you can trigger as Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 1:

• Straight Skull: Down, Forward, Front Punch
• Double Skull: Down, Back, Front Punch
• Triple Skull: Down, Back, Forward, Front Punch
• Spinning Spikes: Down, Forward, Back Punch
• Bed Of Spikes: Down, Back, Front Kick
• Old Morph: Down + Flip Stance

And here are the Old form’s special moves as Shang Tsung in MK1:

• Ground Skull: Down, Forward, Front Punch
• (Close) Ground Skull: Down, Back, Front Punch
• (Far) Ground Skull: Down, Back, Forward, Front Punch
• Vicinity Slash: Down, Forward, Back Punch
• Injection: Down, Back, Front Kick
• Young Morph: Down + Flip Stance

Shang Tsung Fatal Blow

Here’s Shang Tsung’s Fatal Blow move that can be triggered at low health:

• Bad Medicine: Flip Stance + Block

Shang Tsung Fatalities

Each MK1 character has two fatalities so far. Here’s how to unlock fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1. These finishers are the gory spectacles that celebrate this franchise’s penchant for violence. Geras’ finishers are no different. Here are Shang Tsung’s fatalities in MK1:

• Side Effects: Back, Down, Down, Back Kick
• Second Fatality: Forward, Down, Back, Back Punch

Shang Tsung Brutalities

Here’s how to unlock and do a brutality in Mortal Kombat 1. Initially, players will only be able to do a single type of brutality. As you progress forward, you will unlock new brutalities for characters. This is via the character mastery ranks system. Here are Shang Tsung’s brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1:

• The Klassic: Down + Back Punch
• Bed Of Spikes: Throw and hold Up
• Stick Around (airborne): Down, Back + Front Kick
• Chomp! Chomp!: Down, Forward +Front Punch and hold Back
• Fire It Up (old): Down, Forward + Front Punch (air) and hold Front Punch
• It has Ended (old): Down, Back + Front Kick and tap Down, Down, Down

Best combos for Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 1

Use this list to deliver some of the best combos for Shang Tsung in MK1:

• Form Stealer lets you transform into the opponent, letting you take advantage of their combos. And here’s how to steal fatalities as Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 1 if you’re into that sort of thing.
• Snake Oil is a solid way to start combos. You’ll be using this often to string longer combos together. 
• Ground Skull as Shang Tsung’s Old Form is a powerful launcher that can then be extended with aerial combos. Try to use Kameo fighters like Sareena, Cyrax and Jax to extend this even further.

That covers how to play Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 1. This devious sorcerer plays a role in the Story Mode and can be accessed in other modes like Mortal Kombat 1 Invasions mode too. The new timelines from NetherRealm Studios were created by fire god Liu Kang, rewriting many key events. This also applies to Outworld characters like Baraka, Tanya, Li Mei, and Reiko alongside ones from Earth. There’s a Mortal Kombat tournament happening as usual with human heroes Johnny Cage, Raiden, Scorpion, Kenshi, and others teaming up.

For smoke-based powers instead, here’s our Mortal Kombat 1 Smoke guide. And check out our Mortal Kombat 1 fatality list to know how to pull these finishers off. The game is out on game platforms PC, PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. Shang Tsung was a pre-order bonus and you can purchase him as a playable fighter for $7.99 if you didn’t get the game early. Purchasing the Kombat Pack nets you access to other characters like Takeda, Quan Chi, Ermac, Peacemaker, Homelander, and Omni-man.

Can you play as Shang Tsung in MK1?

Yes, Shang Tsung is a playable character in MK1.