Despite the unfortunate circumstances that led him to being orphaned, Tomas Vrbada has grown into a talented warrior because of the Lin Kuei’s teachings. Tomas, AKA Smoke, may be only a human in this new timeline, but with his weaponry and skills in magic, he’s even on par with his brothers Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
This man not only has power and skill, but he has some serious drip too! Just take a look at some of his best skins from Mortal Kombat 1.
#1: Clandestine
Just because he’s wearing blue doesn’t make him Sub-Zero!
Clandestine skin in action:
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The first skin we’ll look at on this list is a palette of Smoke’s New Era skin called Clandestine. This palette consists of blue and white shades that replace the gray tones of the common New Era skin. To unlock Clandestine, you have to level up your Character Mastery.
The thing that I find unique about Clandestine is the colors that were used. Not only do they look good and really bring out the silver of Smoke’s hair, but to me, they also tell a lot about Smoke’s personality. Blue and white can represent traits such as innocence and wisdom, which is fitting considering how Ashrah confirmed that there is no evil in Smoke’s soul and characters like Liu Kang and Geras have said that Scorpion needs Smoke to help him guide the Shirai Ryu.
#2: Third Son
Yes, we get it, he’s the THIRD SON!
Third Son skin in action:
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Another New Era skin is Third Son, and the title itself is probably referring to the fact that Smoke is the third son of the Lin Kuei’s former Grandmaster through adoption. Third Son’s palette has red and black shades, which are much bolder colors than the Clandestine skin. To unlock Third Son, you have to level up your Character Mastery.
I find that the name of the skin and its colors go together very well. The boldness of the red really sets Smoke apart from his brothers with their brighter uniform colors. Seeing that some may consider Smoke to be insignificant when compared to Sub-Zero or Scorpion, the red in Third Son could also represent the “blood” that the former Grandmaster wished he and his sons shared with Smoke.
#3: Huntsman
The only thing Tomas should be hunting for is the rest of his hair!
Huntsman skin in action:
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Huntsman is another New Era skin, and this skin could represent how Smoke used to hunt with his family before they were killed. The palette contains colors such as crimson shades that could be mistaken for brown. To unlock Huntsman, you have to level up your Character Mastery.
The colors seem more earthly and this could refer to the nature side of Smoke since, as I said before, he and his family were hunters. The red is honestly a beautiful shade and it’s my favorite part about this skin. But it does also remind me of what Smoke has lost.
#4: Shirai Ryu Sentinel
NO, THIS IS NOT SCORPION
Shirai Ryu Sentinel skin in action:
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This New Era skin, which has similar colors to Scorpion’s usual attire, is called Shirai Ryu Sentinel. So of course, the golden color is fitting because of its connection to the Shirai Ryu, and Scorpion himself since he’s the Grandmaster of this new clan. To unlock Shirai Ryu Sentinel, you have to level up your Character Mastery.
Despite the skin containing more gold than anything, the hints of silver throughout the outfit are also important. Silver is a color that Smoke always wears and in Shirai Ryu Sentinel, the silver shines bright like armor unlike the dull, gray hues of the normal New Era skin. I feel that this represents how Smoke is an essential member of the Shirai Ryu, and even more so because he’s Scorpion’s right-hand man.
#5: Brave and Bold
Ha, ha, ha! Smoke laughs in the face of danger!
Brave and Bold skin in action:
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Brave and Bold, which is totally not a Batman reference, is a New Era skin that features gold and silver colors much like the last skin. But in this case, silver is the more dominant color rather than gold. To unlock Brave and Bold, you have to level up your Character Mastery.
Brave and bold are two traits that really define Tomas with him willing to put himself in danger to help others and always speaking his mind. You can see his personality shine throughout the story mode like when he spoke against Bi-han and when he chose to side with Kuai Liang and defect from the Lin Kuei. I guess you could say that the silver in Brave and Bold represents that with the gold being his connection to the Shirai Ryu like in Shirai Ryu Sentinel.
#6: Iron Sights
Smoke, this is not Assassin’s Creed
Iron Sights skin in action:
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And now, the first palette we will look at for the Union of Light skin is Iron Sights! This palette includes colors such as light gray and blue-green. To unlock Break Point, you have to level up your Character Mastery.
What I find cool about this skin are the colors used, particularly the blue-green/mint color. Mint leaves a cool sensation in your mouth when you consume it, so why would Smoke have a skin with this color included in it? Could it be to show his relationship with Sub-Zero, whether in the previous or current timeline?
#7: Caught Fire
Okay Smoke, your Scorpion is showing. STOP IT.
Caught Fire skin in action:
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Now THIS skin should’ve been called Brave and Bold, because jeez, look at the boldness of the colors! The palette of Caught Fire contains colors such as red, yellow and orange, so basically a lot of warm colors. There are no specific requirements needed to obtain Caught Fire as you can get it from the Shrine or purchase it from the store.
I know I keep joking about Smoke looking more like Scorpion when wearing warm colors, but in this case, I don’t think so. After all, smoke itself is hot, scalding hot in Smoke’s case since he can literally melt the flesh of his opponents using his smoke magic. As his catchphrase goes, “Where there is smoke, there is fire”.
#8: Smoldering Look
Alright, alright, you toned it down a little, Smoke. We’re getting somewhere.
Smoldering Look skin in action:
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Sure, Smoldering Look has many similarities to Caught Fire, but there are subtle differences that make it unique in my opinion. This Union of Light skin features warm colors with a bit more brown added to it as well. There are no specific requirements needed to obtain Caught Fire as you can get it from the Shrine or purchase it from the store.
When something smolders, and no I don’t mean like The Rock, it’s burning slowly with smoke but there’s no flame. Seeing that Smoke wields…smoke, the name of this skin is appropriate. And now that I think about it, maybe the brown is there to represent burning within the warmer colors, which could represent a fire.
#9: Break Point
Hey, simple is sometimes better
Break Point skin in action:
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With this next Union of Light skin, you can see that it uses dull colors like Smoke usually wears. The main difference with this palette compared to common New Era and Union of Light skins is that the grays used are much lighter. To unlock Break Point, you have to level up your Character Mastery.
A break point in general is a place or time when an interruption or change is made. Considering that Liu Kang literally rewrote the timeline, I’d say that’s a huge break point! Maybe the use of Smoke’s signature colors is to show that even though so much has changed in this new timeline, some things have stayed the same.
#10: Ambush
Gotta say, that red is FIRE
Ambush skin in action:
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The last of Smoke’s skins we will take a look at is Ambush, another Union of Light skin. This skin has a palette of dark gray and red. To unlock Ambush, you have to level up your Character Mastery.
When you want to successfully pull off a surprise attack, an ambush for example, wearing dark colors can help with that, especially if it’s night. Sure, it would be easy to just wear all black, but where’s the fun in that? Overall, Ambush is just a simple, yet cool design!
If you want to add more style Smoke in Mortal Kombat 1, you don’t have to stop at just his clothes. There’s also different kinds of gear you can obtain for the ninja, but those would take another article to explain. For now, why don’t you get on your gaming console and play some Mortal Kombat 1? Start leveling up and saving to buy some of these awesome Smoke skins!
