Q&A How to Jump - Mario "Help Me" Q&A Thread

[Zanarkan]

Hey man I feel your pain, campers and spammers in FG can be quite annoying to play against. I'm a Mario main with a R.O.B. secondary. My best advice to deal with fighting against this play style would be to master your power-shielding. Being able to approach and power-shield the projectiles they throw at you will allow you to stuff them and still have enough time to get in and punish. As you have probably found out characters like Link and Samus really struggle when you get in on them. So make sure you get your money's worth when you manage to get in. A grab is ideal with Mario's combo game a single grab from 0-15% or so should allow to rack up 70-80% if executed properly. The best way I have found to practice power-shielding is if you have a friend that plays projectile heavy characters play friendlies with them and go in with the mindset to only allow your self to power-shield if you regular shield something think of it as losing a stock. If you are like me and have no friends a high level CPU will help to a certain extent until you learn its pattern.

The foxtrot/dash dance stuff is good to learn but i wouldn't prioritize that right now only a few hours into the character. Honestly it won't help you much against projectile spammers, however it is great against spacing characters like swordsman (Marth, Lucina, Shulk, Roy, etc.). The main concept of the technique is to out space your opponent with movement. However there are other options to deal with opponents who play to out range you with swords. I've found that in FG a lot of these players tend to have a bit of a robotic play style and tunnel on getting certain setups. This makes them very easy to read. Honestly the ability to read your opponent well is what separates good players from amazing players that win tournaments on a regular basis. So when you go into FG try to stay fighting the same person for a while, don't just play one or two matches and leave if you crush them or you get stomped, win or lose you can always learn something from the match, and the more you play that person the more easily you can read them.

Anyway, I hope this helps. If you wana play some friendlies let me know (NNID: Zanarkan28) I also stream a lot on twitch, and I try to tailor the stream towards education about the characters I play (Mario, ROB, Ness) so check that out if you want to see examples of what I'm talking about. (twitch.tv/zanarkan28)

Good Luck my friend!

 

[xXDR.SWOOCEXx]

I'm trying to learn Mario and this was very helpful. I also watched some game play and your Mario is great. You got a new follower.

 

[Zanarkan]

I see that thank you so much! I just want to help people get better while getting better myself and help the scene grow. If I may put another shameless self-plug. I finished up a Mario combo video last week you guys should check out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feFOCdW_rwo I post a lot of educational stuff on my YouTube as well like tier list and thoughts on the game/theory crafting. Hope you enjoy and get better at playing our favorite plumber!

 

[Real_REW]

Hey, I'm having the WORST time fighting lucario. I can get his damage up ( sometimes way past mine) but the guy I play against is really defensive and grabs alots. So I'm often pursuing him while he just rolls away. And charges aura sphere. When his aura gets high I seem to always get hit and die really early. Any tips on how to optimize my game.

The thing I tend to do is first a knock off the stage. If you can manage that with a aura-filled lucario, send him away by cape-turning him when he tries to up- B, as usually they aim for the stage, and not the ledge. (Because trying to get Lucario up with that ledge can be tricky.)
However, if you're playing with a good player, they may fast fall, cancel and recover from below. In which case I have no idea. Mario doesn't have the recovering to get that low, and even if he does get a hit on,Lucario could easily get back. So yeah, if he's a pretty decent lucario, I'll give you a rabbit's foot and send you on your way.

 

[Zanarkan]

@ HeroMystic I can rack up damage on Falco pretty well but when I try to get in to secure the kill, he always seems to keep me at bay with his tilts and DA. Then ends up punishing an approaching mistake of mine with a f-smash to take my stock. It gets very annoying.

I would just play the timeout game. One of my main training partners plays a lot of Falco as one of his two mains, and i feel your pain, a lot of Mairo's kill setups don't work on Falco because of his odd weight and fall speed. However when you have a lead it is on them to get the lead back. If he goes away and spams lasers and stuff like that just cape, power-shield, and fireball to make it clear they will have to approach you if they want something to happen. When they see the clock winding down they will get pressured to make something happen and they will often do it recklessly and you should be able to read them easier and punish their mistakes.

 

[Zanarkan]

Best Stages: Battlefield, Delfino, Halberd
Worst Stages: Kongo Jungle

**** Kongo Jungle.

Isn't Kongo Jungle not allowed in most tournament rule sets??

 

[HeroMystic]

Isn't Kongo Jungle not allowed in most tournament rule sets??

Not in my local scene.

 

[Guimartgon]

How good is Dair as an approach? I feel like its safe on shield if you cross your opponent up during the hit but I may be wrong.

 

[Omega_Ra1der]

I am having an inquiry about the ness mu due I will be facing a top ness main for his crew test. What is the standard mu for a spacing mario who also plays an aggressive playstyle in the later percents?

 

[A2ZOMG]

How good is Dair as an approach? I feel like its safe on shield if you cross your opponent up during the hit but I may be wrong.

it's pretty good on shield but it's not the best option for spacing. Also, there's characters with 3 frame aerials who can interrupt it.

 

[Nah]

Was just sort of wondering what Mario's good and bad MUs are....

 

[HeroMystic]

How good is Dair as an approach? I feel like its safe on shield if you cross your opponent up during the hit but I may be wrong.

Pretty good vs an opponent that likes to sit in shield, but bad vs opponents that are very mobile and know how to space. I've been using D-air considerably less as an approach since my scene has gotten a lot better with spacing, and rely more on B-air spacing and grabs.

 

[Zanarkan]

Was just sort of wondering what Mario's good and bad MUs are....

It honestly depends on what level of play your are talking about. Like friendlies and online FG everything is a skill matchup because very few players at that level use their character optimally. For high level competitive tournament play and assuming the Mario player and (insert any other character) player are both master's of their trades mario's worse matchup is Sheik according to most high level Mario players. In my opinion he struggles against characters that are faster than him on the ground or air and rush down characters. Spacing characters with swords like Marth, Ike, etc... Also tend to give him trouble because they out range him.

His best matchups are heavy characters or large characters because they are combo food. One grab on an opponent like Bowser or DK can easily lead to like 70-80%. He also does decently well against projectile characters like villager and Spamus (spelling intentional) due to his reflector and he can challenge camping with fireball. His great punish and combo game helps with this too. Once you get in on campy characters they have a hard time and this can often lead to a stock for a good Mario player.

Hope this answers your question!

 

[Zanarkan]

I am having an inquiry about the ness mu due I will be facing a top ness main for his crew test. What is the standard mu for a spacing mario who also plays an aggressive playstyle in the later percents?

The Ness mu is pretty much the same for every character facing him. Don't get grabbed. Play the spacing game and work on power shielding cuz when you start to out space him in the Neutral, he will probably resort to throwing out more PK fires than he probably should and if you power shield them you can easily punish. If you get hit by one though it will lead to a grab which means death at high percent and it means eating like 50+ dmg at low percent. If you want to get creative I like to throw fireballs at low percents to condition them into throwing out PSI magnet a lot and then approach with that and punish them during the ending lag of their down B.

I would also work on your movement in the neutral with dash dance/foxtrot spacing. Shielding against ness is not a good idea because he relies on grabs and he will resort to approaching with aerials which with the current patch shield changes are really safe on shield and you won't be able to punish much so having a better defense option like retreating with movement. Rolls aren't too bad in this matchup either when used sparingly.

Hope this helps and good luck with that set/match.

 

[Zef]

i got the combo game down, but i need the neutral explained to me. what's the general gist of it?

 

[Zanarkan]

i got the combo game down, but i need the neutral explained to me. what's the general gist of it?

Both rely heavily on grabs and getting the throw combos that follow so its all about the spacing and who gets the first grab. Depending on the players play style, if its a more campy Ness that zones with PK fire and SH Nair focus on approaching with power shields and cape his PK fires. If he's more in your face work on baiting his aerials on your shield, his aerials are his best approach options so that's what to look for and they have good frame data but with good power shielding and good reaction time your should be able to bait him into some shield grabs.

Also its important that you keep leads in this matchup, in my opinion ness is a very momentum based character, Mario kind of is too I guess. If you get a lead play the camp game and make him come to you, throw some fireballs and SH back air a lot and force him to approach. If you have the lead he is the one that has to make something happen. I see a lot of players both new and experienced trying to go ham as hell after they get a lead and in very few situations is this a good idea.

Hope this helps.

 

[LeWall]

Cpt. Falcon is too fast! I cant escape his grab! Any tips on interrupting it?( Mario's Footsies is too slow to make him whiff is grab!)

 

[HeroMystic]

Cpt. Falcon is too fast! I cant escape his grab! Any tips on interrupting it?( Mario's Footsies is too slow to make him whiff is grab!)

Mario has a bit of a problem with Falcon's grab but it isn't because of his footsies. Mario has some of the best footsies in the game and has top tier attack speed. The problem with Falcon's dash grab is it covers a lot of range and can be used as a punish for poor spacing.

To interrupt a Falcon randomly going in for a grab (which is bad on Falcon's part), you can use almost everything. D-tilt, b-air, n-air, d-air, f-tilt, or even just hold the jab button. Alternatively, you can roll or spotdodge.

The art of playing footsies is keeping your options open and not allowing Falcon to get anything for free. Falcon has to fight Mario by committing. If you're getting grabbed a lot, you need to work on your spacing and use options with less commitment.

 

[LeWall]

Thank you! HeroMystic

Ill put out another Question here:

Any Ways too exploit Zoning game with our man Mario?

 

[HeroMystic]

Zoning is one of Mario's weakest points, due to his low range. His only real zoning tool is fireballs, and I've already talked about that extensively.

In neutral, Fireballs' best use is for annoyance. It's something your opponent has to respond to, which means their mix-up game becomes more predictable. That said, Mario will be the one going up against other characters' zoning tools rather than the other way around.

 

[Rango the Mercenary]

How do I properly combo DThrow-UTilt into Uair for combos? I feel like I'm never getting a full string.

 

[Smoking_Hot_BBQ]

So I used to main captain falcon (very badly), but I switched to Mario recently and I've been doing a lot better with him already. However, I'm struggling with the matchup against marth. I have a really hard time approaching him and getting hits in. I have trouble grabbing him because his sword basically walls me out.

Another thing I need advice on is using the fludd. I'm pretty effective when it comes to using the cape for edge-guarding and reflecting projectiles, but I need advice with fludd edge-guarding. Usually my opponent recovers low, but when they recover when I can use fludd, I can never effectively push them back with accuracy.

Any tips for the Mario/Marth MU and using the fludd?

 

[LeWall]

So I used to main captain falcon (very badly), but I switched to Mario recently and I've been doing a lot better with him already. However, I'm struggling with the matchup against marth. I have a really hard time approaching him and getting hits in. I have trouble grabbing him because his sword basically walls me out.

Welcome to the Squad! The key to land hit on marth is Dont approche him! He has no zoning game so keep fireball his ass down with fireball( its better than not doing anything ). If you need to apprauch him, just behind your fire ball its enough range to put im into Mario hop mix up, ( Uair, Uair or Upair, Grab or Upair, Extended dash or Adodge, Uair etc... Its mario damn it)

You know wath? Just stay in front him(Out of his range, but close) stress this boy and he will whiff a move for sure!

Another thing I need advice on is using the fludd. I'm pretty effective when it comes to using the cape for edge-guarding and reflecting projectiles, but I need advice with fludd edge-guarding. Usually my opponent recovers low, but when they recover when I can use fludd, I can never effectively push them back with accuracy.

Full charge when invincible, Shoot it when enemy's off stage, and people near edge.

 

[Eonn]

Apart from Sheik does Mario have any poor matchups?

 

[Mr. ShinyUmbreon]

Hey, I've been picking up Mario recently, He's pretty fun to play as and his combos feel really satisfying and effective. I'm not entirely sure why I should be doing in neutral though. What moves does Mario have that are safe on block?

 

[Xeze]

Apart from Sheik does Mario have any poor matchups?

On top of my head, I would say DK and Rosalina are tough for Mario.

 

[Saturn_]

I recently switched from Luigi to Mario and one thing I'm really stuck on is Fair setups. I know you can dthrow-fair but I don't know percentages/what to look for. Plus any other applications of the move, I don't use it much. That goes double for FLUDD, if anyone could tell me what MUs that is good in I'd appreciate it.

 

[homiedixon]

Are there better alternatives to the "For Glory Mario" d-throw to u-tilt at 0%?

 

[Xeze]

Are there better alternatives to the "For Glory Mario" d-throw to u-tilt at 0%?

Up throw to jump dair. Then, if they DI to the front of you, double jump fair; if they DI behind you, double jump bair.

 

[MegaFatcat100]

I'm having issues fighting cloud, he keeps out ranging me, any tips?

 

[Dark_Wolf]

Can someone please help me! I was playing FG with a very good Link today. Before I get into this I would say I am above average player with Mario and not high level. Anyways he wasn't no spammer Link, but he knew how to zone with him very well. Now my problem was I couldn't approach him or even defend myself against him. What he would do is throw z-airs and bombs at me when I'm far, use the jab combo constantly every time I approached him, shielded all my aerials and fireballs, and the worst: n-air to combo break and beat my fireballs and attacks. I was completely frustrated trying to get something going with him, but he COMPLETELY outranged me. I did win a lot of games against him, BUT they were very LUCKY and I still felt he was the better player. So my main question is how do you face against Link with Mario??!! ANY TIPS WOULD BE GREAT!!

*Also in general: How do you face against people who outrange Mario?

 

[ElectricBlade]

Hey, so I'm trying very hard to learn the Mario matchup. And I'm wondering what are Marios main ways of getting grabs? From theory crafting it seems to be Shield grabs, Tech chases, run up grab mixups etc. Idk if he can Jab grab though. Can anyone tell me the main ways he does?

 

[Smoking_Hot_BBQ]

How do I escape lucas's dthrow to nair combo, and dthrow to fair at higher percents?

 

[Fluttershy]

Not sure if anyone needs the help as of now but going to answer some of the unanswered questions regardless..

How do I escape lucas's dthrow to nair combo, and dthrow to fair at higher percents?

Try to DI upwards to get higher than his first jump.

Hey, so I'm trying very hard to learn the Mario matchup. And I'm wondering what are Marios main ways of getting grabs? From theory crafting it seems to be Shield grabs, Tech chases, run up grab mixups etc. Idk if he can Jab grab though. Can anyone tell me the main ways he does?

don't think he can effectively jab -> grab easily because the hit stun isn't that strong. though FF Nair (weak hit), FF Bair (weak hit), and Dair (if it's not the final hit) can net a grab with the first two at low percents. Utilt, and Dtilt can at very low percents on some characters

Don't have much experience on Link and Cloud despite me being able to use Cloud..

 

[Actraiser]

I cannot execute reverse jump canceled up smashes consistently. I want it to be automatic, to the point where I could go in training mode and do it 30 times in a row if I wanted to. The problem is it feels like I have to press jump and a+up at the exact same time. Sometimes it works, but I can almost never get it 10 times in a row. If I try to press jump first, I'm even less consistent--often doing a fair or air dodge or even a pivot grab.

I know what the correct inputs are, but does anyone have any tips when it comes to actually executing the move? Also, is there a video showing a players hand when performing technique?

 

[Kulty]

Guys,

What are generally considered by Mario professionals to be his worst MUs in high levels of play?

 

[Fluttershy]

I cannot execute reverse jump canceled up smashes consistently. I want it to be automatic, to the point where I could go in training mode and do it 30 times in a row if I wanted to. The problem is it feels like I have to press jump and a+up at the exact same time. Sometimes it works, but I can almost never get it 10 times in a row. If I try to press jump first, I'm even less consistent--often doing a fair or air dodge or even a pivot grab.

I know what the correct inputs are, but does anyone have any tips when it comes to actually executing the move? Also, is there a video showing a players hand when performing technique?

Try doing it during the pivot and hit A+up and jump at the same time. There is quite a bit of time Mario can activate a reversed up smash during his dash pivot. I've been trying to get it down as well and find it easier to wait after I see the pivot frames to start the inputs.

Guys,

What are generally considered by Mario professionals to be his worst MUs in high levels of play?

From what I've heard Ryu is one of Mario's worst matchups but I'm not sure what others are there as of now..

 

[Kulty]

From what I've heard Ryu is one of Mario's worst matchups but I'm not sure what others are there as of now..

I heard that the MU is about even or slightly loses, but definitely duable. I'm just talking about MUs that are like 40-60 or something. Luckily that Mario doesn't have MUs like 35-65 or worst at least from what I heard. Maybe there'salong withas Mario's worst MUs. Not so sure myself since I don`t ave enough experience with them. I think that the best characters to counter them are.

 

[Smoking_Hot_BBQ]

This is gonna sound really dumb, but what's the sweetspot for fair so it spikes? At what point should I hit it if I want to spike with it?

 

[Rock2000256]

Hello everyone. I am an intermediate Mario main with secondaries as mega man and ness, but I am much better with Mario. Anyway, I am having difficulty fighting ROB, as his combos seem to always have more range. Any tips for fighting him (or Ganon or Link, as thy are the opponents secondaries)?