UMKT Shang Tsung

Ultimate Mortal Kombat Trilogy Shang Tsung is a really off-kilter custom intrepretation of Shang Tsung that comes with a really bizarre moveset with preset transformations rather than relying on being able to morph between multiple characters (altho he is able to morph into a boss character from Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero). His name was supposed to imply an attempt to capture the magic of the Ultimate Mortal Kombat Trilogy genesis romhack.

The character started out as a MelvanaInChains creation until it became a collaboration with The_None, first released on July 3rd of 2011. While initially popular enough to win a Mugen Fighters Guild Character of the Month of July this year, in hindsight he's one of the more divisive creations to the point of being disowned by the creators despite how much fun they had developing it, stemming from a number of balance issues and questionable design decisions to the point the character may be best treated as a rather hard boss character.

Gameplay
Rather than an usual MKI incarnation that relies on multiple possible morphs between characters with his own moveset being really limited to just teleports and fireballs, this incarnation of Shang is a more realized character with a relatively versatile moveset that sometimes involve morphing. He's also able to actually morph into Firegod (ocasionally dubbed Fireboy) from Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, with his own moveset and projectile invincibility (that only made in his own game with the player being Sub-Zero but not much there). But even in his own form he is a rather powerful character with wiring side kicks and anti-air attacks that come out really fast, ability to set up traps and perform unblockable full-screen attacks.

With all of the power he has, UMKT Shang Tsung is a rather simple character to play: Keep doing Goro kicks and do the full screen move if the opponent misses a tech. Once you have meter become Little Johnny T and show your opponent's a terror beyond hell.

Trivia

 * The Arthur The Weatherman (of "Pretty Much Everywhere, It's Gonna be Hot" fame) monit that appears after Shang Tsung does a devastating combo is a nod to one of Melvana's Mortal Kombat 4 mods, which has that monit in the place of MAXIMUM DAMAGE message.