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MARIO GUIDE
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khfever@gmail.com <- email me here
demonxheihachi <- IM
by TwistedRyu
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Legal Disclaimer
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It should be understood that you are to not profit off of this guide,
nor should you replicate or pass it off as your own.
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Table of Contents
For convenient access, Ctrl + F and type in the section you want!
1. Why this guide?
2. Mario – Pros and Cons
3. General Moves
4. Mario’s Move List
a. Grabs
b. Regular Attacks
c. Smash Attacks
d. Aerial Attacks
e. Special Attacks
5. Basic Strategy
a. The Fireball Approach
b. Ground to Aerial
c. Edgeguarding
d. Recovering
e. Combos and setups
6. Stages
a. Battlefield
b. Final Destination
c. Yoshi’s Story
d. Smashville
7. Character matchups
a. Snake
b. Metaknight
c. Marth
d. Ganondorf
e. Captain Falcon
f. Ike
8. End
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1. Why this guide?
At the moment, there is none for Mario in SSBB. Okay fine, I also did
this for fun. Although I never picked up Mario in SSBM, I finally used
him in Brawl and started to play in a competitive manner (in Melee I
never got used to the ATs so I was somewhat turned off). I’m still in
the beginning stages, so I won’t say that I’m a great player yet. But of
course there’s the one main concept when people look at Mario, and that
is the fact that he’s labeled basic and a beginner’s character. I would
say that even so, Mario can be much more than a beginner’s character. He
may be well rounded and doesn’t excel in one particularly area but he
has all the tools he needs to compete with any other character in the
game. Mario can play both defensively and offensively, with a balance of
fast and powerful strikes coupled with some versatile specials, although
in my opinion, he’s more of a defensive character. Still, that doesn’t
stop him from switching up styles in fights and mix up for some real
intense fights. With that said, let’s get on with the guide!
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2. Mario – Pros and Cons
Pros
-Mario has every single tool the game can give him – a projectile,
recovery, a spike/meteor smash (from now on called MS), fast moves, slow
and strong moves, a counter (of sorts) and edgeguarding. He’s versatile
and balanced in virtually every aspect.
-Mario can be played both offensively and defensively. Ultimately versus
the better/stronger characters, he would have to play defensively since
they usually possess stronger and/or better tools than him.
-Mario can actually be quite annoying, thanks to a combination of speed
and fast strikes in addition to his fireball. You can rack up damage
quite easily if your opponent doesn’t know what you’re doing.
Cons
-Mario doesn’t have enough killing power. A sweetspot Fsmash is the only
move on the ground that has a chance of killing around 100-110%, and
even so that’s not very easy to land. It’s likely that you’ll be
frustrated with how many times your enemy survives and managed to get
back on unscathed.
-Mario is fairly easy to KO. If you’re around 90-110% then expect to get
sent flying off the stage several times. Although he has a good recovery
thanks to his Cape, it’s not hard to intercept him.
-Mario doesn’t do a great job keeping melee characters on the bay. If
they’re in your zone, expect them to pressure you hard and fast.
You would like Mario if:
-It’s your first time playing.
-You want speed and some power.
-You want bragging rights just because he’s “basic” and “nothing
special”.
-You want to humiliate them by killing them with FLUDD.
You won’t like Mario if:
-You enjoy characters with more power and abusable tools (*cough*Snake
F-tilt*cough*)
-You want characters that excel in some areas, such as having a better
aerial game.
-You want to approach an enemy without getting shrugged off. There’s
only one reliable way for Mario to approach, and that is the fireball –
even so, it’s laughably weak and doesn’t have enough hitstun for a
rushdown mentality.
-You want to be more tactical and play a weaker character.
So it all comes down to the basics with Mario. If you use the basics to
the fullest extent, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy playing as Mario.
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3. General Moves
These are universal for everyone. Note: These are all based off the GC
CONTROLS.
Jump, Double Jump (Up, Up on analog stick, or X/Y): Mario has a fast
jump and decent height between both jumps, so that’s a plus for him.
Short Hop (Lightly tap X/Y): In Brawl the tap is so much lenient that
it’s easier to short hop. Short hopping is crucial since it lets you
pull off aerial attacks closer to the ground and much more quickly. It’s
also vital for Mario’s Nair and Bair, his two main offensive aerial
attacks.
Dash (double tap Left or Right): Mario breaks into a sprint. Use this to
execute your slide attack (Mario’s dash attack), or cancel your run with
down and go into a smash for mixup. You can also fox trot by slamming
your stick right or left and letting go, repeating it so that Mario is
continually dashing.
Shield (L or R): A red shield surrounds Mario. The uses are obvious,
although the Shield dissipates when it’s being hit. If there’s enough of
an opening, you can get shield stabbed if you’re hit anywhere that’s not
covered by the shield (Metaknight’s Mach Tornado, for example). There’s
some lag when you put your shield down, so it’s better to roll away
instead of letting go the button. If you time it right, you can
Powershield with no shield stun or loss. However, it doesn’t reflect
projectiles anymore. You can counter out of your shield with an Up
smash, Up B or shield grab with A.
Dodge (L or R, down on analog stick): The dodge is a great move if you
want to counter any telegraphed incoming attacks (Captain Falcon’s Side
B, for example) without leaving any room between your enemy. If you
Dodged an attack, go for an Usmash to hopefully hit them before they
shield, or Dsmash if they’re trying to roll behind you. You can also go
for grabs, but there’s enough time for them to dodge it.
Roll (L or R, left or right on analog stick): The Roll is your best
means of backing up and creating space. However there is some lag
afterwards, so try to avoid rolling incessantly lest you back up and
land right in front of a smash or grab. Mario’s roll is pretty fast, but
somewhat short.
Air Dodge (L or R in the air): In Brawl, you can only air dodge in one
direction, but you can use it as many times as you like before you hit
the ground (or to your death). You have about 2-seconds of
invincibility. It’s great when you’re coming down and an enemy is trying
to hit you from below. However, a persistent enemy can still hit you
after your air dodge, namely multi-hitting moves such as Metaknight’s
Mach Tornado. So avoid Air Dodging if you know your enemy’s going to
Uair or do some other multi-hitting move.
Shield-Counter: During a shield, you have one of three options to
counter: Usmash, UpB, and A for a shield grab. I recommend the Usmash
because you can either launch into a combo or KO an enemy at high%; it
works well if your enemy has single-hit Dairs. The shield grab should
not be used, given Mario’s short grabbing range. However, if an enemy is
using their Jab combo on you or some other move and delays it, you can
catch them in the middle of it with a Shield Grab. You can also shield
grab if their attack has little to no shield stun. The UpB should only
be used as a panic button, if you want to knock your enemy away or
interrupt with better speed.
Taunt: Press either Up, side, or Down to taunt. I don’t recommend it,
though. If your opponent recently got KO’ed, charge up the FLUDD so that
you can use it for spacing or edgeguarding. If you want to remember
Mario’s taunts, Up is his classic Super Mushroom growth pose but it
takes longer, so only use it at the end of the match (on your enemy’s
last stock). Side causes Mario to turn around and take his cap off, and
down causes him to flip around and butt-stomp the ground.
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4. Mario’s Move List
a. Grabs
========
Z / no damage / grabs enemy
Mario’s grab is best used after a fireball approach in order to take
advantage of the enemy’s small hitstun (a bait of sorts) to take them by
surprise. Given his short range, there’s no reason to use grabs in any
other case.
A / 3% / Mario headbutts the grabbed enemy
Not much to say, use it for a bit of extra damage. Use 2 As as the
maximum to prevent your enemy from escaping the grab.
Up / 8% / Mario throws enemy up
Down throw is a better option, unless your enemy is at a higher% and you
want to KO with a throw. Unfortunately the Up throw doesn’t KO until
170%+ or above. In short, don’t use this throw.
Down / 6% / Mario throws enemy down
The enemy bounces off the ground and is usually in Usmash or Utilt
range. On a heavy character or fast faller, you can juggle them with
Utilts until 30%, so this is his strongest throw. Of course, you also
have other options. If they try to attack right away, go for a Shield-
USmash counter. If they don’t move, give them an Uair and hopefully
start some edgeguarding. If they use their double jump, then start
charging the FLUDD. Overall, this throw is easily Mario’s best and you
should always use it when you get a grab.
Forward / 9% / Mario throws the enemy forward
The enemy doesn’t get thrown pretty far. Not only that, they also are
thrown up diagonally, so it’s not really possible to get a KO from this.
However, if you do this throw near an edge, you can set up your Fair
meteor or Cape for some nice edgeguarding.
Back / 12% / Mario throws the enemy backward
The classic swing-toss from Super Mario 64. This is Mario’s strongest
throw in terms of throw damage (and not follow-up damage). It also has
the most knockback, and can get a KO usually around 130-140% depending
on the stage’s horizontal size. This should be your second used throw,
specifically for situations where your enemy gets back onto the stage
and you want to throw them out far enough than a Fthrow. Depending on
the enemy’s DI, the throw may put them diagonally up giving them a
slightly easier chance to recover, but try to keep them off with FLUDD,
Cape and/or Fireballs.
b. Regular Attacks
==================
AAA / 3%, 2%, 4% / Mario does his classic Jab Jab Kick combo
Mario’s jab combo. Fast with some nice knockback, albeit short range.
Jab cancel into a dsmash to be safe, or Fsmash for damage and
edgeguarding. Also use it for spacing and clashing with another enemy’s
Jab combo. If an enemy is knocked down, just jabbing them with the first
two hits will keep them down until they get up via a Roll or simple
getup.
Ftilt / 8% / Mario pivots on one foot and delivers a roundhouse
A great move, this has the most range out of Mario’s other attacks
(minus Fireball and FLUDD) and starts getting some knockback power above
50%. Use this a lot for spacing. If you attack or shield just as Mario
retracts his foot, he’ll step back during it, giving him some space.
Utilt / 7% / Mario does an uppercut
It has short range, but this is Mario’s other fast tilt minus his Jab
combo, and it works great for juggling an enemy. After a dthrow vs a
fastfaller or heavyweight, you can keep them incapacitated with Utilts
until 30% before finishing with a smash. This does great damage and you
can resume your fireball approaches and offensive tactics after.
Although it’s not a combo, your enemy can’t beat it out unless they can
somehow match it with a fast Nair. It’s okay anti-air, but the Usmash is
better.
Dtilt / 5% / Mario sweeps the floor in front of him
A tilt that doesn’t have much purpose. It pops your enemy up a bit, but
you don’t get any real combos out of it, nor does it have any good
follow-ups. You can use it to poke at people hanging on the edge,
though.
Dash A / 7-9% / Mario comes in with a Slide Kick
The Slide Kick has two different hit areas. If you hit them deep, it’ll
cause them to launch into the air. If you hit them with just the foot,
it’ll poke them and won’t cause them to move much. Try to avoid using
this too much, since it’s rather predictable and a blocked Slide Kick
can result in an easy shield grab thanks to its terrible recovery. If
you do get a poke hit and the enemy hasn’t reacted yet, go for a Jab
combo -> Jab Cancel or Usmash, or grab.
c. Smash Attacks
================
Fsmash / 14-19% nonsweetspot, 17-23% sweetspot / Mario punches and a
fireball appears in front of it
This is Mario’s only true killer on the ground, and even so it’s hard to
use effectively. You get the most knockback with the sweetspot (that is,
you hit them with the fireball part of the punch, not the fist), which
can kill around 100% depending on the stage. Although you can use
fireball approaches to release a Fsmash, an enemy can still interrupt
with a Jab combo or anything fast to beat it out. The one use for Fsmash
is to punish any major whiffs or laggy moves. You can also Jab cancel
into a Fsmash, but again an enemy can still hit you out of it with a Jab
combo. Still, learn this move because you won’t get any other KOs
outside of edgeguading or bthrowing. There’s a rather odd hitbox on this
move; it seems that it also goes somewhere around Mario’s face (you’ll
know if you somehow manage to hit an enemy next to Mario behind him) and
hits for a sweetspot knockback rather than a regular hit.
Dsmash / 15-21% front, 12-16% back / Mario sweeps the floor around him
An alternative to the Fsmash, though it doesn’t come out any faster and
is about as laggy as the Fsmash. It also has less range. However, Dsmash
tends to launch the opponent into a diagonal down distance so if it
doesn’t KO them then edgeguarding is still viable afterwards. The Dsmash
is handy for an enemy who rolls towards you and catching them with the
back hit, but you’ll have to time it well.
Usmash / 14-19% / Mario brings his head up and thrusts it down
Mario’s more versatile smash. It comes out a little faster than his
other two smashes, and knocks an enemy into the air. While it won’t get
any combos, you can use the time to charge FLUDD, or go Uair and
hopefully start some edgeguarding. Since you can use it out of shield I
suggest you practice this move since it’ll likely be one of your few
ways of dealing with melee happy characters such as Metaknight or Marth.
Just beware of some moves that cause shield pushback, making it
difficult or impossible to counter with the Usmash. The Usmash doesn’t
KO till 120% or above, and even so you would need to have not used it
excessively early in the battle to make sure it has optimum knockback.
d. Aerial Attacks
=================
Nair / 5-10% / Mario sticks his leg out
Mario’s fastest aerial, it has short range but one of his most useful
attacks. It knocks back the moment Mario pulls his leg out, and doesn’t
when Mario already has his leg out. Uses include edgeguarding,
interrupting juggling and attacking fast. Another plus is the
nonexistent lag so you can pretty much do anything once on the ground.
If you get the weak hit, watch out for Shield grabs and smashes as Mario
is very vulnerable afterwards.
Fair / 12-13% / Mario grasps his fist then punches downward in an arc
Mario’s meteor smash. It’s slow and has no real application when your
enemy is on stage. However, if they’re off stage, you can use it to
spike them down provided they don’t have a 2nd jump ready to meteor
cancel. The type of hit you get depends mostly on where the punch hits
the enemy. If they’re aligned with Mario in midair, he usually spikes
them down. However, if they’re not aligned with Mario, they may get hit
when Mario brandishes his fist BEFORE bringing it down, causing them to
get knocked back diagonally up. If you hit them just as Mario finishes
arc-ing the punch, it’s possible that you’ll only “poke” them causing no
knockback at all. If you get the spiking effect on an onstage enemy,
they’ll bounce off the ground. Nothing is guaranteed, but you can go for
a smash to follow up and deal more damage.
Uair / 11% / Mario backflips in midair
His third most important aerial. In Brawl it no longer juggles anymore;
instead it knocks back depending on what part of the flip you hit the
enemy with. If you hit them when Mario’s legs are on the way up, you get
a forward knockback. If you hit them when Mario’s legs are arc-ing and
he almost completes his flip, you get a backward knockback. The backward
knockback is stronger than the forward (something of a sweetspot
knockback), since it pushes the enemy diagonally down instead of
diagonally up. It can also get a KO if your enemy’s % is 140 or higher.
If you do get a frontal knockback and the enemy isn’t pushed away far
enough, you can try moving closer to them in the air and go for another
Uair to juggle them before touching the ground. Of course, you might
risk getting Bairs in retaliation, but they’re usually high enough that
they can’t hit you at all.
Dair / 12% / Mario spins in midair then throws his arms up
The original Mario Tornado, only now you can’t raise with it since it’s
not a special attack. Although it has a fast startup, it doesn’t have
much priority unless an enemy is aligned with you in midair and tries to
hit you. If Mario hits the ground when he spins, he skips to the arm
throwing part instead. This gives the attack some lag, whereas it
normally wouldn’t have if you complete it in the air. If you SH a Dair,
you can use it to pressure, but beware of shield grabs when blocked
upclose. An UpB combos after for a bit of damage, if you’re slightly
desperate.
Bair / 12% / Mario moves in a sideways position and pushes his legs back
This is it. If you ever need an offensive aerial, the Bair would suit
you. It has no lag, and has decent knockback. If you use it excessively,
you can use it to the point where you can juggle your enemy repeatedly
with Bairs in an air combo. The Bair can also be used as a spacing tool,
by thrusting it into an enemy’s face and then getting away to break up
their approach. Due to the aerial mobility Mario has during Bair, it is
practically safe and unpunishable. In terms of edgeguarding, you can
drag your enemy out and hopefully keep them from reaching the stage.
e. Special Attacks
==================
B / 5% / Mario throws his signature fireball
Mario’s only projectile, a weak one at that, but very useful. It can
stop attacks and annoy your opponents. SH Fireballs are key to Mario’s
approach, as a means of canceling or stopping enemy attacks and meet
them with your own. When you get close enough to an enemy after
unloading fireballs, go for grabs, Usmash, or slide to keep up with your
offensive. You can also camp with fireballs or edgeguard with them.
UpB / 12% / Mario does a Jumping Uppercut, SHOOOOOORYUKEN!-style
Mario’s third jump (fourth if you count his Cape). It gives him both
vertical and some horizontal recovery. Although the recovery is terrible
after, the startup is fast and you’re fairly invincible so this move
also has great priority. You can use it out of your shield as an
alternative to Usmash countering, but it clearly won’t be powerful. If
you do use this, try not to overshoot the enemy because the actual
knockback comes from the last hit, whereas the other hits are mostly
there to juggle them. At 170-200% this will KO.
SideB / 5% / Mario takes out his Cape and swishes it in front of him
The Cape is still very useful and serves many functions. The most
obvious is to counter projectiles, by turning them against the user, so
you can either stop or interrupt campers. Another use is to turn melee
attackers around and hopefully leave them vulnerable to a smash. This is
very hard to do, especially if they’re using attacks with great range
and/or less lag (Marth or MK’s Fair, for example). The third is for
edgeguarding. If you can anticipate when an enemy will use their third
jump, you can time a Cape to hit them just as they start it up and
they’ll fly off in the opposite direction. The fourth is to stall. By
jumping in midair and using the Cape, it’ll slow down your descent thus
letting you avoid falling into nasty attacks. The last is for recovery.
Whenever you get knocked back, stop your recovery with a Cape, double
jump towards the stage then UpB. This is the best recovery method since
it gives Mario both horizontal AND vertical recovery. The first time the
Cape is used in the air, it gives Mario a little extra jump so in total
you can have 4 jumps (jump, double jump, cape and UpB) instead of 3. The
Cape does not cause any hit stun on an enemy, meaning that they can’t
use anymore UpBs if they used it up already. Needless to say, this will
be your other most used special attack.
DownB / 0% / Mario takes out FLUDD and sprays the enemy with water
Some people hate FLUDD and think its useless. Well, that sucks for them.
FLUDD is a GREAT spacing tool vs melee happy characters. You even
edgeguard with it, by pushing the enemy out to prevent their third jumps
from letting them reach the stage. You can direct the pump up or down;
an aerial enemy caught in FLUDD will stay wherever they are while being
pushed back. On stage and on an aerial enemy, you can slow their descent
down to prepare them for a smash depending on where they are. A fully
charged pump will push Mario back, which is another crucial component to
keeping your enemies at bay. You’ll learn to love the FLUDD because
it’ll keep you alive longer than without it. Always charge it up
whenever you get a KO, or you’re KO’ed and you respawn. Take a few times
to charge it up when you launched your enemy into the air. Remember you
can cancel the charging animation with a roll or shield.
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5. Basic Strategy
a. The Fireball Approach
========================
Mario’s fireballs are the only way to approach an enemy and maintaining
an offensive without putting yourself at risk. Because of that, you’ll
be using it as your #1 way of getting into an enemy’s zone.
The Idea…
Throw in fireballs while SHing. You can usually get 2 SH Fireballs. The
fireballs will either interrupt or cancel out whatever your enemy is
doing. When you move in and succeed in getting close enough, go for
Grabs, Jab -> Jab Cancel, or Smash.
-If your enemy is annoyed, he may try to attack and break through your
fireballs. Against a dangerous opponent (such as Snake) mix in SH Nairs
or Bairs to outmatch their attack speed-wise.
-If your enemy is in the middle of an attack, such as charging a smash,
a fireball may cause him to freeze up if he/she gets interrupted. Having
a barrage of fireballs may make him forget to move and that’s when you
can get in an attack of your choice.
-If your enemy has a reflector of sorts or can counter or absorb it,
either keep throwing throwing fireballs to make sure they stay immobile
and hit them with a Fsmash (for absorb/counter types), or swarm them
with SH Bairs via Reverse Aerial Rush (reflector types). For Falco,
throw another fireball when he reflects the first one, jump over him and
try getting him with a Dair or Nair.
-You cannot projectile clash with anyone except another Mario or Luigi
with fireballs. However, you can destroy Samus’ missiles, destroy Toon
Link/Adult Link’s arrows or bombs, slow down Snake’s Nikita Missile or
cancel out throw items such as Peach’s turnips or bombs.
-If your enemy jumps over the fireballs, FLUDD them back (quickly DownB
twice if it’s not charged up fully), or try and intercept with a smash.
If they jump away or run away, continue fireballing.
-If your enemy is knocked down, try and throw fireballs to catch them
when they roll, and land close enough in case they might freeze.
b. Ground to Aerial
===================
Mario doesn’t have a great lead-in to his aerial game, which is his
other main source of damage on stage since none of his ground attacks
work alone without fireballs. The following are a few setup moves that
lead into Mario’s aerial game:
Utilt – If they’re still close enough to the ground, juggle with more
Utilts until they’re out of Utilt range, then go for a Uair or Nair.
Usmash – Use it as a shield-counter. Go for a Uair.
Dthrow – Juggle with Utilts at low%, then go for any of the Utilt
tactics mentioned above.
Uthrow – Charge up FLUDD. Don’t go for a Uair since your enemy is likely
to interrupt it.
If you’re going for an aerial game without fireball approaches, you’ll
have to rely on Bair since it’s the safest move and has the most range.
In a SH, you can do 2 Bairs depend on how high you are. When you hit the
ground, go for a Btilt (in reality, Ftilt in reverse) to make sure no
one’s coming up to your back, or do another SH but with Dair to counter
or clash with enemies rushing in. None of Mario’s aerial attacks have
good range or safety besides Bair.
In the reverse situation (aerial to ground), lead in with a Nair to
fireball if you get the strong hit or Jab combo -> Jab cancel if you get
the weak hit. You might be able to clash or interrupt your opponent’s
jab combo (more risky vs enemies like Snake). Or with Bair, as stated
before, Btilt. You might be tempted to use Dsmash to cover your back,
but the enemy can either jump over and counter or interrupt before it
comes out. Either pre-empt your attack with a dodge or roll behind your
enemy and fireball approach. Dair is another good move for this (in a SH
it should complete itself with no lag) and it’s fast enough that it’ll
interrupt any attacks from the ground (watch out for Utilts though).
If you juggled an enemy with Uair, chase them down with more Uairs or
run under them and Usmash (preferably shield-counter Usmash if they
attack). If you juggled them with Bairs, either continue with more if
you have a 2nd jump left or drop to the ground and go for an Uair,
especially if they’re nearly offstage.
c. Edgeguarding
===============
The basic tools for edgeguarding:
Fireball – Will stop jumps if an enemy is closer below stage. It might
help set up a Cape or Fair spike since they’ll most likely mash their
UpB and you can anticipate it more easily.
Cape – It reverses recoveries so that they shoot into the wrong
direction and fall to their death. You can also Cape stall edgehog.
FLUDD – It will push them back so that reaching the stage is harder and
you are likely to edgehog them.
Nair/Bair – It will push them back, hopefully a bit downward to make
their vertical recoveries (if any) harder to grab the edge. The Nair is
best done when you’re running off the stage so that it starts up the
instant your feet reach air. However, beware of getting UpB’ed into the
stage for a ledgespike.
Fair – If you ever get the opportunity, a Fair will spike them down for
an instant KO. Of course, they can still swat you away back onto the
stage if they’re higher up. When you meteor smash them though, it’s very
rewarding.
Footstool – A Footstool doesn’t spike but it pushes them down and stuns
them for a bit, which will hinder their vertical recovery and allow an
easy kill. It’s even more fun if you Footstool someone trying to spike
you and leap all the way back onto the stage (I did that by accident,
boy was it a sight to see).
Edgeguarding situations in detail:
Above stage – You can go for a Fair spike. A fully charged FLUDD, if all
of it hits, will push them back and their UpBs might not be able to get
them back on. Nair might work if you’re going for a KO depending on %.
Cape can be used to some extent, but overall your options are mostly
Fair and Nair.
Level with stage – All your options work here. The FLUDD though, is
excellent since it’ll have a greater chance of pushing them far enough.
A well timed Cape can also be great to stop recoveries.
Below stage – Nair to push them out further, or Bair them into the stage
for a wallspike (if possible). For super armor recoveries such as Ike’s
and Snake’s, FLUDD them or try to Cape them into the opposite direction.
The footstool can work here too, but watch out for vertical UpB
recoveries.
On edge – Throw fireballs to put them back onto the edge if they use a
ledge attack. Go for a Nair or Bair if they try to jump up from the
stage, or charge a smash if they roll back on. It’s not likely that
you’ll catch a roller, since your distance means that it’s easier for
them to anticipate a smash. You can fireball to raise a bit of damage,
especially if they edgestall or try to come up with aerial attacks to
back you off.
Edgehogging – Either do UpB stalls or Cape stall. The Cape stall is
slightly better since you delay yourself from getting an auto-sweetspot
and your invincibility will render their UpBs useless if you time it
accordingly. If they’re level with stage or higher, you can Bair, but it
won’t work if they have any jumps left before their UpB. Cape stall by
pressing back repeatedly (so that you’re momentarily off the edge) and
hit B to cape so that Mario’s facing the opposite direction, and he’ll
grab the edge immediately afterwards. For UpB, hit down to drop from the
edge, then UpB (but becareful if it’s a stage like Final Destination).
d. Recovering
=============
Mario has four jumps. Aside from double jump, he has the Cape and UpB
Super Jump Punch. Use the Cape to get some horizontal recovery, and the
UpB for vertical recovery. Simple eh? Not when your enemy tries to edge
guard you. Fortunately, getting back on isn’t too hard since Mario’s
recovery moves are good enough in dealing with them if they follow you
off stage.
Anyway here are the situations which your enemies might edgeguard you:
Projectile spammer - Unless they’re Link or Toon Link or Samus or Peach
or Mario or Snake or Ness or Lucas, no other character with projectiles
can hit you if you’re below stage. If they do try to hit you with
horizontal projectiles (i.e. the space animals’ blasters), your Cape
should keep them back. For vertical projectiles (i.e. dropping items on
you such as bombs) your UpB can destroy them if they drop it directly on
you out of stage. However, they might drop an explosive onto the edge of
the stage so that the explosion will hit you even if you meet up with
the edge. Actually, your UpB works wonders for negating vertical
projectiles. Heck, even if you get hit you can do another UpB, as long
as the projectile’s hitbox is bigger than Mario’s fist.
Spiker – It is less likely that an enemy with a spike will use it when
you’re higher up offstage, unless they knocked you off and time their
spikes to hit you just as you double jump (only another Mario and maybe
Snake might try that). Still, they’ll probably go for a spike if you’re
on level with the stage or below it. If you’re on level with stage, fall
a bit, then use your double jump and jump towards the stage (cape if
necessary) then UpB to the stage edge. If you’re below stage, Cape (so
that you don’t jump right into their spike), double jump and then UpB. A
Toon Link might not Dair unless you’re closer to the stage so that they
can hop back on.
Wall of Pain/Dragger – If the enemy is a character with multiple jumps
(Kirby, MK, Pit, Charizard, Jigglypuff for example), they might hit you
and continue pushing you closer to the stage before using their jumps
and then UpB to the stage edge. Personally, only MK and maybe Jigglypuff
can do this more effectively (MK with his Fair and Jigglypuff with her
Bair). Anyone can do this, but it’s more effective for chars with
multiple jumps. The situation varies, but if you’re higher offstage,
Cape repeatedly, and then double jump to the stage followed by UpB. That
way, you might force your enemy to jump closer in order to get a KO and
then it’s easier to get back to the stage. If you’re below, try going
for a footstool, or jump towards a stage wall, wall jump and reverse UpB
to the stage edge.
On stage – No one is going to succeed edgeguarding on stage, and even so
this option is only viable if you’re higher up and closer to the stage.
They may try Fairs, or smashes or other wide AoE (area of effect)
attacks to hit you out. But seriously, anyone edgeguarding on stage will
never get you at all.
Edgehogging – This is a hard one, especially if you’re making a return
trip from the boundary with your double jump and are about to use your
UpB. If you’re higher up, it might not be a problem since your UpB will
hit them off the edge and will set them up for a Bair (unless they have
their own move stalls i.e. MK’s Dimensional Cape stall). They can still
try to swat you away in the air, though – time your cape so that they’ll
grab the edge again and then you can UpB to hopefully knock them off.
However if your enemy has a tether, it’ll be bad news for you since a
really smart enemy will try and time their tether to latch onto the edge
before you can grab it and their invincibility will ensure that you fall
to your doom. In this case, try a wall jump (if the stage has one of
course) and Cape so that you’re facing the stage, and then UpB. If
you’re a little more below stage, this won’t work at all.
e. Combos and setups
====================
These are in no way guaranteed, but they are good follow-ups for when a
particularly situation with these arise.
Fireball -> Grab -> Ax2 -> Dthrow -> UTilt/Usmash/Uair
The fireball here sets up the grab combo. On higher %, go for Uair, or a
Shield-counter Usmash (if they break out with an attack).
Bair -> Bair -> double jump, Bair -> Bair
You’ll need to have used Bair enough that it won’t cause any knockback.
This only works at mid %. At higher %, the Bair will start pushing them
diagonally up so you can only get a single Bair after a double jump.
Slide Kick -> Usmash
Again, only at low %. If you get the nonsweetspot, the Usmash might
interrupt anything outside of a Jab combo, but they can still shield or
dodge or roll.
Utilt -> Utilt -> Utilt -> Utilt… -> Usmash/Uair
The Utilt juggles until 30% or a little higher on fast fallers. On any
other character, end with a Usmash or Uair when they’re going out of
UTilt range.
Utilt -> Usmash
Around 30% or slightly above. Basic.
Uair -> Uair
Hit them with the foot when Mario goes up for this to work. Even so,
you’ll have to move in closer before doing the 2nd Uair. Works at low to
mid percent.
Nair -> Ftilt/Dtilt
An actual guaranteed combo, only at low percent. You need the sweetspot
(i.e. the strong hit) for this to work, and you need to be close to the
ground.
***********************************************************************
6. Stages
These are the only stages that can be played competitively in without
interference via stage obstacles, hazards, scrolling camera, rotating
stages, etc.. For all intents and purposes, these are “neutral” stages.
a. Battlefield
==============
Three horizontal platforms over a large one. The KO area for both
horizontal and vertical/Star is fairly small so it’s easy to KO and get
KO’ed. Still, a lot of strategies can be employed here.
Camping:
You can camp on either of the two center platforms with fireballs. The
top platform can be used for charging FLUDD. Your enemy may try to come
at you with aerials, or swat you from below with Utilts/Usmashes. The
latter method shouldn’t really hit you as much as the former, so if you
keep moving around you’ll be okay. On the top platform, they may use
double jump aerials if they’re on the bottom platform. If they’re slow
characters, laugh at them while you roll away and continue to charge
FLUDD. I do not recommend any fireball approaches since it’s easy for
your enemy to retreat into a higher platform.
Platform Attacks:
Whenever you drop through a platform (press Down hard on the analog
stick), come down with Nairs or Dairs. The first attack will knock them
back, the second will catch them surprise. Just watch out for UTilts.
You can also run down a platform and fall with an Nair if they’re on the
bottom. Whenever an enemy is on a platform, do SHFF Uairs so that you
hit them and retreat to the ground to avoid retaliation. On the top
platform, not much you can do here – stay on the ground and charge FLUDD
and roll away when they drop through.
Edgeguarding:
If they’re higher off the stage, they may try to recover by landing on
either of the center platforms. Time a Uair to hit them back out instead
of hanging around the edge and waiting for them to come. You can also do
a run-off Nair and jump to the edge for edgehogging. If they’re level
with the stage, hopefully your FLUDD is ready because getting back on is
easy enough.
Strategic Area:
If your opponent is at a high%, try to force them up to the top platform
so that your Usmash can finish them off. Of course, they might see this
coming and stay somewhere else where you’re not going to bother them
(neither can they). But if they’re aggressive, then this is a great area
– use a Shield-Counter USmash.
Recovering:
If your enemy hangs around the edge waiting to edgeguard you, try to
reach for the center platform instead of the edge. If they’re projectile
users or spikers, staying above them is better than getting pushed aside
or below. You can be assured that you’ll have a safe trip if you get
knocked away to the other side and your enemy has to catch up to you on
the other end.
b. Final Destination
====================
The main 1v1 stage for any kind of battle. Of course, with little cover
you have no where to run. Use fireball approaches and retreat if they’re
getting comfortable or aggressive.
Camping:
You can stay at one end of the stage and wait for your enemy to come
after you while you unleash a barrage of fireballs on them. It’s a good
stalling tactic as well as annoyance. Vs chars with better or more
spammable projectiles (i.e. space animal blasters), forget about camping
when they have a higher damage output with their projectiles. If they
don’t have projectiles, you’re in luck unless they have something to
stop it.
Edgeguarding:
All tactics in the edgeguard section apply here.
Strategic Area:
Hang around the edges so that you can force an enemy out of stage more
quickly. In particular, bthrows or fthrows here set up edgeguarding
well. You can also hang around here to charge up FLUDD.
Recovering:
Make use of the wall next to the stage since Mario can wall jump. It’s a
better alternative in case your enemy has a spike but beware of chars
with multiple jumps since they can come after you from above. Pikachu’s
Thunder Jolt might also hinder your recovery if you wall jump.
c. Yoshi’s Story
================
There’s only one platform in this stage, and the platform will
constantly tilt, going from diagonal downleft to upright, normal and
upleft to diagonal downright. Thanks to the ground relatively being the
size of a rectangle, you’ll have an easier time recovering since you
have wall jumps and your UpB will hug the wall up instead of being
hindered like Final Destination. Occasionally those pop-up platforms
will appear on each side of the stage; pray that if you’re not getting a
UpB back to the stage, these wonders will come to the rescue.
Camping:
The pop-up platforms are an okay camping spot, since an aggressive enemy
will probably chase after you. Otherwise, use the edges as usual.
Edgeguarding:
If it’s easy for you to recover, so is it for your enemy. Fortunately,
the FLUDD comes in handy since they’ll probably get knocked off above
stage. Use your FLUDD to go for a spike or Nair to push them out. If
they’re aiming to get back onto the stage, make sure you meet them with
a Uair or Bair.
Strategic Area:
The pop-up platforms (again).
Recovering:
If you’re going for the wall jumps, an enemy with a spike or meteor
smash will probably come after you. Fortunately, thanks to the speed of
your UpB, you can shoot back to the stage before they can get to you,
and start edgeguarding them instead. If you’re knocked above stage,
repeatedly cape and move forward back to the stage, then double jump to
the platform. Use a Nair or quick release FLUDD in case they try to
intercept you.
d. Smashville
=============
Take Battlefield’s flat platform, reduce the three platforms to one
moving platform, and you have Smashville. This stage has even less space
than Battlefield, so it’s very easy to get KO’ed here. Prepare for some
fast paced matches.
Camping:
Make good use of the moving platform, especially when it hovers off the
side of the stage. Use fireballs a lot, and when they come after you
time a smash to intercept. If danger is imminent, don’t try to jump back
onto stage. Instead, drop through the platform then jump to the edge and
roll back on. This will keep you partly safe against melee happy
characters. Of course, this strategy isn’t as effective against other
projectile users, but you’ll at least have some cover.
Strategic Area:
The moving platform. However given the small size of the stage, you’ll
want to use the edges to reduce your damage intake if you’re getting
pummeled.
Edgeguarding:
Again, FLUDD comes in handy here. If the moving platform is on their
side, it’ll make reaching them even easier. Should they land on the
platform, do a Uair from under the platform so that they can’t trade
hits with you.
Recovering:
Quick release FLUDDs since you’ll have very little chance of getting
back on; if your enemy is far away, they’ll miss their opportunity for a
KO. If it doesn’t keep them off, it’ll at least push them back a bit so
that you can grab the edge. If they’re already coming after you, Cape
and double jump over them then go for edgeguarding. If the platform is
by your side when you’re recovering, try to land on it while charging
FLUDD and release it so that it’ll push them away and you can get back
on more easily.
***********************************************************************
7. Character matchups
Until I face other characters, this section will remain incomplete.
a. Snake
========
Snake is hands down, the best camper of the game. He has a plethora of
explosives at his disposal, and maneuvering around them is tricky since
Snake can unload a whole minefield. Even when you pass them, Snake has
no problem shrugging you off. In fact, he can stay in the same area if
he wants to.
First off, his hand grenades (I forgot what they were called). He can
throw two at any time, but they won’t explode upon contact. They’ll
explode after about 3 to 4 seconds. Of course, a good Snake won’t just
throw them at you – he’ll drop it with Shield, pick them up and use it
as if they were items. That way, you’ll get caught in the blast more
easily. Either fireball to hopefully intercept the grenade, or roll back
to avoid the explosion. If you fireball though, he’ll be able to spam
his grenades more often, but if you throw a fireball when he’s holding a
hand grenade, he might hop and throw, so it’ll be easier to get to him
without dealing with the hand grenades. If he’s a stupid Snake and just
throws the grenade without waiting, then you can catch it and throw it
back at him for his stupidity, or cape it, even better.
Secondly, his Nikita Missile can be guided, and if it won’t hit you,
Snake can still shield to cancel its flight and it’ll drop to the ground
and explode. You cannot cape it back at Snake unless the missile is high
enough, and even then if he cancels it and you’re too close, it’ll hit
you. It has a diagonal upright knockback, so if you’re coming back to
recover and you get hit, expect to get KO’ed. Fortunately, you can slow
down the missile by throwing fireballs at it, and it’ll be useless that
Snake will have to cancel it anyway. Should he try to edgeguard you with
it, cape and double jump over it. It will not explode unless it actually
hits you; UpB will make you invincible to it if Snake drops it onto the
edge to stop you from grabbing it. If the Snake doesn’t know how to
cancel, of course, then you can give him what he deserves.
Thirdly, his Dsmash (which causes him to plant a mine) will most likely
be planted near the edge so that you’ll come in contact with it unless
you jump over it. If he lays it any where else on the field, destroy it
with your fireball unless you want to use it to your advantage – try
knocking Snake into it. If it’s by the edge, make sure to hit back on
the stick so that you’re slightly hovering off of the edge, jump back
while facing the stage, and then destroy the mine with your fireball.
Fourth and more importantly, his C4 remote controlled bomb. It’s his
most versatile explosive – he can use it to edgeguard, set off chain
reactions, shrug you off his back AND recover. If he’s edgeguarding with
it, make sure to cape stall so that you can UpB into the stage just as
he begins to detonate it and you’ll bypass the explosion unharmed. If
he’s laid a minefield, just stay away from the area since the explosions
will damage you severely. Next, if he’s above stage (i.e. you knocked
him up into the air via Usmash or something) he may drop a C4 and time
the explosion to keep you from coming after him in the air. Either way,
roll back or stay away. Last but not least, his recovery. He’ll only use
it to recover if he has used his UpB and can’t grab the stage. The
explosion will generally put him in a diagonal right flight, so
attacking him offstage is not recommended (he’ll probably get back on
anyway since you can’t hit him in his UpB Cypher when he’s too high).
Since it’s the only special attack he can use after his UpB, try to hit
him towards the stage with Bair before he finishes his UpB (if you’re
not spiking/meteor smashing him) so that he’ll be stunned before he can
detonate the C4 on himself.
If you get past his explosives, you still have to deal with some of
Snake’s annoying attacks. When you get upclose, he’ll mostly like ftilt
or AAA you. The ftilt is especially annoying – two hits with the second
one knocking you back, a likely kill if you’re above 110%. Not to
mention, it has almost no lag. So even if he misses, he can still hit
you before you can do anything. AAA has longer range, but doesn’t kill
you as fast or as easily as ftiltx2 does. You do NOT want to trade your
jab combo with his as Snake’s will easily overpower yours. The range of
the ftilt is deceptive; it’s easy to run into it. If you shield it, you
might be able to shield grab Snake before he throws out the 2nd hit, but
it’s still risky. Ftiltx2 and AAA both do around 20% so it adds up very
fast. He’ll rely on his ftilt to kill if his explosives don’t get you,
so watch for it when your percent is above 100.
His next most annoying attack (two actually) is his dive roll (dash
attack). If it hits, he can cancel it to an Usmash, giving him extra
distance (called mortarsliding). If it doesn’t hit and is blocked, he
can still get past you so unless he stops right next to you, you aren’t
going to punish him for it. Given its speed, he can practically get you
from a medium distance. Try to jump over it and meet him with a Bair or
Nair if you’re above him, or you can stop it with a FLUDD so that he
lands right in front of you and you can punish him. The Usmash is his
only real usable smash, and while it’s pretty weak (unable to kill
unless he hits you with a charged mortar) its his fastest smash. It hits
you up when he pulls out the launcher, and the mortar after that will
hit you and put you even further into the air. Don’t stay too close to
Snake – this, along with ftiltx2 and AAA is why he’s pretty dangerous
upclose. However, if he’s using Usmash as an anti-air attack instead of
Utilt, give him back his mortar with a Cape (since the mortar counts as
a projectile). If you’re high in the air, he’ll most likely charge it to
increase its height and speed, so caping it back at him will be very
rewarding especially if he gets KO’ed by it.
Snake doesn’t have too much in the way of aerial attacks. All four hits
of his Nair and Dair won’t land if he’s not high enough in the air, but
they do a lot of damage and have strong knockback so watch out for them.
His Fair is a spike (not a meteor smash) and it knocks you down
diagonally, so watch out if you’re trying to Fair him for a meteor
smash. His Bair hurts and has a lot of knockback, though – this will
probably be his only move that he’ll use in the air. Uair is a good
anti-air tool, but given Utilt he probably won’t use it except for a
star KO.
His UpB Cypher gives him super armor against WEAK attacks, namely those
that only give hit stun. If he’s hit with STRONG attacks (i.e. knockback
attacks, spikes, meteor smashes, smashes, etc) then he’ll be knocked off
of his Cypher. If you’re really demanding, you can try to grab his
Cypher if he’s close to the stage; not only will he lose his Cypher,
he’ll lose his ability to use any aerial attacks or aerial specials,
including his C4 mine. However if you’re intercepting him, Bair and Fair
are your tools for this job. With Bair, try to hit him into the stage so
that he’ll have less chance of getting back on. Use Fair if he’s only
moving up and not changing directions. When the Cypher is released from
Snake’s hand, it’ll damage you, but it’s only a minor hit stun so it
won’t do much. You can also hit the Cypher to slow it down and reduce
Snake’s vertical distance, but it’s better to go after Snake instead.
Use your fireballs a lot, whether it be to deal with his explosives, or
to cancel out his attacks and then fight him from the air. Mario has the
upperhand in terms of aerials. Snake does have Utilt, which has a
strangely large hitbox and can beat out your aerials, but your fireballs
can stop it. Use FLUDD to control your space, as well. Snake can’t
approach you as well as you can, since his explosives need to be timed
and his dash attack can be punished easily.
b. Metaknight
=============
By far Mario’s hardest matchup. You cannot approach Metaknight with
fireballs at all. His Mach Tornado will eat through your fireballs and
he can spam it since you can’t approach him while he’s spinning. It’s
just too dangerous.
Aside from Mach Tornado, Metaknight can hit you hard and fast. He has
nonexistent lag on almost all of his moves, so he’s practically
unpunishable. His aerial game is supreme, with fair able to take you
across the stage in no time, Uair juggling you to kingdom come, dair for
knockback, Nair to KO, and bair applied in the same way as fair. Anyone
saying MK can’t kill must have been drunk. Nair, UpB, Dsmash are all
fast, safe AND unpunishable; he has no problem killing you with any one
of those moves.
Rest assured his ground game isn’t too shabby. Ftiltx3 is a blazing fast
combo and nothing in your arsenal can match it in terms of speed. Dtilt
is a fast, safe poke, Utilt can start some juggling. Then there’s
Usmash, which beats out Mario’s aerial game, and dsmash, his best smash
for killing (fsmash being too slow to get a kill). Nearly everything in
his ground game can set up his aerial game so he’s always attacking no
matter what.
His specials are ridiculous too. Dimensional cape (downB) might not be a
great move to attack with, but he can stay invisible and move around the
stage safely with it (even better if he can do infinite dimensional
cape). His sideB drill attack is like Snake’s dive roll – he’s safe even
if he misses. However, he can change his flight path during it. Given
its long duration, he can also edgeguard by edgehogging with it. Only
the last hit has any knockback, but it can kill above 140s.
That’s not all! His recovery is the best in the game, and the most
versatile. In addition to five (four aerial) regular jumps, he has
glide, and four specials, with one going back to glide. You just can’t
edgeguard this guy and hope for a kill, you actually have to get KOs on
stage. It’s a depressing thought, since you have no way of approaching
Metaknight safely. On the other hand, MK can edgeguard you AND meet you
off stage to intercept, so you’re very likely to meet your doom should
you even get knocked off.
MK’s main offensive attack is SH fairs. Not only can he take you across
the stage with (as mentioned before) it, he can also use it to counter
your aerial game as well. If you hit him up, he’ll snuff out your
followups with fair as well. To deal with fair, use Shield-Counters,
namely Upsmash and shield grabs. You’ll have to wait a bit; given the
speed of fair, it’ll break through your Usmash or shield grab attempts.
Fortunately, MK’s regular attacks cannot cancel out your fireballs. Even
Fair can be stopped with a fireball. So if you can’t approach MK, you
can spam fireballs. Try to annoy MK as much as possible. You can provoke
him into his Mach Tornado – FLUDD him back and go after him with a
smash.
Off stage, he’ll try to follow you and hit you with Fair or Nair, or
he’ll edgehog if you’re closer to the stage. If it’s the former, make
sure to fast fall (press down while in the air), Cape, then double jump
and Up B. MK’s jumps are slow, so he won’t reach you in time unless he
does a reverse UpB or reverse sideB, but both put him at risk. If it’s
the latter, be careful because his UpB will push you out should he
connect with the arc; he’ll also go for Bair or edgestall with
UpB/DownB.
This battle is all about patience, spacing, and control. Let MK get in
and he’ll tear you apart. Make sure you get your FLUDDs charged up every
chance you get, because MK can take you out in seconds. In any case, do
NOT try to meet up with MK head on. He’ll outprioritize you every time -
it’s not worth it.
c. Marth
========
Another tough match for Mario. The difference here is that Marth doesn’t
have a projectile, so you can camp and annoy him with fireballs. Given
his melee nature though, he’s dangerous upclose, but he has to be at a
medium distance so that he can land sweetspots. Namely, his fsmash. This
move will kill you around 80-100% if he lands a sweetspot, and even if
you’re not dead from it, Marth already has a great edgeguarding game to
fall back on so you’re at a disadvantage, for the most part.
Marth’s main offensive attack is SH Fairs. Although he can’t juggle you
to doom with it like he could in Melee, it pushes you back and stuns you
for another one, so he can still keep you locked down with Fair. Heck,
it sets up for his sweetspot fsmash easily, so it’s deadly enough. At
40-50%, it starts lifting you up, so expect to be carried across the
stage by it. Fortunately, its range was toned down, so he has to time it
more precisely. Aside from Fair, he’ll also use Nair. The tip of the
sword hits at an angle though, so it’ll probably go over your head. But
if it hits, it knocks you back and does decent damage. It also hits to
Marth’s back, so if you’re creeping up on him he can still smack you
aside. Uair he’ll only use as an anti-air or a juggle tool, but it will
never really kill you. Bair isn’t as great as Fair, it’s the only aerial
attack that he’ll use the least. Dair is a spike, so he’ll save it for
the occasion you’re offstage. Fortunately, Dair has a more curved arc
instead of a hemisphere arc, so Marth needs to practically sweetspot you
with it if he wants to spike.
Marth’s ground game only consists of three moves. One is his Dancing
Blade, i.e. sideB…. It’s a four hit combo (nine I think, if he goes for
the multi-stab) that comes out rather quick and has decent range. Given
Marth’s pathetic neutral A, he might use Dancing Blade as his sort of
AAA replacement. It does about 20% if all of it hits. Typically though,
a Marth will go for the multi-stab finisher but it hits very low on the
ground, so you can jump over it and punish Marth. Although Marth has
better attacks, he can rack damage up and annoy you with Dancing Blade,
so try not to get too close lest you get caught in it. Second, of
course, is his Fsmash. This is the move he’ll go for kills with, so
expect to see this often. Last is his counter move (downB). If you’re
getting too predictable, Marth just needs a well timed counter to turn
the tables. The counter won’t kill, but it has enough knockback power.
Why these three? Because that’s all he honestly needs on the ground to
force you into his edgeguarding game.
In terms of edgeguarding, lets face it – if you already used your double
jump and get knocked away by Marth, you aren’t making it back on. Nair
and Fair both have enough knockback power when you’re in the air, and
they both cover Marth’s front well. Worse off, if he has extremely good
timing his Dair spike will finish you off, especially if you’re below
stage. It will KILL your UpB if you happen to be below him and he’s in
the middle of, say, edgehogging. You’ll have to rely on Cape stalls
offstage to throw off his timing so that he can’t edgeguard you. If
you’re hanging on the edge, he’ll poke you off with dtilt, or worse if
he anticipates a roll, he’ll grab you and throw you back off but close
enough that he’ll get you with a fsmash. Ultimately, you should use UpB
to hit him up and get back on, instead of rolling or jumping from the
edge. He might catch on and use Counter, and resume edgeguarding – but
if you mix it up, you should be able to get back on without him
breathing down your neck.
To reliably attack Marth, you have to take advantage of all his whiffs.
Should he miss a fsmash, Counter, Dancing Blade combo or Fair, stuff his
face with aerials and pressure him. Since Marth must be precise with all
of his major attacks (except for maybe Dancing Blade) he has to hit you
with a specific area or timing. Most of his attacks have enough lag
after them that you can go in and attack. If you stay close to him, he
won’t be able to land any sweetspots. BUT, if you stay away from him, he
has to deal with your fireball spam. Your fireball should bypass most of
his attacks and freeze him up; he might be provoked to use Counter if
you’re approaching him with fireballs – go for a grab.
When you’re edgeguarding Marth, you can play some devious mixups on him.
Jump after Marth, act as if you’re going to spike him or Nair – he may
use Counter. Throw out FLUDD (or quick release it if you haven’t charged
it up) to push him away and then grab the edge; there’s no chance of him
getting back. Or, Cape to bait him into Counter, and then kick him back
with Nair. If he’s in the middle of Dancing Blade back to the stage (the
first hit of sideB), then Cape Stall the edge. He’ll be forced to use
UpB, at which point you can jump back up and Cape him so that he’ll fall
to his doom. If not, a fun thing to do is to hang on the edge and wait
for Marth to fall close enough to the stage for his UpB. Release
yourself with back, and then UpB just as Marth does it. You’ll grab the
edge with invincibility while he falls to his doom – again! It’s a great
mock and humiliation move, and potentially risky since Marth’s UpB is as
fast, or probably faster, than Mario’s.
Remember that Marth needs you to be at a distance so that he can
capitalize on sweetspots, but he’ll also have to approach you and go
through your fireballs before he can go all offensive. If you’re
approaching with fireballs, make sure you make him whiff so that you can
start your own offensive. You can’t go in unless he gives you the
opportunity.
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8. Ending
Well I hope you got a kick out of this guide. I tried to make it as a
long and detailed as possible for good ol’ Mario. I will greatly
appreciate any user submitted info because the plumber needs some love
too. Thanks again for reading this guide.
Credits:
-Nintendo for the Wii
-Sakurai for creating the Smash Bros series
-Smashboards for most of the terms we’re using in Smash today
-My sister for buying me this as a b-day present
-My versus buddies
That’s all, folks!
