Control |
Attack |
Info
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Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller |
Wii Remote + Nunchuk |
Wii Remote (sideways)
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Wii Classic Controller |
GameCube Controller |
Nintendo 3DS
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Fireball
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Mario throws out a fireball that causes 4% damage. The fireball behaves like in its home series, bouncing along the ground. This simple projectile is what you should be throwing out whenever you're not close to an enemy. The bouncing trajectory of the fireball makes it impossible to duck under, although it is easily avoided by jumping over. It is still pretty spammable, so throw out fireballs whenever it is safe to deal chip damage as well as to frustrate your foes. Be sure to mix up your fireball trajectories by throwing them either standing or from different jump heights.
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Fast Fireball
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Mario throws out smaller, weaker fireballs that shoot across the screen in a straight line. The damage and knockback depends on the distance the fireball travels, decreasing more the further the fireball is from Mario. This move serves a similar purpose to the default Fireball, which is to build up damage and harass opponents. While the fireball loses its unique trajectory, it is easier to hit characters with good air control who can easily evade the ground-bound default fireballs. Its fast speed also makes it easier to disrupt enemy attacks on reaction.
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Fire Orb
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After a brief delay, Mario creates a large orb of fire that moves a short distance, doing multiple hits to foes caught in its fiery vortex. While Mario's other fireballs are used to annoy opponents from afar, the Fire Orb is best used to discourage enemies from staying too close. While the orb doesn't move very far, it takes up a lot of area and lasts moderately long, limiting your foes' options at close range against you. However, the startup delay of the move gives opponents an opening to strike, and makes deliberately hitting opponents with the Fire Orb a bit difficult. Make a habit out of short hopping every time you use the Fire Orb, as you can still move laterally through the air during the startup animation, letting you position yourself better.
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Cape
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Mario swings his cape, briefly reflecting projectiles and thrown items as well as reversing the direction of any nearby opponent. Due to the interval between each cape use, this moves is better used to counter single, powerful projectiles like Samus's Charge Shot rather than continued projectile spam. Using it on opponents will often cause their attacks to miss and briefly disorient them, which can create an opening for your own attacks. However, it is best used to disrupt a recovering foe, and can often spell doom for them if they rely on a recovery with a set trajectory. The Cape can also help your own recovery, but it no longer gives you any distance as in past games, merely stalling your momentum in the air.
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Shocking Cape
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Mario discharges static electricity in his cape every time he swings it. The cape loses much of its original functionality, including reflecting projectiles, flipping foes or helping recovery, but gains a moderately powerful attack that knocks foes sideways. The move has pretty good range compared with the rest of Mario's kit, which compensates for the slight startup of the attack. Even though you can no longer use the cape to confuse opponents or mess up their recoveries, it can still function well for edgeguarding. The move's good reach and moderate power gives it a niche among Mario's aerial attacks, and can serve as a KO move offstage. Mario's Back Air Attack is still the safer bet for knocking enemies to the side, but the Shocking Cape's power gives it a slight edge over the Air Attack.
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Gust Cape
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Mario's cape whips up a strong gale that pushes enemies away from him, but the cape itself does less damage. Mario can still reflect projectiles, flip opponents and stall his fall in the air. The wind generated by the cape has much more reach than the cape itself, but only at close-range will the gust have any significant effect. While the default Cape is great at sabotaging recoveries, the Gust Cape amplifies its utility by pushing recovering foes even further from the ledge in addition to reversing their momentum. It is also better at disorientating opponents with cape flips, as they will also be pushed away. Since the default Cape isn't used for its damage, the Gust Cape is pretty much a better substitute to it.
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Super Jump Punch
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Mario jumps diagonally into the air, hitting enemies in his path. This attack is Mario's designated recovery move, and is certainly adequate enough for this purpose. While its range is average, it suffers from a predictable recovery path, which lets foes intercept you easily. As it leaves you in helpless freefall when the move ends, it is not very good for purposefully attacking enemies, since you are very vulnerable if you miss or if there are other opponents nearby. If the stage has platforms within reach, you can reduce the time you're helpless for by using Super Jump Punch on to the platform. This attack becomes a decent move to knock away foes pressuring your shield in such situations.
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Super Jump
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Mario jumps up higher, but will not hit opponents at all on his way up. The advantages and drawbacks of this custom special should be quite obvious. More distance means Mario can survive better, and the Super Jump can usually send Mario from being barely offscreen below the stage straight to the ledge. The loss of the attacking part of the move makes it an unviable out-of-shield option, unlike the default Super Jump Punch, and leaves you a bit more unprotected during recovery, but its speed somewhat compensates for it. The Super Jump also has an offensive use, as it lets you be more daring with your edgeguards, since you can safely extend further offstage than with the Super Jump Punch.
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Explosive Punch
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Mario's uppercut becomes a powerful two-hit combo at the expense of recovery distance. The first hit knocks foes into the second hit, which is a fiery explosion with enough knockback to serve as a reliable KO move. Like the Super Jump, the change in usage caused by the differences of this special variant are quite apparent. Mario's doesn't have the best recovery, and using an Up Special that covers less distance can potentially reduce his survivability. However, the Explosive Punch provides Mario with a valuable asset: an additional KO move in Mario's limited arsenal. This means that Mario can rely less on his smash attacks to nab KOs, as well as secure KOs in the air. The initial hit of the move is fast enough to be used often as an attack, although Mario is still vulnerable if he misses. Despite the move leaving Mario with a worse recovery, its added power and the resulting increase in options makes this move definitely worth considering.
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F.L.U.D.D.
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Mario charges up the F.L.U.D.D., which he can then activate to propel a stream of water. The water pushes opponents away, but doesn't actually damage them or cause them to flinch. This is arguably the most situational move in Mario's arsenal, an odd addition in an otherwise beginner-friendly moveset. The main advantage of the F.L.U.D.D. over Mario's other edgeguard options is the ability to push opponents further from the stage without knocking them out of a helpless state, which can range from comedically effective to absolutely useless depending on the character you're battling. It can also mess up a foe's movement even when they're not helpless, potentially putting them in a disadvantageous position, but once again, these situations are unpredictable and seldom occur. Regardless, if you're serious about using the F.L.U.D.D., be sure to charge it whenever it is safe to do so, using to store a partial charge, since the move requires a full charge to have a significant effect.
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Scalding F.L.U.D.D.
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Instead of pressurizing the water inside the F.L.U.D.D., Mario boils it, causing the stream of water to damage foes instead of pushing them away. It takes less time to charge fully, but also sacrifices some range. Mario gains a new mid-range option that can hit multiple times, making it good for pressuring shields and dealing slight damage from a distance. The quick charge time means you can easily get full charge whenever there is a lull in the battle. While Mario doesn't really rely on the pushback of the default F.L.U.D.D., the comparatively poor reach of the Scalding F.L.U.D.D. hinders it from becoming a stronger projectile.
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High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D.
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The High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D. takes longer to become fully-charged, but the pushback from the water jet is significantly increased, even doing recoil pushback to Mario himself. If you feel that Mario's F.L.U.D.D. just wasn't powerful enough to have a significant effect for edgeguarding, the High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D. just might fulfill your needs. Its increased knockback means that you are much more likely to prevent a foe from reaching the ledge. The recoil is a bit of a double-edged sword. While it does create some distance between you and your opponents, it prevents you from taking advantage of any confusion or disorientation caused by the water jet. The higher charge time also reduces the frequency you can use the move, although it is not hard to find space to charge it up bit by bit.
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