Pretty much everyone uses master of souls. It has the trap orb advantage and a few other perks. Most people think mystic is his weakest variation, but if you can get it done, go for it.

Really? I might need to dig a little deeper then, is Spectral considered decent as well? I don't think I would be using the whole flying thing much as I would feel way too vulnerable up there lol

I've just recently come to enjoy Spectral, but by god, never choose this when facing Mileena, Quan Chi, Goro, or Kano. However, Soul Charge is a great addition to his moveset and using an EX Force Lift mid-combo with Soul Charge as the finishing blow can lead to some decent damage. Plus, Soul Ascension is, like, the greatest troll move of all time with it's keep-away game.

As for Mystic and MoS, I really like both of them but have a tiny bit more love going towards MoS. That Soul Ball is insane tbh. 31%-34% combos without any meter used? Yup, sign me up. Disappear is a also a very nifty maneuver, especially against projectile/low poke spammers. But it can also be punishable once you reappear, so be cautious of your timing using it.

Mystic was the first variation I used when I played Ermac. That enhanced Force Lift was great for his initial learning curve since it holds them up in the air for a good minute. The main problem I've come to notice with Mystic though, is that if the Force Lift is used too freely, the damage scaling becomes much weaker. Kinda like being too gung-ho with Sub's Ice Ball or Kitana's Fan Lift.

Nice! Thanks for all your input dude! It would seem I should at least give Spectral a shot and see what happens. I do like the soul ball a lot, I like to do his three hit launcher, jump kick, teleport, 22 soul ball njp and then finish with something random like another basic string or special lol its really fun. I never noticed it when playing him before but Ermac does some pretty big damage for not much effort and no meter. He is quickly becoming one of my mains as I originally planned before the game came out lol

Anytime.

That's one of my main juggle combos, except after soul ball, I'll do the soul release then 2-2 again into Soul Burst. Sometimes I'll throw in an EX Force Lift before that last bit of the combo for the extra damage or to perform his Brutality.

Also (and I can't believe I forgot to mention this in my OP), Mystic is the only variation that holds his Force Push. Which is one of my all-time favorite Ermac moves. Great for creating distance as well as recovering a bit of life when enhanced.

Glad you're finally enjoying Ermac! He is certainly a blast to use. Him and Mileena were the first characters that I adjusted to when I first jumped into the game.

Wait, Classic Ermac is out?

Yeah I am really enjoying him now lol sadly I will probably be putting him down (for a while) with Predator being released tomorrow lol It does feel dirty picking guests over my beloved MK characters but these are guests I like a lot, and its probably the only MK game they will be in, so I wanna enjoy it while it lasts hehe

as for the guy above, yes UMK3 Ermac skin has been released and its free with the latest patch :)

Mystic is great at zoning. His BF2 can hit an enemy in the air and has armor. The enhanced version will give you health which is pretty cool. Mystics combos are easier, but don't do as much damage as Master of Souls.

Spectral has good combos but some of them don't do that much damage. (He does have a 40% meterless combo in it though). The combos in Spectral are also pretty difficult and become even more difficult online wothbthe delay. But, if you use his soul ascension in between strings, you can do some decent mixups. He has a low from soul ascension and 5 overheads. If you cancel a string into his soul ascension and do one of his overheads, the combo will continue. It's a good variation but hard to use.

Master of Souls is only the most popular variation because of its combo damage