User blog:Plasmaster/Smash Study Hall: Mario

Hey there Smashers! Welcome back to the Super Smash Bros. strategy guide blog series, Smash Study Hall! Plasmaster here.

Of all of the characters in Smash Bros., Mario is the definition of well-rounded. He is a very versatile fighter, being able to deal with just about any situation. However, as the saying goes, 'jack of all trades, but master of none.' Mario is skilled in a lot of things, but make a mistake and the opponent will be able to capitalize on it easily.

So, without further ado, let's get into it!

Mario's Fireball is a good projectile move; though average in speed and only having a decent range, the move is useful for putting some damage on opponents as well as other uses. Mario can use the move in the air to toss the fireball onto an opponent from above or you can use it on the ground to force an approaching opponent into the air so that you can hit them with an aerial attack. The fireball can also gimp recovering opponents by using it at the edge. The move can be reversed by slightly inputting the opposite direction Mario is facing and then pressing the button; this can only be reversed in the air but is a good way to surprise opponents; just don't tilt it too far or Mario will use Cape instead.

Speaking of Cape, it is a great move both offensively and defensively. It reflects projectiles and gives Mario a slight horizontal momentum when used in the air which can help with recovery. Mario will also turn an opponent around when he uses this move on them, so if an opponent is running towards Mario or attempting to attack him, you can use this on the opponent to direct them away from Mario and then grab them. Using this off-stage on recovering opponents is a good way to direct their recovery away from the stage, resulting in a K.O. and vast quantities of salt.

Mario's up special, the Super Jump Punch, is a good recovery move, but can be used offensively as well. It can combo out of down throw, up aerial, and up tilt, and is also great for getting a kill off the ceiling.

F.L.U.D.D. is useful for pushing recovering opponents away from the stage, but is otherwise not all that great.

Now for Mario's standard attacks.

At low percentages, Mario's jab combos out of down throw; it is a good combo move as well. Mario's forward tilt is good for ground combos and spacing. His down tilt is another excellent combo move. His up tilt is BROKEN--er, I mean, its a good...combo move...it combos out of down throw and then into itself from low to mid-high percentages. Mario's dash attack, depending o what time in the attack it hits the opponent, launches them at different angles; it can combo into back air, neutral air, up air, and another dash attack.

Mario's aerials are all outstanding combo moves. His neutral aerial stays out for a good amount of time, and is a great combo move. His forward aerial is a nice combo finisher and meteors, making it good for securing kills off-stage. His down aerial is fast and a good combo finisher. Mario's up aerial is great for juggling opponents, continuing combos, and killing off of the ceiling.

Mario's smash attacks are all good kill moves that come out fast, enabling them to be into combos. Mario's forward smash is a great kill move and combo finisher. His up smash can combo out of down throw and up tilt, and if you have trapped an opponent in an up tilt string and they try to counter out of it, charge up the up smash, wait for the counter animation to end, and then punish by releasing it. Mario's down smash is good for covering rolls because of its speed and range as well as an edge-guarding tool.

Mario's throws are all either combos or kills. Forward throw can combo into dash attack or aerial Fireball. Up throw combos into up aerial and neutral aerial. Mario's back throw is good for killing opponents when used on the edge and for getting opponents off-stage. His down throw combos into jab, forward tilt, down tilt, forward smash, and up tilt at low percentages, and up tilt, up aerial, up smash, up special, and neutral aerial at mid-high percentages.

Well, there you have it! Mario is a heavily combo oriented character with some useful tools: a projectile, a reflector, a good recovery, and pushboxes for edge-guarding. Use these correctly and Mario will be an outstanding character to play as.

If you have any questions, please let me know down in the comments. While you're at it, let me know what other characters you'd like to see!

Next week, Charizard fires it up! The Charizard guide is next.

Until next time, keep on smashing and leave it to Heropon!