Block is performed by holding two fingers on the screen. No other actions can be taken while blocking. Block reduces the damage taken from basic attacks by 25% and from special attacks by 50%, while also greatly reduces crit chance. Unblockable attacks, such as Super Moves, cannot be blocked. Blocking attacks will not generate any power, other than from Wonder Woman/Regime, Static, and Superman/Godfall's passives.
Block will negate some negative Status effects such as stun or freeze, but it has no effect on damage over time (although they used to prevent them from being applied, it is no longer the case), slow, snare and only reduces power drain. Disable special from passives is not affected. However, gear on-special power drains and disable specials cannot affect a blocking opponent.
Block gear adds an additive percentage of damage reduction. For example, against a basic attack, if you have 17% further reduction from block gear, you will take 100 - 25% - 17% = 58% damage. Overall damage reduction is capped at 90%, or a minimum of 10% damage taken.
Superman/Godfall's passive offers a 50% damage reduction against basic attacks while blocking and stacks just like block gear. Against extremely weak opponents, this can actually reduce damage under 1 and will occasionally produce hits that don't do damage.
The AI's block is different from players blocking in that a blocking AI will interrupt your basic attack combo (i.e. you can only hit them once, then you have to start your basic combo again) while player block does not have this effect. This is mostly advantageous to the AI, as they can do more basic hits and finish combos, particularly noticeable for combo ender effects like Martian Manhunter/Prime's passive or Ra's Al Ghul's Scimitar. On the other hand, The Flash has a very fast attack animation, hits twice with the first hit but a long heavy combo finishing animation; this means players can stop attacking and block faster than the AI can while spamming basics against a blocking opponent.
The obvious way is to use unblockable attacks like Super Moves, but there are other ways to get Special Attacks in without them being blocked.
- Stun or freeze them beforehand, which also requires the stun or freeze to not be blocked or be unblockable in the first place, although this is easier with Martian Manhunter or Green Arrow/Arrow since their passives grant their light basic combos a chance to stun/freeze, or Bane/Luchador who has a chance to stun on tag in.
- Block enemy basic attacks, release block and use special between basic attacks. This relies on quick reflexes and slow enemy attack speed.
- Use a special while being hit by enemy basic attacks. Not all basic attack patterns can be exploited like this - the ones that can are sometimes referred to as "vulnerable". Almost no light basic attacks are vulnerable, while many heavy basic attack patterns are vulnerable (a well-known example being Solomon Grundy). Darkseid is the only character known to have both basic attack patterns vulnerable, making it easy to land unblocked specials on him. The Arkham Knight/Arkham Knight is unique in that his 3-hit Combo ender is vulnerable. Note that slow attack speeds does not always equal vulnerable combos: Bane has a slow attack speed but neither of his basic attack combos are vulnerable. However, method 2 does apply for him - the second and third hit of his light basic attack combo for instance have a large delay between them, making it easy to use method 2 against it.
- Use a special immediately after your basic attacks, referred as "Basic-Special combos". This is only available to a handful of characters, the most well known of which is Wonder Woman's heavy basic attack combo into a Shield Toss.
- Knock down your opponent, and then when they get up and try to use basic attacks on you, immediately activate the special. Some characters, such as Solomon Grundy, has attack speeds so slow it is viable simply just standing next to him and tap special when he starts his basic attack animation. This is the most universal way to use specials unblocked.