I need a fucking mentor or something. I really want to enjoy the brilliant onlien component, but the bar of entry is so fucking high. Anyone who has some serious beginner guides, or some pro tips to help me out? I'll take anyting, from which character to use, to which combos. I am a truly desperate man.

Whoa, this IS serious.

i was worried for a moment until i realized this was about Mortal Kombat

Use more skill.

@sthusby said:

I need a fucking mentor or something. I really want to enjoy the brilliant onlien component, but the bar of entry is so fucking high. Anyone who has some serious beginner guides, or some pro tips to help me out? I'll take anyting, from which character to use, to which combos. I am a truly desperate man.

It might sound silly, but seriously: BLOCK. OFTEN. I can trace almost every win or loss I've had online back to that one single thing. Beyond that, we're gonna need more info on who you're using and what problems you seem to be having.

The Test Your Might forums have guides for each character, with combos and strategies for each character, as well as which combos are safe on-block or not. http://testyourmight.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?131-Character-Forums&s=6e2010d55e174582fb49d2910f0b2a04
 
On top of that though, just play a lot. As you play the game you should figure out strategies and match-ups, and when to use what move and why. Practice the stuff in the guides in Practice Mode so you can get the timing on linking stuff together down, and then try it out online. It's one thing to be able to do a long 40% combo in training mode, but it's another to be able to actually pull it off in battle.

Use more skill.

Learn to play better.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

@Disengage said:

Learn to play better.

Learn to...Wait..Fuck you.

Play a different game?

Like all fighting games, tons of practice and tons of playing against real people will help you get better.

New Guest Character Revealed:

@sthusby: I actually won my 11th match, after losing 10. I was using Kenshi and it was a hell of a come back! After the first round I was sure I was going to lose, but I turned it around beautifully, I was so proud that I quit playing.

I feel for ya. I went to the "Begginner" room at first (I don't know why they spelled it that way) and got completely wiped. They were all liars! None of my challengers were beginners, let me tell you. There was a Cyrax that actually took something like 50% of my health in one combo...well, I couldn't get out of it anyway. I felt kinda stomped on.

Anyway, keep at it I guess. I'm not sure I want to endure more of that and maybe I'll just stick to playing locally with my friends. We're pretty bad, all of us.

Tons of practice (hey, if you have a ps3 add me at siroptimusprime ;) ) will only help, and make sure you pick a character that suits your style the most. Though, to be honest, this game is generally balanced and most characters are viable across most matchups and can zone and rush-down equally well. Just pick someone, unless you want to play Sheeva or Stryker...then you're SOL. 
 
But, the nitty-gritty. 
 
Block often. Forgetting to block against a character like Reptile, Smoke, or Ermac can mean taking 11% of zoning damage, or worse a full combo. On opponets wake-up, make sure you block a few steps away so as to avoid being thrown and to try and bait out dumb moves like a wild teleport. Also, remember that throw teching is impossible to do when blocking, so remember to let go of the button when thrown and attempt an escape in a brief window.  
 
Meter management. For fuck's sake, this is the most important part of the game. Sure the combos look cool and are fun to do, but knowing when to breaker and when to save the breaker, when an EX move can send an opponent reeling either mentally or just simply by killing, when to (and most importantly, when not to) X-ray, or when to not waste your first-hit meter is the hardest part. This is hard to get down, but it was also hard to focus on in Guilty Gear and Arcana Heart with bursts. It's unfortunately a huge grind gameplay wise, unless you are a very calm person. I am not.   
 
Check the TYM forums and if you do have a PS3 (blue name, so I'm assuming here....) hit me up for some games. I'm a beginner in this game partcularly, but not many other fighting games, so maybe I could help you out.

Honestly, I quit as soon as I realized how ridiculously horrible the community was. No safe places for beginners to learn and no good matchmaking completely destroyed any interest I had in continuing on.

Dash cancel into throws all the time, it's nearly unstoppable online

The Test Your Might forums have guides for each character, with combos and strategies for each character, as well as which combos are safe on-block or not. http://testyourmight.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?131-Character-Forums&s=6e2010d55e174582fb49d2910f0b2a04  On top of that though, just play a lot. As you play the game you should figure out strategies and match-ups, and when to use what move and why. Practice the stuff in the guides in Practice Mode so you can get the timing on linking stuff together down, and then try it out online. It's one thing to be able to do a long 40% combo in training mode, but it's another to be able to actually pull it off in battle.

Test your might seems like the way to go.

Regardless it's just a matter of practicing moves and practicing against opponents. I found that playing the entirety of the tower was helpful in learning the basics of every character (excluding DLC). It makes it easier if you have a better idea of what your opponent is capable of. Eventually you can figure what character's weaknesses are and exploit it.

I got tired of fighting sub zero's because they are excellent zoning character. But they can't do anything from across the screen. If you're standing at the edge, all they can do is try to freeze you (which doesn't do chip damage), or use an EX-ice slide to get in close. Both are easy to see coming from across the screen.

The other half is a mental game. Once you get to the point of pulling off 20-30% combos repeatedly, that can throw your opponent off.

Most importantly, have fun!

Thanks to everyone who had something constructive to say, to all you other, get a life. Anyway, I've been training like crazy with Scorpion and Raiden, and I've done som serious progress, almost had a 10 match streak, but landed at 8. There are som great videos at Youtube that really helped me out. Again, thanks for the help guys.