Super Smash Bros./Mario

Introduction

Mario doesn't need much introduction. He's the most famous video game character ever. Ever since saving his girlfriend from a giant gorilla, he has done a lot more, such as sewer spelunking, saving princesses, racing karts and even becoming a doctor.

Mario is, as in other games, an all-around character. He is pretty easy to pick up, and not to hard to master. He has good power, a great projectile and nice combos. However, his recovery is predictable, and he lacks the speed and finesse of top tier characters.Mario is currently ranked 5th in the A tier on the tier list for good offense, defense and speed stats and having excellent combo ability. He has great, close-range smash attacks and has a good recovery. However, he has bad air speed, limiting his recovery, and a few range and power issues as a part of his "all-around" attributes.

Normal Move Analysis

Ground Moves

Normal

• Neutral attack: Jab-Punch-Kick, 2%, 4%, 5%. This combo is directly taken from Super Mario 64.
• Forward tilt: Roundhouse kick. Good for spacing, comes out fast with decent range. 13%
• Up tilt: High spin punch, Mario twirls and punches upwards. Above average knockback for an up-tilt, can KO or simply lead into other air combos. Can also chain into itself. 10%
• Down tilt: Spin kick, also taken from SM64. Not the best defensive moves, and not many uses in general. 12%
• Dash attack: Slides and stops, taken from SM64. 12% damage.

Smash attacks

• Side smash: Mega punch. Mario punches in front of him, his fist enlarging as he does so.Medium speed. 17%
• Up smash: Headbutts upwards. His whole head becomes a hitbox, which although laggy, a powerful finisher. 19%
• Down smash: Breakdance kick. Mario swirls around while breakdancing on both sides. A decent spacing and KO-ing move. 17%

Other

• Ledge attack- Gets up and flips. 6% damage.
• 100% ledge attack- Slowly gets up and punches. 6% damage.
• Floor attack- Gets up and spins. 6% damage.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial: A Sex kick. It gets weaker the longer it's out, though when it first comes out it's a good finisher. 14%
• Forward aerial: Forwards spin kick. Good for a Gimp kill or simply an aerial assault. 16%
• Back aerial: Backwards kick. Good for edgeguarding, and has good power. 16%
• Up aerial: Flip kick. Knockback direction depends on which angle the foe was hit on. Not always the best choice for an aerial KO, but excellent juggler. 12%
• Down aerial: Spin kick, 3%/hit, up to 8 hits. The last few hitboxes (except for the last one, which has no knockback) meteor smash. Like Kirby's similar spike, it is best used when done multiple times.

Throws

• Forward throw: Spin throw. He quickly swings the foe once and tosses them in front of him. A good throw in terms of power, though most players prefer his back throw for reliable KOs. 12%
• Back throw: Super Mario 64 throw; Grabs opponent by the legs and swings him/her until release. 16% damage. One of the most powerful back throws in the game, a very reliable finisher.

Special Move Analysis

Neutral Special

Fireball: Mario's red fireballs fall to the ground, losing momentum with each bounce. As such, they are more effective when fired from higher locations and toward downward slopes, traveling further. When firing at a wall or upward slope, the balls will bounce backward, a more defensive maneuver for brief protection from oncoming foes, perhaps in the air or from behind. Mario's fireballs can be spammed, though with some difficulty (and at a slower rate of fire than Luigi's), and are a decent approach tactic. The move can be more efficient when used in the air, falling to meet the enemy at ground level, while still moving, and negating lag. 2%-4% each.

Up Special

Super Jump Punch: When Mario uses this attack each hit does 1% damage. Average damage is around 10-13%. Moderate knockback, though seems more powerful in Brawl. It is a poor recovery overall due to its short range and being easily edgeguarded (with the exception of N64's S.J.P. which has a great vertical range and decent horizontal range if aimed forward). It is possible to "aim" both Marios' Super Jump Punches straight up vertically by holding the Control Stick in the opposite direction that they are facing during the "spark" of the Super Jump Punch's animation and can be angled vertically as well by aiming the control stick or d-pad forward.

Down Special

The move involves him rotating rapidly with his fists outstretched. It is a multi-hit attack, and the last hit can spike in the original Super Smash Bros. This attack's knockback was always the same in SSB, regardless of the enemy's damage. By pressing the Special Attack button rapidly, Mario would rise up in the air slightly and give him a slight recovery chance.

Matchups

Matchups	Pikachu	Fox	Kirby	C.Falcon	Mario	Yoshi	DK	Ness	Puff	Luigi	Link	Samus	Total
Mario	4	5	5	5	-	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	60	Mario
	Pikachu	Fox	Kirby	C.Falcon	Mario	Yoshi	DK	Ness	Puff	Luigi	Link	Samus	Total